Florida Keys Backcountry Fishing ReportDecember 7-9, 2012

Posted on 12/05/2012
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Florida Keys backcountry fishing report Dec 7-9,2012
 
Great fishing going on in the Florida Keys backcountry. It was a little windy last weekend but that didn't stop the fish from biting. The Redfish bite continues to be great in the Everglades National Park. The anglers that worked the lee side shorelines of the bights east of flamingo came across a great Redfish bite with some nice Snooks and trout to go with it. Up around the Flamingo area look for a good bite of Redfish, Snook, Trout and some Black Drum both on the shallow potholes, runoffs and the deeper channel in and around Snake bight area. A live Shrimp and jig combo worked slowly on the bottom is your go to bait but scented artificial baits like Berkley Gulp will not get by a hungry Redfish, Snook or Trout without getting their attention. Out on the shallow stuff cast jerk baits rigged weedless or Johnson spoons to cover some ground for the best action, lots of blind casting is the key. Further west towards the Cape Sable area expect the great bite to continue. Fish the East Cape canal, Browns creek and all other adjacent ditches and shorelines for great action of Snook, Reds and Black Drum.
Out on Gulf waters the bigger boats that venture out to the wrecks and structure found a descent bite of Cobia, Snapper, Grouper and many others, the key was finding the cleaner water. It's not suppose to be as ruff this weekend so expect the bite to get better. Running the trap lines west of Sandy Key has produced great Tripletail action with some really nice fish hitting the docks, a live medium size Shrimp will not be refused. The areas from Sprigger bank to Schooner bank is the place to be if you want lots of drag screaming action. Anchor up on an area with green clean water and good current flow, get the chum slick going and it won't be to long before the Spanish Mackerel, Snappers, Trout and many others make their way to the slick. A 1/4 oz jig with a couple of inches of number 3 wire and shrimp combo bounced in the slick will be deadly. Artificial's such as white bucktail jigs and pretty much anything else you can throw at them will get eaten.
The Bonefish bite improved some by mid week after the winds came down. Look for mudding fish in the morning with the rising tide around Oceanside flats. As the water falls wait for the fish to start pushing off the flats. There has been some Permit cruising around the deeper edges of the Oceanside flats so keep an eye out for them and be ready. Enjoy the weekend and go fishing!
 
Captain Juan Garcia