2 Days in Flamingo, wife and I stayed on a house boat

Laubscher_Tales

The wife and I had a great weekend in Flamingo. Started off nice and early Friday morning at 4:00 a.m.  We pulled into the gas station and saw Ridge Murphy there so that was pretty cool.  We proceeded into the park and launched the boat to a overcast day and a very slight drizzle.  We made our way up Joe to the outside and started working the shore.  Lots and lots of mullet around.  Tarpon were everywhere but unless you had a mullet, they were not interested.  As I was working the falling tide in some creek mouths, I caught one undersized red.  Back it went to see another day.  There was not a breath of air and the bugs found us.  Fun Fun! lol  I decided to move and on my way back, I saw one of those park boundry markers and since I had never been out there and it was flat, lets go check it out.  That's when I saw the crab trap bouys and thought....hey....lets check for triple tail.  Sure enough ther were there.  I had never caught a tripletail so it was super neat to me.  I caught a bunch as well, a good 6-8 of them but only one keeper. The rest were 17 inch and 16 inch fish.  The one I kepted was 19 inches.  Oh......I could have killed myself.  I spooked a really big one so I could have had 2 but oh well.  The day was good as we had dinner for the two of us.
https://youtu.be/cd21dedJJeY

MGD

So u stayed on the houseboat at the dock...didn't know they did that.
Interested in what it cost ya and how was it?

gogittum

Sounds like you did some careful pre-trip home work, too.  Nice trip, nice catch, nice story.

lemaymiami

A few years back one of my customers was sharp enough to negotiate a deal... that $350 a day houseboat was $300 a day if you left it at the dock.  Considering that it sleeps five or six, has a/c , and a completely equipped kitchen, looks like a pretty good deal to me...  He and his buddies have done that deal now for three or four times since then - but I have no idea what the current cost is... Here's the phone number so you can ask directly.... (239) 695-1095... If this isn't the right number they should be able to provide the correct number...  Between now and the end of May you can expect them to be heavily booked so call early.  Once the rainy season is well underway (along with all the skeeters in the world...) they probably are wide open....

I enjoy hooking up with that group since I get to run a big bay boat - a treat for someone who works out of a beat up old small Maverick... I've stayed with them as well and the houseboats are pretty well set up... 

Laubscher_Tales

MGD said:

So u stayed on the houseboat at the dock...didn't know they did that.
Interested in what it cost ya and how was it?

300 a night but we had A/C and that was worth it. lol

Laubscher_Tales

lemaymiami said:

A few years back one of my customers was sharp enough to negotiate a deal... that $350 a day houseboat was $300 a day if you left it at the dock.  Considering that it sleeps five or six, has a/c , and a completely equipped kitchen, looks like a pretty good deal to me...  He and his buddies have done that deal now for three or four times since then - but I have no idea what the current cost is... Here's the phone number so you can ask directly.... (239) 695-1095... If this isn't the right number they should be able to provide the correct number...  Between now and the end of May you can expect them to be heavily booked so call early.  Once the rainy season is well underway (along with all the skeeters in the world...) they probably are wide open....

I enjoy hooking up with that group since I get to run a big bay boat - a treat for someone who works out of a beat up old small Maverick... I've stayed with them as well and the houseboats are pretty well set up... 

We are booked again this Novemeber but doing 3 nights this time.  It's 300 a night if you stay at the dock but if you book 3 nights, the third night is like 180.00.  It was AWESOME!  I'm use to Keys trips but this is so different, it was cool.  Glamping!  We made breakfast each morning, motored out and fished.  Came back late in the day and then BBQ on the back of the house boat.  Lots of crocs in that marina as well.  The store there has EVERYTHING one could need.

MGD

Thanks all!
Sure beats sleeping in a tent down there!!!!!!!!!!

lemaymiami

What would be even better would be if the concessionaire was able to set up cabins for visitors.  I've heard a whisper or two that it was in the works -but nothing concrete...

The current concessionaire down at Flamingo (anything you pay money for in a National Park is usually run by a private concessionaire outfit) is doing an outstanding job in my opinion.  They've brought brand new houseboats and kept them in good condition, greatly extended the number and quality of rental paddle craft (even if they are a pain in the canal at the end of the day when you're returning down Buttonwoood Canal to the inside ramp...), brought additional rental motor boats, refurbished the marina store, etc.  

In all my years fishing out of Flamingo - we've never had it better.... They get an attaboy from this corner... Yes I wish we still had a motel there - and the restaurant as well -but with what they've got to work with, nothing but praise from this guy... 

Maverick1

Shouldn’t be too much longer Bob!
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https://flamingoeverglades.com/flamingo-lodge-restaurant/

lemaymiami

 Very  cool… Wonder why they’ve never reached out to guides with this kind of info?  You’d think that they are missing a prime asset for spreading that info out to the folks most likely to be customers….

greenbone

 Enjoyed your post. We were there 1st of February, way too windy.  Lucked into a nice tarpon on a chunk of ladyfish 

Lurchy

very cool. I am very interested in the lodge developments..

Laubscher_Tales

Lurchy said:

very cool. I am very interested in the lodge developments..

Saw it the other day.  They are using containers which I find pretty cool.  It is going up pretty fast.

Captjames

Does anyone know if they have an opening date to the lodge or pricing?  

I do agree with Bob that the concession people in Flamingo are doing a really good job.  I rented the Mako pro skiff a year ago and they had a nicely stocked store and everything was run very well. 

Last-Cast

I put together a houseboat trip with a couple of buddies twice a year. We found it was more convenient to stay at the dock. That way we can fish either the inside or outside. 

Laubscher_Tales

Last-Cast said:

I put together a houseboat trip with a couple of buddies twice a year. We found it was more convenient to stay at the dock. That way we can fish either the inside or outside. 

That's smart!