Fishing the Everglades

A New Year of Fishing 

It's January already? Time sure flies by here in the Everglades. I hope everyone had a great Christmas with family and hope you all have a prosperous 2026! All I need to make me happy is a healthy fishery and to catch lots of Snook! January can be a great month in the backcountry for these guys. Narrow waterways and tight quarters can make for loads of fun. Shallow waters with a dark bottom that has a shoreline nearby are another great way to find them. When the water is cold, they don't always tuck into the banks to hide. Sometimes they will be 15 to 20 feet out, laying there to absorb some heat. Another thing to remember is they are not moving around as fast as when the water warms up, so slow your action down some and see what the results are. Snook like warm water, but when it is cold everywhere, a slight difference in water temps can make all the difference in the bite. Most days in the winter months the afternoon bite is better. This is because everything has had time to warm up. You may have to work a lot more shoreline to get some action, but usually when you find one, you will find more in that same area. So, work it over good!  

Colder temps mean more of a variety. You might catch the usual Snook, Redfish, and Seatrout, but there are also Sheepshead, Black Drum, Snapper, Mackerel, Bluefish, and others this time of year. If you just want to bend a rod and don't care about species, then flats are a great option in the winter months. A slow worked jig for the Trout, and speed it up for Jacks, Mackerel, and Ladyfish. Lots of fun for the family and bring home enough for a fish fry. Fishing inshore around the Islands you can get the Red Fish, Black Drum, Sheepshead, and Snapper. This can all be done with live shrimp, either on a cork or on the bottom. If you fish in the rivers and fish the deeper spots and rock holes, you will find just about anything, including the Drum, Sheepshead, Goliaths, and Snapper. Fish with a knocker rig in these spots using whatever weight is necessary to hold the bottom. Sometimes a one-quarter ounce and sometimes a one-ounce. It all depends on the current so get ready to adjust, but make sure you reach the bottom or you are wasting your time. 

If you get lucky and get a warm spell and some calm winds you can still catch Tarpon. We saw some very large ones today and spent an hour trying to hook up. No luck, but they showed up rolling when the winds lay down and temps were rising. For the juvenile Tarpon, the backcountry is the best. These guys can load up in some of the narrow creeks and back bays. Lots of fun and hard to keep on the hook! But a great challenge. 

One thing is consistent here in the winter months and that is live shrimp for bait. Even a novice can catch fish on a live shrimp. And everything eats shrimp! So, if you are taking the family or kids out, make sure to have some live shrimp! The second best thing to use in the winter months is a jig. Make sure to change up the retrieve speed when working your jig. If nothing is happening, slow it down. Sometimes, almost to a crawl along the bottom.  Don't be afraid to try some new technique; you may just find the right one and catch more fish. 

It's a great time to fish and the weather can be fantastic once you get through that cold morning. Get the family out and enjoy! Great memories are waiting! Good luck fishing!  

Captain Mike Merritt was born in Coral Gables, Florida, lived in Australia as a child, and then moved back to Everglades City, Florida, where he graduated from Everglades City High School. He caught his first snook at the age of eight and has been catching them ever since. He is a third-generation fisherman and has been guiding in the Everglades National Park for over 30 years. While the glades are his primary fishing grounds, he also owns The Amazon Prime Ecolodge and has been fishing in Brazil’s Amazon for the last 12 years.