BOAT RAMP DIRECTIONS--Exit the Turnpike Extension east at Bird Road (SW 40th Street) to SW 107th Avenue, turn south (right) to SW 72nd Street (Sunset Drive), turn east (left) to SW 97th Avenue, turn south (right) to Snapper Creek Drive North and turn west (right). The boat ramp is on the left side of road before you reach SW 99th Avenue. From I-95 take the Dolphin Expressway (Hwy 836) and go west past the Miami International Airport to the Turnpike Extension south, and follow the directions above. This is a paved, single-lane boat ramp in good condition, and it has adequate grass parking. There are no restrooms or other facilities at this ramp. Tamiami Canal (C-4) can also be accessed from this boat ramp. Note: Anglers, particularly those from outside the metropolitan Miami - West Palm Beach area, should be aware that vandalism occurs at some boat ramps. Therefore, care should be taken to secure your vehicle and keep valuables out of sight or take them with you when you leave the ramp.

GENERAL SPORTFISH INFORMATION--Snapper Creek is a popular destination for south Florida anglers. This canal consistently produced excellent catches of largemouth bass and butterfly peacock prior to 1995; however, since then changing water management practices appear to have caused considerable fluctuations in the populations of these species. The butterfly peacock is a world renown gamefish that was successfully introduced in the mid-1980s by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission to eat undesirable exotic fishes, and to provide more sportfishing opportunities for anglers in the metropolitan Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area.

Fallen trees, canal intersections, sharp bends, and dead ends are generally productive areas for catching most species of fish. Sportfishes also congregate in the shade of bridges, culverts, and other structures. Shoreline vegetation, rip-rap areas, 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 and other areas that provide refuge from the current (e.g., cut-outs, bridge pilings, and the downstream side of spillways).

Butterfly peacock are a little more abundant but somewhat smaller in Snapper Creek than in other area canals, while the largemouth bass are somewhat fewer but larger. Both species average 13-14 inches and about 1.3 pounds in size, and about one-third of the harvestable fish are greater than 14 inches. Trophy peacock (those greater than five pounds) have been caught from this and other area canals, and we expect the current 9.08 pound state record to ultimately exceed 10-11 pounds. The bag limit for butterfly peacock is two fish per day, only one of which can be greater than 17 inches.