Thankfully hurricane Irene bypassed the Space Coast this time around and as of the last report is heading towards New York city via the outer banks of North Carolina.
The weather around Titusville late this afternoon felt like the calm after the storm. The air temperature hovered around 88 degrees and there was very little wind on the water.
My wife and I packed up our fishing rods and Elmo our wonder dog for a brief fishing excursion around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
We didn't hit the water until about 7:00 p.m. and the water where we began fishing was dead calm.
There was very little visible fish activity in the first area we stopped to fish but it looked "fishy" and I was aching to try out a couple of new top water plugs.
I started fishing a 100 yard stretch of very shallow water that led into a saltwater pond which usually holds a redfish or two and only got two strikes for my efforts.
My wife was fishing with a dead shrimp and I was "walking the dog" using my new black and silver Heddon Super Spook Jr. top water plug I picked up at Bass Pro.
Karen wasn't getting any action so we moved up the road a bit to try the brackish water pond.
This Indian River fishing report is for the week of August 20, 2011.
The water levels in both lagoon systems has risen over the last couple of weeks and has opened up some fishing areas, particularly in the marsh areas, that were previously on dry land.
The best bite has been early in the morning for sea trout that are targeting the schools of bait fish that can now be found in good numbers in both the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River.
Top water plugs or a live ladyfish or finger mullet free lined on the surface will get the larger fish.
As the water gets warmer in the late morning, the trout have been moving into the 3 and 4 foot depths around large pot holes and over the sea grass.
You can catch them using a variety of baits but the one "do nothing" rig that works well that my wife Karen swears by, is a Cajun Thunder clacking bobber rig with either a D.O.A. shrimp or a plastic paddle tail bait under about 12" to 18" of fluorocarbon leader.
Flip the rig out and twitch it. When the bobber sits upright in the water, wait a second or two and twitch it again. Every time it flips upright, the shrimp drops slowly to the bottom and this is usually when you get the hit.
This rig is really deadly using live shrimp.
The grass beds that are in 3 to 5 feet of water in the northern part of the Indian River are loaded with good sized sea trout right now and there's not much fishing pressure in this area.
I've got a few reports about the Dummit Cove area being full of big sea trout feeding over the grass beds and some guys catching nice sized redfish in the shallows throughout that area.
The grass flats that parallel the Western shore of the Indian River from Titusville north have always been a relatively under fished area for schools of big redfish in depths from 1 to 3 feet
Some really big redfish in the 30 pound plus class are now being caught on the flats south of Titusville by sight fishermen. I talked to a couple of guys at The Fly Fisherman who pick them off with Dahlberg Divers.
These fish are spooky right now and require longer casts with lighter line.
The eastern shores of the Indian River in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge from Peacocks Pocket south, is still hot for redfish in the shallows and sea trout in the early mornings and late evening.
My wife and I have only been able to get out just before dusk but we have been spotting some really big redfish and sea trout throughout this area.
Again the best baits are live finger mullet, ladyfish, D.O.A. jerkbaits or top water baits.
The sea trout were biting late this afternoon in the mosquito control canals in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Even though it was late when I got home from work, my wife and I decided to take Elmo for a little fishing trip.
We didn't even get out until about 6:00 p.m. and then lucked out netting bait. My first cast picked up several nice fat finger mullet and four ladyfish that were about 7" long.
The thermometer registered 89 degrees and there was a moderate wind blowing in from the west pushing the water in the lagoon to the eastern shore.
There was a stench of rotting vegetation that took a while to get used to which is probably why we only saw one other soul in the preserve.
Karen baited up her rod with a fat 7" finger mullet and I did the same with a ladyfish on one of my other rods.
The Playalinda Beach bluefish and Spanish mackerel were supposed to be hot this month, so I decided to give it a try.
After finishing some chores, I grabbed a matched pair of 10' surf rods seated with a pair of Okuma Baitrunner Coronado Saltwater Spinning Reels and headed for Playalinda Beach to see if the bite was on.
The tide was out and the water was relatively flat at the beach. According to the tide tables, good fishing should have been from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm plus or minus an hour or so.
I hit lot #6 first at about 2:30 pm and saw only two serious surf fishermen.
One was catching whiting and the other guy didn't seem to be doing anything worthwhile.
There weren't many people at the beach today but there were quite a few surfers and sea kayakers on the water.
I took some pics and moved on to lot #8 at Eddy Creek. This area is usually crowded with fishermen and beach goers and today was no exception.
Again, nobody was catching bluefish or Spanish mackerel, only whiting.
Again I took some of these pics and moved down to lot #10 where it is usually free from beach goers.
When I got there I loaded up my rods and trudged to a spot that looked "fishy". There was a slough about 30 yards from the beach and another about 50 yards out from that on a little bit south of that one.
I baited up a sliding sinker rig with a frozen whole ladyfish about 6" long and waded out as far as I could safely go before tossing out my offering.
I waited patiently for something to bite, all the while looking for signs of fish.
I spotted a large school of menhaden that were jumping out of the water trying to escape from some unknown predator, but they were too far out to cast to.
I saw lots of glass minnows jumping out of the water closer to me but my bait was too large to "match the hatch". Whatever was chasing them didn't want my ladyfish.
After about a half an hour I got a savage hit that left me with only the head of the ladyfish.
I baited up with another one and cast out to the same area. After another half hour or so without a bite, I started reeling in my bait and almost got run over by a pair of tarpon cruising parallel to the beach.
There was definitely fish activity in the area but everything was beyond casting distance.
Finally, after getting another ladyfish cut in half, I decided I had enough fun and sun so I packed it in.
On the way out of the beach, I decided to take a ride over to Haulover Canal and use up the rest of my ladyfish.
The current in the canal was relatively strong but there weren't many weeds for a change to bog down your line.
There were some people canoeing the area and one serious fisherman anchored over a rock ledge who was catching mangrove snapper. Several other people were fishing from the bank.
I baited up with a whole ladyfish and had been fishing for about an hour before hooking up with one of those Bull Redfish you hear about being caught in the canal.
The fish but up a great fight and appeared to be around 40 inches long, but I lost it when it wound around a coquina outcropping near the bank.
Night shrimping on the Indian River is still going strong in August.
Normally in August the sport shrimping run on the Indian River is over and done with. However, this year the norms have been redefined by this past winter's severe cold fronts.
It seems like everything has been pushed back a month or so.
Sunday evening I got bored watching the doom and gloom on the boob tube, so I decided to drive down to our new fishing piers and check out the action, if any.
I didn't expect to see many people doing anything but partying at the pavilion but was pleasantly surprised by how many people were on both piers shrimping, catching blue crabs and fishing.
I took these pics of the activity and composed this short video to show the "goings on".
I arrived about 10:00 pm armed with my trusty Nikon and a 7' spinning rod baited with a Rootbeer/Gold D.O.A. Shrimp just in case the trout were biting.
It was windy and there was a little chop on the water. The shrimpers had their shrimp lights out and the fishermen were doing their thing using mostly live or dead shrimp for bait.
This gentleman in his motorized wheelchair was catching a good number of shrimp and had the bottom of his bucket covered when I got there.
He had only been shrimping since it got dark and expected to net up quite a few more before heading for home.
He told me that he comes to the pier about once a week to shrimp and that this is the first time the shrimp were still running in good numbers through the month of August.
I moved on down the length of the pier taking pictures of all the people enjoying the evenings activities.
One couple even had a crib out there with their kids while shrimping and several others were lounging around on the chairs they brought with them.
I flipped the
D.O.A. Shrimp out a few times around the lights, caught a couple of under size sea trout and missed several more before calling it a night and going home.
On the way out, I took a snippet of this guy's cooler that he was filling up with blue crabs which were drifting by on the surface along with the shrimp.
He told me that he planned to fill it up before leaving.
I wished him well but personally I hate messing with cleaning them. Especially the smaller ones.
I much prefer soft shelled blue crabs in sandwich form!
I'm happy to be able to report that the night shrimping is still going strong on the Indian River.
Now I understand why the Mosquito Lagoon got it's name.
Because of the mosquitoes, I didn't get much fishing in on Friday even though I did give it a half hearted attempt.
When I got home from work Friday evening, my wife didn't feel like wetting a line in the blistering heat so I took Elmo our wonder dog with me to see if anything was biting in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve.
