[RWBlue]

Anyone canoe/fish in the everglades?

Thanks

[noway]

All the time from broward/pbch line down to tamiami trails. If you get out of the main channels ( new river or miami ) for the canals you can find some small trails that get you into water 1-2ft deep. No big bass boats to fly by you. You still have to be alert for airboats and such. Right now the water is still trashy and shallow in most parts.


for fishing: Bass has been really bad and peacocks have been down also.most other sunfishes are active tho.

:(

Another area that i would suggest to look at for canoing is the fish eating creek waterway and camp ground. It's located back at Palmdale off US27 and the creek runs all the way back to lake O at a junction south of Lakeport & harvey pond canal. I wouldn't really call this the glades but I think it's nicer for canoe and the same things for the North entrance of the Kissimmee river in certain spots.

The small ways provide more " uninterrupted" paddling and the big HP boats aren't in the way or making a big capsizing wake, like what you find in the central areas of the glades in Broward-to-Miami areas.

just my 2 cts.

[packinaglock]

Good info Noway

[noway]

one more area that I have to reccommend. The istopoka (sp?) canal right off hwy 98 in Highland county has a makeshift launch. The waters in this area is just right for fishing. Slow moving about 35-50yards wide and maybe 20-30ft deep at it's deepest. the canal way is about 35miles norths of HWY70 + okeechoobee city.

Fishing for specs, longear and few other species of bluegills are excellent. This can be canoe with ease and you might have one or maybe 2 bass boats on troll going by no personal watercrafts or other distractions.

I have a smaller trolling motor that I attach to my johnboat and when I don't paddle or coast I use it to navigate this waters with ease. Or to get back to the launch before darkness falls. You can go west and east of HWY98 and have quite few nice areas to cast into and/or use a long fly or jig pole you can drop a small fly or bug and snatch up crappies,bluegills and bass.

Only bad thing I have to say about the fishing in these areas, my last 2 trips out, I found Mayan Cichlids in the waters ways of the kissimmee ( c38 canal ) and Istokpoga Canal. This will lead to agressive eating of the native fishes and their food supplies. So if you catch a flatter wide fish with stripes & a dot on the cadual fin, don't throw it back in the waters alive.


imho canoe in the Kissimmee river is the ideal spot. I known it's not the south-glades ecosystem but it ( kissimmee river ) provides the best in fishing and canoe for central florida. Once the state fix the failed C38 canal and restores the waterway, the river would be topnotch.

If your interested in this area, please contact the SFWMD ( south fla water management district ) and get the outdoor recreation guide. They offer it free and it has very good details on these places that I just mention ( that's how I found out about them ). Ask for Suzane Trimball and she will take care of you.

I've been fishing,boating and hunting the Kissimmee river area now for going on year number 7 and it's just getting better and better

the only other great water ways for canoe would be the far west portcharlotte area and the holes and snooks off the caloosahatchee river. I'm still exploring this waterway but it also holds some great fishing and is easy to navigate if you get out of the wider water ways and the faster moving waters. A good sections to look at, are the RV/camps between LaBelle and Moore Haven.

[RWBlue]

I am under the impression that Cichlids are good eating. Is this true?

[Arc Angel]

You guys got 'a be kidding me! Once, years ago, I spent a day canoeing in the everglades outside of Melbourne; and, let me tell you, some of those enormous Florida gators scared the living Hell out of me!

I saw any number of them that were actually larger than the canoe we were in. The idiot sternman in the back pulled across the mouth of one small cove where two large gators were resting on the bank. He stopped and remarked to me; 'So what do you think of our water lizards!' Just as I started to tell him I wouldn't be blocking the only exit they had to open water, those two, 'water lizards' suddenly came plunging off the bank; and, before I could so much as blink, both of them shot right underneath the canoe and very nearly capsized us with their tails and that awesome wake.

