InTheBite -

Fishing Reports

Problems or Questions? Contact amy@inthebite.com

	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	05-02-2011
Fishing Area: The Florida Keys
Florida Fishing Charters South Florida fishing report for April 26 May 2 Captain Jim Hale www.floridasportfishingcharters.com 786-255-1788 This week Tarpon Shark and Bonefish Fishing here in South Florida is excellent, especially for large Tarpon around the Miami area. I have been putting a lot of time in the last week fishing for Tarpon especially around Miami at night. When the tide is right we are averaging 5 to 15 bites on live crabs. This week we had a night never to forget unfortunately. Sal Carigliano of Boca fished at night with me in Goverment Cut hooked and landed one Tarpon around 90 pounds. The second Tarpon he hooked screamed drag and pulled us out of the cut and into open water I figured the Tarpon around 160 pounds. About 50 minutes into the fight he brought the Tarpon by the boat and I leadered the fish to take a photo, Seconds later the fish made another amazing run....I figured something bad was happening. We had plenty of light on the boat to see an estimated 17 foot Oceanic Hammerhead Shark making a full charge at the Tarpon. I grabbed a knife and cut the line to free the fish and give it an opportunity to escape. This all happened about 8 feet from the boat ! The sharks body came three quarters of the way out of the water and thrashing violently on 3 occasions trying to get the Tarpon. Now we were trying to escape, before I knew it the shark came under the boat to get the Tarpon again and tried to jump this time lifting the port side of the boat up a bit ! With the dorsal fin resting against my port side rub rail and looking down on me it seemed I floored the boat in an all out "get the hell out of here move !" I Don't think the Tarpon made it.... But we did ! In the Keys Tarpon are on the move on the ocean. Many are cruising from bridge to bridge. On the outgoing tide I am finding them swimming strong, we are getting plenty of shots on fly. In the backcountry they are moving good on the banks but the laid up fish are starting to thin out for now from what I see. In Florida Bay "Flamingo" the Tarpon kinda disappeared with the windy conditions we had. However they will show up soon in masses of the West coast any day . They will eat lures and live bait like mullet in a heart beat. Also Leonard Charlton and David Green from London England fished Flamingo and the two excellent anglers caught large Sheepshead Snapper ,Trout and 2 Large Bull Sharks out front. Within two weeks we should have our first good Palolo worm hatch in the middle and lower Keys. The worm hatch is something all Tarpon fisherman should see and fish one time in their life. The hatch usually happens on the first full moon in May but can happen on the new moon as well. The hatch normally happens on theses moon phases in May and June for several nights. The hatch times will vary depending on the tide and the moon. Some areas will have a hatch on some nights and others wont. When we get in the middle of a hatch this is an excellent time to catch a Tarpon on fly using a "worm fly". When the worms hatch and swim toward the ocean the Tarpon will only eat the Palolo worms. It is a sight to see, nothing but Tarpon everywhere sipping and gulping the Palolo worms as they swim through the bridges. The Tarpon act as if they are drunk, rolling on their sides, tail slapping the water and doing crazy things Just feet from the boat and not having a care that there are skiffs everywhere with anglers loaded with fly rods. This is not only for fly anglers but we have used spinning rods with the worm fly as bait and have had good success. In Biscayne Bay we fished for Bonefish on Friday and I am happy to say that I saw more Bonefish than I have seen in nearly two years, the unfortunate thing is that we didn't get a hook in one! We traditionally fished stalking the flats with a spinning rod and had many good shots with some bad luck mixed in! On many occasions we would get some cloud cover and not being able to clearly see the swarm of Bones approaching, then as the sun would appear, there would be forty to fifty Bones in a nice sized school high tailing it away from us. It was that kinda day! Look for a report soon. Good luck Capt. Jim Hale
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	08-20-2007
Fishing Report August 2007 Flamingo in Florida Bay the winds have been light and the water is clear but on the warm side. This week the water temps were 85 and the fishing has been very good the last week. Prior to this the water temps were over 90 and the fishing was only good early in the morning. The water temps will climb soon again until we have a rainy day to cool it back down which can be any day. This week David and Alex Torbert, both very good young anglers, fished with me and caught 16 snook. Six of them on fly which was their first snook on fly, 5 redfish, largest at11 lbs and a tarpon all out of Flamingo. Small Tarpon right now are all over the place. The average size is 12 lbs but there are larger fish in the upper 20s to 30s around these little guys. They are a blast on fly and theyíre eating well. Snook can be found around mullets mudís on the very shallow flats in Florida Bay. Eduardo Arana and Mariano Garcia fished with me on the 18th and caught a nice 11lb snook sitting in a pot hole on a Berkley Gulp shad. This fish would have been perfect on fly! We also caught 6 more snook around some of the islands at Flamingo and could have had more but the big bad sharks started up! Redfish are on the move now from flat to flat. Some days finding them on the beaches and flats can be easy and other days a little more difficult as time is not on our side to check every spot of Florida Bay! But when I find them it can be a fly fishermanís dream with a good size 7 lber. Merijo Attong caught an 18lb red casting to a moving school of about 25. By Flamingoís standards, this is a very large red. The nice thing is that there were a lot of these big reds around that day! Biscayne Bay is hot right now with big schools of bones on the outside flats on days the water temps are high, the days the water cools down these fish are pushing to the western shore especially around sun up these bones are a sucker for a small crab. Mark Schmidt from PA caught a 10 lb bone on a shrimp pattern fly I tied myself. The school we fished must have had 50 or more fish in it. Small Tarpon are also cruising the shore line on the outside of Old Rhodes to Key Largo. Keep looking for rolling fish in small schools tight to the trees. Most schools are around 6-8 fish and can be up to 40lbs they are eating D.O.A shrimp and any kind of small white or chartreuse fly And moving water areas in 2-3 foot are finding permit on the outside as well they are eating silver dollar size crabs. A couple of weeks ago we had a chance to go fun fish in the keys and check out a couple of new ideas and areas. As captains we do the poling not the fishing, but this trip we had the chance to fish and Iím glad we did, we caught 6 permit all on crabs the largest was estimated near 40 lbs, these crazy fish were schooling in a strong current which made poling to them a little tough but well worth it! These guys were fighting for the bait like stripe marlin on teasers in Ecuador, 4-5 fish going after a crab each cast, I wish I would have brought more crabs! Till next time, go have fun and bend a rod! Capt. Jim Hale 786-255-1788 www.hurricanesportfishingcharters.com
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	04-30-2007
If you like snook fishing on the flats now is the time to go, every day we have been catching fish, as some days are better than others. A great day has been catching 15 -20 fish sight fishing in less than a foot of water and bad days has been only 3-5 fish per day depending on the anglerís skill and weather. The size are averaging 26 to 28 inches and between 5-7 lbs but we are getting fish that go over slot size of 34 inches and around 12-16 lbs and have had some snook over 20 lbs. This has also been a fly fishermanís dream with at least 10 shots at fish by 11 a.m. and generally 4-5 snook hooked up, again depending on anglerís skill and weather conditions. Roger Lynn from Cheyenne Wyoming fished for snook on fly and got a Florida bay inshore flats slam with a 9 lb, 31 inch snook, a 7 lb redfish and a 21 inch trout by noon the first morning and multiple hookups on larger snook in the afternoon. Redfish on the other hand are a little slow to show up this time or year, normally they are all over the place, but never the less they are still around and should make a strong showing any day. The ones that have been showing have been good size. David Torbert and Mathew St. Germain both 13 years old fished the Lucerne- Gossman tournament with me, David catching a 27 inch Red and Mathew sight fished a 31.5 inch snook with other great catches in between and both very good anglers. Tarpon are some days all over the place on the Ocean side of Elliot key down to Key Largo and some days when the weather has been a little ehÖ snotty, completely gone! Pods of tarpon 30-120 lbs are cruising the edges of the flats. These fish are responding well to flyís, dark with low