This is usually the time of year to drive south to The Everglades to fly fish for south Florida exotics – oscar, Mayan cichlid and peacock bass. However, as we learned a couple of weeks ago, the water level is still way too high.
Typically, the water level in The Everglades drops significantly this time of year. And when it does, the fish are concentrated and quite easy to find.
We usually target the waters along Alligator Alley, that part of Interstate 75 that connects Naples on the west coast with Fort Lauderdale on the east coast.
For this type of fishing, we typically use 3- and 4-weight fly rods, floating lines and 7 1/2-foot tapered leaders.
We’ll begin the day casting No. 10 popping bugs, but switch to Myakka Minnows as soon as the topwater bite slows.
On most trips, we’ll catch 100-150 fish each, with a majority of them being feisty oscar.
The oscar and Mayan cichlid are tropical fish that made their way into the south Florida waterways back in the early 1950s when someone dumped an aquarium in a backyard pond or canal. The rest is history.
The state doesn’t like that the exotics are in the waterways, but it’s a great problem for fly anglers.
If you’ve never experienced an oscar, you need to. They just might be the strongest fish for their size. When they take the fly, you’re first thought is “I won’t be able to land this fish!”
In addition to oscar and Mayan cichlid, we also catch largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker, speckled perch, warmouth perch, gar and an occasional peacock bass.
Oh, any, yes, there are alligators. Gators in the wild, however, like to keep their distance.
