Self-Propelled Everglades Adventures Glide through the 'Glades to unspoiled fishing... by Capt Adam Redford

The young man gazed longingly at the tall dorsal fin. The lemon shark's pale tail followed in typical serpentine motion some five feet behind the fin. Although there was barely enough to submerge, the murky brown water obscured any view of its body.

Nevertheless the span from fin to tail indicated this was a big shark and the shallow water accentuated its size.

Silence, solitude and spectacular scenery reward anglers who paddle deep into Everglades No Motor Zones. Redfish present sight-fishing opportunities in these shallow waters..

I had been watching this young angler all day. He had had an exciting, but somewhat frustrating day. His dad started out by sight fishing for redfish that were pursuing small crabs in ultra-shallow water, and after a few attempts, got a big red on a skimmer jig. After I released the fish, he handed the eight-pound spin outfit to his son. The boy had a couple of shots at snook, but they are always really spooky when their backs are out of water. Then a big red was spotted wallowing around in a sheltered, back bay. I poled him up close for a perfect casting opportunity, but he came down with a major case of buck fever. The cast flew wide and as he reeled in, the fish turned towards the boat. Before he could get a second cast, the red bolted. He had a couple more chances, but these fish were hard to see or moving fast. I sensed the frustration building and suggested we try something else.

Next we paddled over to some "deeper" water - four or five feet - and worked some productive snags and passes, blind casting with jigs on spin rods and Clouser minnow flies on a nine - weight fly rod. It went the same way here. The father got a big snook on fly, and then, one that was even larger on spin. The son had a big one on, lost it and only managed to land a couple of unsatisfying, small snook. I could see him quietly shaking his head while we admired his dad's last trophy.

It was now late afternoon and I had been poling back through one of many shallow salt water lakes when we spotted this shark. I keep one short, stout spin outfit in the canoe on many charters in case people want a change of pace from the finesse of fishing for snook, reds and tarpon. There are jewfish here up to 100 pounds and the sharks, of course. I tied on a wire leader and hooked on an old, dead mullet that I keep re-freezing for this purpose.

This fifteen-year-old was at that stage when he felt the need to compete with his dad, and when he saw the opportunity to catch a fish that would dwarf any of his dad's previous accomplishments, his eyes lit up. I passed him the rod and advised him to cast the bait way in front of the shark. He did a good job of that and, although it took a while, the shark caught the scent and picked up the bait without even slowing down.

Mangrove dwelling snook (left) and tarpon (right) may not reach world-record proportions, but fish of this size put on exciting battles in tight quarters.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast a large fish can tow a canoe with seven pounds of drag on a 20 pound outfit. This lemon was no exception. The cooling breeze actually relieved some of the heat as he dragged us across the flat, his tail opening great holes in the water up ahead. After 20 minutes of this, we had him near the boat. I wished it had been longer. The young man had to stand up to fight the fish while it was in close. It made powerful rushes back and forth and the angler came close to losing his balance and joining the shark on its own turf. I kept pushing the canoe away from the fish with the push pole. Then the shark dashed straight at the canoe. If he crossed underneath and pulled from the other side he could capsize us, so I jammed the end of the pole down hard on the shark's head and he veered off, thankfully. Soon the shallow water and heavy tackle took its toll and the shark was alongside. After a couple of photos, I gingerly cut the leader within an inch or two of the bronze hook and the seven footer swam off to recuperate. The father graciously heaped praise on the beaming son, but I could sense relief - for more than one reason - in his voice.

Snook, tarpon, redfish, spotted seatrout, black drum and baby tarpon are the sportfishing mainstay of the No Motor Zones (NMZ's) of Everglades National Park. Big jack crevalle are seasonal visitors in some of the areas. If more rough-and -tumble play is to your taste, mix it up with the big sharks, sawfish and jewfish that reside here. The size of these species is typically smaller back here than in the open areas of the Park, but what is lacking in size is compensated by quantity. Fishing pressure here is light to non-existent. Some of the really remote areas are practically untouched and offer fishing comparable to when Ponce De Leon visited this region.

