Getting ready to fish and camp

um#1

Hey everyone, I have been off the grid traveling out West, it's great to be back home.

I am planning a boat Camping trip in a couple of weeks (February) with my grandson.  We will be between Chatham and Lostmans.  Any suggestions for general fish info; are things better in the river mouths, up river, outside. Is it worth looking for live bait right now or just stick with shrimp on ice and artificial. And lastly, is the area in decent shape after the hurricane. I run a Sportsman 214, it's a shallow draft bay boat, with a jack plate. I appreciate any suggestions, thanks!

10kman

I'm envious.Loved those camping trips to the 10k.area.One,Iwould bring
a cast net.Pay close attention to tides,make  sure  you have long  rope and
extra anchors.

lemaymiami

That whole area pretty much got a miss from the hurricane....  Choko and Everglades City did flood out - but the damage started at Marco and just got worse as it went north.. That said in February,  expect lower tides than posted - and fish are everywhere.  This is definitely a shrimpy time of year - I'd have every bucktail jig and leadhead tipped with a tiny bit of shrimp if you aren't fishing just the shrimp itself.  We're currently in a very mild winter with 74 degree waters and warmer up inside.. Here's a pic or two from Monday's trip where two anglers posted a backcountry slam (snook, reds, trout).  The snook were mostly small but we did find a good fish or two - just working lures on spinning gear - no fly that day.. .



the red got invited home for dinner.. 

um#1

10kman, thanks.  I learned a while back, probably from this forum, I tie the bow to a stake on the beach and anchor the stern on a stretchable line that keeps the boat in the water and I just pull the boat in when I'm ready. Thanks for the response, and I will bring a net. 

um#1

lemaymiami, thanks for the info. If you are fishing the bays in back, that's something I have not done. I will definitely bring shrimp. 

Jonsredfishin

um#1 said:

10kman, thanks.  I learned a while back, probably from this forum, I tie the bow to a stake on the beach and anchor the stern on a stretchable line that keeps the boat in the water and I just pull the boat in when I'm ready. Thanks for the response, and I will bring a net. 

Got a link for the stretchable rope?

um#1

Jonsredfishin,

Amarine-made 2500Lbs Anchor Bungee Anchor Buddy , Stretches from 7FT - 22FT, 14FT - 50FT, (7' - 22') https://a.co/d/4GirMOP

Jonsredfishin

um#1 said:

Jonsredfishin,

Amarine-made 2500Lbs Anchor Bungee Anchor Buddy , Stretches from 7FT - 22FT, 14FT - 50FT, (7' - 22') https://a.co/d/4GirMOP

Perfect.Thanks man. 

lemaymiami

Make a point as well of being picky about your campsites - particularly on the outside.... any that you can barely float in as you arrive - might just leave you high and dry on a low tide... Remember as well that places like Highland Beach and all of the beach from Cape Sable up to Middle Cape aren't exactly permanent (the whole beach can shift on you  if the starts howling out of the west... Here's a famous photo (or infamous...) of just what can happen if the wind shifts as a cold front approaches overnight... 



and one more....Beachside camping is great when the weather is favorable - not so great if the wind is blowing onshore -or shifts to an onshore wind and because you're only hooked up in sand - everything moves and your anchor is no longer secured...

The Cat's Eye

Some items I use to carry when fishing the Glades that you might consider:

Telescoping 15 foot Aluminum Pool pole for retrieving lures snagged in the mangroves so you don’t have to venture into the branches and attract a swarm of blood suckers. I had several strands of small stainless steel dog leash chain on the pole to snag the hooks.  (Retrieved many other lures left by other anglers that were out of their reach).

 Some other items I also carried.

 +PLB and before they were invented an early EPIRB.

 +Full Bug Suit,

 +Custom made No-See -Um canopy that would cover the entire boat and hang into the water with  hemmed in lead weights.  

  +Portable emergency VHF antenna that I could tape onto the push pole that had a 25 ft power cord that plugged into an old 25 Watt VHF radio.  I tested this setup way back in Lane Bay & Hell’s Bay and it worked perfect.

 I suppose you could call me a survivalist but I fished back in the days before Loran and GPS.  Mapped out Lane and Hell’s Bay with photos taken from the air since back then there were no aerial photos available of that area and the Topographical maps were of very poor quality.  (Luckly i never had to use any of the survival stuff deep into the backcountry)

 

.

lemaymiami

Pay attention to what Cat's Eye is saying - all you newbies to the backcountry... Me, I use my pushpole (the fork end) to retrieve my angler's lures (and at nearly 23 feet long it works well... not only retrieving lures out of trees, or back in the bushes - but also when you snag up on the bottom...).

  That extra antenna cable was standard gear when I was first beginning to learn a bit about the backcounty, nearly fifty years ago now... Simply put, you either have to pole to open waters where your VHF might reach the Coast Guard - or somehow get your antenna above the trees to be able to be heard.  These days, if you can reach the Coast Guard by VHF, and hold contact for less than a minute - they'll know your exact location - even if you can't tell them.. My son was in the Coast Guard and he made sure I had not only a PLB (personal locator beacon) but also a full sized EPIRB aboard for emergencies... Handy for your peace of mind if nothing else... 

We were taught, all those years ago, never to go into the backcountry by yourself if possible - two boats were the way to go.  These days with all of our gear greatly improved anyone can solo safely - but here's a little something to remember... Taught to me by a salty old guide who had retired after a career in the Guard...  

