“Hidden Gems” Something that I always say that people don’t really understand is that there is always an area that people forget about when getting ready to go fish. The Tamiami Trail is a gem of a spot that people normally look over.

Just a couple miles out of the City of Miami starts a highway that leads you to Naples, Florida. The further west you go on this highway the better the fishing gets, and in my opinion, there is no better feeling than slinging flies with 18-wheelers flying by behind ya.

When I first got the keys to my whip, I decided to pick up a buddy and go explore out west. At that point I was hooked on the idea of a new place to fish. We started fishing the Trail with nearly no knowledge whatsoever, and found ourselves always saying, “What in the actual f*ck are we doing fishing on a two lane highway?” At first, the highlight of our day was always the cuban coffee that would slap the bitch out of you at 5:30 in the morning. That of course changed after we learned how to catch fish in the area.

We immediately started learning what to do: Whether it was where to park the car on the shoulder of the two lane highway, what bridges and spots to stop at, or what flies to throw, it all slowly started coming together. The success came after countless times of getting skunked, and what we thought was just us burning fuel.

These tarpon and snook that you will find on the trail can be found in ditches. Small areas that hold little to no water will have some of the greatest fishing of your life. You would probably see it in person, look at it, and be like, “na, there ain’t shit there.” but if you look closely you’ll see little bits of silver rolling through. 

Black gurglers and white color baitfish flies are my go to fish snacks on the Tamiami Trail. After countless days of trying to figure out what these things will eat, I can confidently turn to those two flies and know I will get some bites.

The Tamiami Trail is a place that I love to go to get lost in the beautiful nature that the Everglades has to offer. To me, there is nothing better than being able to explore, and catch some tarpon at the same time. It’s always a good time, and you never know what mother nature is gonna throw at you.