Alligator Alley

[the reel ess]

Can you just pull off the side of the road anywhere on Everglades Parkway (I 75) and walk and fish? I see YouTube videos of people fishing canals beside the highway and I would guess it's there.

[Mike L]

You can if you find an opening in the perimeter fencing and don’t mind walking through a swamp in certain sections to get to the water. 
 

If you do I would use a piece of wood or something as a probe where you’re gonna step. Especially in the summer. 
 

Most of the boats you see probably launched at the few ramps on both sides. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[the reel ess]

17 minutes ago, Mike L said:

You can if you find an opening in the perimeter fencing and don’t mind walking through a swamp in certain sections to get to the water. 
 

If you do I would use a piece of wood or something as a probe where you’re gonna step. Especially in the summer. 
 

Most of the boats you see probably launched at the few ramps on both sides. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

Are the exotic species in them as well as largemouth?

[Mike L]

Cichlids, Oscar and Peacock that I know of, but now a days I wouldn’t be surprised if there were dozens of others. 
 

 

 

Mike 

[GaryH]

Not to mention Pythons.

[Mike L]

2 minutes ago, GaryH said:

Not to mention Pythons.

Yeah Buddy!!

 

 

 

 

Mike

[bigbassin']

I’ve only ever fished the east side of it. Small bass and an Oscar or two are all we’ve caught.

 

No clue what the west side is like.

 

IMO, if you have time I’d keep heading south to Tamiami. Not as many lmb, but they’re still there, tons of peacocks, Oscars, catch snook and tarpon off the hard structure occasionally. 
 

I’ve only fished the East Side on Tamiami as well but there were plenty of pull offs at least for the first 20 miles or so leaving Miami. West side is supposed to be very good land based snook fishing.

[Captain Phil]

I spent over half my life fishing the Alley, L67 and the Tamiami Trail.  Haven't fished there since we moved in 1996.  This area has some of the best bass fishing I have ever seen.  When the water is low, you can catch 100 bass a day if you want to. I have seen days when you would throw out a crank bait, hook a fish, the fish jumps the lure and another fish grabs it when it hits the water. When the water is high, it fishes like a desert.  I have caught a few snook and tarpon there, especially when the water is running.  Years ago, anglers would come back to the ramp with tales of a huge bass on the Alley that would strip their reels.  A local finally caught that fish.  It was a 25 pound snook.  Night fishing in the summer is fantastic if you can stand the mosquitoes.  I could write a book about fishing in the Glades.  There would be a lot of itching.