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Tamiami
Canal is located in Miami-Dade County. It drains
eastward from Water Conservation Area III past
Miami International Airport to a non-navigable
salinity control structure that prevents
saltwater intrusion from the Atlantic Ocean.
Tamiami Canal provides excellent freshwater
fishing in more than 27 miles of boat accessible
canals and small lakes. The canal ranges from 40
to over 100 feet in width, averages about eight
feet deep, and some lakes are more than 50 feet
deep.
The lakes
near Miami International Airport are often noisy
and congested on weekends, but this area can be
avoided by traveling west. From the boat ramp,
it is 3.0 miles to the entrance of the Coral
Gables Canal, 4.8 miles to the lateral canal
connecting to McDonald Lake, and 7.6 miles to
the intersection with Snapper Creek, immediately
east of the Turnpike Extension. The
non-navigable flood control structure on Tamiami
Canal near Krome Avenue is approximately 13
miles from the boat ramp. The combination of
Tamiami and Snapper Creek canal systems provide
urban anglers more than 43 miles of exciting
fishing opportunities.
FISHING
INFORMATION--Tamiami
Canal offers some of the most exciting and
varied canal fishing in all of southeast
Florida. Most anglers have report canal 'trifecta'
or 'grand slam' catches of
butterfly peacock and
largemouth bass topped-off with a snook or even
a tarpon. The butterfly peacock is a world
renown gamefish that was successfully introduced
in the mid-1980s by the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission to eat
undesirable exotic fishes, and to provide more
sportfishing for anglers in the metropolitan
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area.
 There
are fallen trees,
many canal intersections, tons of sharp bends, and dead ends
that
are generally productive areas for catching most
species of fish especially the peacock bass. The
Florida Peacock Bass also congregate in
the shade of bridges, culverts, and other
structures. Shoreline vegetation, rip-rap, and
even some residential seawalls (particularly in
lateral canals) also provide good fishing
opportunities. If there is a strong current in
the main canal, spend more time fishing lateral
canals, small lakes, and other areas that offer
refuge from the current (e.g., cut-outs, bridge
pilings, and the downstream side of spillways).
Tamiami Canal
supports excellent populations of butterfly
peacock and largemouth bass that average about
14 inches (1.5 pounds), and nearly 50% of the
harvestable butterfly peacock and 40% of the
largemouth bass are larger than this. The
biggest butterfly peacock (10 pounds) ever
confirmed in Florida came from this canal. The
bag limit for butterfly peacock is two fish per
day, only one of which can be greater than 17
inches; up to five largemouth bass can be kept,
but only one of these can be greater than 14
inches.
Fishing for
butterfly peacock is usually best from March
through May, but they are caught consistently
throughout the year. Butterfly peacock feed only
during daylight and normally close to shore,
although schooling peacocks will sometimes feed
aggressively in open water. Largemouth bass
fishing tends to be best during the winter when
the water cools, and early in the morning,
evenings, and even at night during the summer.
Butterfly
peacock are more likely to be caught using live
fish for bait than are largemouth bass, which
make them an excellent fish for younger anglers,
as well as those just learning to bass fish.
Live fish such as small golden shiners purchased
at local tackle shops, are the best overall bait
for both butterfly peacock and largemouth bass.
It is illegal to use goldfish or any other
non-native fish for bait, except those legally
caught from and immediately used in the same
canal. For those who enjoy fishing with
artificial lures, just about any fast moving
minnow imitating plug or fly can be used to
entice a peacock.
Early in the
morning look for tarpon rolling at the surface,
especially in the area just east of Red Road.
Snook can be found throughout the canal system
but tend to concentrate along vegetated
shorelines and under bridges close to lake
areas. Another species anglers might catch
resembles a walleye; this fish is the brackish
water bigmouth sleeper which is a long,
cylindrical fish with many small sharp teeth.
The number
and quality of panfish over six inches in
Tamiami Canal is about average for area canals.
Live worms and crickets are the choice baits for
many panfish anglers, although fresh bread or
bread dough works well, is readily available,
and it costs less. Shoreline anglers will need
to do some exploring to find the best locations
for shoreline fishing, and always be sure to
park cars safely on public right of ways.
Tamiami Canal
anglers might also catch a jaguar guapote from
Central America, oscars from South America, or
spotted tilapia from Africa. These exotic fishes
were illegally released, and pose a threat to
native species. Jaguar guapotes resemble a black
crappie (speckled perch) with many small, sharp
teeth. Oscars are a bream-shaped fish with a red
or orange circle at the base of the tail, and
they have a thick coat of protective mucus on
their bodies. Spotted tilapia are also
bream-shaped, golden in color with black spots
or bars, and some adults have red on them. These
exotic fishes are good to eat, and you can keep
every one you catch.
Tamiami and
other area canals cannot handle a great deal of
fishing pressure so we encourage anglers to
release most, if not all of the butterfly
peacock, largemouth bass, snook, and tarpon they
catch. If anglers don't release a majority of
the sportfish they catch, these high quality
fisheries will deteriorate rapidly.
If you
want to catch big fish and fish where big
Peacock bass are! South Florida, Tamiami canal
is prime waters for the elusive Florida Peacock
bass. Many catches in the 4 to 7lb range with
the state record being just short of 10-pounds.
Come join us for the trip of a lifetime. You
have earned it!
Our fishing guides are hand picked from the best in
the area, so you don't have to. They have fished
these canals in Florida for more year then any
of fishing guide service in the state. No less then 20
years combined experience at catch trophy
peacock bass for our clients. During this time our team have developed
there skills and experience necessary to provide
you with that fishing trip of a life time not
matter what the conditions are. In
order to insure your trip will be a safe and
memorable trip, all of our guides are insured
and US Coast Guard licensed captains.
Not only will you fish with a professional guide, all of our trips
include: Fully equipped Bass boats, fuel and
tackle. Everything you need for that trip you've
been waiting for. The only thing you will need
to have is a
Florida fishing license.
Corporate trips are welcome and very common for
us, because of our size. We can accommodate your
fishing needs from one to hundred. We also can
provide everything from breakfast and box
lunches to a southern BBQ to end the day.
BOAT RAMP DIRECTIONS--The only public boat ramp
is located in Antonio Maceo Park. This park is
open from dawn to dusk, and is operated by the
City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department.
The two-lane ramp is paved and in excellent
condition. The park has picnic tables, grills, a
playground, and a paved parking area, but there
are no restrooms. Note: Manatees are quite
common, so be careful boating and watch for
posted regulations.
To reach the boat ramp, take the Turnpike
Extension or I-95 to Hwy 836 (Dolphin
Expressway). Take Hwy 836 east from the Turnpike
or west from I-95 to Red Road (NW 57th Avenue).
Go south on Red Road about 0.5 miles to NW 7th
Street, east (left) 0.6 miles to NW 51st Avenue,
and Antonio Maceo Park is on the left side just
before NW 51st Avenue.
View Larger Map
More
great links to information on this lake,
http://myfwc.com/fishing/docum/tamiami.html
http://myfwc.com/Fishing/pdf/tamiami.pdf
http://www.hawghunter.net/Peacock_bass.htm
http://www.flpeacockbass.com/
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