The whole thing took place in less time than it takes to type a single line about the event. That was it for me! We paddled back out; and, I never again returned to one of the wildest spots I've ever been in my entire life! Everywhere I looked in the everglades there was something alive and crawling over, under, or around something else. Those enormous 4 or 5 hundred pound gators truly earned my awe and respect; like the native Floridians say: All teeth, muscle, and appetite!

I, absolutely, want no part of them - especially in a small canoe! This said, my nephew is an avid bass fisherman; and, he's on these rivers all the time, but, in a high powered bass boat and without his, 'chicken Yankee uncle'.

[sx-al]

Originally Posted by Arc Angel

You guys got 'a be kidding me! ... Florida gators scared the living Hell out of me! ...... Those enormous 4 or 5 hundred pound gators truly earned my awe and respect; like the native Floridians say: All teeth, muscle, and appetite! ...

That is exactly why I go out there with my kid. Those things are amazing. It's also good quiet time away from the concrete jungle of Miami.

Al

[noway]

{I am under the impression that Cichlids are good eating. Is this true?}

Yes it a firm flesh body fish, but not too fishy and consider a freshwater perch. It's biggest problem are that of the uncontroll spawning and that the fish is aggressive eaters. If you want your baby bass and sunfish to go away, throw some Mayan in.

The fish are mainly used like the tilapia for aquatic controls but unlike the tilapia, the mayan are predators of baby fishes.



{You guys got 'a be kidding me! Once, years ago, I spent a day canoeing in the everglades outside of Melbourne; and, let me tell you, some of those enormous Florida gators scared the living Hell out of me!
}

Will I'm totally the opposite. They are great to look at and even better to hunt In all of my years on water and on land in FLA, I never had any dangerous ecounter with a water lizards called a gator ( note: the reptile and not the sorry football team ).

The gators will leave you alone, the scenario that you describe was probably due to you suprising the gator ( they didn't see you coming or heard you coming ) and then you say your canoe was park in front of the cove , so you left no other way out but right under you.

In all fairness, a gator ( reptile and not team, but this is still not proven ) will not want to harm you or get involved with you. He has a 90% of being killed or loosing his team with interaction with humans


He might be top predator in his domain, but we are still ultimate predator

[Arc Angel]

Yeah. Now, tell me you own a nice pair of chest waders and like to fly fish the everglades!

True story: I once sold two Pitbull puppies to a wealthy man who lived in Melbourne, Florida. He loved the dogs, and kept inviting me down to visit. My family had a couple of summer places on the west coast that I had never visited; so, I decided to do two things at once and finally visit Florida. I planned on starting on the east coast, drive across, 'Alligator Alley' and finish the trip in Fort Myers.

The day I arrived in Melbourne, I was standing in the driveway talking to my host when one of his neighbors stopped by. He was wearing camo clothing and told us that, in anticipation of next week's opener, he was going to scout for turkeys before the season began. He seemed to be a really nice guy. Before he left he promised to return so we could, all, sit down together and discuss: Pitbulls, guns, and hunting.

That was the last time this fellow was ever seen! Florida troopers and wildlife officers followed his tracks along something called a, 'coolie' until they suddenly disappeared within a few feet of the water's edge! Two days later I was taken on that famous canoe tour that has left me with an abiding fear of those damned water lizards!

Oh, yeah, when I got over to the west coast my mother-in-law told me about how she wouldn't let her cats outside because the neighbors were always losing their dogs and cats. Again, nobody seemed to know, for certain, exactly what had happened to them.

(But I was positive that I knew!) :wink:

[noway]

{Yeah. Now, tell me you own a nice pair of chest waders and like to fly fish the everglades! }

yeap never fly'd fish the glades in them but I've duck hunt in them and in the glades also did the big lake O on more than 5 ocassion. Only close-encounter I had was when a bluegill try to nest around me. I think your over exaggerating on the gators and sound like a true outer-stater.

