Fishing report
SOUTH FLORIDA OFFSHORE
Capt. Skip Dana of the Helen S and Fish City Pride drift boats at Hillsboro Inlet Marina said there’s been a great mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper bite this week. Bonitos have been abundant and a few kingfish have been caught. Some dolphin were biting 12-15 miles offshore.
SOUTH FLORIDA INSHORE
Capt. Lain Goodwin of Key Largo said the best backcountry fishing has been for big jacks, which were biting live bait and plugs. The snook bite has been inconsistent.
THE KEYS
The best bet continues to be fishing the reef for yellowtail snappers.
EVERGLADES/FRESHWATER
To catch bass in Everglades canals, anglers can throw big plastic snakes or fish deep with Texas- and Carolina-rigged plastic worms.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
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Fish early in the morning to catch bass on topwater lures such as frogs and plugs around the outside grass beds. When that slows, try flipping and pitching jigs and creature baits around reeds.
Outdoors notebook
Fly fishing: The Fly Shop of Miami has a fly fishing school Saturday at the Palmer Trinity School in Palmetto Bay. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Instruction is 9 to 4 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The school has casting lessons and covers all the basics, including lines, rods, reels, leaders, knots and techniques. Teachers include the Fly Shop’s Dave Olson, a master casting instructor, and bonefish guides Capt. Joe Gonzalez and Capt. Bob Branham. The cost is $300, $250 if 16 or younger. Call 305-669-5851.
Bass regulations: In case you missed it, Florida’s regulations for largemouth bass changed on July 1. The new statewide bag and length limits are five bass per day, only one of which may be 16 inches or longer in total length. There is no statewide minimum length limit for largemouth bass.
Permit results: Joe Skrumbellos of Sunrise caught and released three permit on fly to earn 450 points and the title of grand champion angler at the 2016 Del Brown Permit Tournament that ended Tuesday in Key West. Skrumbellos and Capt. Matt Fitzgerald of Sunrise were the defending champions. Nathaniel Linville of Key West released one permit the first day and one on the final day to finish second with 300 points fishing with Capt. John O’Hearn of Big Pine Key. Linville’s wife, Kat, was third fishing with Capt. Drew Delashmit of Cudjoe Key. She also had two permit, but her husband had more total inches of fish to break the tie. Anglers on 20 boats released a total of 13 permit and 32 bonefish.
Marlin results: Mark Rideout of the United Kingdom and his team on Blue Makaira caught a 983-pound blue marlin in Madeira to win last week’s Blue Marlin World Cup. A record fleet of 162 boats competed in the 32nd event, which consisted of boats fishing for eight hours anywhere in the world on July 4. Stephanie Choate and her team on Reel Addiction won the optional Big Blue Challenge jackpot with a 625-pounder in Bermuda. Choate won the 2014 tournament with a 656 in Hawaii.
Saltwater Showdown: For the first time in the history of the Pompano Beach Saltwater Circuit, the 18th annual Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Showdown is an open event that any boat can fish. In previous years, boats had to qualify to fish the circuit’s third and final event. The Showdown is Aug. 6 with the weigh-in at the Sands Harbor Resort & Marina. The entry fee is $375 per boat ($475 after July 22). Visit saltwatershowdown.com or call 954-725-4010.
Park re-openings: Everglades National Park has re-opened areas closed to protect the Frank Key and Sandy Key roseate spoonbill colonies during nesting season. The channel running along the west end of Frank Key, shallow water access at the west side of Palm Key and Carl Ross Key south of Flamingo are now open to public access. Biologists have determined that the nesting colonies are no longer active.
The temporary closures have provided added protection for what the park called “Florida Bay’s most significant spoonbill colonies.” Disturbance from boating activity can flush adult birds off nests, leaving eggs and chicks exposed to extreme temperatures and predators such as crows and vultures. Visitors to Carl Ross Key are reminded that although Carl Ross is open during the day, Sandy Key is permanently closed to public entry and people should not walk from Carl Ross to Sandy.