Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

Hello,
My name is Robert and I'm new to saltwater fly fishing. I have a saltwater reel, rod, line,ect. All I need is some spots to catch bonefish from shore,flat or beach in Miami because I do not have a flats boat. Thanks for all your help. Have a good one.

Rob wrote:Hello,
My name is Robert and I'm new to saltwater fly fishing. I have a saltwater reel, rod, line,ect. All I need is some spots to catch bonefish from shore,flat or beach in Miami because I do not have a flats boat. Thanks for all your help. Have a good one.

welcome to the forum....you'll quickly learn no one is going to give up their spots...especially not a bonefish spot off land. Put in some work and do your due diligence and post reports...that will get guys more motivated to help.

Bonefish from land isn't an attainable goal for most. I have caught them in broward as a by catch usually winter

Matheson Hammock park or Hobie Beach would be my 2 suggestions. Go EARLY. If you go down to the Keys you have a lot more options. Sightfishing bonefish from land are not easy, to put it lightly. Prepare to put in a lot of time.

Used to be attainable from Matheson, but in the past 5 year's the S. Biscayne Bay fishery has really changed,

For some practice and you never know what will show up... with calm no wind days, check the tides you'll want to catch low, park at the loop past the marina, very securely lock you car with no visible valuable objects, wade out and start wading South.... till you fall off into the channel then either swim across and continue onward or work your way back.
Be alert there is a school of box-fish that like to act like Bones and fool you at low tide, but they are fun to stalk and cast at til you figure it out.
Some day they will show up there again.

Don't forget about the crocodiles at Matheson

PhishingPhanatic wrote:Don't forget about the crocodiles at Matheson

Just don't look back when wading...

Has anyone actually seen crocs around there? I have spent a lot of time around that marina, but have never seen one (doesn't mean they aren't around). They also had signs around chapman field (same general area), so I am sure they are around.

I saw a couple tails sticking out of the water on the flat by the south channel a couple weeks ago. I assume they were bonefish, but who knows.

I haven't fished there in YEARS, but when I used to back in the early 2000's, I saw them there several times. Usually right around the mouth of the creek, and near the loop where you park. A little unnerving when you're 100 yards from shore waiting, and you see the wake from a 8 foot croc directly between you and the shoreline.

Those things are no joke, had a close call years back in key largo. Id say wading around Matheson isn't a good idea lol.

They are around, and yes I see them regularly... but most keep their distance but if you happen to spook one sunning itself its an experience.

I spooked 3 crocs recently.

1 West of Chicken Key kayaking, off Chapman Field's flats kayaking and wading off Matheson.

I spotted 1 south of Deering, but I wasn't in the water.

Every time they bolted in the opposite direction.


Have fun.

TidetotheMoon wrote:I spooked 3 crocs recently.

1 West of Chicken Key kayaking, off Chapman Field's flats kayaking and wading off Matheson.

I spotted 1 south of Deering, but I wasn't in the water.

Every time they bolted in the opposite direction.


Have fun.

Yep, that's where they hang out, all the way South to Key Largo, and a few good ones at Flamingo. Seems to be more the last couple years, and they are getting more bold. There is one place in the bay that we call Crocodile Rock, used to be about a 6' corc that was always on that rock at low tide. The closer you get to Turkey point the more you see, or in upper Key Largo around Lake Surprise or Little Lake Surprise we been seeing them there since the '80's.

A couple year's ago there was one near Deering that took a Golden Retreiver while I was out fishing.. tried to warn the people the dog should not be swimming there before paddling out but they knew more than my buddy and I did, at least that's what I think the guy was rattling off at me in spanglish.

To me they are no different that a gator, except more afraid of people, I just respect them and don;t try to get close.

I didn't really notice them until they spooked.

There was such a huge noisy splash my heart jumped out of my chest and stayed pumping hard for a good few minutes.

krash wrote:

TidetotheMoon wrote:I spooked 3 crocs recently.

