By Capt. Roan zumFelde
September is here and hopefully fall is just around the corner, fishing in the freshwater this month is difficult at best.
The Everglades Canals are high, fishing in most of them is not great. I would still suggest the Interceptor early in the morning with small micro crankbaits or 4 inch worms. Wooley Bugger Fly patterns also work well this time of the year, especially on the cichlids in the canal. The Golden Gate system is still going to be pretty good early in the mornings. Take a venture to the Miami canals for exciting peacock bass action, check myfwc.com they have a map of canals. Lake Trafford can be very tough this month, high water and lots of heat have really made things difficult, next month should be better with hopefully a bit of a cool down.
Just about every golf course or housing community in Naples that has lakes associated are full of fish, not only are they full of bass and cichlids, but many of them have snook and tarpon in them to boot! When targeting this treasure trove of fish you always want to use a trace of shock leader of at least 20 pound test if not larger, like 30 or 40 pound. If you are fishing a golf course pond, be sure to have permission and please be mindful of the golfers so you do not interfere with their play. Usually late evening is your best time, most are in the clubhouse and the course is wide open for fishing. I like to throw top water type baits or small Rapalas in these lakes to start, these make great search baits and the strikes can be vicious. Live shiners under a cork work well, and surprisingly enough, we have some customers that fish live shrimp in the ponds with great success. When fishing live shrimp, you will need an aerator and bucket of saltwater to keep them alive, they will not stay alive in the freshwater for very long. Check back each month, we will highlight a different area to fish by land or by small boat that you may never have thought of. If you have any questions about where, when, or how to fish these waters, I would be happy to see and talk to you at the shop.
Come visit Mike and I at Mike’s Bait house and Indian Pass Outfitters on Danford Street, next to Bayview Park in Naples and we can talk Fishing. We carry a full line of tackle including: fly fishing needs and both saltwater and freshwater gear, food, drink, and bait. Thanks and good fishing. Roan z