With very bad, back-to-back hurricane seasons behind us I am actually very happy to see things get “cold” this year. I never really thought I would ever day that (I think anything below 70 degrees is unfit for human habitation!). But this year, the arrival of the winter chill in the water will “restart” our fishing clocks.

I guess “cold” is a relative term. Our “cold” here still is warmer than most anywhere else in North America including most all of Florida. It is this mild weather that makes Everglades National Park such a wonderful winter fishery.

The Park, at least on the Western side near Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island is back up and running after Hurricane Wilma with most of the remote campsites back in action. Flamingo is another story, however and we not sure how long they will be down.

January and February are the times of the “Winter Mix”. The grass flats are abundant with speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jacks and an occasional cobia. Snook, redfish, black drum, goliath grouper, snapper and the smaller tarpon haunt the mangrove islands of the Park. While most fish are smaller than in the warmer months, their numbers are a blast for the whole family.

The cooler water forces most of the larger snook and tarpon offshore by the end of December, but the inshore areas are full of fish. January and February can produce some 30-40 fish days for the snook fisherman fishing the backcountry.. The first day or two after a frontal passage can mean a tough bite, but as soon as things warm up again…be there!

The large numbers of fish on the flats combined with the large numbers in the backcountry make kayak fishing wonderful this time of year. Even with the winter winds, finding sheltered water holding fish is usually pretty easy.

As the water cools, the plankton and algae life dwindle and the water clarity dramatically improves. As such, January is the unofficial beginning of our sight fishing season for the light tackle and fly enthusiast. In the cooler times, the fish will “lay up” in the shallow sun washed, water. These shallows warm up first with the rising sun, so the fish are also there warming up. Sight fishing these laid up fish is something every fisherman should experience. It takes a bit more patience, skill and finesse, but the rewards are great.

If we are lucky and if the winter is mild, the big triple-digit sized tarpon show back up at the very end of Feb. This is when the tarpon move in from the deeper passes and into the quiet, shallow bays and “lay up” . The past two Februarys we have found these great fish getting an early jump on the March tarpon season.

The whole scene is a bit surreal. From a poling skiff, you can see the big log-sized fish lying motionlessly under the mangrove cover. Deadly quiet, in dead still waters with a 130 lb dinosaur “sleeping” in 35 feet in front of you. You will not hear me giving guidance nor the squeal of the nearby osprey. You will hear nothing but pounding of your own heart!

A well placed fly or small artificial, an interested fish and this quiet serene world explodes when the giant shiner busts the water!!! I live for this.