Everglades Fishing Information

[BoldWater]

I had a really good time in the Everglades and would like to plan some more trips down there. It seems like the fishing possibilities in the Everglades are endless.

I would like to start a thread containing all the information we picked up on TribNwaters group trip down to Flamingo.

Information such as bait, flies, tackle used for what species.

Areas fished, no specific spots but general locations, tides, depths.

Navigational hazards.

Jason (JRH) handled most of the camp site logistics, I think this would be good information to pass on.


Everglades National Park, Florida
Everglades National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. The area boasts rare and endangered species, such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, and West Indian manatee. It has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, in recognition of its significance to all the people of the world.

Directions to the Flamingo Visitor Center
Flamingo, Florida

Visitors coming from the Miami area and points north should take the Florida Turnpike (Route 821) south until it ends, merging with U.S. 1 at Florida City. Turn right at the first traffic light onto Palm Drive (State Road 9336/SW 344th St.) and follow the signs to the park.
Visitors driving north from the Florida Keys should turn left on Palm Drive in Florida City and follow the signs to the park.

The Flamingo Visitor Center lies roughly 38 miles south of the park entrance. Visitors should expect to drive about an hour before arriving at Flamingo.


Amenities
The Flamingo Visitor Center offers educational displays, informational brochures, and backcountry permits.

Campground facilities and a public boat ramp are located nearby.
There are several hiking and canoeing trails in the area.

Restrooms are available.

Hours of Operations
Mid-November to Mid-April: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Summer hours are intermittent.
Visitors are encouraged to call for the latest information.
Hours subject to change.

Contact
239-695-2945

[Rayzor]

I fished the upper keys ALOT in tournament competitions and I'll need to break out some old pre-fishing notes, then post some things for everyone.

[JRH]

Misc.

Entry fee at the front park entrance was $15 for vehicle and boat.

AT&T was the only cell phone provider with service. Everything else goes dead as soon as you enter the park. It was helpful to have VHF radios.

The Flamingo marina has the bare necessities....ice, water, beer, coffee and breakfast sandwiches in the morning.

Camping

For camping in Flamingo, I was able to reserve a group site by calling 239-695-2945. We were put in Loop B due to the "Group Site" being closed while they were repairing the restrooms. The cost for the group site was $30/night for up to 15 people.

The park rangers were really cool and didn't mind that we had extra people, extra tents, and extra vehicles and boats. As long as you're not parked on the grass, the park rangers didn't seem to care what you did.

A fire pit was on each site in Loop A and Loop B. If we were gonna camp at the "Group Site" I was told to bring your own fire pit. Bring lots of firewood and a fireman...just in case.

For camping in the backcountry, you can only reserve the chickees 24 hours in advance. Check-in is at the Visitor's Center right next to the boat ramp. Backcountry camping was $10/night and you are only allowed one night per chickee.


Fishing

Most of us fished Florida Bay within 12 miles of the Flamingo Boat ramp. Lake Ingraham, Bradley Key, and House Boat canal were some of the more productive areas on an outgoing tide.

[Scooter]

I can give what additional info that I can . Bill and I found lots of very friendly sharks in Lake Ingraham . They wouldn't eat the plastics that we were throwing so ...carry a shark capable outfit with a wire trace and a bit of bait . Could save the day ...sharks are always fun .
Bradley Key covers some really good looking water very close to the Flamingo ramp . Deep channel thru the middle and skinny water on the edges makes it a nice place to hang around .
Mikey and Tanner found fish in the House Boat area and I truely believe that the canal into Lake Ingraham ...on the falling tide ...will produce lots of fish ...the problem is that a bunch of other people feel the same way and it can be a bit crowded .
The cleanest water that we found was near the key just to the south west of Flamingo ...don't remember the name ...channel running right thru the middle of it . Lots of Bonnethead Sharks but ..also some really nice clean water with lots of bait . Had we spent more time there I think that it would have been productive .
Bring lots of Skeeter spray and ear plugs ...even if the bugs are outside the tent ...you can still hear them .
For the folks with trolling motors ( and there are very few places that they can't be used ) ...the bathrooms at Flamingo Campgrounds have electrical outlets inside , so ...bring a long extention cord and you can keep your batteries charged .
Great scenery....bring your camera's ...Rangers are awesome and the folks at the marina are extremely helpful . Hope this little bit of info is useful .

[IRLyRiser]

There is also a hose bib by the bathrooms for washdown.

[BoldWater]

because of condition we didn't get to fly fish...

we found many draining flats in Lake Ingraham holding solo and schools of redfish.



crawling berkley gulps (penny) and black (vaders) produced some nice fish.


brandon caught a couple redfish working a DOA terror eyes down stream.


we also saw a large tarpon entering a draining channel and then go beat up bait schools in the lake pot holes.

I used a DOA head on my gulps. the flat side of the jig head lets me skip the bait easily under mangroves... down side is the snags.

out in front of flamingo we fished some channels near skinny flats and found large numbers of sea trout, ladyfish and jacks.

we used DOA jig heads and white gulps to catch trout in the pound & a half to three & a half pounds. pretty wide open bite. most of the trout bites came on the drop, right in the middle of the channel.




also saw a few nice snook laying in pot holes bordering the channel.

day 2 - brandon out fished me using a white and chartreuse tailed jig soft bait combo.

[IRLyRiser]

White with chartruese tail Exude RT Slug on a silver Strike King 1/8 oz jig head. Thanks to Aaron for the heads up!

They chewed the eyes off it.

What CPT Blair calls the brown dog.

[JRH]

If you have the choice, camping at the walk in sites near the water give you a better breeze than being in the back. The only downside is there are no fire pits.

[IRLyRiser]

No fires allowed?

[JRH]

Originally Posted by IRLyRiser

No fires allowed?

They're allowed. You just have to bring your own fire pit.

There are small grills that are permanently mounted at each site...we built our fire in our grill, since Mike brought his charcoal grill to cook on.