It was late in the afternoon so I headed for Gator Creek road first to check out the water levels.
The water levels in the swamp areas were up, probably due to thunderstorm activity in the late afternoons this past week.
There were a lot of fishermen parked in various locations throughout the area but no one was catching. Everyone was just fishing.
The cutting crews had mowed some time this past week and the mosquitoes were deadly.
Poor Elmo wouldn't leave the safety of the truck and I had the windows closed to keep the mosquitoes out.
I left the confines of the truck two times to make halfhearted casts to a couple of oversize redfish I saw attacking baitfish in the shallows, right on the bank.
Both fish didn't care for the D.O.A. shrimp I offered them.
I saw a lot of sea trout activity but didn't even bother casting to them because of the hordes of mosquitoes.
I took a few of pics of the scenery but unfortunately today I couldn't come up with any pictures of fish.
I'm not sure if the full moon had anything to do with the fishing but it was definitely full as we left the preserve.
Today, Elmo and I should have taken my wife's advise and stayed at home.
Anyway, I'm hoping to try out Playalinda Beach tomorrow for some bluefish that are supposedly hitting in the surf.
Apparently the sea trout bite best when it rains during the summer months.
It was about 6:30 p.m. before my wife and I decided to get out of the house and escape the depressing news about our economy.
Fishing keeps down ulcers and clears the mind. Or so they say.
Anyway, we left the house and headed to the Indian River for some sea trout fishing.
After netting a few small ladyfish for Karen to use for bait, we proceeded to one of our favorite spots.
Karen impaled her bait on a 4/0 hook under a Cajun Thunder bobber and I decided to use paddle tail swim baits and DOA shrimp to see what I could roil up.
Karen got the first and largest fish of the day. A nice fat 20" sea trout on the ladyfish.
I unhooked the fish fully intending to release it, but it was gut hooked, bleeding badly and I couldn't get it to revive in the almost hot water of the marsh canal.
I took a pic of the fish and continued with my fishing up from where my wife was fishing.
The Creme paddle tail swim bait that I initially used wasn't producing any bites so I changed to a glow white DOA shrimp.
Thunderstorms were moving through the area and what has become the norm during this time of the year, the sea trout started to get more active and bite.
I hooked a twin to Karen's fish and released it without taking a picture. The water temperature today didn't allow for photographs if you wanted to release fish alive.
In about an hour I managed to land two more nice trout and missed about the same number before the mosquitoes started to get unbearable.
The grass around the road hadn't been cut in a while and the mosquitoes were literally everywhere.
Elmo, our perfect "wonder dog" was being tormented and wouldn't leave the confines of the truck .
It rained a bit and after it cleared up the fish stopped biting so we decided to leave the area and head for home.
I took these pics of the scenery you might enjoy.
I'm not sure why the sea trout bite best when it rains, but every time we fish before and during a rainstorm we get some great action.
Till next time, Tight Lines, hang on to your money and go fishing to clear your head.
The Indian River trout bite is still good early in the morning and just before dusk in the evening along the shallow flats.
My wife and I fished Peacocks Pocket road Friday evening just before dusk.
Since it was late, I didn't feel like fooling around with a cast net getting live bait. Instead I used a D.O.A. white paddle tail swim bait on a 7' graphite spinning rod loaded with 10# mono tied directly to the lure.
The setup was apparently what the fish wanted.
I missed several smaller trout and landed one about 22" in about an hour of fishing.
The fish were attacking small baitfish that were meandering close to the bank in very shallow water.
As I released the fish, I couldn't help but notice how hot the water temperature was.
Although I didn't have a thermometer with me, the water had to be at least in the upper 80s.
I took a some pics of this big wild boar we saw in the marsh area along with the beautiful scenery and a quick one of one of the fish I caught here.
Although Karen and I didn't get into the area until about 7:30, we never saw a single soul fishing or sight seeing in the area.
I just love having the area to ourselves!
Hope to get out tomorrow and try out the bluefish that are supposed to be running in the surf from Playalinda Beach south.
My wife and I decided to try Peacocks Pocket road Saturday evening to see if we could rustle up a few sea trout or a redfish and we both got skunked!
I guess it was overdue. We have been catching instead of fishing on every outing ever since I can remember, but this evening was unbelievable. We both couldn't hold our mouths right.
I netted some small ladyfish and a couple of large finger mullet for bait at the entrance to Peacocks Pocket road before proceeding to a couple of spots we regularly fish.
Karen baited up with a small 6" ladyfish and I started flipping damn near every lure I had with me in the truck.
I had a couple of hits on a small gold Johnson's spoon from small trout and one half hearted topwater hit on a chartreuse colored Chug Bug, but other than those two hits my artificial lures were not attracting any attention.
We moved several times and finally settled on a spot about half way through the road near a culvert and small backwater pond where I hoped we could pick up a redfish before dark.
I baited up with one of the large finger mullet while Karen put on another smaller sized ladyfish on a Cajun Thunder rig.
There was a lot of activity in the water. Fish were being chased all over the place but the bite just wasn't there.
Karen missed three bites and lost all three ladyfish and I finally lost my finger mullet to a redfish that was cruising down the canal. I saw it's wake as it was swimming towards the mullet and as it hit, I tried to set the hook too quickly and lost the bait.
I guess I'm not much of a live bait fisherman.
The scenery was beautiful despite the fact that the temperature was hovering in the low 90s, but it was the mosquitoes that finally ran us out of the preserve.
Poor Elmo wouldn't come out of the truck because of the skeeters.
Anyway, here are some pics of the area sans fish this time around.
Although it was a windy evening on the Indian River Lagoon and my wife and I weren't even sure that the wildlife refuge would be open we still decided to give it a try.
It was late afternoon before I got home from work and after packing a few rods, some lures and the cast net, it was after 7 o'clock before we got to a spot where I can usually pick up some bait.
This evening, there were lots of small ladyfish and a couple small finger mullet for the bait well.
Karen and I looked for signs of where the wildfires last week had caused the refuge to be closed and we quickly found areas on the east side of the road that were burned.
The wind made it difficult to spot signs of feeding redfish or sea trout, so we finally decided to try the last spot we fished and hoped for the best.
I dropped Karen off at her spot and I drove a few yards up the road to fish another area I hoped would be productive.
I tossed a green DOA jig head with gold and chartreuse jerkbait body on one rod and baited up my other rod with a 5" ladyfish for bait and didn't get a bite on either offering the entire evening.
Evidently I wasn't holding my mouth right.
Karen on the other hand yelled that she had a big trout on so I picked up my Nikon CoolPix and ran to help her out with her fish.
The gator trout was over 24" and inhaled the live ladyfish Karen was using for bait.
I took her picture and after I snipped off the hook, Karen released the fish unharmed.
It started raining again and after the wind died down the bite stopped dead.
The fish seemed to have lockjaw; nothing was hitting anything.
Since it was getting dark and the mosquitoes were eating me alive, we decided to call it an evening.
I didn't get a fishing report from any of my friends this week, but the fishing should still be good early in the mornings and late in the afternoons. At leas it was this evening for my wife.
My neighbor told me that since the water levels in the marsh areas have come up, fishing for sea trout and reds has picked up considerably around Shiloh Marsh road.
This past weekend was pretty much a bust for my wife and I as far as fishing was concerned.
The areas we normally fish were closed because of the wildfires in the area and instead of taking our Maverick flats boat out on Saturday as I had planned, I wound up doing a bunch of yard work instead.
Late Sunday afternoon, despite the windy conditions, Karen and I decided to take the long drive around Shiloh Marsh road and scout out the area.
The wind was blowing in strong from the northeast pushing the water in the Indian River lagoon towards the west bank.
Water levels in the marsh area were up considerably since the last time we drove through the area and fish were chasing finger mullet all over the place.
I spotted several nice size sea trout and a couple of large redfish that were well over the slot limit but the wind made casting to them almost impossible.
Although had I brought a light casting rod loaded with a DOA CAL and a spinning rod with a Chug Bug, I didn't bother casting much. The mosquitoes were vicious.
Because of the direction of the wind, the water levels on the Indian River side of the road was only inches deep throughout most of the drive.
A few areas like the one in the video below were fishable but except for the few places where I tried making a cast to a feeding fish, we never did any serious fishing.
When we drove through the area, almost no one was fishing.
About half way into the drive, two barefoot kids asked us if we could give them a jump and a lift back to their truck where they had a dead battery.