light and lighter color in clear conditions with good sun. A 10-12 weight rod 20 lb leader with a 60-80 fluorocarbon shock will do the trick. In Florida bay tarpon have been around the island motes. They are in between 5-30 lbs and are a sucker for a live hand-picked shrimp or a D.O.A. shrimp. I have also been seeing tarpon slowly showing up on the edges of the flats in Florida bay which means it is only a matter of time when they pour into the finger channels and ponds in the bay rolling and free jumping at first light. This month I had the pleasure of Billís Boyceís show IGFA Anglerís Digetst film there show to be aired in July. I had a wonderful time and would like to thank Jason Schratweiser and Mike Myatt of the I.GF.A., Bill Boyce host of the show the I.G.F.A. Anglers Digest, Dee Peralta and Richard Chudy both on the camera. That day we jumped 3 tarpon brought 1 to the boat caught numerous snook some on fly and Mikeís 2 nice sight fished reds on the flats. If you would like to see a sneak preview of the show please go to www.IGFAnglersdigest.com Behind the show and all of itís organization was Merijo Attong and Jennifer Barber of Sportsmanís Addiction, thanks for all the help you two, you made it great!!!! Biscayne bones are big and bad now that the schools are getting bigger as the water warms up. We are catching fish regularly in the 9-12 lb class on live shrimp #1 Owner hooks and 12 lb fluorocarbon leader this is also a great time for fly fisherman. Permit is sometimes easy to find this time of year depending on the windÖ. They are now pushing their way on the flats these guys are generally 20 lbs but we have caught them as large as 41 lbs last year on live crab! Till next time, when I have time to write.. Tight lines. Capt. Jim Hale www.Canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	03-09-2007
Water tempsÖÖÖÖÖÖÖFebruary has been a darn good month for good fishing, cold fronts have been dropping water temperatures into the low 60s and in some places upper 50s which has brought in a lot of Spanish mackerel, sheep head, kingfish, small permit and cobia on shallow water wrecks on the gulf side deeper waters off Florida bay. These temperatures and species list should continue into late March. On warmer days some larger permit have been found in the shallows and the snook have been eating real well in creek mouths as well as in deeper water. Mid February U.K. boys Malcolm McConnelly and Steve Rowlands fished 6 straight days with me. On their first day of fishing they also brought their U.K. weather with them. We had horrible temps in the mornings of high 40ís and wind howling 25-30 knots. Seeing these guys thought the weather was ìlovelyî Steve managed to land a nice 33 inch snook. Day two and three winds calmed down and we fished water temps in the mid 60s. We went sight fishing for redfish with 8 reds being caught with the biggest reaching 30 inches. There were a lot of fish cruising, tailing and pushing big wakes, but not eating as well. The next two days were spent in the gulf on very calm days. Malcolm catching a 28# kingfish on 10# test power pro, a nice blacktip shark, over 150 Spanish mackerel (some on fly) and big sheep head. Just days before the U.K. boys arrives Dave Johnson and Steve Schwab fished in trying conditions and caught 10 nice reds on the flats the largest at 32 inches. In March hopefully the cold fronts will slow down which will bring a lot of tarpon into the ponds and lakes in the backcountry of Whitewater Bay. In February we were fishing it and found fish but the bite at the time was not very good. With the water warming up the bite should increase. Bonefish have been around but with temps lower than 72 bonefish are not happy. We have chased and had shots on nice bones with few hookups, the next week air temps will rise to 85 warming up the water and should make for some great bonefish action. The water temps in March SHOULD warm up, unless, the weather plans on playing more tricks on us. Like that nice and warm January and December, these fish rely on water temps at certain times of the year to migrate and spawn, like a calendar to us. For any of you that have fished spring with me know that the permit are just around the corner, May is pretty tied up with a few days left on the calendar. April and June will be all around warm weather and hot fishing. Until next timeÖÖTight Lines and good fishing! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	02-05-2007
Bonefish have been the targeted species this month, the water temps have been above normal, bringing cruising and tailing fish from all over into the shallow flats of beautiful Biscayne Bay we have been catching fish from 7 to the 13 lb bruisers , one trip this month tailing fish were seen all day and sometimes as far as I could see from the poling platform we had over 40 shots on tailers but managed to bring only 3 to the boat the biggest a nice 12 lber they have been eating small shrimp on calm days and on the windier days you can throw a medium to a little larger shrimp the bones can be a little spookier on calm days thatís why I like days with a little wind but not blowing 20 kts.The bones should continue their nice run in the bay on warmer days now that the temps are dropping once again. In Florida bay the water for January was extremely warm and to that is a large algae bloom that covered most of the bay back in the early part of the month which chased a lot of the reds out into cleaner water which is the deeper creeks with a lot of water movement. Any of you that have fished with me know where Iím talking about. This last Saturday we caught 25 reds 6 black drum, 12 nice snook up to 27 inches and lost at least 8 more larger snook to the mangroves all in 5 hours of fishing. The earlier part of the month turned out some summer like tarpon with multiple trips jumping 2-3 poons over 80lbs everyday. Now that cooler temps are arriving bringing down the water temps the algae bloom is moving out and the water is clearing up and it is getting back to normal with reds and snook moving up on the flats on cool days with an incoming tide. Capt. Jim Hale 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	11-14-2006
Transition time again with fish on the move, the days of calm, sunny and hot are coming to an end with water temperatures on the flats in the mid 70ís on cloudy days in November. Winds are now picking up so now some of the flats fishing has turned into creek and sheltered water fishing which has been good and only will get better. If you find a shallow enough draft boat, some of the sheltered bays with shallow water are holding nice snook and a few reds. I fish these areas when the winds have been kicking up as the backcountry water has not been affected and is still clear enough to see the fish lying in the mud. In the upcoming months there should be an increasing amount of big boys back there. Soft plastics by Spike-it, are my choice, with light weight reeled slowly, with Quantum Cabo 30ís, in front of the fish will get his attention. Snook fishing around mangrove shore lines is always a blast and it should be good west of Flamingo on a rising tide if the temperature stays warm for a few days. Use top water like high rollers or skitter walk imitations of mullet in the morning as they will work well. Flats fishing in the last couple of weeks have been average to incredible on a day to day basis because the fish are moving around a lot. The redfish have been big for Florida Bay standards with three catches of reds over 15 lbs on the flats. Pam Baker of Ft. Lauderdale caught two last week over 15 lbs on Spike-it soft plastics, very large fish ÖÖ I thought with the wakes they were pushing that they were 4ft sharks from a distance! Glenn Hyde of the Redlands caught his first, 3 nice reds on a crappy rainy day, if it had not been for the squall line bearing down on us we would have had a stellar morning with nice low incoming water and fish pushing up on the flats all over the place including a couple of trout at 23 inches. Unfortunately, as we approached the pot holes on the flats we spooked out some giant snook and watched them bolt around us. Tarpon fishing has been real nice but the fish have been small from 5 to 15 lbs. Tom Oakes and Wayne Kotbra of Stuart Fla. jumped 26 little guys and boated 6 on light tackle, with Wayne getting a nice Glades grand slam of tarpon, snook and a real nice redfish. D.O.A. shrimp and live pilchards were the baits of choice for these fish. A grand catch by Tom Oakes with his secret ìlivey in the trees methodî is worth mentioning in this report. His pilchard hung below the trees just barely touching the water, just like a goggle eye hanging from a kite to catch a sailfish, and this 10 lb tarpon inhales it. Tom fights the tarpon out of the trees and boats the fish, great story and job of cracking me up!! Close but out of the trees is generally the rule, but after seeing this catch, Tom just might be on to something! Biscayne Bay bone fishing has been coming back great after the algae bloom. Low water on the outside on relatively calm days is showing good schools. Some of the fish have been on the smaller size averaging 7lbs but the normal guys a little bigger are still there. Also the western shoreline has been producing some nice fish and will remain good. Flats fishing in the cooler months will be just as good as last year or better as fish will want to warm themselves on rising water in the late mornings and early afternoons. Tight lines Captain Jim Hale