Of course, there are reasons why these areas remain so pristine in this age of increasing angling pressure. The National Park Service has chosen to preserve these areas, which represent a small part of the Everglades National Park's total area, as a wilderness area open to primitive travel only. The experience of fishing these waters can be compared to hiking in to fish a remote mountain lake in a large national park like Yosemite or Yellowstone. First of all, substantial physical exertion is required since motors of any kind gas, electric or other are strictly prohibited. You must propel the craft by hand.

Ferrying a canoe atop a skiff allows anglers to reach less-accessible NMZs before switching to primitive-travel mode.

Five different types of blood-sucking insects fill a dual role: as watchdogs keeping the undetermined angler at bay; and as one the main organisms at the foundation of the food chain . A standard repellent with 20 to 30% DEET will deter mosquitoes. Skin So Soft, Skintastic and other similar products do well against sandflies (a.k.a "no-see-ums" ). 

The horse flies and deer flies ignore repellents and are best kept away by covering up with long sleeves and pants, or some of the insect-proof mesh clothing sold in many sporting goods stores. I do not recommend using extremely strong repellents that are above 30% active ingredients as they will melt monofilament and nylon items. Bugs are somewhat seasonal , with the months of April through October being the worst.

Heat is a problem in summer months. Pack at least one gallon of liquid per person. Learn from the Arabs - it's better to cover up in the sun. Dress in long sleeves and trousers with a wide brim hat or other means of protecting the neck. A good sunscreen completes the package. As a special treat, beat the mid-afternoon broil with a towel soaked in the melted ice water from the cooler draped across the head.

The fishing is divided into two basic categories sight fishing and blind casting. When the water temperatures are within the range of about 65 to 85 degrees, sight fishing is possible. Redfish are the first to appear on the shallow flats in February and March. The larger ones like the shallow water while the small "rat" reds prefer the deep. These fish do not tail like the ones found on the grass flats in nearby Florida Bay during warmer months. The bottom is mud and the water often murky. Sometimes you can see fish cruising in the clearer shallows of calm, back bays. More often they are located by seeing one roll over while pursuing small crabs or fish and then watching the wakes that emanate from that location. The final spot prior to the cast involves looking for a tip of a fin or part of a back coming out of the water. Gold spoons, skimmer jigs, top water plugs and flies that run shallow or on top are all good choices. Reds on the flats in here average 24 inches with some specimens in the mid-thirties.

Snook in the super-skinny water are a tremendous challenge. Every bit as spooky as bonefish, they are doubly hard to get since they do not show up well. They lie completely still in the shallows sunning or waiting to ambush baitfish. The angler must cast a long ways, have a perfect presentation and not rock the canoe to avoid flushing the snook. This makes flyfishing in this situation a rigorous challenge. Having said all this, they do eat the same types of lures and flies that the redfish do and, if you get one, you will be rewarded with spectacular takes and long, sizzling runs interspersed with some aerial acrobatics . We have taken snook to 14 pounds in here and larger ones would be rare.

Tarpon can be sight - fished in some of the clearer, shallow waters. When possible, this is the stuff of the dreams of the big tarpon fly fishermen in the nearby Florida Keys. This is how it ought to be - or used to be - on a much smaller scale. These are hungry baby tarpon 5 to 15 pounds laid-up along shorelines that will eat almost any small streamer or Seaducer thrown at them. Flies are generally more effective than lures in this situation, yet

DOA Terror Eyz and small, soft - plastic jerk baits will work. With light fly rods or spin, these fish are great sport.

Black drum spawn in the spring around here and three to eight-pounders are found in some of the same water as their cousins the redfish. In certain spots larger drum - up to 25 pounds - show up briefly. To sight fish them, use a skimmer jig retrieved very slowly bumping the bottom in front of the fish. A shrimp tip makes it doubly effective. A Clouser in brownish hues will do the job if the fly rod is the weapon of choice. Expect to see some classic slow - motion takes as the drum chases down and slurps up what seems to be a small crab. There won't be any screaming runs, but these fish stubbornly resist being brought to the boat.