Since I had battery cables, I loaded the kids into the truck bed and drove at least 3 miles along the pot holed road back to the northern entrance of Shiloh Road where they left their ride.
A wrecker they called had gotten there first, so we left them with their friends and headed home. Let's hear it for Herb Daniels!
Shiloh Marsh road is no place to have car trouble, especially with no one around.
Those kids were badly sun burned and must have lost a pint of blood each to the mosquitoes.
Anyway, with any kind of luck the fishing conditions next weekend should get better.
Got home late this afternoon hoping to catch another gator sea trout or at least a redfish only to find a controlled burn in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Despite the thunderstorms that were rolling through Titusville late this afternoon, my wife and I still hoped to get in a little fishing.
We loaded up and headed to McDonald's to get a couple of smoothies before heading to the swamp, only to find that the entire Peacocks Pocket area was closed.
Before driving down to the easternmost entrance to the Pocket I stopped to take these photos of the area.
I was hoping that only part of the refuge was involved in the burn but as we drove closer to the area it was obvious that the entire marsh area was up in flames.
Since there the thunderstorms were moving to the east and because it was already close to 7 o'clock, Karen and I decided to give it up and head for home.
If the area isn't open tomorrow, we plan to take out the Maverick and try our luck in the Mosquito Lagoon flats around Whale's Tail for some trout and reds.
At least that's the game plan providing the weather doesn't put a monkey wrench into the mix.
Catching sea trout and a fireworks display on the Indian River Lagoon makes for a great fishing trip.
My wife and I almost didn't bother to go out fishing this afternoon.
We thought that the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge would be loaded with visitor traffic due to the Independence Day holiday.
We didn't bother even packing our gear until about 6:00 pm and then took our time getting to one of our favorite locations.
I netted up about a dozen 6" to 8" finger mullet for bait and moved down the unimproved road on to one of our spots.
We came into Peacocks Pocket road at the eastern most entrance and passed by only three other groups of fishermen who had staked out their spots on the Indian River.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time enjoying the wildlife and the outdoors in general.
The alligators were out in force. Karen and I spotted at least five good sized ones on the way in on both sides of the road.
When we staked out our spot, Karen moved up the road to where she saw a large redfish pushing water right onto the bank. She put on a 6" finger mullet and free lined the bait at her spot.
The fish today were holding tight to the shoreline in the canal and on the river side.
I impaled the biggest finger mullet in the bait well (almost 8") and tossed it to the opposite bank of the canal near a closed culvert.
The bait lasted all of 5 minutes before a 24" sea trout inhaled the bait and took off up the canal.
I came prepared today with a casting reel loaded with 60# Power Pro braid, an 8' section of 15# fluorocarbon leader and a 5/0 Owner hook.
The sea trout didn't have much of a chance but it still put up a respectable fight.
I landed the fish and intended to release it but it was hooked in the gills and was bleeding badly so I decided to keep it for dinner.
Karen was way up the road so I just took these pics of the fish and the rod for size reference before putting on another bait.
To make a long story short, neither Karen or I had another bite until just before dusk.
Another big sea trout picked up the live finger mullet and headed towards an open flats area.
I briefly fought the fish before taking it's picture and releasing it to fight another day.
One trout for dinner is enough.
The mosquitoes were draining the blood from our bodies and Elmo was looking just plain miserable in the truck. He refused to get out of the truck because of the mosquitoes.
Karen missed a redfish but didn't get another bite so we decided to head for the exit.
On the way out, we found a spot to park where I managed to take this video of the fireworks display that the city of Titusville put on.
We didn't catch the redfish we were hoping for today, but what could be better than some nice sea trout and a fireworks display on the Indian River Lagoon.
With a Ghenoee, kayak or a shallow draft flats boat, you can access the southernmost reaches of the Mosquito Lagoon where there is relatively little fishing pressure.
From Eddy Creek you can go south west to Pelican Island or due south to a smaller (unnamed) Island and can get in some great fishing for big redfish or sea trout on the flats around both Islands.
There is a deeper area just west of Pelican Island that holds a lot of redfish, slot size and larger sea trout and sometimes tarpon.
To get to Eddy Creek, follow the road through the pay station at the Canaveral National Seashore all the way north on the beach access road past parking lot #7.
The parking area for Eddy Creek is on the left side of the road just after the #7 beach parking area.
At Eddy Creek there is a small fishing dock at the boat launch that is usually occupied however, the shorelines along the southern edge of the cove are great for wade fishing.
Fish live a shrimp under a Cajun Thunder bobber for redfish, sea trout, and a variety of other species such as mangrove snapper, sheepshead, black drum and even an occasional gag grouper.
You never know what's going to hit in this area.
My wife and I have had good luck fishing both in the cove and out on the lagoon from our old 16' canoe. We never tried taking out our Maverick flats boat but I'll probably give it a try when I get it back from the shop.
The last time we went out she picked up several bluefish, a whiting, some sea trout and missed a nice redfish.
Outgunned again!
A friend of mine asked me about fishing in the area which is why I'm devoting time for a reply.
We didn't get a chance to get any fishing in today because of yard work but tomorrow is another day.
Fishing Peacocks Pocket road is becoming a habit for me and my wife.
Every Friday evening after I return home from work I'm usually jonesing to go fishing and the closest place is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge around Peacocks Pocket road.
The thunderstorms this afternoon died down at about 5:30 p.m. so we packed up a few rods, netted some bait and headed for a couple of our favorite spots.
Our first stop netted me a couple slot sized sea trout. One was caught on a live finger mullet and the other on a CAL DOA white paddle tail bait fished just off the bottom.
The water was almost dead calm this afternoon and longer casts generated more hits than the usual lobs I use when fishing this area.
There were plenty of finger mullet in the marsh side of the road and because of last weeks incessant rains, the water levels were up a bit from where they were last week.
Karen was fishing live finger mullet for a change and when we were almost out of bait changed over to 6" live ladyfish.
At our second stop, Karen missed a nice redfish that ate her finger mullet and pulled off.
Several minutes later she hooked this nice slot size 20" sea trout on a free lined ladyfish, which she promptly released.
At our second stop I missed a nice redfish and landed another slot size sea trout that I also released.
A couple stopped to talk to me about the fishing and the bird life in the area and while I was talking to them, I didn't realize I was standing on an anthill.
As they left, I started feeling real pain in my leg all the way up to my crotch as the angry ants chewed away at me. I got rid of my sneakers and swatted away the ants but I was in real agony for awhile.
It was getting late but we continued to fish even though I was feeling miserable from the ant bites and just as I was ready to ask Karen to call it a day, she missed another redfish on a live ladyfish.
We finally decided to give it up and come back tomorrow for another try.
As we were leaving, I stopped to talk to the only other fisherman we saw in the preserve. I noticed him casting a CAL type jerkbait up the road from where we were fishing and decided to ask if he had any luck.
He told me he caught three sea trout and two smaller redfish which he released. I didn't get his name but I did give him the name of this website.
Jokingly, he asked me if I wanted to by his flats boat. He said he didn't need it with the fishing as good as it was in this area.
I told him that I have a Maverick I seldom use, for exactly the same reason.
One this is for sure, fishing Peacocks Pocket road is getting better if you know how to fish it and hit it at the right time.
Well, despite the rolling thunderstorms that hit us this afternoon, my wife and I had a great afternoon fishing trip in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
I had to stop mowing the lawn a couple of times because of the severe lightning but as soon as I finished up I rounded up Elmo and Karen for a trip to the Refuge.
I cast netted about a dozen finger mullet and a few small ladyfish for bait as we entered Peacocks Pocket then headed for where we caught some nice fish the other day.
The thunderstorms stopped but we could see them off of the horizon.
Today we stopped at three spots and caught fish at all three locations.
I picked up a nice 22" sea trout on a finger mullet at the first stop and missed a nice redfish of about the same size.
Karen didn't get a bite and was too busy freaking out because of an alligator that kept following her in the canal.
We moved on down the road to our second spot where I picked up another sea trout a little larger than the first.
The pic below is not good quality because it was taken along with all the other pics on this post with my Nokia cell phone.
In our rush to go fishing, I neglected to take my trusty Nikon along on this trip and true to form, we missed some great photo opportunities.
It was getting close to 8:00 so we moved to our final spot where Karen picked up a nice 32" redfish on a free lined finger mullet.