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	05-24-2006
If you like to target snook on the flats the time has come! Big numbers of snook can be and have been seen on certain tides in Everglades National Park feeding on mullet. This has been a great time to catch these fish on top water lures such as the Rapala Skitter Walk, be taken on fly and the Spike-it Holographic lures. This week Eric Naugle caught his second snook on fly a nice 8 lb on the flats and lost one on fly that went 15lbs on 8 weight gear using hand tied flies. Shane Day of Galveston, Texas got his first a 12lber on a beautiful top water hit that took the fish 3 strikes to actually get a hook set, and lost a screamer that went 15 lbs and had shots at countless more. If you want to do this kind of fishing be prepared to fish early. In the mix are a lot of nice sized redfish, which youíll in singles and some schools tearing up the flats. When using the Spike-it Holographic lures I prefer using the gold or the clear blue. Putting a little weight in front and dragging it through the grass and mud is being very effective for snook, reds and big trout. I have been finding the reds all day long in skinny murky water. Tarpon fishing has been good around the bridges in the middle keys using live crabs free lined back to schools of fish between from 60 to 120lbs and are best caught in the early mornings and late afternoons. Biscayne Bay tarpon are pushing strong and are a great way to catch them is on fly using 12 weight gear for fish that average 100 lbs. The flies I prefer are brown flies in the morning with low sun angle and yellow with a little higher water and better sun. Low water is important and finding where the schools are moving, getting in the right position, a perfect cast and to watch a bucket mouth roll and gulp a fly is an incredible experience and landing him is up to you! Remember bow to the KING! There is also the Biscayne bonefish that are in large schools now. Calm mornings are making it easy to spot these guys pushing wakes and tailing. Since shrimp are small in the summer I prefer to throw small crabs on # 1 hooks with 4ft of 12lb fluorocarbon leader, Steve Schindler from Salt Lake City came in using some kind of crazy Zebco looking thing to catch his first bone of 10lbs, good job Steve and great fishing! In a little deeper water are the tailing permit. Finding the slick water thatís coming in is a key. We have been fishing schools of 30 to 50 fish with their backs out of the water. Average size is 20lbs but there are larger fish up to 30, a live silver dollar crabs on a # 1 hook with 3ft of 25# fluorocarbon leader is the way to go! On one recent trip we boated 1 permit out of 4 schools and a double out of the last school. The weather is now prefect and the fish are biting. Itís right now prime time flats and backcountry fishing. The fishing is so good any type of bait from fly, to live, to jerk to top water, they are hungry! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	05-09-2006
Florida Bay has been on fire as of April with schools of large redfish cruising the flats. I have seen 20 -30 fish in a school all around 9 to 10-pound category. The smaller fish are not in the schools yet and they seem to be in potholes waiting to ambush mullet. Along with the reds are some really big trout for Flamingo. The biggest trout we have landed was 6.5lbs and a bunch more between 4 to 6lbs, just as the smaller redfish, these large trout were in potholes ambushing mullet. Some good size snook are also playing the same game in the holes. The snook have not shown up as thick on the flats as of yet but I am expecting them at any time now, when they show up expect some exciting fishing in the mornings until the end of July into early August. I am using the Spike-It holographic lures working them in and around the holes. Remember to imitate your bait and Spike-It lures have some of the best jerk baits and colors around. I am using a #2 Owner hook with a 1/8 oz shot above the lure, also making sure the tip of the hook is at the top of the lure and is easily punctured insuring a quality hook set. Tarpon are on the move from spot to spot! Some days they are easy to find in deeper water around flats and some days it is not as easy in Florida Bay. Early calm mornings are the easiest ways of finding them rolling and most of these fish are in schools of 10-30. If you are fishing in light colored water they are easier to see as it looks like a large black cloud moving on top of the water with fish breaking the surface. Throwing live bait like a mullet or pilchard in front of them should get a bite. Getting in front of the school and throwing a fly (colors: black and red, yellow and brown are some choices) on 12-weight gear will be another great step in capturing one of these silver kings. Biscayne Bay is also a great place to fish for Tarpon. The deeper water on the ocean side flats is the place you will want to be. These fish will be on the move and again the schools will hold roughly the same numbers as Islamorada and Florida Bay. Permit have also shown up as the water has warmed up nicely. Merijo Attong, of Homestead, caught a 36 lber on a live crab in late April. These fish can show up in schools of 20-50 fish swimming with their backs out of the water or tailing singled out fish. They can get very big as the largest I have taken in the bay was 44 æ lbs on a Quantum reel, 7 ft medium action rod and 10 lb power pro and a # 1 Owner hook. Most of the schooling fish average 20-25lbs and live crabs are a must. Bonefish in South Biscayne Bay have been nice to me lately as well, with nice bonefish schooling up and eating live small crabs since the shrimp are small this time of the year. Many shots are had with calm and warm days with these fish averaging 10 lbs and a fly fisherman's dream! Capt. Jim Hale Cane Polin' Charters 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	03-17-2006
Transition time is here again with cold fronts moving in about once a week, some stronger than others. In March they became weaker making for some great fishing opportunities. In between fronts are producing some nice calm sunny days great for sight fishing. Bonefish have been making a strong presence on the Oceanside flats with 10-20 fish in a school, but good amounts of schools. Some of these bonefish are showing up on the inside flats now as well. Peter Santini from Boston and Gustavo Hernandez from the Galapagos, both first timers landed bones of 9 and 10 lbs. respectively with opportunities for more. Tarpon in April and May will be a strongly sought after, as the silverking makes their way north on the Oceanside edges. Expect them to show up in large numbers. These fish will be in the 40-130 lbs category with the smaller fish being closer to the shore in shallower water. All these fish can be taken on fly this time of year and Green Clousers is a good fly for these fish in the clear waters. Tarpon fishing in Everglades National Park will tend to eat more on Red & Black or Cockroach Brown, as the water sometimes is not as clear. Tarpon have already made a good showing in White Water Bay as well as out front of Flamingo. Remember a strong front can push these fish back out, but they will return quickly as the water warms. For those of you who do not fly fish, Tarpon can be taken on large live shrimp, pilchards or finger mullet. Fishermen have good shots as well by finding rolling fish that are feeding in creek mouths. A great plug is the Rapala Skitterwalk silver and black or a red and white subsurface Yozuri worked slowly. Tarpon are also making a strong presence in Government Cut. Redfish and Snook are cruising the flats. Reds are there in some places in a good number with up to 100 shots at fish in one day and that number should remain strong going into spring. Small jerk baits on weedless rigs are working well. I find fishing dark colors in clear water and light or silver in murky water works best. Gambler 3î Ugly Otter was crushing the Reds and always the Excude Gold RT Slug Saltwater. I personally like the Holographic Spike-It Bait myself. The Snook are still in potholes waiting to ambush mullet as they swim by, so look for an area with a good amount of white holes in shallow water and you should find your snook. Large trout are mixed in as well with the Reds and Snook. In late March we boated 8 fish over 24î which were all released. After a great Tarpon run we are looking forward to a stellar run of Permit in May and June. Tight lines and Gin Clear Water! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788 800-950-FINS, Ext. 1
	Posted By:	Trey Rhyne	Date Posted:	01-22-2006
Capt. John continues to put a hurting on the sailfish here in Islamorada. Fishing in a fly tournament he released 3 for third place, then followed that up with a 16 fish showing this past week, for another 3rd place finish. This second event was made even more special as we had the pleasure of hosting a few disabled veterans, that were fishing from wheel chairs. Great job by all, in some sloppy conditions.
