[J.A. Veil]

I am finishing up my second week of fishing in Florida. Here is a brief summary of the different places I fished and the species I have caught recently.

Tues - Left Big Pine Key and fished in gorgeous waters near Islamorada. Caught several barracuda over 30" and nearly hooked a 6' bull shark. Fortuitously, it turned away from our bait. Caught a small lane snapper. Relocated to Florida City.

Wed - Fished in a saltwater tidal lake in the Everglades. Caught 8 snook, including fish of 24" and 30". Jumped two tarpon and landed one of them. Paddled for more than 6 hours and covered 9 miles.

Thurs - Fished in Biscayne Bay. Caught my first black drum in a decade and a personal best ladyfish of 27" and thick girth. Caught a 21" bonefish

Fri - Faced high winds but fished again in Biscayne Bay. Caught two huge jack crevalles (24" and 26" -- my second and third largest ever), mojarra, and a pompano.

I am enjoying the temperatures in the low 80s.

 

[andypat]

Thanks John. Great pictures and report.

 

[Capt.Nick]

Those Permit are hard fighters ,

 

[Capt.Nick]

My favorite boat to fish out of in Fla is a. Maverick Flats boat.if I lived in Fla that's the boat Id' get . They're great for clear shallow water fishing for all the flats fish.I fished with a guide in one and loved it. That's what they use on my favorite Sat fishing show Silver Kings.

 

[J.A. Veil]

Caught a personal best lemon shark of 6' this morning off of Key Largo. I have no photos as that fish was far too big to lift out of the water or handle inside our kayaks. I caught several barracudas to 26", and two southern stingrays.

 

[goose70]

I am reporting you to the moderator for unfair taunting of those of us stuck in cold, windy Maryland.

 

[Market Price]

I am reporting you the the moderator for unfair taunting of those of us stuck in cold, windy Maryland.

Yeah! I want an overnight tuna trip as reparation...

 

[knotworkin]

Great catches John. I guess no sign of red tides that far south?

 

[mullet-head]

Nice work John! I’m not up for paddling 9 miles in 6 hours, but you clearly “love” it!!! I’ll take my 17’ Carolina Skiff with a 50 Yamaha all day long!
Thanks for sharing!

 

[J.A. Veil]

Great catches John. I guess no sign of red tides that far south?

For the past two weeks, I have been in SE Florida and the Keys. I have not seen evidence of red tide there. Later today, I will relocate to SW Florida and then up towards Tampa Bay. I suspect the red tide will have affected some areas along the Gulf coast.

 

[andypat]

For the past two weeks, I have been in SE Florida and the Keys. I have not seen evidence of red tide there. Later today, I will relocate to SW Florida and then up towards Tampa Bay. I suspect the red tide will have affected some areas along the Gulf coast.

Yes it is a pretty bad red tide on the West coast. We have family and friends in the Venice area. They got it.

 

[SteveL]

Florida Beach Guide to Red Tide – The Florida Guidebook

As of this update (3/5/2023) red tide is present in a large stretch of southwest Florida's Gulf Coast beaches.

www.florida-guidebook.com

.

 

[lrpbayarea]

 

[Taliah]

Nice work John. Amazing pictures you have shared! Can you share which rods and reels have you used in attaining such great species?

 

[J.A. Veil]

Nice work John. Amazing pictures you have shared! Can you share which rods and reels have you used in attaining such great species?

I use only spinning tackle. Some of the fish were caught on my own rods. I used: a) a 6'6" medium St Croix Avid Inshore rod with a Shimano Stradic 3000 reel, or b) a 6' St Croix light Avid rod with a Shimano Stradic 2500 reel.

For the rest of those fish, I used the guide's rods. He uses 7' Star rods with Daiwa Fuego reels. Depending on the species we are tackling, the rods range from medium to medium heavy to heavy. They are rated by weight range rather than strength designation. The heavier rods get larger reels.

 

[Hvymax]

I was working at Turkey Point a few years ago and staying in Florida City. I had a lake outside the door and would fish for dinner a few times a week. This guy would come out and grab my lure and we both got 1/2hr to 45 minutes of exercise. When I got him to shore he would spit out the lure. If the houses weren't so close I would have popped him and made some nice boots and a belt!!!