Everglades on fire!

[Zcoker]

20 hours ago, SC53 said:

Z, your pictures and posts take me back to another time in my life. 
Grew up fishing the glades, alley and canals back in the late 60’s & early 70’s. 
Those are impressive fish for down there for sure. 
Great work bud. 

 

Thanks man. It's a wild world out there, probably much the same as you remember it. I bet back then 60's 70's it was even more remote! There's a lot more canals and storm water retention areas nowadays.  

[Larry C.]

@Zcoker Awesome stuff man.  I really enjoyed reading through this thread.  I would like to get your input on some areas.  I'm in Miami and will be going to Everglades National Park with my son for some shore fishing.  (I know, not the optimal) but are the areas there such as Pine Glades Lake, Sisal Pond, Ficus Pond, and Sweet Bay Pond worth it?  Or am I better off fishing the "Trail" and up through Loop Rd & Turner River Trail?

 

Again, amazing photos!!!  TY for sharing.

[Zcoker]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:00 PM, Larry C. said:

@Zcoker Awesome stuff man.  I really enjoyed reading through this thread.  I would like to get your input on some areas.  I'm in Miami and will be going to Everglades National Park with my son for some shore fishing.  (I know, not the optimal) but are the areas there such as Pine Glades Lake, Sisal Pond, Ficus Pond, and Sweet Bay Pond worth it?  Or am I better off fishing the "Trail" and up through Loop Rd & Turner River Trail?

 

Again, amazing photos!!!  TY for sharing.

 

With the water levels going down, any of those various canal systems down there will be loaded with bass, much easier to access with the water lower. imho. Even better if you can find an access road that runs parallel to any of them. There's usually water control stations along the way that are great for bank fishing. Most of those control stations have concrete barriers to stand on, which is much safer for the kids. Or you can always hit Holey Lands Wildlife Management Area further north on US 27. There, you can run the canals for as far as you want with control stations all over the place. Bank fishing is also endless there, wide, wide open! 

[Micaiah Lindquist]

Man, this thread makes me so jealous!!! I wanna come down there bad now! 

[Zcoker]

Everglades going strong with nice fish. Water levels dropping everywhere, hydrilla topping out all over the place but the bite is still on fire day or night….mostly at night lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Micaiah Lindquist]

I'm making plans for next spring!

[Zcoker]

57 minutes ago, Micaiah Lindquist said:

I'm making plans for next spring!

 

If you like fishing, Florida is certainly the place to get a line wet, both fresh and saltwater. 

[Zcoker]

From holes in the sky to beautiful daytime tornados to cloud-like hand grabs at rainbows....the everglades has a LOT to offer, including BIG bass!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blue Raider Bob]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

From holes in the sky to beautiful daytime tornados to cloud-like hand grabs at rainbows....the everglades has a LOT to offer, including BIG bass!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Incredible photographs! Thanks so much for sharing. Question: Do those big bass pull your kayak, or are you able to stabilize and bring them to you?

     That first bass looks like she ate your tacklebox!

[Zcoker]

10 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

     Incredible photographs! Thanks so much for sharing. Question: Do those big bass pull your kayak, or are you able to stabilize and bring them to you?

     That first bass looks like she ate your tacklebox!

 

Yep, I've had them swing me completely around, often loosing my bearings. Nothing stable about these fish. From start to finish, it's one wild ride. They don't play. They're all natural, you see, not stocked and pampered. They're completely wild and face some of the toughest conditions imaginable. In that regard, they're mean, nasty, super strong, and down right crazy! Pure survival mode. It's very hard to explain a hit at night on topwater from a big mean nasty everglades bass...like a bomb going off! 

[Zcoker]

 

Everglades sunrise always a good rise! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bird]

@Zcoker

Spectacular 

[RipzLipz]

@Zcoker Nice hawgs.

[Zcoker]

Everglades never disappoints! Always a big bite out there, not a question of if but a question of when. So the strategy is to ALWAYS be ready, no matter what!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zcoker]

Angry everglades bass! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Cool pics, Z!

[Zcoker]

Another angry everglades bass puttin on a show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Atta, Z.

[fin]

Those fish are beautiful down there. Beautiful photos. You're in heaven.

 

I'm assuming it's post-spawn down there? When is the spawn down there?

[Zcoker]

15 minutes ago, fin said:

Those fish are beautiful down there. Beautiful photos. You're in heaven.

 

I'm assuming it's post-spawn down there? When is the spawn down there?

 

The spawning season down here for bass runs December through May but I never really pay it no mind. They’re active all year long in my neck of the woods. Seems like they eat no matter what! 

[Reel]

Brings back nice memories.  About 40 years ago I used to go down to Miami for a couple of weeks during Christmas time.  I would go down Griffin road and rent a boat with a 9.9 hp motor at Holyday. 

Fishing was OK in December/January but, with the water higher, not so many large fish.  It was always an adventure because this was pre/gps days.  I would make a paper map as I would motor along indicating the turns so I would not get lost.  One year I went in March a got a 9 pounder.  Glad to see that the fishing is still good if not better.

[Swamp Girl]

28 minutes ago, Reel said:

It was always an adventure because this was pre/gps days.  I would make a paper map as I would motor along indicating the turns so I would not get lost. 

 

Hardcore. This reminds me of my youth in the wilderness of northwestern Ontario where we'd bushwhack through the woods and snap tree limbs to find our way out. Then we graduated to tying strips of orange ribbon to trees. Sometimes we'd assemble a cairn if rocks were available. 

[Zcoker]

Easy to get lost out in the glades even with GPS. Easy to get trapped. Thing is, with any wind the landscape can change instantly, espeically when fishing big areas that have a lot of floating vegetation like hyacinth mats. Some of those mats can be acres! Which means the whole area can change shape instantly. Very easy to get boxed in with no way out because some of the mats are so high with trees on them, very solid and heavy duty, which means no physical way around them until things start moving around again. And even at that, luck needs to be involved to clear the way....but the "way" may not be the right way. Whole lotta things to look out for when fishing the everglades. There's many things that can go very wrong and get very nasty very quickly. Takes some good planning to fish out there, day or night.  

[Reel]

I  remember that one year, I went out with a guide in Sawgrass.  He took us out down a dirt road to a boat ramp.  Then we travelled a few miles in a canal completely covered with hyacinths where you could not see the water to an opening into a pond with clear water.  The fishing was pretty good but small fish.

[Swamp Girl]

50 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Easy to get lost out in the glades even with GPS. Easy to get trapped. Thing is, with any wind the landscape can change instantly, espeically when fishing big areas that have a lot of floating vegetation like hyacinth mats. Some of those mats can be acres! Which means the whole area can change shape instantly. Very easy to get boxed in with no way out because some of the mats are so high with trees on them, very solid and heavy duty, which means no physical way around them until things start moving around again. And even at that, luck needs to be involved to clear the way....but the "way" may not be the right way. Whole lotta things to look out for when fishing the everglades. There's many things that can go very wrong and get very nasty very quickly. Takes some good planning to fish out there, day or night.  

 

This sounds like the magical maze in Harry Potter where the walls kept shifting.