# Everglades backcountry report, 23 August



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Made it down to Flamingo three days this past week or so and found a few fish here and there. Mostly it was snook on a variety of lures and baits early in the week... Here's a pic or two...

















First snook to the grandson.. last snook to Grand Dad...









Mike Cole with a nice beach snook









It's been so hot that even the crocodiles are showing it... this croc was at the boat ramp at dawn with mouth open trying to cool off...



Last Saturday with local angler Robert Abramites and his guest Rob aboard we were back down to Flamingo again.. Our first fish of the day was on Robert's light rod - a 20lb tarpon in a river that he was able to fight to the boat before it broke him off on the trolling motor. A short while later when the tide was right we made a stop at a grouper spot and again he was hooked up on the first drop.... That fish gave him fits before finally rocking up on the bottom. We played one of a few tricks I know and fooled that fish into believing we'd broken off... When he moved - a few minutes later it was game on again. Finally Robert was the winner of the extended fight with a 30lb goliath grouper for a quick photo and release...









great catch on light line - then back in the water to fight another day...
Here's Rob with his first goliath - a much smaller specimen...









Later that day after hooking quite a few big fish that just took us to school, we found ourselves more than 30 miles from the ramp and tried one last spot... Once again Robert was the man - and this time we had no idea what he'd hooked - all we knew for sure was that it was pulling my skiff around and not giving up while only in four feet of water. That big fish never came to the surface where we could see it until right at the end of the fight when a two foot long sawfish bill surfaced right next to the boat... The entire fish looked to be between 10 and 11 feet long - and still full of fight. I was able to leader the fish for a single photo before we released it in good condition...








At that point, with two very tired anglers we turned and headed homewards... but I think they'll be back...

Tight lines
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666
"Be a hero... take a kid fishing"


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## Redtail (May 25, 2021)

You had a productive week. Some great fish but that sawfish is special. Haven't seen one of them in more years than I care to remeber. Your cilents will have special memories for life!


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Nice work sir!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Lots of saws in the Park - from tiny babies (fully formed and 18" long) to over 20 feet long (only seen a few of those over the years...). Simply put, because commercial nets have never been allowed in the Park, since 1948 when the Park was formed... there's a good population of them still around. Everywhere else in the world they've disappeared. Add to the "no commercial fishing" in the Park - sawfish have been a no take specie for years and years in the Park - long before they were protected elsewhere.

Since our state banned inshore nets, sawfish in Florida are beginning to make a comeback - and if inshore nets were banned elsewhere they'd soon be off the endangered list, in my opinion. If a sawfish swims into a net two things happen - a big one destroys the net - and any saw in a net is a dead fish... That's just the way it is.


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## bonefishbradjr (Sep 7, 2019)

Awesome report!


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Great report as usual, Captain. The last sawfish I saw was in the park and that was many moons ago. Very cool fish.


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## LSURed (Mar 28, 2021)

Pretty jealous of that Sawfish!


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## Gaudy (May 10, 2020)

Saw this little guy cruising around the boat a couple months back...pretty cool to see!


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Nice goliaths! Yeah there’s a few spots you can reliably see those little sawfish pretty awesome animals


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## snookin44 (Nov 5, 2008)

Great report! Love to see the sawfish and crocs doing well.


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## jaxdrew (Aug 19, 2020)

great report capt


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

lemaymiami said:


> Lots of saws in the Park - from tiny babies (fully formed and 18" long) to over 20 feet long (only seen a few of those over the years...). Simply put, because commercial nets have never been allowed in the Park, since 1948 when the Park was formed... there's a good population of them still around. Everywhere else in the world they've disappeared. Add to the "no commercial fishing" in the Park - sawfish have been a no take specie for years and years in the Park - long before they were protected elsewhere.
> 
> Since our state banned inshore nets, sawfish in Florida are beginning to make a comeback - and if inshore nets were banned elsewhere they'd soon be off the endangered list, in my opinion. If a sawfish swims into a net two things happen - a big one destroys the net - and any saw in a net is a dead fish... That's just the way it is.


Bob, do you report those? You probably know that the FWC Conservation Commission has been studying sawfish for years. They appreciate anglers reporting sightings/catches. Here's the information in case anyone else has one to report:


E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 844-472-9347 (1-844-4SAWFISH)


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I was involved in the research that was done to prepare the Endangered application a few years back. Once the saws were on the list, the team at Mote Marine scattered and went into different research jobs around the country... All of their data went to UF at Gainesville - and then the fun began... A few years later NOAA held a meeting as they ramped up to "protect the sawfish" and I drove about 100 miles to attend. Only a half dozen of us showed up and it was clear from the start that the folks running the meeting didn't care what we had to contribute.... They were intent on declaring the coastal areas from Marco northward to Tampa as an area of "critical concern" for sawfish (without acknowledging that there's a very healthy population of them in Everglades National Park - where they've been protected for years and years..). That critical concern designation will allow them to prohibit development along the coast - including controlling where and if homeowners can build docks on their properties, etc. To put it mildly I was pretty discouraged and decided at that point that they'd not get my assistance in any way shape or fashion... 

In the years since then.... they're encouraging reporting by the general public and I haven't heard much else from them at all. There is some good news though... Sawfish are beginning to come back again here in Florida and it's entirely due to the net ban. Inshore netting world-wide has been what's wiped out sawfish populations everywhere... If a sawfish hits a net - they're killed (and if the saw is a big one - it destroys the net in the process...). If other coastal states in the Gulf and along our Atlantic coasts prohibited inshore commercial netting the sawfish would make a dramatic recovery over time.... No other action from government would be needed at all... in my opinion...


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

lemaymiami said:


> I was involved in the research that was done to prepare the Endangered application a few years back. Once the saws were on the list, the team at Mote Marine scattered and went into different research jobs around the country... All of their data went to UF at Gainesville - and then the fun began... A few years later NOAA held a meeting as they ramped up to "protect the sawfish" and I drove about 100 miles to attend. Only a half dozen of us showed up and it was clear from the start that the folks running the meeting didn't care what we had to contribute.... They were intent on declaring the coastal areas from Marco northward to Tampa as an area of "critical concern" for sawfish (without acknowledging that there's a very healthy population of them in Everglades National Park - where they've been protected for years and years..). That critical concern designation will allow them to prohibit development along the coast - including controlling where and if homeowners can build docks on their properties, etc. To put it mildly I was pretty discouraged and decided at that point that they'd not get my assistance in any way shape or fashion...
> 
> In the years since then.... they're encouraging reporting by the general public and I haven't heard much else from them at all. There is some good news though... Sawfish are beginning to come back again here in Florida and it's entirely due to the net ban. Inshore netting world-wide has been what's wiped out sawfish populations everywhere... If a sawfish hits a net - they're killed (and if the saw is a big one - it destroys the net in the process...). If other coastal states in the Gulf and along our Atlantic coasts prohibited inshore commercial netting the sawfish would make a dramatic recovery over time.... No other action from government would be needed at all... in my opinion...


Thanks for sharing that, Bob.


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