In its hay day, Flamingo boasted a full service marina, hotel, fine-dining restaurant, primitive and RV camp grounds, and fully equipped, air-conditioned cabins. Reservations were needed months in advance if you planned to stay overnight. In the early 1900’s there was no electricity, no running water, and few buildings.
Hardy souls came to Flamingo in search of fortune. The swamp was being drained, and the resulting dry land would be ripe for the taking. But the swamp obviously was never drained – never could be drained - and the insects, mosquitos and sand flies, drove even the hardiest pilgrims back to civilization.
Since the 1960’s a number of hurricanes ravaged the area, and each time it was built back. Until, in 2004, a series of three or four hurricanes, one after another, destroyed most of the buildings beyond repair. Estimates exceeding 20 million dollars to restore the visitors center and buildings at Flamingo exceeded the National Park Service budget, and since that time, only minor restoration has taken place.
The boat ramps are in good shape and the small marina is working, selling sparse amounts tackle and fuel. There is no hotel or restaurant, and the camping is primitive.
But even with all of these problems, Flamingo continues to be a prime time fishing destination. Guides who used to dock and work out of the marina at Flamingo now operate off of their web page and meet their party in Homestead, Florida City, or at the launch ramp. Fast, fuel efficient boats have now put the upper reaches of Florida Bay in easy reach of hotels and marinas on the Florida Keys. The fishing is as good as or better than it has ever been. Conservation efforts and strict limits have worked in the park.
I remember the fish surveys being taken at the ramp in the 1960’s. Park rangers wanted to know what you caught, how many you caught, and where you caught them. My father would never reveal his fishing holes, and gave them bogus information every time he was asked. Later in the surveys, they would board your boat, even on the trailer, and go through your coolers to count the fish.
Then suddenly, fish limits were placed on the fish we caught inside the national Park. They were far stricter than the state limits, and people complained vigorously. But the limits were enforced. Divers, including me, who found Florida Bay to be a honey hole for spiny lobster. We called them Florida crawfish, and during the season, we could bring several limits of 24 lobsters in on a good day. But, that fishery has been closed as well, and Florida Bay is now a protected nursery area for these great eating bugs!
The redfish dilemma in the southeast affected Flamingo as well. From times in the 1960’s when people literally brought ice chests of reds back to the dock and simply left them there to a total season closure. Flamingo has seen it all.
Redfish today are arguably the number one fish being sought by anglers fishing out of Flamingo. An entire industry has been built around redfish tournaments, and professional redfish anglers can make a nice 6 figure income on the redfish circuit.
Snook, seatrout, and gray (mangrove) snapper make up the bulk of remaining catches out of Flamingo, with strict limits on each species. To rank them in order of preference would be hard. Snook are always close to the top, but recent cold water fish kills have placed them on a no-keep list, and anglers are generally happy to catch most any fish – regardless of species.
Fishing at Flamingo can be awesome. But if you plan to fish more than one day, you will be traveling back and forth from Florida City or Homestead each morning and afternoon. And – the problem with that, if you are dragging your own rig, is the rampant amount of theft and vandalism present in almost every motel parking facility in that area. Trailer tires, engine props, electronics, tackle – if it can be taken off a boat, you might want to consider securing it! My recommendation would be to make the drive a few miles north and stay in a name-brand motel away from the area.
Oh – what do I do? Well, after losing tackle from a locked compartment on one trip and an expensive prop on another, I stay arrange to stay at the home of a friend in Miami!