One unusual situation that occurs every spring in certain No Motors Zones is the appearance of roving packs of large jack crevalle. These magnificent fighters can be sight fished, like their cousins the permit, in water so shallow their tails are out of water. We took a 28 pounder on eight pound spin a couple of years ago.

Blind casting is the other main method of fishing these areas. This technique will account for a variety of species. Reds, snook, seatrout, drum, jacks, ladyfish and tarpon all can be caught by casting flies or artificial lures into a variety of different deeper water spots. Channels, old canals, cuts, deep holes and deeper water snags all hold fish. Working mangrove shorelines with lures - a technique similar to bass fishing -is a classic method of catching snook. It works in some of these areas, but not all. Many of the shorelines are too shallow.

Most saltwater- type jigs do well. Top water plugs seem to work primarily with reds in about 18" to 24" of water. Elsewhere, they are not generally productive. Rattletraps and floater/divers, like some Yozuri and Rapala lures, seem to be the best. Slow the lure speed way down for reds and drum, while a medium speed is best for trout, snook and tarpon.

Fly fisherman will want to choose Clousers again or a variety of simple Deceivers for most of the deeper water work. Clousers with bead chain eyes create a slight sonic disturbance that attracts fish in murky water. One of these patterns that works well back here is called the Whistler. Although floating line will suffice for most fishing situations in the NMZ's, there are some creeks five to six feet deep with substantial currents where a flyline with a slow - sinking tip is appropriate.

The fishing pressure is light enough so that bait is rarely necessary. I bring frozen shrimp sometimes to tip jigs with and a frozen mullet, or two, if I want try for a shark or jewfish. Live bait would be highly effective but I don't use it for two reasons. The aerator pumps make too much noise and destroy the quiet solitude that makes the place so special. Second, using live bait - especially on snook - results in many fish getting hooked too deeply, and I like to release everything back here.

All of the No-Motor Zones have limited access to open water and tides have minimal influence. Amount of recent rain and the subsequent fresh water flow are more important factors. During the last days of the dry season - late April and May - some areas are inaccessible due to low water, even in a canoe. All of the No Motor Zones are accessed from the area around Flamingo in the Everglades National Park. Most of the NMZ's are designated as canoe trails. Parts are accessible from a road, while the more remote spots require a long paddle. Fishermen who want to fish the distant areas in a day trip often ferry a canoe in a motorboat to a remote location and paddle in from there. There are very few designated camp sites in the No Motors Zones and the Park Service does not allow camping outside of designated areas. Some the most remote spots require extreme exertion - such as a four hour, one-way paddle.

Flyfishermen should bring a selection of poppers, streamers and crab imitations to tempt redfish such as this one.

Canoes are the most popular method of travel in these waters. They have more space for equipment and you can stand up in the larger, more stable ones. Kayaks can make more speed with less effort but have limited space for gear and you must be seated. Rowboats and small johnboats offer more stability than all others, which makes them more suitable for sight fishing standing up, but will not cover as much distance as the narrower craft.

Rental canoes are available from the concessionaire - the Flamingo Lodge Marina (800-600-3813) for $40 per day.

One aspect of a fishing trip that often gets passed over in stories is the scenery and wildlife. The No Motor Zones are the remotest areas in the largest national park east of the Mississippi . It is a pristine watery wilderness filled with elegant wading birds - like the reddish egret, roseate spoonbill and great white heron; migratory waterfowl - such as the white pelican and black-necked stilt; and birds of prey - the bald eagle and osprey. There are more American crocodiles here than any place in the nation and alligators are abundant. Occasionally bobcats can be seen during daylight hours. Vast expanses of water literally boil with mullet and other baitfish fleeing as the canoe approaches. The unusual is common-place. Frequently mullet and, occasionally, small tarpon leap into the boat. The adventure and wilderness setting make it one of the best canoe trips in the country and the fishing is just icing on the cake.

Everglades National Park "No Motors Zones" Map

Article provided by Captain Adam Redford
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