1 West of Chicken Key kayaking, off Chapman Field's flats kayaking and wading off Matheson.

I spotted 1 south of Deering, but I wasn't in the water.

Every time they bolted in the opposite direction.


Have fun.

Yep, that's where they hang out, all the way South to Key Largo, and a few good ones at Flamingo. Seems to be more the last couple years, and they are getting more bold. There is one place in the bay that we call Crocodile Rock, used to be about a 6' corc that was always on that rock at low tide. The closer you get to Turkey point the more you see, or in upper Key Largo around Lake Surprise or Little Lake Surprise we been seeing them there since the '80's.

A couple year's ago there was one near Deering that took a Golden Retreiver while I was out fishing.. tried to warn the people the dog should not be swimming there before paddling out but they knew more than my buddy and I did, at least that's what I think the guy was rattling off at me in spanglish.

To me they are no different that a gator, except more afraid of people, I just respect them and don;t try to get close.

I visited a friend who rented on a canal that connected to lake surprise years ago. We spent majority of the day jumping off the roof of the house into the canal until my buddies mom saw a huge croc swimming down the canal while my buddy was in the water. Freaked out was an under statement. We saw tons more cruising around at night from the Jon boat. That area had great lobster and tarpon fishing back then. Idk if it's still the same.

Miami_Chris wrote:

krash wrote:

TidetotheMoon wrote:I spooked 3 crocs recently.

1 West of Chicken Key kayaking, off Chapman Field's flats kayaking and wading off Matheson.

I spotted 1 south of Deering, but I wasn't in the water.

Every time they bolted in the opposite direction.


Have fun.

Yep, that's where they hang out, all the way South to Key Largo, and a few good ones at Flamingo. Seems to be more the last couple years, and they are getting more bold. There is one place in the bay that we call Crocodile Rock, used to be about a 6' corc that was always on that rock at low tide. The closer you get to Turkey point the more you see, or in upper Key Largo around Lake Surprise or Little Lake Surprise we been seeing them there since the '80's.

A couple year's ago there was one near Deering that took a Golden Retreiver while I was out fishing.. tried to warn the people the dog should not be swimming there before paddling out but they knew more than my buddy and I did, at least that's what I think the guy was rattling off at me in spanglish.

To me they are no different that a gator, except more afraid of people, I just respect them and don;t try to get close.

I visited a friend who rented on a canal that connected to lake surprise years ago. We spent majority of the day jumping off the roof of the house into the canal until my buddies mom saw a huge croc swimming down the canal while my buddy was in the water. Freaked out was an under statement. We saw tons more cruising around at night from the Jon boat. That area had great lobster and tarpon fishing back then. Idk if it's still the same.

When I was young and dumb, I had a friend that rented a house in Coral Gables on the waterway. A few of us got trashed one night and decided to impress the girls and go swimming in the canal at 2 AM. We jumped in, swam a couple laps and came back out. About 5 minutes later as we were drying off, we saw a 10 ft+ croc circling around right where we had been swimming...I'm sure our splashes attracted it

Sobered me up real quick.

There are way more gators than crocs...

I think I know that canal in Key Largo you speak of, we lived in Sexton Cove where Lake Surprise was less than a 2 minute boat ride at idle, it was mainly our water sports domain.... my buddy Fred Smythe had a master Craft ski boat and a small business with ski school, rides, and probably the first Parasail in S. Florida. we built a ski-jump and thats was used as the take off spot for the para-sail, it was all a manual process long before some-one mounted a wench and people could take off from the boat and get wenched back in.
Across the hi-way in Little Lake Surprise there was some big house, club, by the finger store and it was an area prime with Croc's.

When I was young and dumb, I had a friend that rented a house in Coral Gables on the waterway. A few of us got trashed one night and decided to impress the girls and go swimming in the canal at 2 AM. We jumped in, swam a couple laps and came back out. About 5 minutes later as we were drying off, we saw a 10 ft+ croc circling around right where we had been swimming...I'm sure our splashes attracted it

Sobered me up real quick.

My Goodness! If I was you I would never swim there again!