- Joined
- Aug 9, 2010
- Location
- Coral Springs, Florida
November 26, 2010: Alligator Alley is the road that runs between Naples and Fort Lauderdale and it cuts right through the center of the Everglades. There are two canals on each side of the highway and other canals join them and run in different directions. There are several ramps along the road but today I put in just west of mile marker 35. It is a very nice facility (its actually a rest area) with a ramp on the North and a ramp on the South. The ramps have docks and plenty of parking and you can re-enter the highway in either direction. This was my first time fishing this area.
I started the morning down a cutoff canal heading north from the main canal. It loked like great water and I saw and heard several nice fish nailing something. The problem was they were way in the weeds to the point there was no way to get to them and I ended up getting several mudfish. After a few hours of this I ran back to the main canal on the south side of the highway and had the same results. The place looked incredibly good with a mix of sawgrass, lily pads, hyacinths and grass all mixed together. I tried flipping a good portion of the day but had no luck. I finally ran further west and found and area where the canal pretty much flattened out to about 1 foot deep. There was some current running through and I was abble to pick up 5 small bass on Senkos and flipping a worm.
I have heard good things about fishing the Alley but I think I must have hit it on an off day. I spoke with some others at the ramp and they had a similar experience. I'll try again in a few weeks and update the report but I can say that if you want to see a wild variety of wildlife then its really worth a visit. I was surrounded by at least 4 gators the entire day, and saw alot of birds and snakes. The gators in these canals get huge so make sure you stay in the boat
I started the morning down a cutoff canal heading north from the main canal. It loked like great water and I saw and heard several nice fish nailing something. The problem was they were way in the weeds to the point there was no way to get to them and I ended up getting several mudfish. After a few hours of this I ran back to the main canal on the south side of the highway and had the same results. The place looked incredibly good with a mix of sawgrass, lily pads, hyacinths and grass all mixed together. I tried flipping a good portion of the day but had no luck. I finally ran further west and found and area where the canal pretty much flattened out to about 1 foot deep. There was some current running through and I was abble to pick up 5 small bass on Senkos and flipping a worm.
I have heard good things about fishing the Alley but I think I must have hit it on an off day. I spoke with some others at the ramp and they had a similar experience. I'll try again in a few weeks and update the report but I can say that if you want to see a wild variety of wildlife then its really worth a visit. I was surrounded by at least 4 gators the entire day, and saw alot of birds and snakes. The gators in these canals get huge so make sure you stay in the boat