# Flamingo backcountry report, 2 Feb



## lewis_walker (May 22, 2012)

Great report Bob I'll be there soon having new trolling motor installed.Lewis


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

Great report Capt Bob!!!


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## Dawhoo (Oct 27, 2015)

Great report... I have finally checked my ego at the door and have accepted the fact Florida Bay part of Flamingo is a beast to learn to fish. Despite being a successful catcher of redfish back in the marshes of SC, no matter how hard I try (4 trips and tons of research) it requires a uniques knowledge that doesn't translate easily to redfish of other areas of the country. 

So for those wanting to learn how to fish Flamingo, save your self some time and hire a guide for first couple of trips. I wish I had.


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## Semper Fly (Jun 11, 2011)

Great report again Capt ... a question ... do you think the extremely large amounts of fresh water in the Glades will impact WWB as it slowly flows into WWB? I have heard many reports and seen for myself that the Glades is filled with fresh water from the continuous rains we have experienced this year. ... I was curious of your take on it.


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## Fish_specialist (Jan 1, 2014)

Thank you for the report!!! I look forward to them!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Finally sorted out my photos (actually had a computer problem on my end….). So if anyone comes back the report actually makes sense now….. Most days I feel like a caveman trying to read a newspaper for the first time….


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

Nice report! I look forward to fishing down there some day.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's something I was taught years and years ago about fishing the inside… As you run, periodically dip your hand over the side and simply taste the water to check salt content (yes, there's probably a bit more fresh in the interior now -but the fish didn't seem bothered by it). In summer, Whitewater (and places like it) have so little salt that you'll kill shrimp in your live we'll if you're drawing water into your well -and out on the coast, at times, certain rivers are pumping so much freshwater that you'll kill an entire live well full of pilchards if you don't check the water before you bring it onboard.

I figure that as long as any change in salinity is gradual the fish will adjust to it -any sudden change (say after a huge rain storm -or a sudden flush of water [like what happens when they dump Okeechobee….] causes severe disruption) and there goes your fishing….


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## lewis_walker (May 22, 2012)

Bob what material is that blacklight fly made of.Lewis


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I actually have two versions of the Blacklight - the one shown is the earliest version but both have the same tail.. start with a #2 or #1 Mustad 34007 hook and tie in a sparse amount of dyed black buck tail (or the synthetic FishHair), then four to eight strands of pearl Flashabou on top, then a generous clump of marabou (I strip marabou from 3" dyed black blood quill - comes as 'strung marabou blood quill' ). Each material is tied on top of the other…. Then I tie in a string of Dan Bailey's Body Fur in black and wind forward to complete the tying portion (I'm leaving out the wire weed guard which would take a bit of explaining…). The thread, by the way is Danville's flat waxed nylon in black… Once the thread is tied off then I use a pair of scissors to flatten each side of the body, then lightly shape top and bottom profiles… The last item is the eyes (-in the older version they're holographic eyes in the newer version they're hard plastic doll eyes) -the same that Puglisi uses on all his patterns (they're much more durable). I'm using FletchTite glue for the eyes and gluing then clamping each side one at a time. After six or seven fish the eyes should still be in place if you do it right….


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## lewis_walker (May 22, 2012)

Thank you sir good lookin fly


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## lewis_walker (May 22, 2012)

Bob where do you get most of your supplies


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I'm strictly using wholesale sources most of the time (and have for years). The only place I've gotten Body Fur was from Dan Bailey (out of Montana a retail fly shop/catalog operation -that's why I mentioned them specifically on that Blacklight….


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

The 1st kid above had a nice solid slam that anyone would be proud of. Great job Bob!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Semper Fly said:


> Great report again Capt ... a question ... do you think the extremely large amounts of fresh water in the Glades will impact WWB as it slowly flows into WWB? I have heard many reports and seen for myself that the Glades is filled with fresh water from the continuous rains we have experienced this year. ... I was curious of your take on it.



It's always been my experience that the freshwater only effects the trout and reds and pushes them out to the outside. However, the snook and tarpon are ok with freshwater, as long as it's a gradual transition during the course of a few days. Times when it's dry and the salinity is up and the fish are pushed up way inside, a big dump of rain and a big wall off freshwater pushing out from the inside rivers and creeks will again, run the trout and reds out of there but the snook and tarpon will stay back. But the sudden freshwater change will shock them for a couple of days until they get use to it and then start to feed again. I've seen it take up to 3-4 days before they start feeding, but normally a couple of days. The jack and ladyfish don't seem to mind the freshwater transition either. For redfish, it takes a long time for them to transition into brackish and brackish that leans more on the fresh side. Rarely will I ever see them in pure fresh water. Trout just don't like fresh water at all and it's hard to find them on the freshwater side of brackish.

I'm not sure if Bob agrees or not, but that's been my experience with it.

Ted


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I think that sort of stuff depends on where you are. Out of Flamingo the interior areas are so large that it takes a ton of sweet water to move reds - I'm sure in smaller backcountry areas the effects would be dramatic by comparison. I do notice that speckled trout seem much more sensitive to freshwater impacts than the reds do. The trout simply disappear from the interior when the rains start - the reds stick around a lot longer before they too begin to journey back outside in the spring/early summer. In a normal year the dry season ends at the end of April… on a dry year -not until the end of May - on a super dry year (like 2015) it won't start raining until the end of June…. Thank heavens those super dry years don't happen very often, since I have a hard time finding much of anything when the rains don't trigger movement that time of year….


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## js555 (Aug 21, 2015)

I miss Florida !


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

lemaymiami said:


> I think that sort of stuff depends on where you are. Out of Flamingo the interior areas are so large that it takes a ton of sweet water to move reds - I'm sure in smaller backcountry areas the effects would be dramatic by comparison. I do notice that speckled trout seem much more sensitive to freshwater impacts than the reds do. The trout simply disappear from the interior when the rains start - the reds stick around a lot longer before they too begin to journey back outside in the spring/early summer. In a normal year the dry season ends at the end of April… on a dry year -not until the end of May - on a super dry year (like 2015) it won't start raining until the end of June…. Thank heavens those super dry years don't happen very often, since I have a hard time finding much of anything when the rains don't trigger movement that time of year….


To me, I love the summer rains cause I can predict where everything will stage up at. It's truly my avorite time of year to fish, especially in the Glades. The buggier it is, the better the fishing IMO.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Yes sir the red drum is probably one of the most versatile gamefish on the planet. Salt or fresh, hot or cold, they survive splendidly.


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