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Chokoloskee Island to a water boundary just north of the Florida Keys, and there are subtle contrasts between sections. South of the Ten Thousand Islands region, specifically from Shark River to Cape Sable, the shoreline is punctuated by numerous tidal creeks.

The Shark and Little Shark rivers are major navigable waterways to sprawling Whitewater Bay, which reminds one of the Ten Thousand Islands to the north. That's a lot of country, teeming with a laundry list of gamefish in waters ranging from clear oceanic outside the passes and rivers, to tannic-stained to  brackish to muddy to downright fresh clear up in the marshy headwaters.

What impresses me most about this fishery is the wide distribution of certain species. Take snook, for instance. Considered king of the mangrove backcountry, fishable numbers of linesiders spend time over Gulf wrecks and rubble piles offshore. Of course, your chances of nabbing one soar from late spring through July along sandy beaches at Cape Sable and Highland Beach, or at shoreline points and bars along the open Gulf. Come fall, the linesiders begin a pilgrimage into

Legal-size gag grouper and hulking Goliath grouper, found on nearshore wrecks and rockpiles, also inhabit deeper holes in rivers and creeks of the interior. Still others-such as speedy Spanish mackerel and permit-streak in from the open Gulf to patrol tannic, serpentine rivers and muddy oyster-strewn bays where they seem out of place.

You can bet that the Spanish are on the heels of incoming baitfish schools. The permit? Theories abound.

But it's not all glitter. Some days the salt cats and the slightly more prestigious gaffstopsail catfish are everywhere, as are ladyfish and small jack crevalle. The latter two are fun fish, unless so thick that they prevent your lures and baits from getting down in the water column to more desirable fish.like puffers, lizardfish and skates.

Every point and fallen tree looks snooky. Creek bends and bays all look tarpony. Deeper, undercut shorelines scream "snapper down here!" Every little runout begs a cast or two, and it's sure hard to pass up those dank little spider-webbed mangrove tunnels that drain into main watercourses during falling tide. I used to feel like a kid staring out from a merry-go-round when traversing this region's winding waterways and island-strewn bays. It's as if the boat is traveling in a circle. It's a tough place for anglers to dial in, in comparison to the open flats of Florida Bay out front of Flamingo. The place has sent me home with my tail between my legs on many occasions, after having not caught much with methods that serve me so well when sight fishing the flats.

Last February, I joined veteran Florida Bay backcountry guide Capt. David Lee, Larry Lynn, a manager of Flamingo Lodge and marina, Capt. John Griffiths, who charters out of Flamingo Marina and Capt. Pete Silot (a co-host of the Florida Sportsman Live radio show) on a two-day, two-boat, circuitous hit-and-run fishing trip from Cape Sable to northernmost Whitewater Bay. Day one was dedicated to the outside waters within eyesight of the coast, chumming for mackerel, scouting markers and crabtrap floats for cobia and tripletail, finally finishing up with some creek fishing from Little Sable Creek to Little Shark River. The Spanish mackerel bite was hot in six to eight feet southwest of Sandy Key.

After boating dozens between us on baits, jigs and flies, we hooked a couple of tripletail, but overall, that hunt was slow.  But lots of other options awaited, which accounts for the popularity of the Everglades National Park fishery.  It was millpond flat for a February day, so we took advantage of the weather window, and steered the skiffs to a rockpile about 8 miles west of Northwest Cape. Though we spotted a few permit schools, they were fussy and on edge. Even live crabs didn't get a look, and live pilchards sent to bottom didn't produce either a snapper or grouper. It was late afternoon by then, so we booked it ashore on the heels of a building west wind signaling a cold front approach, taking Little Shark River through Whitewater Bay back to the Flamingo Lodge.

A nasty squall line greeted us at dawn, but by 9 a.m. we had bluebird skies, a blustery northwest wind and 20-degree temperature drop. That would have been the kiss of death for flats fishing, but creek and river fishing turned on. David Lee took us from hole to hole between the Shark River mouth to Cormorant Pass at the entrance of Whitewater Bay, dropping anchor only where current was moving to his liking. Live shrimp and pilchards produced dozens of legal mangrove snapper up to 18 inches, gag grouper (though all undersized this time out), a few small jewfish, Spanish mackerel and a couple of slot-size snook and a redfish--a typical wintertime Everglades mixed bag.

During his 30 years of backcountry fishing, Lee discovered that some spots produced only small fish, and sometimes very, very small fish. "Keep in mind that this is an estuary, a nursery for some species, including reef fish. I've caught gag grouper 4 inches long, and jewfish measuring 6 inches." In fact, during our trip, Pete Silot poled us into a shallow bay, a virtual kindergarten where swarms of tiny mangrove snapper darted around the mangrove roots. In one hole, we hooked a few redfish shorter than an electric razor.   