I heard her yelling as I was releasing another sea trout so I dropped my rod and ran for the boca grip in the truck.
The fish put up a great fight (part of which I captured on the cell phone) and as it finally gave up the battle, I skidded down the bank and gripped the bull redfish onto the bank.
I took these pics of Karen holding the fish and released it back into the canal. It remained motionless for some time but finally swam off into the depths.
I normally revive the fish I release but the alligators were out this afternoon and I didn't want to take a chance of losing my arm.
Since it was getting on towards dusk, we decided to call it a day.
It was definitely a great afternoon fishing trip in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with no one else around but two other people in the entire preserve.
Oops, I did it again! Got another gator sea trout.
The gator trout are definitely biting in the Indian River lagoon.
It was raining and lightning when I got home from work late this afternoon but when it slowed down a bit, my wife and I decided to go fishing and try for another gator trout or two.
The alligators were out in full force looking for food in the marsh area and there were plenty of fish around for them to feed on.
We didn't get to the river until about 6:30 and the weather was just plain nasty.
I netted up a few 6" mullet for bait and we drove to an area where I caught a near gator trout earlier this week.
We made a couple of stops and I had a few hits on a gold Johnson spoon but missed both fish. It seemed like everything was chasing finger mullet.
The weather got progressively worse as a huge thunderstorm moved in. The wind started really blowing and the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees.
Karen was afraid of the lightening and stayed in the car while I pitched out a finger mullet on one rod and started casting to fish with my gold spoon.
After only a couple of minutes, I saw the line with the mullet paying out and after a few seconds I set the hook.
The water exploded as a gator sea trout jumped clear out of the water and made a couple of super quick runs. The fish reacted just like a snook.
After the second run I played the fish to the bank, landed it and got Karen to take a couple of pics. The fish measured in at hair over 27".
I was going to let the fish go but the fish was bleeding and I wanted some fresh trout for dinner so I put it in the back of the truck. It couldn't fit in the small cooler we were using.
The weather didn't let up a bit but after I caught my fish, Karen decided to start fishing despite the lightening.
She pitched out a mullet on her clacker bobber rig and after a brief wait hooked onto a nice sea trout.
As she got it to the bank she tried to pull it up but the fish was too big and broke off at the hook.
For a brief couple of seconds the sea trout just sat there in the shallow water so not thinking about the alligators, I just slid down the bank and grabbed the trout around it's midsection.
The fish was at least 20" and as I tried to stand up I lost my balance and almost slid head first into the canal.
Karen was laughing herself silly and I wasn't having a good day at this point.
As she pulled me out of the water and I figured "what the hell" as long as I was drenched, why not keep fishing.
The thunderstorm activity sparked a feeding frenzy and the baitfish were being chased all over the place by big sea trout and redfish.
We continued fishing and just as it started getting dark, I hooked onto another gator trout that was quite a bit larger than the one I landed earlier. This fish was at least 30" and jumped three times before the hook pulled out.
Karen and I were drenched to the bone and we were both getting cold, so we decided to head for home to change our clothes and fillet the sea trout for dinner.
I believe we could have caught more fish if we had stayed out there but it wasn't worth getting a case of pneumonia.
Late this afternoon, my wife and I decided to try our luck in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for some redfish and hopefully another gator sea trout.
The temperature was 94 degrees when we left the house and settled in at 89 degrees as we pulled into Peacocks Pocket road.
I didn't forget my cast net for a change, so I stopped at a place I know where there are always some small ladyfish and finger mullet.
After netting a few for bait we moved to the first of four stops we made today.
The first was at the culverts just past the Peacocks Pocket kayak launch.
Karen fished dead shrimp and a small ladyfish under a bobber and I used a gold Johnson's spoon.
After about 20 minutes of fishing we decided to move on up the road. I caught a long nose gar fish of about 28" and Karen never got a bite.
The next two stops didn't produce anything but a couple of light taps. We saw feeding redfish but they weren't hungry.
Our last stop proved to be the best spot of today's trip.
I stopped when I saw a lot of feeding activity in the shallows next to the opposite bank of the marsh canal.
Karen tossed out her two rigs and I loaded up a rod with a lively 9" ladyfish on a 4/0 Owner hook.
I put out a second rod with a dead ladyfish cut in half while I tossed a white D.O.A. Paddle tail bait around the opposite bank of the canal.
After about 15 minutes, I hooked onto a nice redfish on the ladyfish baited rod.
I fought the fish for about 10 minutes or so before the fish wrapped around a stickup and broke off. That fish was at least 30" long and definitely not a keeper.
After only a few minutes, Karen yelled that she had a redfish on.
I grabbed my camera and took a few pics of her fish. It was just legal size but we let it go anyway.
I hooked up with a lively fat 7" mullet and tossed it out to where I saw a fish swirl.
It took only a few minutes before the fish took off with the mullet in it's gut.
At first I thought it was a redfish because of it's size but I quickly realized it was a gator sea trout by the way the fish fought. It just sloshed around instead of making a long run like redfish are notorious for.
I landed the fish and had Karen take these pics with my Nikon.
Although I look like hell, it was a nice sea trout (about 24") so I decided to crop the pic and post it. The second pic is what the fish looks like just before I cleaned and ate it.
We were both tired and because it was getting dark we decided to call it a day.
It's nice fishing on a weekday in the Refuge. We only saw two other people in the drive and the fish were feeding just about everywhere.
Weekend fishing is much more challenging because of all the activity. The fish get spooked and you don't usually catch anything until just at dusk.
A friend of mine told me the shrimp are still running in the Indian River and that the regulars were getting up to a couple hundred shrimp a night.
There wasn't anything exciting on the boob tube so I decided to take a ride down to the new fishing pier and check out the shrimping activities.
Since it was Monday evening, I didn't expect to see many people out and about but boy was I wrong!
When I parked at the pavilion near the fishing pier it was about 11:45 p.m. and the place was loaded with people.
Some were shrimping, some were catching crabs and many were fishing for the sea trout that were competing with the shrimpers.
I brought one rod and my trusty Nikon and took these pics of the evenings festivities.
There was a steady wind blowing from the south and it was hard to spot shrimp under the lights but despite the challenge, several of the shrimpers I spoke with had several dozen large to jumbo shrimp lining their 5 gallon buckets.
I took some more pictures and decided to try my luck on the sea trout that were just above the lights. Occasionally you could see them dart out from the depths to snag a shrimp or small bait fish from the surface.
I tossed a Creme paddletail swim bait, a Lazer eye jig, and a D.O.A. shrimp at the fish with no takers. Finally I changed over to a Johnson gold spoon and that did the trick.
I discovered that when I cast just outside of the shrimp lights and brought the spoon in about a foot under the surface, the trout couldn't let the lure alone.
I caught five fish in about a half an hour and missed three more.
All the fish were undersize and released but they were still fun to catch.
I finally got tired of messing with the trout and left the pier to the shrimpers at about 1:30 a.m.
Because of severe thunderstorm activity in the Central Florida area yesterday, my wife and I never got a chance to get out and wet a line.
This afternoon we decided to see what the water levels looked like around Shiloh Marsh Road in the Indian River.
I was hoping for a chance at a tarpon but would be happy with anything I could catch.
There is a meandering narrow creek at the uppermost part of the Indian River where tarpon occasionally inhabit and where fishermen almost never bother fishing. So, that was the first place we hit.
There was a lot of activity all along the creek but no tarpon. For the most part there were large sea trout chasing finger mullet in the shallows right up onto the bank.
I spotted a couple of slot size redfish, but never could get a lure close enough to attract a bite.
It was late in the afternoon and the temperature hovered in the high 80s. There was a brisk wind that was blowing water in the lagoon northward.
As we moved south on Shiloh Marsh Road, the water levels on the marsh side of the road were dangerously low.
Areas where we previously caught redfish, sea trout and sometimes small tarpon are now completely dried up.
One area I particularly liked to fish was dotted with dead horseshoe crabs and the odor reminded me of a Savannah crab shack.
I took some pics and we continued to scout the road looking for some fish activity.
At one stop I netted a few juvenile lady fish and a couple of mullet for bait. There were schools of bait fish moving close to shore but very few fish were chasing them.
One of the spots that we planned to fish was already taken by several wade fishermen who were casting live finger mullet.
