# Fishing the 'Glades -October, 2014



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

We stayed pretty busy with one thing or another all month long and I neglected to post any reports so this one will cover the past month..... October is usually one of the absolutely best months of the year - but it wasn't this time around. We went days at a time with strong westerly winds early this month and it made most of our time on the water a struggle... Still there were lots of high points.

There were still quite a few good sized mangrove snapper in the backcountry... this one measured in at 16" - the reel shown is a Battle 4000 for comparison...


Along with lots of snapper, jacks, ladyfish, and other small hungry fish.... spanish mackeral have been showing up inside rivers almost every day now (and big gag grouper will show the moment water temps drop a bit...). 

While tarpon fishing with flies was very frustrating the big fish have just been jumping on live baits and bucktail jigs worked slowly where they're hanging out. Our best fish last week was an 80lb to the boat. I was so busy with it that I never took any pics at all (at least not ones that show tarpon...). That day we jumped an additional half dozen fish between 60 and 80lbs on lures. The big fish will probably be a bit scarce after last weekend's temperature drop (every year I expect that first cold front right around World Series time, and this year was no exception). Every time we had fly anglers aboard, of course, those same fish had lockjaw (and I drove home talking to myself...). We'll get another shot at them just before Christmas if the weather is mild...

Redfishing has been good most days and we usually find them with small snook. The big surprise has been the number of sawfish we've encountered while working bait for those reds....
Here's a couple of pics...

this was the first cast of the day out of Chokoloskee....


Just a small fish but it set the tone...


later that day, this fish came from a big school that ate every fly it saw....



Here's Kyle Savage's wife Denay with another nice red on fly...


Back over on the Flamingo side of the Park we found great quantities of bait on the days when the wind and rain allowed us to work the coast. On one day we actually hooked and released two sawfish in less than three feet of water -one was between 7 and 8 feet, the other almost 9 feet long. Because the water at the time was muddy we never knew they were around until those rods bent over and things got crazy... Both fish were very carefully released in good condition (and I made a point of not fishing that particular spot again...).

Here's the first redfish for one of that same group.....


This is just the beginning of our fall season. I expect lots more fish to be found up inside the backcountry now as water temps fall. This coming weekend I'll be with the BRP booth at the Ft Lauderdale show (BRP makes the Evinrude motors that I've been running for years and years). I should be there on Friday and again on Sunday - stop by and say Hi...

Be a hero, take a kid fishing!


----------



## Semper Fly (Jun 11, 2011)

Great recap of the month Capt Bob. Always look forward to your informative reports. Hope to see you at the dock again soon.


----------



## Bob_Rogers (Oct 14, 2009)

Great report Capn!

My favorite thing about this October has been all the snooklets out there - gonna be great fishing in the next several years if we don't have another hard freeze.


----------



## floridascuba (Mar 15, 2012)

If my dad don't come down, I may have to do a solo trip to Choko next weekend.


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Day before yesterday I was re-learning how to troll small plugs in the backcountry near Choko... the guy I was with caught not only snook that way but two hungry young redfish in less than four feet of water 'way back up inside a small creek....


----------



## touimet (Mar 11, 2014)

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday.


----------



## lewis_walker (May 22, 2012)

Good report we'll be heading that way in Dec.after my wifes hip surgery might see you at Tropical Anglers.LCW


----------



## floridascuba (Mar 15, 2012)

Going next Saturday. Looking to put the knowledge you taught me last weekend to use. Have a couple spots on the chart I want to try depending on what the tides give me.


----------

