Lowered water levels mean bass are biting
Spring is when Everglades canals typically offer the best bass fishing in the country, but until recently that was not the case because of sky-highwater levels.
That changed when the levels in Water Conservation Area 2A, which is better known as Sawgrass Recreation Park, were significantly lowered by the South Florida Water Management District.
The result has been great bass fishing in the east and north canals at Sawgrass.
Ron Smith of Pembroke Pines and his wife, Lisa, caught several dozen bass both times they fished at Sawgrass lastweek.
This past weekend, Smith and his son Jordan fished in the north canal, which runs along the east side of U.S. Highway 27, and in four hours they caught and released 67 bass up to 6 pounds.
Smith added that friends who fished at Sawgrass over the weekend reported catching 197 bass up to 4 pounds in eight hours.
When water levels in the Everglades are low like they are at Sawgrass, fish are forced to move from the marshy interior of the ’Glades into the canals, where they will bite just about anything you throw in the water, including plastic worms, topwater plugs and jerkbaits.
Smith said lots of the bass in those canals are 1 pound or less — he caught two of the little ones at the same time on one lure — but there are enough big fish to delight even serious bass tournament anglers.
The bass fishing is still tough in the canals west of U.S. 27, which includes Alligator Alley and Everglades Holiday Park, where water levels are still high and bass are widely dispersed.
Fish of theweek
Capt. Alan Zaremba of Hollywood reported that his customers were still catching big peacock bass along deeper ledges in urban canals using his AZ Jungle Jigs and Clouser minnow flies.
Howard Kalka of Long Island, N.Y., caught a total of 62 peacocks, 14 of them weighing 4-6 pounds, in two days of fly fishing in the C-9 Canal in Miami Gardens and the C-100 in Kendall.
Phillip Hughes of Greenville, S.C., caught 22 peacocks up to 5.5 pounds in the C-100. Dick Wientzen of Lowell, Mass., and his son-in-law Derik Winston of New York caught 16 peacocks up to 5.25 pounds in a half-day trip in the C-9.
Robyn and Ron Holland and their son Ryan and a friend caught 12 peacocks up to
pounds and two largemouth bass on a
morning trip in the Lake Ida system.
Bass tournaments
The fourth qualifier tournament of the King of the Glades Open Team Series is Sunday out of Everglades Holiday Park. Entry fee is $75 per team. Contact Mike Lendl at 954-393-5596 or kotg2030@gmail.com or visit kotgseries.com.
The Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida club has its 45th annual Open Team Tournament April 24 on Lake Okeechobee out of Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina in Clewiston. Entry fee is $80 per boat and includes the big bass pot. Contact Tony Crowder at tcrowder42@yahoo.com or 954-254-9072.
South Florida Anglers For Everglades Restoration has the15th annua lSAFER Bass Tournament April 30 out of Everglades Holiday Park. Registration begins at 4 a.m. and weigh-in is at 2 p.m. Contact Al Ovies at alovies@comcast.net.