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	01-19-2006
Capt. Jim Hale fishing reports December 6th through January 17th, 2006 Warm and calm days in between the cold and nasty days have made for some real good fishing, when we get them! Low water temps in the 60s on the flats in Biscayne Bay made bone fishing difficult at times, however, on the warm days ocean side flats are teaming with schools of the slimy bones. Paige Wells fishing with her boyfriend David had many shots at bonefish on the outside of Elliot Key when she got her first fish @10 lbs. That day we had numerous shots at permit, but had no takers willing to play! We also were chasing large schools of tarpon out in a little deeper water on the ocean side, most of these fish are cruising south were also not interested in going for a ride. On the other side of the bay I have had some luck with smaller permit around 10 to 15 lbers but they will only show up when we have temperatures in the 80s for several days and the flats warm up! On the other hand mutton snapper fishing has been red hot out on the patch reefs with good snapper catches in the 10 and 12 lb class along with red grouper and a nice gag grouper thrown in the mix. Late afternoon or early morning, are the best time. All you need is a little patience, good chum slick and some of the right bait! If one reef doesnít produce after 45 minutes move to the next one. In Florida Bay this time of year yields some of the best mackerel fishing anywhere! We have had numerous trips and too many fish to count, fishing with good friend Capt. Brain Helms we caught an estimated 550 lbs of mackerel and could have had another 200 lbs If we would of stayed and fished more, the average fish weighed in at 7 lbs most of these fish were released unharmed except for a couple for the smoker! The flats in Florida Bay have been real good when the water is low just after morning, large snook and plenty of redfish have been caught, some of the snook we have seen and caught are at least 20 lbs I have been catching most of the snook and reds on jerk baits, the spike-it halo graphic has been the best. Some of these days are good to bring out and dust off the fly rods. Find clear water and you should find fish. I recommend fishing this area right now if you can find the right day and conditions, they really arenít that hard to find. We have had days when the fishing has been nonstop! Good luck! Tight lines and Gin Clear waters! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788 800-950-FINS, Ext. 1
	Posted By:	Trey Rhyne	Date Posted:	12-11-2005
Capt. John had a busy week down here in sunny Islamorada fishing 6 out of the last 7 days. Finally the larger Mackeral have shown up, with 20-25 pound fish being caught. Plenty of smaller fish are also around. Cigar Minnows have been the bait of show for the Kings and 130\' has been the preferred water depth. The sailfish bite has been on and off. For the week, we released 6, but didn\\\'t really fish for them all that much do due some good bottom fishing and snotty conditions on a couple of days. Ballyhoo and Cigar Minnows have been plentiful on the reef, with bait showers happening all over the place. So as the next cold front moves through, the sails are sure to be snapping again. In on the reef, the Yellowtail bite remains consistent despite the lack of good current. Some nice Mutton Snapper, up to 15 pounds are coming over the rail as well, with plenty of smaller ones mixed in. The Yellowtail and Snapper have been coming in 35-60\' of water. This week, Capt. J! ohn primarily fished between the Eagle Wreck and Calusa Cove. The best of the Sailfish action seemed to be right in on the edge in about 110\' of water. Up in Morehead City, we have good news to report. On Wednesday of this week the Giant Bluefin finally showed up in good numbers. Seems that a lot of the boats that fished this past Wednesday and Thursday either boated fish or had bites. A few smaller fish were caught, but mostly bigger fish seem to have moved into the area. The fish ranged in length from 65 up to 100 inches, which should put the weights from about 200-700 pounds. We are trolling horse ballyhoo, mostly behind Islanders, some up on top, some on large planers. This coming week, will signal if the main body of fish has moved in or not, as we expect the majority of the fleet to fish, due to a combination of a good weather forecast and the recent catch reports that came in last last week.
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	12-05-2005
Well, itís been a while since my last report, no thanks to Hurricane Katrina and Wilma. Everglades National Park is still closed as of today. You can still fish the waters during day light hours but the runs are long to get there from Key Largo and not as long from Islamorada. The fishing is still good on the flats around the Flamingo area with good size Reds, some big snook and trout. We have been finding these fish on the last part of the outgoing tide, 3 reds were caught in the 10 lb class last week. The creeks and river mouths are holding a lot of bait and also a lot of different varieties of fish, with some good catches, Tom Harder from Deerborn Michigan fished with me last week and had a little slam action with a real nice snook of 33 inches, a couple of other smaller snook and 16 reds, most where in the slot size. Messes of trout were caught and in the end he jumped a small tarpon. His brother Rick caught a lot of reds with a couple of big ones mixed in; the bait of choice has been live pilchards. Black drum are here as well, most fish averaging 5 lbs in the creeks, we havenít been able to find any big ones yet, but the live shrimp was working well. Those of you fishing the area be careful running through some of the shallower channels and creeks as there are a lot of trees and stumps in the water some buried underwater where you canít see! Biscayne Bay bone fishing is very good right now. The average fish is 7 to 9 lbs. There are schools of bigger fish taken on live shrimp, which are running now, and the shrimp size is pretty good. A lot of these bones are taken on fly, in the last 2 weeks the fish have been schooling more and tailing less. Any small pink jigs with a tiny rubber tail will work when these fish are schooled up as well. Outside of Biscayne Bay weíve catching mutton snapper averaging 5 to 6 lbs, some up to 10 lbs off the patches out in deeper water. Smaller grouper, some legal some not, are plentiful with a mixed bag of mackerel, mangrove snapper and small cobia showing up from time to time, I am looking forward to getting some bigger cobia here soon. I still have some availability open, so if you are interested in some flats or backcountry fishing just email or give me a call. Tight lines and gin clear waters! Capt. Jim Hale Cane Poliní Charters 800-950-FINS, Ext. 1
	Posted By:	Trey Rhyne	Date Posted:	11-21-2005
A pretty nice bite materialized this week off of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, with a mix of snapper, kings, yellowtail, and grouper all coming over the rails on the Pretty Work. Capt. John was out for two half days and a full day this week, fishing twice in front of Alligator Reef, and once \"Behind the Can\". Two of the days were spent on the hook in 35-75\' of water with the chum bag hangin over the side. 35 to 40 nice yellowtail, some going 3-5 pounds were put in the cooler, along with about 20 mangroves to 4 pounds, 4 Mutton Snapper to 8 pounds, and 7 Black Grouper going 8 to 25 pounds. The 3rd day was spent slow trolling live bait off of Aligator in 100-150\' of water and saw a limit of Kings put in the boat, with 4 more released, and a bonus catch of a 30 pound black grouper that came up and ate a rigger bait! The action was all on cigar minnows and light tackle. We also jumped off a couple of sails over the 3 days. We just ran the Over Under Too back from the Bahamas, so Over Under Adventures now has 3 boats available here in Islamorada, including our 29' Mako. Give us a ring, if you'd like to hook up with the Over Under crew here in the Sportfishing Capital of the World!
