Lousy Bank Fishing

Went to the Haulover Canal on Saturday and tried for some of the 30 pound plus redfish that live there, with no results.

I was using half of a ladyfish for bait on two surf rods with 60# Power Pro, 4 oz. egg sinkers and 30# fluorocarbon leaders snelled to 5/0 Owner circle hooks.

The hurricane evidently shut down the bite for the big bull redfish that usually run up and down the canal.

All around the area, waders, boaters and bank fishermen alike weren't doing so well either.

It should be noted that most of the drives were roped off by the NASA people either because of an upcoming shuttle launch, or the high water conditions.

The Black Point wildlife drive was apparently open, but the adjacent drive, which is a redfish hot spot was closed to vehicle traffic as of Saturday afternoon.

Oh well, at least the wildlife was available for some nice pics.....

Tight Lines to all!

Nice August Redfish

Here is a close up of the slot redfish my wife picked up just at dusk.

The bait of choice was a large dead shrimp under a Cajun Thunder bobber rig.

Nice Evening Slot Redfish

Went to the Catfish Creek area with my wife and wonder dog Elmo to take a little ride.

My wife caught the fish and I took the pics.

Nice slot redfish; they were coming into the mud covered shallows after mud minnows.

Karen caught this one on a dead shrimp near dusk; which is the best time to fish for them this time of year.

Till next time,

Tight Lines!

Haulover Canal Bull Redfishing

The Bull Redfish in the pics below were caught in Central Florida's Haulover Canal.
The first fish measured over 44 inches in length, and since I had no scale with me, I have no idea of the weight. You be the judge.

It was caught on a Tournament surf rod and Okuma Coronado Saltwater Spinning Reel spooled with 60# power pro braid.

A 5/0 circle hook on 30# florocarbon on a sliding sinker rig finished off the tackle.

I used a 13 inch ladyfish for bait, with the tail cut off to prevent spinning.

I have found that any very large live or fresh dead bait works well in the canal. Live pin fish or croaker are especially good during the heat of summer.

This fish put up about a 30 minute battle on the heavy gear, and provided several good runs (actually more like one extended bulldog run) before giving up.

After reviving and releasing the bruiser, I hooked a clone to this fish on my other surf rod, rigged with 30# tackle and a finger mullet for bait.

That fish put up a slightly longer fight with the same results. The Bull Redfish was totally played out and I had to spend little more time reviving her. I try not to play my fish too long, especially in warmer water.

The porpoises in the canal will quickly pounce on anything injured or remotely acting like a meal.
Summertime in central Florida is great fishing if you know how and when to fish. The flats are great to fish very early in the mornings, however, the bite usually subsides before 10 o'clock.

Evenings are also good fishing until about 10 or 11 o'clock, if you can stand the mosquitos.

I also like mid-day fishing in deeper waters, like the canal, for the really large fish that love the cooler waters of the depths.

The best time to fish is late afternoon, or when the tide in the canal changes.

The best baits, in my opinion are large live pin fish or any really large chunk of dead bait. I favor larger baits for larger fish. I intensely dislike unhooking catfish and rays that attack the small stuff. When I get a bite.....it's usually worth the wait.

Hope my experiences help with your success.

Tight lines to all...