Float Plan &ndash November 8^th, 2014

05:00 - Depart 3018 Granada Boulevard

07:00 - Launch at Flamingo harbor and proceed toward Sandy Key Channel, fishing at Markers "8”, "6” and "5” in route.

08:30 - Fish Sandy Key Channel, using chum at west end after checking east end for snapper

12:00 - Head back to Flamingo, fishing points of opportunity on the way back, including crab trap buoys and day markers if wind prediction proves accurate

15:00 - Recover at Flamingo harbor

17:00 - Return to 3018 Granada Boulevard

Weather Prediction: Southeast winds near 5 knots. Bay waters smooth with 30% chance of showers after noon and a high temperature 79 degrees.

Emergency Numbers: (1) Everglades National Park Rangers &ndash 305-242-7740; (2) GEOS Emergency Response Service &ndash 1-888-973-3100

Ben’s Satellite Phone: 011-881632647070 (see Ben’s Memo dated April 12, 2014 for details concerning use and contingencies).

Disclaimer: This Plan subject to the wonderfully changing conditions presented "on the water” and represents only the best thinking of The Captain on the evening previous to the "fishing day”. While every reasonable effort will be made to comply with this Plan, reason is a fragile tool when challenged by perceived opportunity or with unanticipated threats to a plentiful catch.

See pages two and three for the Florida Sportsman fishing reports

Key Largo to Key West
Includes Islamorada and Marathon

November 7-9

Backcountry

Hello everyone! Cold temperatures and strong winds didn’t stop most of us from getting out on the water. The drop in water temperatures made for an amazing bite. The flamingo area was on fire with redfish, snook, sheepshead, black drum and many more. We mostly fished a ¼-ounce jighead with a shrimp slowly crawled on the bottom while fishing the deeper channels and island moats. Same reports came out of the Cape Sable and Lake Ingram area. Anglers fishing the deeper shorelines and channels scored big with an amazing bite of snook, redfish, sheepshead and black drum. (Editor’s note: This did not happen to Capt. Ben and Conrad Webber on Tuesday, November 4^th.)

Since the water temperatures should get back to normal come the weekend look for the fishery in Gulf waters to fire up. Spanish mackerel, cobia, sharks, groupers and many more will be there for the taking. Find some clean water and good current flow and deploy a chum bag. Shrimp and pinfish is all you need for non-stop action. Keep your eyes on the trap lines west of Sandy Key for tripletail. A well-placed shrimp will get you hooked up with one of the tastiest fish in the ocean.

November 7-9 Ten Thousand Islands Report

More Front

Last weekend’s blistering front definitely pushed the fishing into a winter type pattern this week. Water temps dipped below the 70 degree mark and stayed there until mid week. Expect another cold front to blow through on Sunday bringing cooler temps and more high winds. Your best bet may be to fish Saturday ahead of the front. Tides will be on the extremely low side given the full moon is on Thursday of this week. The high tide and its subsequent slower fall may be a bit easier to decipher.

Inshore

Snook have pulled a bit of a disappearing act this week as they dive for cover from the cooler waters. Try to find them poking out this weekend to feed heavily before the next front. Deeper runs and cuts between bigger bays may be your best bet to target a keeper snook. Try tossing larger live baits weighted to slow their drift into likely eddies, blow downs and undercut banks. Prime locations will include the North and South Entrances into rookery Bay, the cuts leading into Upper Addison Bay and Dismal Key Pass as it approaches Pumpkin Bay. A few larger snook may still be on the outside beaches close to passes like Big Marco and Caxamabas. More urban structure like docks and seawalls will hold some heat as water temps cool keeping snook nearby.

Redfish are still in good numbers throughout the region. Higher tide stages will find them on outside points and bars while great sight fishing opportunities still exist in the larger shallower bays at lower tides. Look for back bays like Fakahatchee, West Pass and Lane Cove to all have good numbers of upper slit redfish cruising the banks. Smaller naturally hues soft plastics or a shrimp tipped 1/8-ounce brown buck tail will rarely be refused. Remember to make long casts far ahead of the boat to intercept fish that tend to hang out off the shoreline. Look for pods of fish to still be around the points and rocky edges of outer islands like White Horse Turtle, Round, and Camp Lulu Keys as the tide gets full. Popping corks and live bait will take the lion’s share of reds but cut ladyfish may be your safest bet for a bigger red.

Trout fishing has picked up as the cooler temps have them staging near the outside islands. On lower tides, the deeper troughs next to islands with good current will hold the most fish. Shrimp tipped or scented soft plastic jigs are the best bet and allow you to quickly cover water. Bigger trout have been caught near the shoals of Caper Romano on the higher tide using live bait suspended beneath a popping cork.

South Florida Fishing Report

Flamingo in Everglades National Park

As of last week huge schools of pilchards, threadfin herring and finger mullet continues to hold along the shorelines from East Cape north to Lostman’s River and further. With so much bait in the water predators were pretty full and hard to catch. Working the creek mouths with live shrimp, live ladyfish and finger mullet my clients scored on snook, redfish, sharks, jacks, ladyfish, and snapper and had a large tarpon. The shallow flats fishing in Florida Bay was very good this past week with the warmer conditions we had but that may not be the same this weekend. Low tide at Flamingo in Florida Bay on Saturday will be at 5:51 a.m. and at the mouth of Shark River high tide is at 9 a.m.