Made the fastest trip ever from home to south Florida..24 hours, 6 gas/food stops, no naps. Got into Hollywood at 1:00 a.m after leaving the house at 1:00... I actually lost an hour heading east so it was 23 hours.. drove from Hollywood to Homestead this afternoon.. another hour in traffic where I will be staying for the next few days and making the 50 miles drive to the ramp at Flamingo. Sunny weather for the whole trip until I got to Homestead ... its about to pour.. Everglades creates its own weather, supposedly gonna rain hard here all week. Should cool things off... it was 99 degrees at 5:30 p.m. in Miami, yesterday. Will report back tomorrow night on how things went.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/flamingo/34141/weather-radar/342702

Looks like rain chances will be dropping from 98% to 97% on Thursday!

A little rain don't scare you, L! Looking forward to your reports. IslandJim

I too am looking forward to your reports....

Had a great day! Overslept as usual, running 2 hours behind schedule but on the brighter side just a little wind early and no sign of rain. Two guys in a small boat with just a trolling motor were hitting all the usual places close in and I figured things would work out for the best if I just skipped fishing behind them.. Started out throwing a topwater Skitterwalk, a redfish majic spinner bait and a DOA Finger Mullet... too much grass floating on top and I was pulling grass off of every one of those baits, so I put my favorite bass lure on... 5/0 Owner Flashy Swimmer and an Ignite Baits hollow belly swimbait in Game Over color..

Wind picking up, throw up against the mangroves in a shaded area with a little current and get pounded.. fish pulls off right away, and no sooner than it comes loose another one or the same fish socked it again... didnt measure but it was over 26 and the skunk was off early and Game Over!





More to come as I’m using laptop and then have to edit to get pics off phone.


Ignite Baits Game Over color.. I like how it matches the color of my rod! My total confidence bait fresh or saltwater these days.

I’m fishing in only 3 feet of water and know I’m not going to find a big tarpon anywhere near me.. another half mile to the deeper channel but it’s now windy and decide to stay on wind protected side of the island and hopefully get a snook out of the way.. not a bite for the next couple of hours.. sun beating down, it’s time to fish deeper.



Paddle to the far side of the channel where mullet are working their way off the flat to the channel when I get slammed by a tarpon…picture above was about 10 minutes after I had hooked up and things were not so hectic.. You can’t imagine what I went through to get to this point. The fish jumped 4 times within the first minute.. the first time within 30 feet of me, the second time it ran directly at me, I loose contact with it as I can’t catch up and when it comes to the end of my line, it pulls my rod under and behind me and jumps two more times at close range… I’m trying to loosen my drag as I’m scared.. pulling my kayak backward before I can get kayak turned around.

It takes me into the deeper channel and then makes a sharp turn as I near one of the channel markers.. I have to loosen drag again as my line is against marker and I’m afraid it will pop me off.. I’m just holding rod in one hand and trying to paddle one handed against the wind to get on the same side of marker as the fish…by the time I’ve cleared the post I’ve given up 150 yards of braid and into the 20 lb PLine fluro backing..

Play catchup for a while and then take picture above… 5 minutes later the fish does the same thing at the next marker… fish drags me to the windy side of island I caught the redfish.. two more times later when I get the fish close in it shoots off behind me and my rod is wrapped around two rods I have in crate and almost get pulled over..too much going on to pull rudder out of the water as I’m worried it might wrap me there as well..

I’m trying to get video with my phone in one hand rod in the other… it didn’t end well.. my shoulder is killing me, I’m exhausted.. to make along story shorter, I have a coulple of back to back smokes and then take a one handed whizz.. a first for me in battle..

The damn fish is coming to the surface gulping air as I am as well.. fish drags me almost two miles over the 47 minutes I’m hooked up.. around the island and straight toward the marina.. that’s when the sharks appeared..

Two of them shoot right past me like torpedoes, directly for the fish.. all hell breaks loose again.. line goes slack then tight again as fish is going nuts, changing directions on a dime and coming straight at me, but not jumping.. luckily they weren’t large sharks, or at least not the first two.. the third one was and in one of the numerous attacks my line was cut..

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More details at another time.. gotta eat.

Love those stories Iconn, keep them coming...

Woke up at 6:00 in pain, shoulder killing me, woke up the second time at 10:00 and decided I was going to fish for peacocks from the bank and rest today.. got lost looking for Tamiami trail and decided to hell with it… headed back to Flamingo. 🦩 It’s pouring rain today.

Made it to Flamingo around 2:00.. wasn’t really gung ho about fishing today.. it was windy.. stayed real close to marina and just wanted to catch a few snook..


Didn’t take long.. 5 inch swimbait in sexy shad… I snagged it in the back.


This one fought hard and then got sharked.