If it was really as bad or half as bad as you put it, noway would long ago have been gator **** by now

To ease your fear, let me educate you; hundreds or people make into the waters ways of South Glades eco-system and manage to get out alive. They do it everyday , every week, every month , and every year .


{Again, nobody seemed to know, for certain, exactly what had happened to them.

(But I was positive that I knew!) :wink:
}

yeap they where ran over by car, picked up by a santero or voodoo preist or just dam got picked up by an animal lover :wink:


I understand your doubt /hesistation or fear of the gators,. Just like some people have problems with spiders, snakes, etc.... some have problems with big lizards that like to bask in the sun and lay next to the water edge.

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by noway

{I am under the impression that Cichlids are good eating. Is this true?}

Yes it a firm flesh body fish, but not too fishy and consider a freshwater perch. It's biggest problem are that of the uncontroll spawning and that the fish is aggressive eaters. If you want your baby bass and sunfish to go away, throw some Mayan in.

The fish are mainly used like the tilapia for aquatic controls but unlike the tilapia, the mayan are predators of baby fishes.

Actually, I was thinking as a bad fisherman, any decent eating fish that doesn't have a size restriction, may be something I should target.

I will leave the bass to people who like to catch fish and toss them back. :-)

[noway]

Mayan no size or quanity limits. You can fish as many as you want.

[Arc Angel]

Noway,

You might have a point! Come to think of it, my mother-in-law spent her winters in Florida for many years, went out of the house all the time, and never disappeared! :wink icon:





(But there was that fellow who went turkey hunting. The last thing I heard him say was; 'See ya later!' Almost like the song, huh!)

[Kingslayer]

If you ever want to saltwater fish from your canoe give me a holler. I'm in Port Charlotte and I spend a ton of time on my kayak fishing.

[CTW]

When I lived in south broward we used to put our canoe in just west of markham park at an area called the bombing range. It was called that because back in the fortys they used to use it for a naval bombing range. Well let me tell you those deep pockets out there are full of hungry largemouth. We would just paddle to the holes and usually they would be free of vegetation where the shallower areas had lots of vegetation and flip worms in them. Another couple of interesting saltwater trips we went to everglades natl park and put in at the canoe trail for mud lake. We also brought a small outboard for the canoe because we had to cross coot bay which is rather large those who have fished flamingo know what I am talking about. When we got back in mud lake it was awesome, we caught 7 snook, 2 juvenile tarpon, and 3 largemouths. I would say try it in the winter because the mosquitos will carry you away. The canoe trails were pretty challenging also with some spots where you had to lay down in the canoe and pull yourself under the mangroves and some spots where you had to lift the canoe over the mangrove roots. Living in central, fl now that is the biggest thing I miss about leaving south, fl. Fisheating creek is awesome also. I grew up hunting the management area there with my dad those were awesome times.

[noway]

Since saltwater came up, I have to mention some of the nooks and nannys off of rt29 south of Imokalee going towards 10K islands chokolosee (sp ?).

You can easily launch a canoe and have some serious fun. I caught my 1st tarpon ( didn't keep tho ) and it was caught on berkely topwater plug. It literally scared the crap out of me when it hit.


if you want todo 10K isalnds by a canoe, I would reccommend the canoe outfitter right their south of tamiami & rt29 and near the fish market in town. I think they are going by the name of everglades outfitters or something like that. I used them once and was highly impress and their guides where right on the spot.

[CTW]

I used to go over there with a friend and park on the side of the road and just walk the canals and cast. You never knew what you were going to catch. I remember catching a largemouth on one cast and five minutes later a jack crevalle on a zara spook.

[Kingslayer]

Me and my buddy just caught our first tarpons from kayak.

In fact, if you watch Tarpon Bay Tales on the Sun channel with Alex Suescun, we'll be on one of his shows. They filmed us catching my buddies tarpon from kayak at night. I drove the camera boat while Alex fished with a buddy of mine later in the week and he said that if we were crazy enough to be out there he'll put it in the show.