Another good spot where we sometimes fish for bull reds was also taken by a couple of wade fishermen who even had their cooler on the water.
Our last stop turned out to be around a culvert where Karen usually catches some fish.
I tried several lures and managed to miss a couple of sea trout with a white Terror Eye D.O.A. Everything else I tossed at the fish was a waste of time.
Karen missed a couple of fish using dead shrimp but finally changed over to a 6 " live finger mullet.
Fishing today was slow and difficult due to the windy conditions but just as we were preparing to leave the area, Karen picked up a slot size sea trout shown here.
I was planning to release the fish but it was gill hooked so I decided to put it on the dinner table instead.
Hopefully, I'll get my Maverick out of the shop tomorrow so we can get into deeper water at the edges of the flats.
One of my guide friends tell me that the trout are still hitting well in the early mornings and just at dusk.
During the full moon nights, fishing is also very productive using top water plugs like Mirror Lures, Chug Bugs or Skitter Walks.
It was definitely a smokey evening on the Indian River today.
As I was driving home from Highlands, N.C. today, I heard on a 690 AM radio station out of Jacksonville a report that there were currently 3,500 wildfires burning in the state of Florida.
From Savannah, Ga. all the way to Titusville, Fl. there was smoke in the air that in some places made driving pretty hazardous.
Despite the smoke, my wife and I decided to get out and scout the north Indian River around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see if anything was happening.
I didn't get home until late, so we didn't get to the river until about 7:00 p.m.
There was a lot of smoke in the air, the wind was blowing and there was a storm brewing but despite these conditions we tried our best to catch a redfish or two.
We saw only one other vehicle in the preserve and he didn't look like he was going fishing.
Karen and I only had time to stop at a couple of our favorite locations and we made the best of it.
Karen fished dead shrimp and I tried fishing several artificial lures with no success.
I tried a gold Johnson spoon, Chug Bug, a D.O.A.TerrorEye and finally a white Creme swimbait that I found in the center console of my truck.
Although Karen had a couple of hits that she thought were sea trout; I didn't get so much as a tap until just before dusk.
I was blind casting the white Creme paddle tail swimbait all around the Indian River side of the road and finally hooked a redfish about 5 feet from the bank.
I thought I had a snag when the redfish hit, but when I saw the beautiful blue hue on it's fins I immediately knew what I had on.
The fish was about 26" long but wasn't hooked well. It spit the lure out almost immediately and took off into the deeper part of the river.
I continued casting around the spot hoping for another bite, neither Karen nor I had another hit for the rest of the evening.
Since it was getting dark and starting to rain, we decided to pack it in and head for home.
Although it was a smokey evening on the Indian River this evening, I hope the rain clears up the smoke enough to get in some decent fishing tomorrow.
The reds are still biting in the Indian River Lagoon as this picture can attest to.
This one we couldn't keep even if we wanted to. It measured in at 32 inches with the tail "squished".
The sea trout I was really targeting today didn't pay much attention to what I was offering, but the redfish were eating just fine.
This one was taken by Karen on a frozen "red shrimp" we picked up at the local fish market. She fished it under a Cajun Thunder popper rig with a 5/0 Owner hook and about two feet of 15# fluorocarbon leader.
I almost didn't get any of these deep water shrimp because of their red color, but the price was right so I picked up a 10 pound bag to eat and for bait.
Evidently the redfish didn't care too much about the color.
I'll be putting down a pallet of sod tomorrow and if I survive, I plan to try again for a gator sea trout.
Several people told me that they were murdering the Playalinda Beach whiting during the incoming tide.
Today I decided to take their advice and catch a few for dinner.
According to the solunar tables, the peak fishing period was 11:58 a.m. however I missed it by about two hours. I didn't get out to Canaveral National Seashore until about 1:30 p.m. and because of the line of cars waiting to get into the beach, it was another half hour before I actually wet a line.
I stopped at lots #8, #9, and #11 in order to see what was biting and how the fishermen were doing. For the most part no one was really taking a lot of fish.
Because of Memorial Day, there was a lot of beach activity at all the lots and except for a few serious fishermen, most of the guys I spoke with didn't know the first thing about surf fishing.
The serious fishermen I spoke with caught a variety of fish from bluefish, a few whiting, a banjo shark, a sail catfish and a bonnet head.
Unfortunately, they were leaving the beach. They said the bite had slowed down to a halt and the surf was getting a little too rough. Not really a good time to catch a mess of whiting!
Anyway, I was already here so I took some pics of the beach activity and finally wet a line at lot #9.
I baited up one of my river rods with peeled shrimp and started flipping the light rig in very shallow water, gradually moving farther out into the closest trough. Since the tide was well on its way out and the wind was blowing in, the waves were getting serious.
I had several bites in one trough but only hooked a couple small whiting before the bite stopped.
I got tired battling the waves so I decided to head home via Bio Lab road and try for a redfish or a seatrout.
There was a serious fire going on at KSC but no one seemed to know what was going on. I took some pics and moved on to Bio Lab road.
As I drove past the Whales Tail, I spotted some guides doing their thing in the shallows along with a couple of other boats trying their luck.
The water was gin clear today but the weeds were horrific. I stopped at one of my favorite wading spots and started pitching a gold Johnson spoon into the sandy holes.
Despite the weed problem, I managed to bag two slot seatrout and missed a small redfish.
I spooked several seatrout and saw some nice sized sheepshead in the shallows but since I left the shrimp in the truck I never got a chance to try for one.
After about an hour fighting the weeds, I decided to give it up and head for the hacienda.
Evidently this guy liked my gold spoon. He kept following me as I waded the shallows so I took his pic for posterity.
All in all it was a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
The windy conditions on the river today evidently prevented a lot of people from fishing. It did not however stop the wind surfers from enjoying their sport.
Despite the conditions, I decided to try my luck this afternoon on the Indian River for some redfish.
Unlike yesterday's fishing trip the fishing today proved challenging to say the least.
The temperature was in the low 90s and the wind was blowing the river into a light chop which made casting difficult. Not only that, the fish had lockjaw; Big Time!
I fished with artificial jerk baits, top water STORM Rattlin' Chug Bug - 3.25" - Gizzard Shad, SkitterWalks and finally live baits without having any outstanding results to brag about.
On the way into the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve I netted a few finger mullet and small ladyfish for bait in case the artificial lures I prefer to use didn't produce. And I'm glad I did.
If it wasn't for the live bait, I probably would have been skunked. Even with the live mullet and ladyfish, the fishing was pretty slow.
I fished three areas today. The flats around Bio Lab road, the shallows around Gator Creek Road and finally Peacocks Pocket road.
Although I spotted fish moving around in the afternoon, I couldn't get anything to bite.
The flats around Gator Creek and Bio Lab road proved to be a waste of time. Perhaps if I had tried fishing these areas later in the day, they might have produced a red or two but in the heat of the early afternoon; the fishing was pretty dismal.
About 6:30 I decided to try my luck at the Pocket. On the way in I netted some bait at a culvert and because it was later in the day I was anticipating better luck .
I drove almost half the length of the road looking for signs of fish and blind casting artificial baits with no success. There were some baitfish being busted by something big but I couldn't get them to hit my lures.
At the fourth stop I switched to a 7" ladyfish and free lined it around a milling bait pod.
After a few minutes the bait took off and I thought I had hooked a large trout. I gave the fish some line before setting the hook and immediately got a jumping fish.
Much to my surprise the fish turned out to be a longnose Garfish.
I fought the fish until it tired and then gingerly pulled it out onto the bank. I took these pics before letting it go back into the depths.
I was really surprised how well the fish fought but was disappointed it wasn't a sea trout.
I moved up the road and fished the same places Karen and I fished yesterday without getting even a nibble.
I finally moved to a place I call Snook Point, for obvious reasons and threw out my last finger mullet.
After about 15 minutes I finally hooked an under sized "Rat" redfish that swallowed the hook.
The fish was bleeding when I got it on the bank so instead of salvaging the hook, I cut the line and released the fish hoping it would survive the day.
With all the alligators I saw in the canal today; I believe that was wishful thinking.
Anyway, I took several pics of the beautiful spoonbills and egrets that were in the area before pulling up stakes and calling it a day.
The windy conditions on the river today proved to be more than I cared for.
The Peacocks Pocket redfish are on the prowl and they're hungry.