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	10-07-2005
Capt. Jim Haleís Florida and Biscayne Bay fishing report from 9/1/05 to 10/6/05 Fishing days have been numbered throughout September by tropical systems and too much fresh water in Biscayne Bay and in parts of Florida Bay. Florida Bay is coming back with a lot less fresh water than three weeks ago. My usual flats for the bonefish in Biscayne Bay are just now starting to hold fish again. Since the South Florida water management was letting out a lot of the fresh water into the Bay the ratio of fresh to salt was extremely high. This is my first fishing report since Hurricane Katrina and the following has been my observations while fishing. The landscape has changed in Florida Bay in some areas such as Cape Sable, Lake Ingram, Shark River and some of the run offs into Florida Bay common from Hurricane Katrina. Some of my targeted spots for fishing under and by mangroves and points are now under water or have washed away, making for numerous snags, but hasnít deterred the fish from eating, as a matter of fact it has made for more protection for the fish looking for their next meal! Black Drum started showing up early this year, they have not been the 20 to 30 lbers, but we have caught them up to 10lbs in the deeper cuts with good water flow using shrimp tipped jigs. Along with the drum some good-sized reds have also been taken. Fishing the mangroves around Florida Bay has been producing good to a very good snook bite. Some days are producing up to 20 fish a day and the average size has been in the keeper range, most all of these fish have been released to catch another day. Tarpon of all sizes are still here in some of the deeper water around the flats. The bite, however, was not that great because the fish must have been full from all the baitfish around. I have jumped a couple of big poons on the gulf side, seems to be a lot of them over there. The flats around Flamingo have been red hot on some days and other days the only bite is from that horse fly doing circles around the boat that just wont leave you alone! I had the pleasure of taking Bob Maucher, from Outdoor Florida Magazine, out last week. We fished the flats for reds and snook and had a pretty decent day catching 5 good-sized reds and missing a whole lot more. Just one of those days where the fish didnít like the hook, we saw an estimated 100 fish tailing the flats, no schools but singles everywhere. We were field-testing some of the baits I had mentioned in my last report, mostly Gambler plastics. They have come out with a new line and the 5î super stud bleeding shrimp was knocking the redfish out. Gambler also has a bullet weight that is no slide and can be brought up and down on the leader that I feel in love with. Spike-It holographic baits made by grand bay lures have been a great snook lure fishing them in potholes on the flats or around mangroves. I want to thank Val Osinski for supplying us with Gambler lures and hope that the future anglers out there can see the value of what I believe to be a great lure. More reports from Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay will be coming soon. Letís pray for some good weather and some better fishing conditions. If you are eager to bend a rod on some of these reds and snook call Island Fishing Adventures and book today. Tight lines and gin clear water Capt. Jim Hale Cane Poliní Charters 800-950-FINS, ext. 1
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	08-31-2005
Cane Poliní Charters Fishing report August 6 through August 31, 2005 For the most part August has turned out to be a good month for inshore fishing. Though, this last week I was fishing for tree limbs. My fishing rod was a 16î Stihl chain saw and back up was a Ridgid wet vac. Before the hurricane, sweltering heat and typical Florida afternoon thunderstorm have tried to make it difficult to fish later in the day. Fishing in the mornings was still our best bet. I have not fished since the 24th of August due to Hurricane Katrina but prior to that I can report from Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. In Florida Bay there are still a lot of schools of redfish. They once again dominated the flats. On the average these schools have about 50 fish in them. Some days Iím chasing school after school and other days the schools split up and you see single tailers every where you look. Mike Stasko, of Cutler Ridge, FL, fished along with me and we managed to only catch 6 out of who knows how many reds we saw. The last day I fished was the day before the hurricane hit. I looked for the redfish all morning long and couldnít find them. After searching the entire flat I went back to the place I originally started from and where Iíve been seeing them religiously. There, they appeared in schools in front of the boat. The water was getting low but there were many schools of redfish still around the boat. A couple of quick casts into these schools and 6 redfish were released in 20 minutes. The fish averaged 6 lbs. with a couple of 8ís. The redfish that are tailing are a little more finicky and a little spooky. On the Westside of the park the tarpon are showing up in large numbers from Cape Sable to Harney River. The out-going tide with the bait pushing out into the bay have the tarpon going crazy. Iíve seen fish as small as 40 lbs and up to est. 180 lbs in these waters. In Middle Cape we jumped two in thirty minutes on live finger mullet (quarter-ounce jigs will work as well). Small tarpon are still on the flats rolling in the morning. These fish are only around 15 lbs. They are easily taken on fly. The fly I like is the light green color Leftyís Deceiver or white minnow patterns will work. The snook are still along the beaches and an out-going tide seems to be the best. Fishing around mangroves with water movement is holding these fish. In the second week of August I had the pleasure of fishing with Mike Leech (Ambassador of the IGFA) and his son Eric. He had the pleasure in seeing South Biscayne Bay for all it can be. Mike and Eric spent the morning chasing and casting on many schools of bones. All the bones early in the morning were tailing in extremely shallow water, kind of spooky and would not eat. At the next spot we chased school after school and finally managed to hook up on an 8 and 10 lb and missed a couple more. We were using live crabs the size of a quarter. The permit were on the outside and along channel edges on an out-going tide. There were also small pods of tarpon rolling just off Elliot Key on calm mornings, once again the green Lefty Deceiver is my fly of choice. Next month hopefully I will be field-testing some new inshore baits by some of the leading manufacturers and will give you a report on how well these baits produced. Because of Hurricane Katrina, the fresh water run off to the Bay will shake up fishing for a week or so. But I expect it to return to normal in the beginning of September. I will be on the water everyday awaiting their return and I will let you know next time how the waters are doing. Good luck to everyone who was affected by Katrina and I hope the clean up goes easily and quickly. Tight lines and gin clear water! Capt. Jim Hale www.CanePolinCharters.com 800-950-FINS 786-255-1788
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	08-05-2005
