The fishing wasn't bad, but it wasn't really great that day. We had boated about ten trout in the sixteen to twenty inch range in six hours of fishing. It wasn't that bad, but on other days, we would have had this many fish in an hour. The two other boats faired about as well as we did.
When the bite quit at low tide, we cranked and ran back to the dock. It would be nice to get home a little early, we would always say to ourselves - sort of a sour grapes option when the fish quit biting.
As we pulled up to the dock, we met another angler in a much smaller boat. Conversation ensued and it turned out that this man had caught not only three times the trout we had caught, but also had several reds and a snook that he had caught and released. So where was this secret hole he was in that held all these fish, we wondered.
It turns out the man had idled out to the grass flats and the back channel to Joe Kemp Key, not more than a mile from the dock. Most anglers fly past or across this flat headed for parts unknown, seldom stopping to fish - "Just too close to the dock," we used to say.
The next trip to Flamingo found me fishing Joe Kemp Channel, and doing very well, I might add. I learned something from that old man in the little boat that has helped me catch fish when others could not. Staying close to home can quite often put you on fish that others overlook.
Curiously enough as we fished Joe Kemp Channel and the surrounding flat, we ran across two guides with their fishing parties. You guessed it, they had traveled all the way across Florida Bay from Islamorada to get to this spot! Makes you wonder doesn't it? Maybe it just doesn't feel like fishing if you don't run a long way before you fish!
I thought maybe the next time I go I might go down the keys and put in at Islamorada. While everyone else makes the long run to Flamingo, I think I'll just hang out close to the dock and see how the fishing is!
How about you? Do you make that long run to fish an area that's close to another boat ramp? Ever had better luck staying close to home? Tell us about it on our Reader Submission Page, or on our Saltwater Fishing Forum!
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