 Fishing is as hot as the weather right now!
Micro tarpon action remains hot as well as snook and redfish! My anglers are being successful on conventional and fly! With summer weather patterns and afternoon thunderstorms being the norm, We can still get in a solid 6 hrs. Before the rain! Top-water soft baits like DOA’s PT-7 are awesome around the weed beds and wood. Another go to for me are DOA’s 5.5 and 4” soft jerk baits rigged on Trokar rigging hooks. When you find open water opportunities, 3” DOA Cal shads have been money! For fly anglers, tie on white or chartreuse/white minnow patterns for a blast or top water popping bugs. This is a great time of the year for your bucket list trip! Taking advantage of the morning cooler temps before the afternoon thunder-boomers! Get ya some!!
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Recently, a client reached out with concerns about the windy conditions and how it may affect the fishing.
Valid concerns no doubt! That’s exactly why I chose to move here years ago. Weather is something that you have to consider every day when you’re putting together a game plan for your clients. With the Everglades and 10,000 Islands you have many options based on wind direction and velocity. Thousands of islands, creeks, and rivers to hide in! This is where having the right boat and equipment makes a huge difference in angling success! Lately, the wind has been East and cranking! Creating winter like tides! Extremely low tides, constricts the landscape and concentrates the fish! That being said, you have to fish smart! Having a Power-Pole will save your day! Being able to Power-Pole down and dissect the water that’s available to you. Anchored with the wind to your back, you can make longer cast’s and work artificials and flies more effectively. Check out this week’s pictures, all of these fish we’re caught in less than one foot of water, including the triple tail! Book now, fishing is on fire! Be sure to bring plenty of DOA Cal shads in glow/gold! This is the time of the year, that you can target just about any in-shore species you desire. Plug, Spin, and Fly! One of my favorite techniques this time of year, is top water! My go-to lure is a DOA-PT7!! It’s a soft top water with a 7/0 hook that you can skin hook to keep it snag less! Can’t do that with most hard baits! It also has rattles, and maybe it’s the best skipping lure ever created! It’s also great in open water conditions when floating vegetation is present. It’s super easy to walk the dog with this bait! I carry a number of colors, so I’m ready for any atmospheric conditions. It’s also a great time of the year to tie on a popping bug or gurgler for fly anglers! If you’re looking to check off that bucket list angling trip of a lifetime, I have a few openings left in May and June!
Capt. Ray Everglades, Chokoloskee and 10,000 Islands Fishing Charters “Tis” the season for giant tarpon and Snook! Whether you’re fishing the backcountry or out front you’ll want to rig up a couple of DOA Baitbusters rigs! I like Rootbeer/gold and Green back/gold with a red chin! Buy the trolling model with the extra heavy hook! If you can’t find that model, buy the others and switch out the jig to a heavier model. With tarpon a medium steady retrieve in shallow water is best, no erratic twitching! Deeper, make long cast’s to visible fish and let sink. For Snook, I like a twitch twitch pause on a steady retrieve. Tie on a DOA Baitbusters and hold on!   The Spring season is upon us, an awesome time to catch just about every species that lives in the Everglades! With Warmer temps comes some of the best fishing of the year!
In preparing for your trip to the Glades, plan on wearing technical fishing apparel. Long sleeves with hoods and long pants. A neck gaiter is invaluable and also holds your hat on when under way. When it comes to gear, Aftco makes some great apparel! Let’s not forget about footwear! You’ll be standing quite a bit! A shoe with the proper support is worth its weight in gold. I really like Merrell, in addition to great hiking footwear, they also make awesome footwear for fishing! Don’t forget proper eyewear, a good pair of polarized lenses are a must for sight fishing and cutting glare. Bring plenty of sunscreen (don’t use the spray kind, the overspray is terrible and gets all over the boat). Apply sunscreen before you depart the dock. Make sure you bring plenty of food and water for your day on the water! Now that you’re prepared, book your charters way in advance, so you can access the best tides! Captain Ray Everglades Fishing Charters   Everything is chewing!