Most veteran Everglades anglers have stories about surprising catches. Permit turn up as far inland as Whitewater Bay, a body of water most famous for its snook and winter population of 100- to 150-pound tarpon. And both Lee and Silot have run into Spanish in Oyster Bay, not that far from the Gulf as the crow flies, but far removed from what is considered typical mackerel territory.     

"The knocker is really simple and absolutely deadly on just about everything that swims here," Lee points out. "Some of my customers are beginners and this rig catches them fish." And even skilled anglers who prefer to cast jigs and plugs will quickly see the advantage of Lee's approach in the deeper river holes. I have cast a tipped jig while fishing with him, and his knocker rig outfished me 10 to one. And I can't stand for that for very long.

The approach gives him confidence-so much so that his charter service website, one which he shares with Capts. Silot and Griffiths, is nofishnopaycharters.com.
Fishing the knocker is easy but there is one trick that takes the biggest of snapper, grouper and others. Lee chooses an egg sinker that will hold bottom in the current, and threads a live shrimp tail-first onto a long-shank Eagle Claw bait hook. The bait should lay out straight, with the hookpoint exiting just behind the head. After reaching bottom, Lee opens the bail of his spinning reel, freelines the bait downcurrent a few feet, closes the bail, lifts the rodtip to pop the weight off bottom, and repeats the process, if the bait lasts that long.

This method allows you to work your bait over more bottom, and the shrimp drifts downcurrent in a natural manner. And a live pilchard fished this way on a 2/0 circle hook takes the biggest mangrove snapper, plus gag grouper and snook. Twelve-pound tackle is ideal for river fishing, and braided line is a natural for bite detection and solid hooksets.If you're a light-tackle caster or fly fisher, you'll feel more at home in the shallower waters of Oyster and Whitewater bays. Capt. Silot spends a great deal of his time here in his 18-foot skiff, Saltwater Junkie, probing the mangrove shorelines and sight fishing shallow mud bottom in three feet of water or less. And like Capt. Lee does in the rivers, Silot fishes where there's current.

"The main reason anglers strike out back here is because they spend too much time in dead water." Silot claims that during Florida's rainy season-June through October-the natural freshwater flow from the Everglades interior pushes water to the west toward the Gulf, holding off incoming tidal flow. And that tannic-stained fresh runoff is a double-whammy-it drops the salinity like a rock, which pushes baitfish toward the rivers and Gulf. And where the bait goes, the fish go. What doesn't vacate the backcountry in summer are the infamous swamp angels-saltmarsh mosquitos-that the Glades are famous for.

From winter through spring, when the best backcountry fishing occurs, tidal exchange is more predictable and constant, though an especially strong winter west wind can block whatever east-to-west runoff water movement exists, in effect halting the flow. In short, it's tricky predicting the tides in the backcountry. But you should find moving water somewhere by staying on the move.

"Where you do find current, cast into shoreline pockets and under mangrove overhangs, and concentrate on points, which are a natural ambush setup," Silot advises. "I don't have an electric motor at the bow of my skiff, so I pole the shorelines, whether blind-casting or sight casting for snook and redfish."

Though casting to mangroves makes one think of stout tackle and heavy line, Silot is an advocate of light line, as light as 6- to 10-pound test. "With light line, I can make longer casts to fish I spot. Plus, I fish a lot of light soft-plastic baits without added weight." To ward off abrasion from rough-mouthed snook and tarpon, it's advisable to tie on a bite leader of 30- to 40-pound-test monofilament. Topwater plug anglers do well, mostly at sunrise and sunset, though you can enjoy fast action on surface plugs and flyrod

poppers during overcast, drizzly conditions. Fly fishers might want to stick to buoyant streamers such as the Sea-Ducer, a palmered hackle streamer that stays in a small strike zone a bit longer-ideal because snook are often reluctant to venture far from their favorite lair. Another good choice is a Dahlberg Diver, and a weedguard will keep it out of the branches.

As any angler who fishes this region will attest, you couldn't possibly cover this much territory in a lifetime. All sectors of this Everglades fishery are interdependent links with subtle differences that spell varietal fishing. You can tuck a fly or plug under the bushes for snook at dawn. Or you can drop anchor, soak a shrimp on the bottom, and satisfy that hankering for snapper fried light.

