# redfish wrestling



## margarcia305 (Jan 13, 2010)

went out last thursday to flamingo with my buddy nick on his hellsbay and had a ball running around looking for water, by far the lowest i have ever seen the bay due to a north wind that just wouldnt give up. 
heres the wrestling part, we found lots of rat reds and a few oversized throughout the day but throwing a fly was a nightmare!!! we kept finding reds (non-caught) that were burried head first tailing and some bellied up? we were grabbing them with our bare hands, BARE HANDS
we'd then release them and they were healthy/friskee upon returning them to the water but then theyd do the same...some head first tailing and others bellying up and playing dead altogether??? no,we didnt take any fish home ;D
the fish were a lil lethargic but no signs of distress or soars, so heres the 1 million dollar question...anyone ever seen this before and why were they in this mood??
some came from active schools so were they in isolation anxiety, exhausted from a mating ritual, or maybe a flu??


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## CarlosNoe (Sep 5, 2008)

I have seen something like this on the front side with Tarpon. My brother and I on Kayak and the Tarpon laying flat next to us but they would move if we put our hands on them. We saw this about two years ago so it funny to hear another person talking about this.

I'm thinking maybe something with Jelly Fish..Don't worry I have seen stranger things at Flamingo...like the Ghost Light, etc.... ;D


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## margarcia305 (Jan 13, 2010)

I was tryn 2 upload a photo or 2 from the adventure but I think ms has banded me :'( read somewhere in the help section that u "can" upload photo if the "browse" selection is there. Yeah, no browse when I try to post or reply. Oh well, happy holidays yall!!

Ps that's much cooler with tarpons, but what's the ghost light?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I've run into similar behavior a few times.
Fish do sleep. I've eased up on reds that were half buried in sea grass,
reached over and was able to slide a hand under the belly like tickling a brook trout.
As long as there were no sudden motions or loud noises they'd stay put.
Fun to mess with sleeping parrotfish during night dives or bullynetting down in the keys too.
I've also seen some odd behaviors that were caused by red tide and low oxygen levels.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I did see a lot of weird jellyfish looking creatures on Sunday. I have noticed fish in certain areas are completely no biting. While others are crushing anything in sight at other areas


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

> I was tryn 2 upload a photo or 2 from the adventure but I think ms has banded me :'( read somewhere in the help section that u "can" upload photo if the "browse" selection is there. Yeah, no browse when I try to post or reply. Oh well, happy holidays yall!!
> 
> Ps that's much cooler with tarpons, but what's the ghost light?


I'd like to hear more about the ghost light, I went to flamingo with a buddy of mine and we were driving through the park at 3 am and saw some weird light....could this be the GHOST LIGHT?!?!


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## CarlosNoe (Sep 5, 2008)

Yep as a Yaker you always at the park in the middle of the night, or going to your location in the middle of the night. I have seen those lights your talking about, and more. In major rain I have had it ride on top of my car and play with me for some miles. (Kirk saw them will not talk about them! ) If you ask him he will say yes he seen it a few times, but it the lady who works the front of the park coming after to me for payment. He say we have something going on, and she is checking if I'm alone.

Not the strangest thing I have had happen to me...try to be out for days at the park, and you start to see lots of funny things....
It all part of the park....On the Yaker sites you see lots of postings for stuff like this...The famous mirror, or Flash from a distances, People calling you from far, The Whispers, Night time Water Light pluse, Swamp Ape, The Camp site Shadow-AKA Path Shadows, The Owl, Strange Animals that come out the water at night, strange light in the sky---etc.... 

Yep it the Everglades it all part of the fun:


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

Some of those soound awfully familiar!! lol good stuff and keeps you going back for more


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