Having seen several crocodile warning signs earlier in the day while fishing a canal off Biscayne Bay, my 11-year-old son Asher jumped about three feet back when he approached a steep canal bank and looked down on a dozen similarly startled iguanas. Such things go with fishing in South Florida, and the same super-warm climate causes area’s canals to support everything
from largemouth bass to exotic species like peacock bass.
Asher and I sampled a nice variety of species last week as we traveled the Sunshine State on a small-water fishing adventure. As good as fishing can be in acclaimed bass lakes like Okeechobee and Kissimmee and on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, we stuck with small lakes, rivers, canals and bays – where anybody can walk the banks, float a canoe or launch an aluminum boat.
We were definitely impressed by the abundance of quality opportunities. We could have fished every day for several months using the same basic approach and never fished the same waters, and we caught a lot of fish using a do-it-yourself approach every day except one. Beyond that, I was struck by the variety of settings and opportunities. A common stereotype suggests that most of Florida looks the same, but in reality, everywhere we fished was different from everywhere else.
A trip highlight certainly was sampling the South Florida canals, which collectively run hundreds of miles and represent a huge opportunity. We caught brutally strong butterfly peacock bass, brightly-colored Mayan Cichlids and largemouth bass and had potential to hook up with several other fresh- and saltwater species. Popping a Pop-R in these canals, you really don’t know what might blow up on your lure. Link to full story – http://www.rebellures.com/journal/florida-small-water-adventure/