Flamingo 7/22-23 on the Saltwater Junkie 9:49 PM 7/25/2005

The trip we have been planning all year finally got here. My son and I headed down to Flamingo for an overdue trip to catch a Permit and whatever else we could find. Thursday made the 400 mile drive to Florida City, it was a long ride to get there but well worth the trip.

Friday morning we met up with Capt. Pete Silot to go out on the Saltwater Junkie, and see if Andrew could catch the fish he raves about when he sees them on TV. 6am made the hour drive to launch at the Flamingo ramp and the mosquitoes were out in full force. I had about 75 on my legs in the time it took to get my spray out. Nothing a little deet won't cure. We headed out to catch bait and watched a master at work with a cast net get the baitwell full in a hurry, at least I thought it was full. We had some sharks around and saw some porpoises, 2 large eagle rays and lots of stuff around the chum. The we headed out to try the beaches along the outside for some snook and reds but no takers so we went into a creek for more bait. Pete was not happy until we had the baitwell boiling full of Pilchards. There were lots of tarpon rolling in the creek crashing large pods of finger mullet but too much food there to get them to bite so we headed offshore to the wreck for the real object of the days fishing, Permit.

The Egret is a great boat, it has a smooth ride and it was a slick day to make the 18 mile run at 40mph. We got out to the wreck and started chumming and tossing out pilchards by the netful to draw them in. There were lookdowns, small snapper, and all kinds of baitfish in the slick. It did not take long to see a big school of about 100 permit. Pete hooked up a live crab and tossed him out and Andrew was hooked up with a 15# Permit on light tackle and the fight was on. Pete tossed out the anchorbouy and we gave chase all the time telling Andrew to keep pressure on him. In the middle of the fight a Goliath Grouper about 250# came up and tried to eat the permit, that really fired him up and he got a second wind to get him to the boat safely. After about 15-20 minutes we finally get him to the boat and what a great fish.

Andrew lit up like the 4th of July when he saw him and I knew the trip was worth it. All the effort wore him out because he needed a nap and flopped down on the seat after we took some pics and napped while we looked for more fish. We saw a school of big Jacks crashing bait and went to see if we could get some more action and first cast hooked up. These are not like the little ones I am used to in the flats and the 10 pounder took 10 minutes to land this time it was a 6' shark chasing the Jack instead of a jewfish to add excitement. I will no longer look at them as trash fish. Next it was Andrews turn with a Jack and the old salt said it was a nice fish but it was no permit.

We headed back to the wreck to see if the school was around and sweated it out in the 95 degree heat wetting towels and hats to keep cool while we waited. We were just about to head back in when Pete spotted a huge school and put us on top of it. 2 crabs out and 2 fish hooked up with drag singing, but they were caught up in the school and first one then the other got cut off. We re-rigged and made another circle looking for the school and when we found it 2 more crabs get eaten and the fight is on again, this time Andrew gets cut off but I keep mine on. I spent about 15 or 20 minutes with that fish taking drag at will before we finally got him to the boat. Man that is a hard fighting fish. After photos and a safe release we headed in father and sone sore and tired and happy.

Saturday the same hour trip back to the ramp but we go inside into the creeks and bays to see if we can find some snook, reds, or tarpon. This is really beautiful country and a guide that knows his way around taking us back into the mangroves. We stop near an island and cast a few times and come up with a short red but not much more in the turbid water. We headed in search of another well full of bait. It took a little work but when the well was black again with bait we anchored up on a point with rocks and 2 fallen trees. Pete says to throw in between and see what bites. Well the bit was mangrove napper on almost every cast and then WHAM something hits hard and I see my first snook.

He immediately heads to the trees to try and cut mme off but Pete coached me through it and I landed a nice 11# snook. Back to catching snapper and then Andrew hooks a nice snook who makes a litttle jump and then cuts off at the boat. I managed to land another smaller 7# snook out of the jaws of about a 9' bull shark. Andrew and Pete fight what we figure to be a ray because we never could get him off the bottom, Pete lifting and Andrew reeling but no luck. Finally we are getting ready to head in and Andrew gets the last snook hookup and fights him to the boat after a nice jumping display.

All in all it was a great trip in some beautiful country. We had a great guide in Pete, I would reccomend him to anyone who wants to fish Flamingo. He has a way with kids and always a smile. I am sure this will not be my last trip with him. Andrew has told everyone it was the best 2 days of his life so far but next year will be better. Sorry this was so long but it is a lifetime memory for me and a great kid.

Andrew in the heat of battle

Andrew lands his first Permit

Andrew witth a big Jack

My first Permit

My first snook

Andrew with his first snook

Another snook in the net

Father and son fun