Cane Poliní Charters Fishing report July 10th through August 5, 2005 July through early August fishing has been pretty good in the mornings. After noon the bite slows down because of the heat. Some water temperatures in east Florida Bay had read 92 degrees in the afternoon. If you are looking to do some good fishing in the afternoon the best bet is to fish after the daily storms and showers have diminished. Sometimes these conditions are the best. Redfish love to tail and feed in rain cooled calm waters. My report this time is very short, as I have only fished about 10 days in the backcountry. As I mentioned in my last report I took some time off the backcountry and went offshore. The Lights and Sirens Tournament held by Island Fishing Adventures in Bimini, Bahamas was surely a blast with the Fireman winning the event. I had an extra week to remain and fish and ended up cleaning up the dolphin, grouper and snapper. The weather was a little sketchy going over with some high seas. The return however was a different story. It was smooth sailing with birds working schools of dolphin everywhere. Now that Iím back in my norm of the backcountry, I have been seeing numerous amounts of bonefish and tailing permit in Biscayne Bay. The bones are averaging 10 lbs. We boated one on Tuesday at 13lb and change. The permit are a healthy 25lb average and the schools are fast moving. Most of my clients finish fishing by noon as the heat kills both, the bite and us on the boat. The same pattern has been happening in Florida Bay with the heat. The redfish and snook just quit hitting by noon. After a good shower or storm the bite came back on. A couple of days after charters I stayed and fished by myself after the storms passed. Having to come in and take cover from the lightning, I would proceed to go back out to my flats and find the redfish and snook back out for another bite in later part of the day. This bite, though, is not as strong as early in the day. Some mornings are holding large schools of reds in skinny water, other days we are finding them but in singles tailing, these fish have been kind of spooky. Donít forget the slimy bones that are still in the Florida Bay backcountry, these guys have been showing themselves early on calm mornings. Well Iím back from vacation and back on the boat. Iíll talk to you all again in about two weeks for an update. Tight lines and Gin clear water! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788 800-950-FINS
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	07-07-2005
Cane Poliní Fishing report June 23 through July 7, 2005 Great fishing, the last couple of weeks has made Everglades National Park the place to be for snook, redfish and tarpon. The snook bite has been phenomenal if you have time to fish between storms. Everyday except one we have manage to land at least one snook, but on every day on the water we have managed to see them and get solid hits on top water lures. In the last two weeks Iíve experienced that the fish are biting tremendous while the clouds and rain are hanging around. On the days that were bright, clear and calm the bite was over early, that is one reason why on those clam days I like to be fishing right when the sun comes up. The bite is fast and furious but over quick (by 10 a.m.). That is only on the flats. On the Westside in deeper water were you get some good water movement we were getting the snook on top water, live baits and sub-surface lures. That bite has been lasting longer on the clam clear days. The redfish are still showing up in large schools in very shallow water. Some people tell me Iím crazy, not believing these redfish are in the schools that they are, but with my clients and a couple of other guides that fish these schools it makes for a great day and catch. These fish can be found in the bights east of Flamingo all the way to Madeira Bay and also out in front of Flamingo on certain flats around the islands. These reds are taking small crabs, seeing that the summer shrimp are so small and hard to throw. We landed several big reds, but the one red that was a great fun catch was the nice 31î, these were caught on the Rapala Skitter Walk. They are also eating the Berkely Blade Dancer worked slowly on the bottom as well as gold spoons. Thanks to Mike Praznovsky of Pure Fishing who turned me on to these baits. They have been working great. Another great catch and release fish in Flamingo in the last two weeks have been the great Silver Kings. The fish that have been biting on the flats have been from 30 to 60 lb. We have seen fish over a 150 lb just cruising on the flats for a quick meal but thank gosh these pigs wouldnít eat anything we threw at them on light tackle! PHEW!!! On the fly the fish have been taken purple and black flies as well as red and black. The cockroach brown had been working better on calm clear mornings. A great fly company I use is Snowy Mountain Outfitters; contact Roger Lynn at mite10@aol.com if you are interested in some of these flies. The fish close to Flamingo are following mullet muds and the other fish on the clear banks are between Flamingo and Islamorada. There has also been a lot of bonefish on the clear flats in the Islamorada backcountry. In the last two weeks client/friend James Yerbury from Sydney, Australia fished Flamingo in between other scheduled charters. He managed to get himself a nice slam of a 12 lb snook, a 10 lb red and a 40 lb little king. Great Job ìMATEî! Unfortunately, the following day he went 0 for 5 on snook (bloody hell), but we did manage to land 3 in the boat, with the biggest being 20 lb. After experiencing the tailing reds and bones, rolling tarpon and snook exploding on top water lures he tried to extend his trip a few days but was unable due to airline overbooking. His last words were ìMate, Iíll be back!î Another great experience this last week for me was to have Col. Hunter Ledbetter, from the US Marine Corp. taking leave from the Middle East to do some snook fishing with me. What an honor and challenge to get him his first 10 lb snook. Thanks Hunter, good job. I will be fishing between now and the 18th of July, when I will then be venturing over to Bimini, Bahamas for the Island Fishing Adventures, Lights and Sirens Tournament. If you want to fish this fun, family oriented tournament email Pete Larkin at pllarkin@aol.com or call at 305-282-7611. Hopefully, Iíll see you all there. Tight lines and gin clear waters! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com 786-255-1788 or 305-926-7423
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	06-23-2005
Cane Polin' Charters fishing report June 1 through 20th, 2005 The month of June has produced some of the hottest flats fishing yet, but stormy conditions had made for some wet days on the water. Calm conditions mixed in have produced large amounts of tailing redfish on the flats. On numerous trips to Everglades National Park there have been schools of these tailing reds in the hundreds. Some days weíre finding singles, doubles and smaller schools. But tailing redfish have been seen every day so far. Every trip so far this month we have managed to catch at least five fish in the 6 to 10 lb category. In the afternoons we are catch larger redfish on top water plugs when the tide is right. The snook has also shown up in the large numbers, though out of season until September 1st, they make for some great top water lure action. These fish have been crushing the Rapala skitter walk. We are finding on a daily basis from 25 to 60 snook on the flats. Everyday has been producing at least 2 fish of about 10 lbs. and the largest one caught was 16 lbs. Large number of snook are also found along the beaches. June produces great fishing on the flats but also produces some of the most hazardous weather conditions for flats fisherman. When fishing on these flats always keep an eye to the sky and donít get caught out in the middle of a flat when a thunderstorm is approaching. Work the edges if it looks like it could be a nasty day. We have also been fishing the Islamorada area for tarpon on the outside flats. A couple of days this month having charters down there have produced massive amounts of tarpon in two days we saw over three hundred tarpon but had only managed to jump 1. The tarpon are full from the worm spawn it seems. However we did find a fly that would turn these tarpon on more than the traditional flies. The tarpon were from 60 to 200 lbs. Some beasts were seen in three feet of water. One was so big that it looked yellow and had ìpublic school busî written on the side. While all charters are great, this month I hosted the World Class Sport Fishing Crew from the Outdoor Channel. This class act consisted of Sue Vermillion, producer, Bill Boyce, Host, Rick Westphal on the cameras and our special guest angler Carey Chen. The target specie