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The early morning felt and looked like cold front conditions with clear skies and a cool wind. After putting the boat in at the surprisingly quiet ramp (save for a friendly and playful otter frolicking in the water), we headed South along the L67A until the Miami Canal. The water was almost a foot higher than last week, which submerged the tops of some of the boulders.
We dropped the trolling motor and started a slow drift north, casting frogs and flukes along the banks, mangrove trees, and pad lines. Failing to get a hit, we switched to crankbaits and Texas rigged worms. Again nothing. After drifting almost half a mile, and seeing no baitfish, we packed up and headed North on the L68A to the Sawgrass Expressway canals.
I had seen several boats head that way so we didn't bother fishing the first part of the canal. Instead I headed to the first U-Cut on the south side, dropped the trolling motor, and began to cast into the shallow bend. The current there was flowing hard and fast, creating eddies and pockets. I ran a shallow KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait along the pockets of calm water and picked up a few couple bass. Pulling along the other side, we got more hits as the baitfish had been piled up against the bank.
A couple of boats we passed on my run out there caught up with us and started fishing the area. We moved down the canal, difting West, again with no bite. Going under the bridge to the North side, I picked up a 4 pound mudfish who was angry at my worm. Thank God for Boga grips.
We came out of the bridge, and drifted East, on the North side of the Sawgrass canal, pitching worms into the bank, and letting them fall off the drop off. The bass seemed to be pretty deep today, and were near the 6 to 8 foot deep area. We picked up a few until we hit the dead end of the canal. Once there, I switched back to the KVD 1.5 Squarebill and the water exploded.
In 30 minutes we bagged 11 Bass between 2 and 3 pounds. They were holding on a piece of...something....in the middle of the canal. It was awesome, and since the water was clear, seeing them come up and swallow the bait was almost as good as watching them explode on the top.
As the sun really started to heat up the area, the current pushing the baitfish slowed and so did the fishing. We decided to finish up at Four Corners since it's close to Holiday, and we always land a few out there. On the way back, I ran the boat over one of the most unusual things I've seen the glades; a rogue wave.
No boats, no gators, just a circular series of 1 foot waves right around the L68A and Sawgrass Expressway intersection. It came out like a perfect circular ripple from the middle of the canal.
Four corners was busy with tourists in rentals, and airboats. We stayed long enough to pick up a couple small bass on worms, but nothing spectacular.
Overall, a tough day. If we hadn't found that pattern, we probably would have been skunked. I have to say that the more I fish the Glades, the less I like the topwater frog bite. It's got a short time period and is inconsistent. Still, it's a blast watching them explode on it.
We dropped the trolling motor and started a slow drift north, casting frogs and flukes along the banks, mangrove trees, and pad lines. Failing to get a hit, we switched to crankbaits and Texas rigged worms. Again nothing. After drifting almost half a mile, and seeing no baitfish, we packed up and headed North on the L68A to the Sawgrass Expressway canals.
I had seen several boats head that way so we didn't bother fishing the first part of the canal. Instead I headed to the first U-Cut on the south side, dropped the trolling motor, and began to cast into the shallow bend. The current there was flowing hard and fast, creating eddies and pockets. I ran a shallow KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait along the pockets of calm water and picked up a few couple bass. Pulling along the other side, we got more hits as the baitfish had been piled up against the bank.
A couple of boats we passed on my run out there caught up with us and started fishing the area. We moved down the canal, difting West, again with no bite. Going under the bridge to the North side, I picked up a 4 pound mudfish who was angry at my worm. Thank God for Boga grips.
We came out of the bridge, and drifted East, on the North side of the Sawgrass canal, pitching worms into the bank, and letting them fall off the drop off. The bass seemed to be pretty deep today, and were near the 6 to 8 foot deep area. We picked up a few until we hit the dead end of the canal. Once there, I switched back to the KVD 1.5 Squarebill and the water exploded.
In 30 minutes we bagged 11 Bass between 2 and 3 pounds. They were holding on a piece of...something....in the middle of the canal. It was awesome, and since the water was clear, seeing them come up and swallow the bait was almost as good as watching them explode on the top.
As the sun really started to heat up the area, the current pushing the baitfish slowed and so did the fishing. We decided to finish up at Four Corners since it's close to Holiday, and we always land a few out there. On the way back, I ran the boat over one of the most unusual things I've seen the glades; a rogue wave.
No boats, no gators, just a circular series of 1 foot waves right around the L68A and Sawgrass Expressway intersection. It came out like a perfect circular ripple from the middle of the canal.
Four corners was busy with tourists in rentals, and airboats. We stayed long enough to pick up a couple small bass on worms, but nothing spectacular.
Overall, a tough day. If we hadn't found that pattern, we probably would have been skunked. I have to say that the more I fish the Glades, the less I like the topwater frog bite. It's got a short time period and is inconsistent. Still, it's a blast watching them explode on it.