This time of year is great for chucking topwater lures to "gator" size sea trout in the shallows early in the morning and late in the afternoon, however; when you don't get time to schedule your fishing trips, its time to go after redfish.
Redfish can be caught almost any time of the day or night if you know what you're doing and provide great sport on light tackle.
After spending a couple of weeks in the mountains of North Carolina, it's great to be back in salt water.
Although I was raised in Pennsylvania and am used to fishing the limestone creeks in the Pocono Mountains for native trout, I never did get the time to wet a line in the beautiful creeks of Highlands, N.C.
This video shows the scenery and type of fishing conditions you can expect to see there.
Now to the Peacocks Pocket redfish situation.
My wife, Elmo our wonder dog and I got a late start to our favorite fishing spot.
As we entered Peacocks Pocket Road, we stopped to pick up a few 6" plus size finger mullet for bait with my cast net at the kayak and canoe launch ramp.
Since the last time we fished the area, the water levels had risen considerably; so we decided to fish some new areas just for the hell of it.
The roseate spoonbills, egrets, ibis and other waterfowl were out in mass wading the shallows for their dinner. I took some pics below.
The wind was blowing quite a bit from the west, so we fished the marsh side of the road.
My wife and I both decided to bait up with finger mullet. At the first spot we fished, there were some swirls made by bait fish, but the reds didn't seem interested.
The second and third stops provided some taps but no fish. At the third spot we tried, it was another story.
I flipped out a mullet about 7" long at a swirl that I noticed on the opposite bank and after about two minutes, the line started screaming off my spinning reel.
The fish made an inital run of about 75 yards before it decided to slow down. During the run, it went around a brush pile and I had to "baby" the fish until it finally freed itself.
After Karen brought the boca grip, I fought the redfish for about 15 more minutes before I could finally lip the fish onto the bank.
These pictures speak for themselves.
The fish measured in at almost 38" long and was one my better catches.
Karen took some more pictures of me and the fish before I released it to fight another day.
While Karen was getting me the Boca Grip so I could land my redfish, a second redfish hit the mullet on her rod but it wasn't hooked well and got off.
The wind was picking up and the weather was getting ominous so we decided to move on to another spot we call "bobcat bay".
Karen tossed out her mullet and I free lined a mullet with one rod and started casting a jerk bait with my other one.
I saw the wake of a large fish chasing some bait on a sallow point, so I chucked out the pink and green jerk bait.
Almost immediately I hooked on to a very large fish that I thought was another redfish however, when it made a half hearted jump I realized it was a huge gator sea trout.
The fish was close to the size of the redfish I caught earlier and probably would have weighed in at around 10 pounds, but after another run, the hook tore out of the fish's soft mouth.
I heard Karen shouting that she had a fish on and as I started out to help her with the fish, she yelled back that she lost it. It was another nice over size redfish.
It was beginning to get dark and as the rains started, I hooked another redfish with the finger mullet that I was free lining.
The fish tore off several yards of mono from the reel before it broke off.
I have no idea how big the redfish was but I do know it was big. When a fish pulls off that much line, that fast; it's a big fish.
Anyway, it started lightning and it was beginning to rain harder, so we decided to call it a day.
All in all, we both hooked a total of five fish and landed one.
Not bad for my first day fishing after being out of practice in Highlands, N.C.
My wife and I finally took out the Maverick out for a "shakedown cruise"; mainly because the barriers are up in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for the Endeavor space shuttle launch.
We decided to put in at the new boat launch at the Titusville Marina and head through Haulover Canal to fish the Tiger Shoals flats.
Before even getting to the ICW channel, I noticed that the gas tank was showing almost empty. Since I wasn't sure about the gauge, I decided to top off the tank at the marina.
I gassed up and almost had a heart attack. The 30 gallons of gas cost me over $140.00 at the dock. Talk about sticker shock!
Anyway, we headed up the ICW through the canal with no problems except for the trim tabs. They were not working at all, so I chalked it up as a blown fuse until I could better troubleshoot the problem.
We got to the Mosquito Lagoon and fished the flats across from the entrance to Haulover. We got a few hits from trout, but no fish. A school of dolphin was feeding nearby so we headed north to the shoals.
The fishing here could have been better but we did manage to stir up and spook a couple of schools of redfish. The fish were wary and I couldn't get within casting range so we pulled up to a spot near a drop off and put down the Power Pole.
The flats are loaded with mullet schools right now and we could see big sea trout occasionally busting up on a school.
I tried fishing a top water skitterwalk but the weeds made a good presentation almost impossible, so I moved on to fishing various colored jerk baits.
For some reason I kept missing the sea trout. I must have had at least two dozen strikes but I never actually landed a fish.
I find it hard to believe that the fish were undersize with so many big ones hitting the mullet on the surface, so I'll just chalk it up to lack of practice on my part.
My wife wanted to fish shrimp under a cork and she also kept missing trout.
She finally caught a few nice sized catfish but I got skunked on this trip. Hard to believe with all the fish out there.
Since this was a shakedown cruise we decided to head back early. It was getting much more windy and I wasn't sure how much fuel I actually had in my tank.
On the ride back through Haulover Canal, I marked several nice schools of fish on my Lowrance LMS 350A. They were running 9 to 12 feet deep with some big singles (probably big redfish or drum) just off the bottom.
As we headed back to the Titusville Marina ramp, we crossed over a wake made by a nice sport fisherman and the instrument gauge warning signal went off.
I immediately shut off the motor and checked the oil and temperature to see what the problem was.
I couldn't find anything wrong so I cranked up the Yamaha 150 and continued on.
The motor ran fine at low to mid speeds but started sputtering at high r.p.m. and the warning signal kept sounding periodically all the way back to the launch.
The motor definitely was not overheating and the oil reservoir was 3/4 full, so I loaded the boat on the trailer and took it to Mosquito Lagoon Outfitters to see what the problem is all about.
Evidently we're not the only ones with boat problems. They have at least a two week backlog.
Well what the hell. I left the boat and asked him to give me a call when he figures out what happened.
For a shakedown cruise, I guess the trip was a success. I identified three things wrong with the boat. A bad gas tank sensor, trim tab problem and a possible oil mix or thermostat problem with the engine.
The new bridge over the Indian River at Titusville will be closed two hours before and two hours after the Endeavor launch on Monday.
Despite tough fishing conditions this afternoon, I still managed to bag a few trout from the mosquito control canals in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Mothers day was hot in central Florida. The temperatures ran into the high 80s but the wind made it bearable enough for me to venture out this afternoon and try my luck.
My wife was sore from doing yard work and helping me lay a pallet of sod yesterday and to be perfectly frank, so was I.
Karen opted to stay at home and get some rest while I took off for the Indian River.
I got a late start and didn't get on the water until about 6:30 p.m.
The wind didn't let up like it usually does in the afternoon which made casting somewhat of a challenge.
Because of all the fishing pressure that the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has been getting, I decided to use my ultra light "Bill Dance" Quantum rod and reel combination that was loaded up with 6# test Red Cajun mono.
I was using a new Creme 2" green glitter paddle tail swim bait that I picked up earlier at WalMart.
Since the trout in the canals have been peppered with every kind of lure known to man, I thought that going "light" with a small bait would give me better luck and I was right.
Within 20 minutes of driving into the area, I hooked and released two slot sized trout.
Both of the fish put up a nice battle on the light line and even gave me a couple of nice jumps before giving it up.
I "jump fished" and within a couple of hundred yards managed to hook a total of six sea trout however, I only landed three of them before the sun set.
The mosquitoes were getting really nasty and a green headed horse fly thought I was dinner, so I decided to get out of the preserve.
On the way out, I spotted some top water action near a duck blind in the Indian River, so I pulled over and got out my other spinning rod that was loaded with a Bagley's "Finger Mullet" top water plug.
I tossed the plug to within a foot of the bank and the water exploded.
After a short battle, I landed the biggest sea trout of the afternoon. It measured in at 25".
Since I didn't feel like cleaning sea trout tonight, I released the fish after unceremoniously taking it's picture in the bed of my truck.
My wife usually helps me with the picture taking duties but since she stayed home, the truck bed picture was the quickest way to go.
Anyway, till next time hope you all are blessed with Tight Lines!
Late this afternoon my wife and I decided to see if the NASA folks still had the barriers up in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The shuttle launch has been rescheduled again until the 16th. so we decided to give the area a "shot".