First off if your gear isn't 100% - don't leave the dock..

Every time you turn that key and your motor starts... you're one day closer to the day you turn that key - and nothing happens.. 

If you're deep in the backcountry and your motor causes you any trouble - the next time you turn it off - is when you're back at the dock...

More than once I've told my anglers after motor troubles - the good news is that all of your fishing today was free (no charge...) - the bad news is that it's over and we're heading home... Once or twice I've ignored this rule - and we ended up paying for it (that's over the last 28 years, though).  Very lonely feeling broken down a long way into the boonies... Another of those "ask me how I know" moments...

um#1

lemaymiami said:

Make a point as well of being picky about your campsites - particularly on the outside.... any that you can barely float in as you arrive - might just leave you high and dry on a low tide... Remember as well that places like Highland Beach and all of the beach from Cape Sable up to Middle Cape aren't exactly permanent (the whole beach can shift on you  if the starts howling out of the west... Here's a famous photo (or infamous...) of just what can happen if the wind shifts as a cold front approaches overnight... 



and one more....Beachside camping is great when the weather is favorable - not so great if the wind is blowing onshore -or shifts to an onshore wind and because you're only hooked up in sand - everything moves and your anchor is no longer secured...

The Cat's Eye said:

Some items I use to carry when fishing the Glades that you might consider:

Telescoping 15 foot Aluminum Pool pole for retrieving lures snagged in the mangroves so you don’t have to venture into the branches and attract a swarm of blood suckers. I had several strands of small stainless steel dog leash chain on the pole to snag the hooks.  (Retrieved many other lures left by other anglers that were out of their reach).

 Some other items I also carried.

 +PLB and before they were invented an early EPIRB.

 +Full Bug Suit,

 +Custom made No-See -Um canopy that would cover the entire boat and hang into the water with  hemmed in lead weights.  

  +Portable emergency VHF antenna that I could tape onto the push pole that had a 25 ft power cord that plugged into an old 25 Watt VHF radio.  I tested this setup way back in Lane Bay & Hell’s Bay and it worked perfect.

 I suppose you could call me a survivalist but I fished back in the days before Loran and GPS.  Mapped out Lane and Hell’s Bay with photos taken from the air since back then there were no aerial photos available of that area and the Topographical maps were of very poor quality.  (Luckly i never had to use any of the survival stuff deep into the backcountry)

 

.

That is some great info!  Thanks for sharing your experience. I used to have a 16' flat's boat that died around schooner bank, I was happy to get back to Flamingo with my trolling motor. 

The old timers using aerial photos was a cool thing to see back in the day.  There was an old guide in the Panhandle that did that on the winter low tides and found all the secret holes. 

I have an X-Spot that I have been using for text communication, tracking, and for an emergency rescue if needed. I will probably look into an EPIRB.

Thanks again!

um#1

Bob, once again, thanks for your input. You'll be happy to know that I just serviced the lower unit and the top. I hope my grandson has a great time. A couple of years ago I caught trout on every cast for over an hour. That would be a blast, either way memories will be made. There really isn't anything quite like that area. 

10kman

 Always have a second person along with you because  they
can make suggestions you don't think of.Example,my motor
wouldnot start and my boat partner suggested switching trolling
battery with starting battery.That worked and all ended well.

10kman

  Done know whether the ENP  rules have changed  but 
can you start a fire using the downed timber?

lemaymiami

That I know of it's still allowed but any fires on shore have to be below the high tide line...  I'd go to enp.gov and look it up just to be certain about their rules for camping on the beaches.  For anyone wanting to do without whatever rules the Park has in place-   if you camp north of Chokoloskee - you're outside Park boundaries...

um#1

10kman said:

  Done know whether the ENP  rules have changed  but 
can you start a fire using the downed timber?

I usually keep the fire below the tide line....I cheat a little at high tide.  But it's always completely out with water before turning in. 

lemaymiami

That's the way to go... Funny thing, fire is one of the major forces that move the 'glades each year (and always has been) .  Flood, drought, and fire are the elements that made the Everglades what it is over about a 5,000 year time span, and at the end of every dry season you can see natural wildfires in many places there (of course the news media never mentions that fact when reporting that "the Everglades is on fire..." each spring).  

Long ago, for ages,  native peoples in this area used fire as a tool to improve the hunting in the areas they lived in.  When the Park was established in 1947 they forbid that practice and I've read that some oldtimers say that hunting in the 'glades has suffered for it... 

10kman

ENP rules  say no driftwood is allowed to be taken.Driftwood
to me means wood that has drifted in from the Gulf  not fallen
dried timber.

um#1

lemaymiami said:

That's the way to go... Funny thing, fire is one of the major forces that move the 'glades each year (and always has been) .  Flood, drought, and fire are the elements that made the Everglades what it is over about a 5,000 year time span, and at the end of every dry season you can see natural wildfires in many places there (of course the news media never mentions that fact when reporting that "the Everglades is on fire..." each spring).  

Long ago, for ages,  native peoples in this area used fire as a tool to improve the hunting in the areas they lived in.  When the Park was established in 1947 they forbid that practice and I've read that some oldtimers say that hunting in the 'glades has suffered for it... 

Don't forget the sneaky snake(s) that are out there stealing deer, rabbits, racoons, pigs, and alligators!  Those things are out of control. I saw where one was recently nabbed around Everglades City.