One of my favorite times of the year! Huge snook and Tarpon on artificial and fly. Redfish, trout and triple tail too! Pick your poison and c’mon! Capt. Ray Van Horn Everglades and 10,000 Islands Fishing Charters So far, March has lived up to its reputation of being windy!
“In like a lion”and hopefully soon “out like a lamb” That being said, This is one of the many reasons why I choose to live here! Sure the wind has been howling!! Have you ever studied a map of the Everglades and the 10,000 islands? Look at how the land mass is configured. For the most part ,this area is protected from high East wind influence! If you’re a sight Fishionado or a fly angler, You have countless opportunities to fish the East shoreline and being in the Lee of the wind! Especially for the fly angler, it can blow 30 knots and you can still fish! The reason for this, is the high mangrove tree canopy. This is true for the backcountry as well as the bights ( bays ) out front. Getting to and from maybe a little bumpy, But you’re fishing! If you like throwing artificial lures or a fly angler with some experience, you have a great opportunity to catch fish on the windy shorelines! Windy shoreline you say, are you kidding? No I’m not! Remember, snook are ambush predators and feed better on windy shorelines because the wind is creating a lot more current. I hope you don’t mind a shameless plug, This is another reason to have a Powerpole mounted on your boat! Fish these windy shorelines in the afternoon when you also have a shade line between you and the bank. You’ll be glad you did! Captain Ray   This week’s cool front had little effect on the micro poons!
Surface temps dropped about 5 degrees, not enough to challenge the bite! That’s what’s great about the Everglades, most of the fronts this time of the year start to dissipate about Charlotte harbor, leaving us with great weather and great angling conditions! Book now! It’s only going to get better! Hot rig today was a 13 Fishing Omen green rod 6’8 medium heavy fast action rod paired with a 13 Fishing prototype TX 3.0 spinning reel, 10 lb. braid, 40lb. leader. Hot lure was the 3” DOA Cal Shad in Glow/gold as usual on a premium DOA 1/4 oz. jig! Retrieve steady, medium fast! Bam! Get you some! Capt. Ray Van Horn Everglades Fishing Charters  Fishing this week in the Everglades should be great with good weather and tides! Backcountry fishing continues to be excellent for snook and micro tarpon. The hot bait for numbers has been an 1/8 oz. DOA jig and 3” cal Shad in #309 glow/gold rush belly.
For larger snook, rig up a DOA 5.5 jerkbait in #309 glow/gold rush belly on a 4/0-1/4oz. Trokar rigging hook. Skip it under the mangroves, give it a couple of twitches and a pause and hold on! Lots of trout activity on the outside island flats. Incoming tide utilizing a DOA DEADLY COMBO popping cork and DOA Shrimp in #384 Firetiger and #401 Electric Chicken. Give that deadly combo two sharp pops and then pause for 3 or 4 seconds. Fishing for reds should be good on the incoming tide! Target outside island points and shallow flats. Conventional tackle including a 1/8 oz. DOA jig and 3” cal Shad in #309 glow/gold rush belly retrieved steady. Be sure to have a tarpon rod rigged with a DOA Baitbuster in #304 Rootbeer/Gold. Be sure to use the XX jig. Water temperatures will be flirting with the low 70’s and there should be a push of fish with the upcoming moon! Capt. Ray  Fishing the Everglades backcountry continues to be hot with snook and micro tarpon action.
The best presentation for snook and micro tarpon has been an 1/8 oz. DOA jig and cal Shad combo in #309 glow/gold rush belly and #417 Keylime. For the fly enthusiasts, an EP fly in chartreuse/white has been productive! Fishing for trout will stay productive this week in spite of the winds if you target the rivers. Best technique for river trout, a DOA deadly combo, featuring a DOA popping cork and Shrimp in the #401 electric chicken or #384 Firetiger colors. Capt. Ray Van Horn Everglades and 10,000 Islands Fishing Charters |
CAPT. RAY
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