It was late so we packed up the minimum of tackle and headed for Peacocks Pocket road to see if anything was happening.
The barriers were down so took the first open entrance.
As we stopped by one of my favorite trout fishing areas, we saw one of the wild boars that frequent the swamp in this area. He was walking around the opposite side of a salt water pond looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.
I took these pics and headed to another area to catch some trout for dinner.
We passed a half dozen gators before settling on a stretch that we usually have good luck with.
My wife Karen was fishing with frozen jumbo shrimp and I decided on a green DOA jig head and a green 4 " Strike King jerk bait in the stinger end to start with.
Even though we were fishing late in the afternoon, it had been raining in the area sporadically throughout the day and the fish didn't appear to be very active. We didn't even get to the area until about 7:00 p.m.
Walking the bank and fishing both sides of the unimproved road, I had hits from 6 sea trout using the jerk bait.
I couldn't hook a fish to save my life so I baited up a second rod with a dead shrimp and tossed it close to the opposite bank to see if I could pick up a redfish.
I switched baits and moved to a top water plug. I managed to attract a couple of half hearted smacks from small trout with the plug but again couldn't hook anything.
I was about to pull up stakes and move up the road when my other rod started bouncing up and down.
I set the hook and after a short fight landed a slot sized "rat" redfish that I took pics of and returned to grow up.
I was hoping for some top water trout action which is normally quite good this time of year, but I just couldn't hook any fish.
This large gator was sunning itself but slowly moved into the stretch of water we were fishing, so Karen and I decided to call it a day.
The mosquitoes were bad enough, but a 9 foot gator trying to sneak up on you when you're trying to land a fish is something I choose to avoid.
Anyway, I've got a pallet of sod to lay tomorrow morning but if I can still hold a fishing rod afterwards, I'll be out here again trying my luck.
Well as you all know by now, the scrubbed Endeavor Shuttle Launch on Friday disappointed not only tons of visitors including the President who drove in from all over the country to see it but also a lot of fishermen who planned to go fishing after liftoff.
The scrubbed launch pretty much killed the bank fishing in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve as well as the surf fishing at Playalinda Beach.
All the entrances to fishing areas in the Preserve will remain blocked until the powers that be find out when the problems with the shuttle can be resolved.
After my doctors appointment Friday, I hoped to video the last Endeavor liftoff and do a little "jump fishing" for redfish in the Indian River.
Instead my wife and I decided to try Shiloh Marsh Road to see if the water levels were up from a couple weeks ago.
The pictures I took speak for themselves.
The water levels in the north Indian River lagoon are extremely low. That, in addition to the brisk east wind which pushed much of the remaining water to the West shores of the river made fishing this area nearly impossible and basically a total waste of time.
There were some open culverts that were draining into the Indian River from the mosquito control canal, but the water was so shallow that no fish could take advantage of the water movement.
My wife had a couple of hits on shrimp which were probably small trout, but other than that the fish just weren't biting.
We drove over to Bairs Cove boat launch at Haulover Canal to see if anybody was having any luck only to find the Coast Guard camped out there.
There were a lot of kayaks in the canal today but it didn't appear that anybody was fishing.
The kayakers were probably there to see the Shuttle Launch.
In any event, I managed to record the afternoon's events.
I hope they take down the barriers for this weekend. The bluefish are supposed to be hitting in the surf and I know that the trout are wacking top water baits early in the morning and just at dusk.
Late Friday my wife and I managed to do a little fishing around Catfish Creek loop and even though we saw a few redfish feeding, they had absolutely no interest in anything we had to offer.
This afternoon I tried to get my wife interested in going fishing but she opted to stay at home; probably because of the lousy luck we had Friday.
I was debating on whether to go to Playalinda Beach and catch a few bluefish for dinner or hit one of the lagoons.
After checking the tide tables, I decided that the lagoon was a better bet; so I packed a few rods, my cast net and my trusty Nikon to see what was hitting.
Since it was almost 6:30 p.m. I headed for the closest fishing hole to get the most out of what was left of the day.
I passed two culverts before I saw any finger mullet that looked worthwhile to cast to and then only got three for my efforts.
Because it was late I didn't bother wasting any more time with the mullet; instead I slowly cased the canal and river on both sides of the unimproved road.
I spooked several redfish before I finally decided to stay with the spot that Karen and I fished on Friday.
I've learned through experience that the reds constantly run the shorelines of both the Indian River and the canal so I stopped the car, baited up with a finger mullet and free lined one rod on the river side.
The air temperature was 85 degrees when I started and there wasn't much wind to cool anything down.
I pulled out one of my other rods and started fan casting a blue Creme paddle tail swim bait on both sides of the road with no luck.
I didn't particularly care to get skunked like we did on Friday, so I switched to a top water plug and started "walking the dog".
On the fourth cast my luck changed and I picked up the slot size sea trout pictured here.
It seems like the sea trout are finally hitting topwater baits like they are supposed to this time of the year.
Even though I was fishing for redfish, I'll never turn down a nice sea trout.
I was going to keep the fish for dinner but I didn't feel like cleaning anything tonight so I released it.
About the time I resumed casting, the drag on the rod with the live mullet started making noise.
I let the fish run a little before setting the hook but somehow managed to miss a nice redfish of about 30". The fish sloshed around once and took off to parts unknown.
I put on the second finger mullet and almost immediately picked up another large sea trout pictured below.
I caught this fish in the canal and it almost got away by heading into the brush along the bank. This trout was a little over 23" and I again returned it to fight another day.
I set out the last finger mullet and continued walking the top water plug with my other rod.
After a short time I picked up another nice sea trout again about 22" which I returned.
About the time it was getting dark and time to leave, a fellow fisherman who I met on Friday showed up and pulled over to talk about the fishing.
Don was wading around the "duck blind" farther up the road and although he saw fish tailing, they apparently weren't interested in eating.
We fished together for a short while until the mosquitoes started eating me up. It never amazes me how they get accustomed to mosquito spray. I think they think its perfume.
Anyway, it was getting dark and I decided to call it a day.
As I was heading out towards Peacocks Pocket boat launch, I saw a huge fish swirl on some baitfish.
I stopped the truck and pulled out my other rod that had a Storm Rattlin' Chug Bug - 3.25" - Gizzard Shad on it and shot a cast upstream from where the fish had busted on the baitfish.
On the third pop the water exploded and a gator trout smashed the lure and jumped right out of the water.
The fish put up a great fight and after about 10 minutes or so I landed this 29 incher below. It actually measured in at a little over 29".
Anyway, I was going to take it home to eat but she was loaded with roe so I released the fish to fight another day. What the hell, a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll eat a ham sandwich instead of a fish sandwich.
Tomorrow is Easter so if I don't get out, have a happy Easter and keep a Tight Line!
After almost getting skunked yesterday, Karen and I almost didn't bother going fishing today.
However, after I finished up with some chores, we decided to try some other areas we that we haven't fished in a while.
Since I had a lifetime pass to Playalinda Beach and hadn't been to the beach lately, we decided to check out the fishing and possibly catch some whiting if the conditions were right.
The weather was beautiful but the wind was whipping up the waves. A perfect day for surfers but not for fishermen.
We stopped first at lot #6 where I took these pics. There were virtually no fishermen in the area but lots of bathers and surfers.
We drove on to Eddy Creek and saw only a few catfish and small trout being caught so we moved on up to lot #9 where the fishermen usually catch fish.
I took these pics and after talking to some of the guys who were fishing, decided to pass on the surf fishing.
When the tide was coming in some nice bull whiting were being caught, but as the waves became more difficult to fish, almost everyone was "packing it in" for the afternoon.
These guys were the exception and were still catching whiting.
Elmo was getting antsy, so I took some pics of the last space shuttle that will ever launch from this pad and decided to take Bio Lab road along the Mosquito Lagoon out to our next spot.
I stopped to net some finger mullet for bait but couldn't get close enough for a good cast. I foolishly tried one half hearted cast into the wind at a school that wasn't nearly close enough before giving up and moving on up the road.
As we got close to the Bio Lab boat launch, we saw a group of fishermen who were thoroughly enjoying themselves out in the Mosquito Lagoon,lounging on their chairs and fishing with live finger mullet.
I just had to take this pic.
I was about to call it a day but Karen wanted to give one of our spots on the Indian River one last try if it wasn't too windy to cast.
