SOUTH FLORIDA OFFSHORE: Capt. Bouncer Smith of Miami Beach said his charter Thursday caught three dolphin in the 25-pound class and 25 dolphin 3-15 pounds fishing along a broken weedline 15-16 miles off Government Cut on Bouncer’s Dusky 33. Smith added that the bite for swordfish 50-75 pounds turned on early Thursday afternoon. Boats fishing out of Port Everglades Inlet were catching small mutton snappers, along with a handful of keepers, on night trips. Sharks have been a nuisance.
THE KEYS: Capt. Bill Hauck of the Sea King party boat in Marathon said the mangrove snapper night bite has pretty much ended, but the daytime bite for mutton, mangrove and nice-sized yellowtail snappers is rapidly improving. A few groupers also were biting.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: Bass anglers on the main lake were catching fish up to 5 pounds using topwater plugs and plastic frogs. Anglers in the rim canal were catching smaller fish with crankbaits, plastic worms and shaky-head jigs.
EVERGLADES/FRESHWATER: Capt. Alan Zaremba of Hollywood reported a good morning topwater bite for schooling peacock bass in urban canals using plugs like a MirrO Prop with the front blade removed. When that bite ended, his customers used suspending hard jerkbaits. Fly rodders had success with Clouser minnows on sinking lines. Zaremba added that peacock bass also were biting around the marsh access cuts in Everglades canals. Largemouth bass in Everglades canals were biting Gambler ribbontail worms and Flapp’n Shads on the surface.
SOUTH FLORIDA INSHORE: Elli Boyle of Lighthouse Point caught her first snook, redfish and permit fishing out of Chokoloskee Island with her father, Bobby, and Capt. Brian Sanders. Small tarpon were biting in the backcountry of Everglades National Park.
