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Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
#13200888
07/01/19 03:55 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
Spent the last two days getting stuff done around the house, installing flush mounts on kayak, and packing. Headed towards Miami and Flamingo Everglades in the morning, should be there by Wednesday and fishing soon after. No definite plans on how long I'll be there, but I'll fish until I've had enough and then come back home. Will report back on this thread when I have wifi as there is none where I will be until I come back 40 miles out of the park. Removing trac and installing flush mounts. All nice and shiny after power wash and 303 UV protection, plus 4 new grab handles. Not bad for a 10 year old kayak. Love this particular model.. 2008 Native Manta Ray 14 and 28 inch beam. July 4th 10 or 11 years ago. Lots of fishermen in Florida have never been to Flamingo, or have even heard of it. If you ever get the chance, just go. https://goo.gl/maps/XncjPEdBWnFYGFVWA
Last edited by lconn4; 07/01/19 04:06 AM.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13200991
07/01/19 12:05 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,234
Jerry713
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,234 |
That kayak is in great shape! Have a good trip!
You get out of it what you put into it!
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13201077
07/01/19 01:15 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,378
Dan90210 ☮
Jr Deputy Dan
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Jr Deputy Dan
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,378 |
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13201082
07/01/19 01:17 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 111
janie
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 111 |
Have fun. Be safe. Look forward to more pic's. Your yak looks brand new.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13203551
07/03/19 03:17 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
Well I finally made it here... 1451 miles.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13203572
07/03/19 03:34 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 19,756
Huckleberry
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 19,756 |
Been there many times ....Hope you didn't forget your mosquito repellent.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: Huckleberry]
#13204287
07/04/19 02:36 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
Been there many times ....Hope you didn't forget your mosquito repellent. I did forget it, left it in my car at the ramp and didn't want to go back to get it.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13204397
07/04/19 04:13 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
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TFF Guru
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
Just as beautiful as it ever was. Slept in (12 hour nap) at Super 8 motel ($60 a night) and still the best deal for fishing Flamingo. Drove down by the campgrounds.. not a soul camping this time of year as the mosquitoes and noseeums are brutal. Had to wait out a big storm that came through with high winds, thunder, and lightning, almost an every day thing in the afternoons here. Saw three boats come off the water and the last one took a pounding as they had come from Lake Ingram, 12 miles away. Spoke to them briefly at the ramp and they had caught a bunch of tripletail up to 10 lbs. All the reports I got were positive as one guy said he had caught a bunch of snook and had lost a couple of good ones. All said they had seen tarpon around. When I finally got on the water it was around 3:00 pm.. I was in a hurry as it was late, wouldn't be going far with only 5 hours to fish. Got blasted early and often .. on everything I threw... Rapala Skitterwalk, DOA TerroEyz, and DOA Baitbuster. First blowup and I'm hooked into a small tarpon. Get it right next to the kayak and go to digging for camera instead of taking care of business and loose it. A few casts later and I hear the distinctive pop of a snook as it misses my topwater. For the first hour I must have caught 10 jacks, 2 gaftops, and miss two 40 to 60 lb tarpon that slam my topwater but never connect. Later on I had a 6 foot shark on topwater that pulled off. I was on edge, a little quick with the hooksets, but confident I'd start getting a hook in something good. Tide was at flood stage for the first couple of hours and lots of big tarpon could be seen jumping in the distance and some real close. Lots of mullet coming through and I was like a kid in a candy store. Once tide turned and started out there was about a half hour of nothing, and then it got good again. As bad as I hated to, I had to fish right up against the shoreline as that's where the action was, it was also where the mosquitoes and noseeums were swarming. See a big shark's fin working the mangrove shoreline and I paddle over to it and cast out the topwater where I last saw it. I get blasted on first cast but know from the distinctive pop, that its a big snook. Fish on!. It immediately heads for deeper water and away from all the mangroves as my drag is screaming on my bass gear (AbuGarcia 4600 on 7' StCroix Avid) I've got 17 lb mono and 30 lb leader so I can give it all I got as far as putting pressure on it goes. When it came out of the water the first time it was dragging me away from shore then it turns and heads right directly under me as my rod is wrapped around hull and drag screaming again when I get all the slack reeled in. I'm saying my prayer as that fish pulls kayak sideways right back into the mangroves. I get swarmed by mosquitoes, I am beating them off my face, trying to breathe without sucking them down my throat and my snook is trying to bulldog its way further into the roots as it is throwing up water everywhere. Try to get a couple of pictures with the action on because I thought for sure I was going to loose it.. When it finally came out of the mangroves and laid over on the surface I grabbed the lip with everything I had and got it into the kayak. Really nervous about lipping fish out there as I've had sharks get my catch right next to me. Tomorrow I'm going to focus on getting a tarpon.
Last edited by lconn4; 07/04/19 01:47 PM.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13204407
07/04/19 04:39 AM
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,153
Mike@972
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,153 |
Very nice Iconn. Tarpon fishing is on my bucket list.... Good luck!
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13204448
07/04/19 08:36 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,803
Mudman63
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,803 |
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13205090
07/05/19 01:40 AM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 29,845
Duck_Hunter
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 29,845 |
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13205785
07/05/19 09:41 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
Slow fishing yesterday as it was really windy and I didn't want to fight it like I used to. Ten years ago I would have launched before daylight and returned at dark. If it had gotten windy I would have hid out in the mangroves on a distant island and waited it out. Today I just said I'll wait at the motel until conditions get better. Only fished for about 3 hours late and wind never let up until I was off the water. Did hook up with a shark on DOA shrimp that towed me around for a couple of minutes before scraping me off in the mangrove roots. End of the road where I got busted off. Lots of manatee at the marina. Prop scar on back of mama with baby. I did notice on the 38 mile drive out of the park that there were many people out driving the road looking for python on the road. Right now is the grasshopper breeding season and they are all over the road paired up. At dark the bullfrogs come out to eat them I guess, and the snakes come out to eat the frogs and probably grasshoppers as well. I counted over 20 snakes dead and alive on my way out last night. Stopped and checked out a few myself. I may drive around tonight in the park and see what's going on.
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13205788
07/05/19 09:46 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 41,003
CCTX
mapquest
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mapquest
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 41,003 |
Looks like a great adventure!
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: lconn4]
#13205820
07/05/19 10:28 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546
lconn4
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 22,546 |
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Re: Flamingo, Everglades National Park 7/4/19
[Re: CCTX]
#13206004
07/06/19 02:37 AM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 29,845
Duck_Hunter
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 29,845 |
Looks like a great adventure!
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