It’s hard to believe it’s December and less than a month remains before 2016 begins. It’s also hard to believe that we’re in a winter month in the Florida Keys because fishing sure doesn’t feel like it. We had a slight cool down around Thanksgiving that was short lived and temps have rebounded since. It feels like summer to me here in Islamorada and as I write this warm southerly winds are blowing and the rain dumping. The rain is good because we sure have needed it. We just need things to cool down a bit. Unusually warm air temps and water temps for this time of year has meant inconsistent fishing. Things are very much in transition now. It’s been one day a hero the next day a zero kind of fishing. But as the saying goes, ‘That’s just fishing’. There’s nothing you can do about it except roll with it. And even a bad day of fishing in the Everglades is still a memorable experience.
If there is one thing that inconsistent fishing will reinforce it is making the most out of every opportunity. Botched casts add up and before you know it we’re headed back to the dock fishless. Bad casts are hard to watch when there are a lot of fish around but when it’s slim pickings, it’s more than just upsetting. Bad casts to fish when you’ve worked all day to simply find something to cast at take on a whole different meaning. Those casts are critical. Sure bad casts happen but you can do one thing to minimize them: practice. I sound like a broken record when it comes to this but practicing your casting beforehand will pay huge dividends. You wouldn’t tee off at August National without at least hitting the driving range before you went.
Snook and redfishing in the backcountry has been okay but as I mentioned, not consistent. One day they’re eating, the next day they’ve got lockjaw. There are still tarpon around and as long as the water remains warm, they’ll stay around. Permit fishing on the flats has been decent and ditto for bonefish. Spanish mackerel have started to show in the gulf and that fishing will improve when the water cools a bit. That’s it in a nutshell.
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Pete