for this particular show was tarpon. While shooting the crew jumped two and released 1. The weights were between 90 and 130 lbs. Bill was the first to hook up and as tarpon always do, took him straight to the pylons after about 20 minutes and broke him off, the second fish Carey was up and he managed to release his tarpon weighing about 90 lbs. The last fish of the three was short and sweet for Bill as the Circle Hook after four fantastic jumps from this Silver King broke the hook in half. Phone calls will be definitely made to this hook company as it was caught on film. The day couldnít get better as the morning was flat clam and while traveling out in the early morning we came upon a school of tailing bones. Bill was on the fly rod and made a perfect cast. Bonefish were coming up to eat the fly and a cormorant bird flew over the school and spooked the fish. Being a tarpon shoot we decided to head for the kings, but made some great footage for the show. I would like to thank World Class Sport fishing, Capt. Harryís Fishing Supply, Ecuagringo S.A., Island Fishing Adventures, Digital Comm Link, Snowy Mountain Outfitters (for flies), Sunshine Embroidery, Just Call Me Hunting and Fishing Worldwide and Carey Chen for making this all possible and a great day. For all of those who like to fish for the slimy bones and permit, they are showing up in big schools in Biscayne Bay on calm mornings. They are tailing and easy to spot. The average size of bones is 8 to 10 lbs. and the permit are around 20. Remember be careful on the waters as the storms can creep on you very quickly. Safe fishing and catch you next time. Tight lines and Gin Clear water! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	05-31-2005
Cane Poliní Charters Fishing report May 19th through May 30th, 2005 Fish in Biscayne Bay have been showing up in large numbers. Mornings that are calm are producing large amounts of permit from 15 to 40 lbs. Weíve been chasing schools, which have, from 10 to 50 fish in them. Some mornings they are spookier than others. Last week Steve Shelley, of Homestead, FL caught 2 nice permit, one 20# and the other 25#. The bait of choice is that beautiful silver dollar crab that the permit canít refuse. Bonefish have been showing up in smaller schools from what I have seen. But some of the bonefish are large 12 to 14 lbers. The smaller bones 8 to 10 lbs have a little more to their school. The slimy bones are fast moving and sometimes are not ready to eat. Tarpon on the other hand are all over the place on the Oceanside flats. Pilchards have been a thorn in the side for these tarpon as well as the skidder walk top water lure early in the mornings. Later in the morning the live crabs have been working well as has Pilchards and Mullet. Night trips are producing large tarpon over the 150# mark on live ladyfish. Last week I had Fernando Ramos and Steve Bussell fishing with me for Tarpon, we were using tasty succulent pilchards for bait. These guys were pretty good and new just where to place the bait. Well here comes two 40 lbíers next to the boat, both guys made beautiful casts and sure enough one of the fish swallows a pilchard and takes off, here we were waiting for the sweet sound of success and nothing is happening. When both guys came back with baits still on the hook we realized that a ìGhost Pilchardî appeared out of nowhere and was eaten instead! Thatís just plain wrong!! The Snook bite is at night around the bridges and deeper passes with good water flow and ample lighting always helps. Nothing beats a live pinfish for bait. Remember Snook season closes June 1st, and the season is already closed for Monroe County in the south region. In Florida Bay and backcountry the redfish are showing up in large schools. This past Sunday, May 30th we chased over 300 reds but caught only 5. Schools up to 100 fish are not uncommon. Most of these fish are ranging from 6 to 10 lbs. and some in the 15 lbs. mark. The bigger reds are singled out and not following the schools. Tarpon are rolling early in the mornings in some of the channels along with nice schools of jack crevales. I like fishing the tarpon and jacks on top water plugs as it makes for a fun morning. The snook and reds are also hitting top water plugs even at midday. We got 3 snook and 2 reds in three hours over the weekend. The snook average 8 lbs. and one redfish being 10#. South Florida backcountry has came alive with warmer weather and the relentless winds dying down. Now we just need to watch our fast moving thunderstorms. Getting out early and getting a good day of fishing in always elevates this problem. Until next timeÖ Tight lines and gin clear waters! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	05-18-2005
Now that we have reached May, the weather is starting to warm up nicely but stiff East winds are sometimes a nuisance. On nicer mornings (when the winds had laid down) weíve been seeing schools of 10 ñ 30 permit tailing, big schools of bone fish plowing flats, some singled out redfish and tarpon on the outside flats. The bones we have been releasing are being 8 and 10 lbs. There has been bigger bonefish up to 14 lbs seen on the flats. The permit are in the lower 20ís with 1 release over 35 lbs. This is a great time of the year to be catching tarpon around the bridges at night and at Government Cut. Live crabs and pinfish under corks have been working well. Now is the time in the Florida Bay the snook will be moving to the Gulf Beaches and to deeper passes. Iím still seeing some big snook around the islands and grass flats and schools of redfish with some being over 10 lbs in them. Remember snook season is now closed. Tarpon are thick in White Water Bay when the water is not ìwhiteî! Weíre not having a problem hooking onto them. My lure of choice lately has been the larger red/white Yozuri. Tarpon are also on the flats in FL Bay as well; most tarpon are in the 60- 120 lb class. These tarpon can be seen gulping air and rolling at first light when the wind is calm. On a recent trip in Biscayne Bay I had a chance to see something Iíve never seen before. While fishing on the edge of a flat I thought I saw a school of pilchards flashing. But what I actually saw after getting a closer look was a school of about a hundred-baby permit, which was a beautiful sight. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I chased them around for while to make sure. I donít know if any of you had ever seen this, it was my first time, but it makes me feel good about Biscayne Bay. I still have some dates available, so donít wait any more, just come on down and fish these spectacular flats. Tight lines and Gin clear waters! Capt. Jim Hale www.canepolincharters.com
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	04-26-2005
Cane Poliní Charters fishing report from April 1st to the 25th Since my last report at the end of March I was not able to be on the water for the first two weeks of April as my father, who taught me how to fish and love the sea, passed away. Out of the 12 days available in April I fished 10 so far. Being back on the water from the 15th of April until today, the sunny skies and brisk winds have brought at times some great flats fishing. With the water starting to warm up large numbers of bonefish, some of them being monsters, have been showing up in Biscayne Bay. Large snook and redfish have also made their presence known. Now that we are in the late part of April tarpon are now showing up in smaller schools. There have been some permit sightings but at this time they are still hit and miss. Some days Iíve seen 12 to 15 permit and some days seeing 0 to 1. As May approaches hopefully the winds will settle down a little bit and the cold fronts will diminish making a large push for permit. The weather this year seems to be a month behind the norm for South Florida. As I had some cancellations this month I choose to go out and do some fun fishing of my own. I finally got to bend a rod myself. As the typical charters catching snook, bone and redfish I do have some great highlights to share with you. April 15th on a snook