As we came into Catfish Creek Loop I managed to net enough finger mullet for bait at one of the culverts.
We drove on up the road to the spot where she wanted to fish.
Karen stayed with her dead shrimp and bobber combo while I tossed out two live finger mullet baits. One was free lined and the other held on bottom with a 1 oz. sliding sinker rig.
As a car came by, Karen called me to make sure that Elmo was in the car.
I went to the car but he wasn't anywhere. I quickly realized that Elmo was still sitting where I netted the finger mullet for bait.
Karen was frantic and threw her rod into the truck as I backed down the road.
About 20 yards down the road I saw Elmo looking to find us. I opened the door and he flew into the truck with an incredulous look on his face that we would actually leave him like that.
After scolding him for not staying in the truck we moved back to our spot where my rods were still out.
Despite the wind, it was only about 10 minutes before a nice fat redfish picked up the freelined mullet bait and headed upstream.
After a really decent fight, I Boca Gripped the fish to the bank, took some pics and returned the fish to fight another day.
The fish measured in just over the slot at 29".
As I put on another mullet I heard Karen yell that she had a good redfish on.
I pulled out my trusty Nikon camera and took these videos of her landing a 31" redfish. As they say; "A picture is worth a thousand words".
These two fish made up for the lousy fishing we had on Friday.
After I put her fish back, I walked back to where my other rod was and lost another redfish.
Since I hadn't bothered to bring any aireation along, the mullet I netted were all dead. So, I hooked up a 7" mullet and punched some holes in its guts to get the juices flowing and pitched it into another area where I saw a fish swirl.
After about 5 minutes or so I hooked onto another nice fat redfish that put up a good fight. This fish was just at the slot and almost made it to the dinner table tonight.
Instead I opted to put the fish back to fight another day.
Karen and I were getting eaten up by the mosquitoes and it was getting late, so we decided to head on up the road and call it a day.
The full moon over the Space Center will probably keep the reds eating throughout the night.
Anyway, it was A Nice Day For Redfish and today's fishing excursion definitely made up for yesterday's less than stellar trip.
I'm not sure I can get out tomorrow so until next time, Tight Lines to you all.
After a long drive home, my wife and I decided to scout out Peacocks Pocket to see what people were catching.
Although we didn't get out until about 6:00 p.m. we were hoping to catch some reds or at least a couple of sea trout.
We entered from the east entrance to the shallow water boat launch and stopped briefly at several spots without having even a bite.
The air temperature was still in the low 80s and there was a chop on the Indian River.
Karen was fishing with frozen jumbo shrimp and I was tossing a blue Creme paddle-tail swim bait, a gold Johnson's spoon and several other artificial baits.
Karen was getting bites but losing whatever was hitting and I never got a tap.
We kept moving until we hit "bobcat bay" where we met up with R. Morgan, a very polite Fish & Game officer who checked our licenses but couldn't give us much information on where the fish were biting.
He only said that the fishing in this area was in cycles and that it would eventually pick up.
He left but the fishing never did get any better so we moved to another spot at a culvert.
I saw a small pod of finger mullet scattering for their lives, so I flipped my paddletail lure to the opposite bank and twitched it off the bottom.
After several hops, what I believe was a gator sea trout grabbed the lure and pulled a couple of yards of drag off my reel before the hook pulled out.
I was using 12# Cajun Red main line and about 3 feet of 15# fluorocarbon leader.
I made several dozen casts to the area but never got another hit.
Since it was getting dark and the mosquitoes were eating Elmo, Karen and myself almost to death; we decided to pack it in for the evening and call it a day.
The Indian River redfish bite north of the Peacocks Pocket shallow boat launch has been reported good by wade fishermen and kayakers.
Unfortunately, I spent most of this weekend laying sod in our front yard and painting the house.
Late Saturday, my wife and I took a brief run around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to get some pics of the area and talk to some fishermen about their catches.
There was a carnival was in town complete with Ferris wheel, tilt a whirl, and the usual array of vendors so we thought the area would be mostly free of vehicle traffic.
We were wrong! The area was loaded with sightseers, fishermen, sun worshippers, and people just generally enjoying the beautiful day.
Most of the people we encountered fishing from the bank weren't having much luck.
They were catching stingrays, catfish, and a few small trout.
We did see several groups of fishermen who were wading out and staking out their rods in the shallow water just shy of where the water drops off from the flats.
Most of them were using live finger mullet and a couple of them were pitching jerkbaits.
We saw several of these fishermen reeling in redfish and black drum.
Apparently, fishing the dropoffs near dusk is the ticket to success.
I took some pics of kayakers who were scoring sea trout using live shrimp and finger mullet.
Karen and I did stop at the "duck blind" area for a few minutes and managed to pick up a couple of stingrays on dead shrimp, that we thought were tailing redfish.
In any event, the water on the canal side of the road was dead calm with no fish visible.
The river side was just as calm until you reach the deeper water areas.
Since I was dog tired and aching from laying sod; I took these pics and proceeded to the local Subway shop for a couple of subs before heading home.
I've got some house painting tomorrow, so I probably won't be on the water.
Finally, after two days of lousy luck, my duck blind redfish broke the streak I was on.
Karen and I didn't get out today until about 4:30, so we again headed for the closest fishing location which happened to be Peacocks Pocket road.
We briefly stopped at two locations where I spotted fish swirling on baitfish near the bank, but the fish had lockjaw and were very spooky.
Our second stop at Catfish Creek Loop was cut short by a large gator that was creating a problem for Karen. The gator kept following her on the bank where ever she stopped to fish.
As we left that area, we spotted the gator below sunning itself on the bank. This one was a bit larger than the one that kept following Karen.
It was getting late and the gnats were starting to really bother Elmo our wonder dog, so we decided to try fishing an area we call the "duck blind".
I was flipping a white D.O.A. ® C.A.L. Jerk Bait on a green jig head with little success. Although I had a few taps from sea trout, I never did get a hit from a redfish.
I switched to a large fresh dead shrimp, as did Karen and after only about five minutes or so watched the line peel off my spinning reel.
The fish put up a nice battle and immediately headed for some stickups. I managed to lead the fish back to open water and after a few minutes landed it on the bank.
It measured in at 25" and if it wasn't for Karen would have been on the dinner table this evening.
She wanted to release it and because I didn't particularly want to clean the fish, it lived to fight another day.
I missed two more reds within 15 minutes of catching the first one and landed a catfish before we decided to head for home.
The no see ums were killing me, Elmo and my wife to a lesser degree.
Skin So Soft worked for her but Elmo and I didn't bother putting any on.
Anyway, I took some pics of the area and this beautiful sunset before calling it an evening.
My "duck blind redfish" finally broke the "skunk" I've been on for the past couple of days.
If you ever wondered how Gator Creek got its name, wonder no longer!
After some pretty severe rainstorms this past week, my wife and I decided to hit Gator Creek and Peacocks Pocket road to check out the water levels and possibly catch a trout or two.
As we entered Gator Creek road, it was obvious that the water levels had risen substantially. Areas we were in last week that were high and dry, were now covered with at least a foot of water.
After driving in from Vidalia, Ga. I didn't care too much about fishing so I contented myself taking pictures of the area wildlife.
Karen wanted to try her luck, so we stopped in a couple of her favorite locations where she had caught redfish last week.
She tossed out her favorite shrimp/bobber combination and I grabbed my Nikon to take some pics.
April is noted for showers, but in Florida it also kicks off the alligator breeding season.
We spotted several gators as we drove into the refuge and when we stopped to fish, a couple of aggressive gators made their way to where Karen was fishing.
I took some short videos of them trying to intimidate each other and her, below.
The gator to the right was active and the smaller of the two; about 8 feet long. The other gator was longer than the first and remained motionless until the battery in my camera gave out. Then both of the gators swam off after each other to parts unknown.
Karen didn't have much luck catching anything in the area, so we moved to another spot where there weren't any gators to mess up the fishing.
We passed several smaller gators on the marsh side of the road and fished several culverts without any luck to speak of.
Finally after catching a couple of sea trout, we had enough of the mosquitoes and called it an evening.
After counting at least a dozen alligators in the area, it was obvious to us how Gator Creek got its name.
Tomorrow, we plan to scout out the Shiloh Marsh road area of the north Indian River to see how the rain affected the water levels in the marsh.
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