Moved on around spoil island hoping no sharks around.



This was the next snook.


Dipped my swimbait in snook blood to see if scent helps.



Very next cast I get this one that I boat flipped.. wasn’t about to stick my hand in the water to lip it.


Called it a day when it happened again…

Yes Sir!

All I can say is: WOW, Louis! Keep 'em coming. IslandJim

It is unreal how many sharks are in this area.. and how they can cut fish in half in a split second… years ago I was fishing here and landed a big snook, fish was on its side as I’m pulling it up to me.. just as I reach down to snatch it, something told me not to and I paused.. not a split second later that snook got cut in half.. to this day I think i would have lost my hand…. Today reminded me I need to start using my net.. I packed it for this I trip but haven’t been carrying it on the kayak..

They finally have restaurant and lodging all opened ... hardly anyone staying there this time of year... especially during middle of the week.. I walked around and looked it over today.. didnt eat there as I had other things to do... feed the sharks.

https://www.floridarambler.com/everglades-getaways/flamingo-lodge/


it does look nice for those that dont like camping or making the 100 mile round trip that I do every day from Homestead.

Saw on the news that Florida has gotten a ton of rain. Lots of flooding out there. Stay safe!

Saw on the news they've had to close the beaches in Florida's panhandle due to sharks.

I’ve never seen so much rain in my life.. haven’t fished much, as I’m beat and the rain is a good excuse to do other things… a couple of hours fishing each day and I’m soaked..









Looking for one big snook today.

Best weather since Monday… worst fishing of the week. Between the south east winds and torrential rains.. I couldn’t find a snook.. Paddled 7 miles to most of my favorite areas.. the grass was making it tough.. found lots of bait but only a few fish busting the schools and could have been jacks as that was all I was catching..






Never saw a boat leave the marina. Only saw a couple of boats all day.



Saw the dorsal fin sticking up and thought it was a permit…made 4 cast at it with a doa shrimp

Disappointing fishing but incredible sunset..

Another wet one this morning

Another awesome thread.

Where did all the grass go? Manatees eat it, but not for sure where it went..



Fished west lake, inside the park, yesterday. More wind protected.. and I was hoping better fishing.. caught small snook and jumped 20 lb tarpon that made one jump.. I’m worn out .. headed home today.

Great blog Iconn, come on home, I'm sure your racons need feeding....

I always look forward to your FL trips. Thanks for your detail reports and pictures. Be safe coming home.

Icon, I have really enjoyed your posts and the excellent pics you've shared. Thanks for sharing!

Made it back home yesterday... had planned to stay longer but my arthritis has all but put me out of action. Called my doctor and asked if it was ok to take more than one pill a day... he said no... oops.. been doubling up for almost a week. Pain in hands, elbows and shoulders to the point of not being able to function. The hour long battle with tarpon on first day did me in... been struggling every since. Was having hard time loading up at the end of the days and finally got to the point where I couldnt sleep at night.. Checked into Holiday Inn express outside Tallahassee Sunday around 1 a.m. and tried to sleep... checked out at 3:40 a.m. and kept driving.. Been home since 7 p.m. yesterday and still havent taken kayak off my vehicle.. afraid it might crush me taking it down. old age sucks

I hope you got some good rest! Great pictures as always!

1 bad A adventurer
these are incredible

so the 1 photo the cove was covered in grass
the 2nd, the grass is all gone
i believe it is the same cove area

yep, thats the marina.. I dont understand it..


picture above was from 20+ years ago, a couple of miles from the marina and in the area I hooked the tarpon this trip.. those channel markers run for miles and have shallow grass flats on both sides. That tarpon took a sharp turn against this same marker and had my line around it.. then again another qarter mile down. Ive hung more big tarpon in this area than any other area... straight out Christian Point. Until this past week the picture above was the most grass I had ever seen floating.

Great, Louis! I just read a post on Microskiff about a book by Glen Simmons and Laura Ogden, about the Glades Skiffs and pioneers from long ago. Looks like a great read about what became the national Park. Supposedly. there's one of Glen's skiffs in the Florida History Museum in Tallahassee. Available from Amazon, plus on Kindle. I'd like to read it. Maybe you have. Title is: Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners and Skiffers. Your trip reports are awesome reading. IslandJim

Havent read it but did read this one a couple of years ago while in my tent.

https://www.amazon.com/Totch-Everglades-Loren-G-Brown/dp/0813012287

Cheers Friend
I hope they fix your joints
My Doctor has given me something that made all the lumps in my knuckles disappear
You should be in National Geographic

Just realized I never posted picture from phone video of the tarpon..



Still haven’t looked at 15 minutes of go pro video as I don’t know how to download or edit and don’t feel like learning how.. maybe by next trip.