fishing trip in Biscayne Bay we came across 10 to 15 snook over 12 lbs. But the finicky critters wouldnít eat live mullet or shrimp, so we resorted to pinfish. After seeing many large snook we spotted one estimated over 30 lbs. After tracking this fish for 30 minutes we decided to blind cast the mangroves. In doing so we hooked into a large mangrove snapper and out of the corner of my eye I watched the 30 lb snook come out of the mangroves and chomp the snapper. The fight lasted about 8 seconds, GO FIGURE! April 20th poling the flats on another windy day we went looking for snook. Numerous snook seen darting in and out of the mangroves produced two feisty snook for the angler, one of 8 lb and the other 6. April 23rd with old time friend James Dillard we decided to hunt for permit and bonefish in Biscayne Bay. As you recall last month with Jim, the winds and timing just wasnít there for him. A beautiful cast on an estimated 12 lb permit produced once again an empty hook. The permit was glad to take his crab and leave him the hook. Being in his rut he decided to chase down some redfish. Then again the black cloud just followed him. He put beautiful casts on plenty of large redfish but none would chomp. On April 24th in route for a charter at Ocean Reef, I received a call that the clients needed to cancel at the last minute. Since being on the water already, I decided to try and bend a rod for myself. Making two casts one landing a large shark and the other landing a 15 lb bonefish. Knowing no one would believe me I netted him and took the picture as evidence. Bones, reds and snook are here now in full force and permit are right around the corner. Like I said before the tarpon are starting to show up and should be in full force REEL soon. Open dates are filling fast. Talking to you soon! Capt. Jim Hale 786-255-1788 / 305-926-7423 jim@canepolincharters.com www.canepolincharters.com
	Posted By:	Jim Hale	Date Posted:	04-16-2005
Cane Poliní Fishing report from March 1st to present Been staying very busy but cold and windy conditions have taken itís toll on fishing the flats especially in Everglades National Park. Numerous days weíve run across 15 to 20 snook and seeing 10 to 15 redfish. Most of these fish have been over 7 lbs and some as large as 15 to 17 lbs. All of the fish spotted were lying up in the shallows to gather warmth. They have been very spooky and hard to get them to eat. Weíve had a couple fish turn to eat but nothing aggressive. Another problem was that in 7î of water we had trouble seeing the bottom because of the wind turning up mud. However, here are some highlights: As the Biscayne Bay Flats were so choppy and cold I decided to go to some protected areas. In doing so I have chased down over 300 bonefish this month for my clients. On the 14th of March I was fishing in the afternoon with windy conditions, once, yet, again, we chased over 50 giant redfish in Biscayne Bay. The biggest one I saw probably weighed over 30 lbs. We chased these schools, making perfect casts for three hours and still could not get a bite. On two consecutive day Flamingo charters I endured the same conditions, very, very windy and cold but came up with some fish for the clients. On March 19, Jay Peck, from Cutler Ridge, FL and Peter Beck from Connecticut, went to find some tarpon and reds. Highlights were one 6 lb red and 2 just undersized snook, a couple big sharks (ate the live bait instead of the tarpon). The following day fishing with Richard Lovett, from Homestead, FL, we caught 5 reds all about 5 lbs., 2 undersized snook and lost a nice 10+ lb snook at the boat. March 21st, I fished with David Cayford, from Cutler Ridge, FL in Biscayne Bay. We finally had a nice day, calm winds and clear water. We chased two schools of reds with David finally catching an 11 lb red and I caught a 16 lb! After fishing for reds we headed for the bonefish flats and had 6 good chances at the still spooky bones. Good casts were not the problems as much as the fish just wouldnít play. Oífer is better than NOífer! Fishing back in Flamingo on Good Friday wasnít that good for James Dillard of Kendall, FL. Winds were blowing 20+ but this time at least it was warm. We had numerous shots at snook (and large too ñ 15 to 20 lbíers.). Three of the hooked up snook ended up in the mangroves, two were cut off by the gill plates and one, just bad luck ñ spit the hook for James. The last days of March bonefish and reds came a live. Chasing large schools of bones and landing an nice 8 lb by female angler Merijo Attong of "Just Call Me", fishing and hunting worldwide agency. I will be back on the waters this week again and hopefully the winds of Florida will settle down a little. There are plenty of fish on the flats and creeks; if the wind will cooperate I will have a better fishing report next time. The season has come for tarpon and permit fishing with good bones and reds in the mix. If interested in coming to South Florida an fishing for these guys give me a call 786-255-1788 or for bookings all 305-926-7423. Check out my website www.canepolincharters.com for more details. Tight lines and gin clear waters! Capt. Jim
	Posted By:	Kevin Mahfood	Date Posted:	12-29-2004
Fished 12/27/04 and 12/28/04 from Key West to Key Colony Beach in Marathon. Wind blew from the Northeast at 25-30 both days. Water was a dusty green. Bait was scarce but we raised a total of 4 sailfish, caught all 4. Kingish and Mackerel were thick around American Shoals.
	Posted By:	Billy Green	Date Posted:	04-02-2004
Key West: March 27-28. Saturday's Strong winds kept us near shore and in the harbor. However, we did find constant action with medium sized snappers, ladyfish and barracudas throughout the entire day. We hooked a tarpon that spit the hook before the first jump. Sunday we loaded up on threadfin herring, pilchards and ballyhoo and headed out the lakes and offshore. I was cut off by a wahoo on my first drop and my next two drops landed me a 22# Blackfin on 8# and a 24# Blackfin on 12#. My buddy's first 4 drops got him 2 Amberjack up to 30# on 15# and a Bonito on 8# and the prize 29# Blackfin on 8#. We caught another 4 Amberjack up to 40#, 3 Bonitos and a Barracuda estimated at 30# on 8#. Captain Ken Harris on Finesse worked his tail off putting us on bait and then on fish and we did not have 10 minutes free from fighting large fish all day long.
	Posted By:	Sally Herrold	Date Posted:	02-17-2002
The last few weeks around Islamorada waters has been awesome fishing. Boats like the Catch 22 and How Bout It caught and released over 50 fish in 2 days. Just got back from fishing the Islamorada Ladies Tournament where over 100 fish were caught out of 24 boats on the first day. I fished the boat, Kalex, with Capt. Alex Adler and mates Jamie and Bow. They did an excellent job putting us on the fish ending up in second runner up with 14 fish, to the How Bout It, with 17, and the Montumbo, with 16 fish. Congratulations to all! Tammy did a great job, as usual, organizing everything and providing the beautiful trophys and door prizes.
	Posted By:	Terry Stansel	Date Posted:	02-04-2002
This years 17th Annual Reef Cup Tournament broke the record for sailfish releases. 376 sailfish releases were recorded in this years event. "Zigger" won the tournament with 17 releases. We on the "Hatterascal" ended up with 7 releases overall. As always the event was first class and enjoyed by all. Congratulations to team "Zigger". Good Luck, Terry & Bonny "Hatterascal"
	Posted By:	Terry Stansel	Date Posted:	02-01-2002
17th Annual Reef Cup At the time of this post two days of fishing have been completed. A total of 67 boats are entered in this years tournament. 135 sailfish were caught on day 1 and 93 sailfish were caught on day 2. "Zigger" is leading the event with 17 followed by "Boat Center" with 12 and "Live Wire" with 10 sails. The fishing has been pretty good and we "Hatterascal" have released 5 sails. Most of the fleet have taken a lay day today and the final day of fishing will be Saturday. I'll post another report soon. Good Luck to All, Terry & Bonny "Hatterascal"

Post a Report