Black Drum Are In The Haulover Canal!

The Haulover Canal fishermen have been scarfing up on black drum this week both in and out of a boat.

My friend Steve picked up eight drum over 25 inches long and a bull redfish 47 inches long, using a friend's boat at the Titusville, Fl. end of the canal, in just under two hours this past week.

He said he was using was old jumbo shrimp heads for bait on a # 5 hook and was fishing the deep drop at the mouth of the canal, with a heavy duty boat rod. I guess the odor of dead shrimp is what attracted the bruisers.

Cut mullet, shrimp, crabs, and clams fished on the bottom, also does the trick on attracting these line busters.

My wife and I drove through the Merrit Island National Wildlife Preserve today, to check out the water level around the peacock pocket area. The winds have driven the

water leve l up considerably. We spotted some fish chasing bait into th e newly submerged shallows, but nothing was touching my lures.

The wind surfers were having a ball in the Indian River near Parrish Park, but the windy conditions hampered any real fishing activity. Check out the pics.

Other than two other vehicles we saw in the preserve, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

One couple that we saw fishing in bobcat cove, caught a nice drum and a couple of catfish, but other than that, no one seemed to be doing much.

We hit Haulover Canal late in the afternoon, and other than a few mangrove snapper didn't have much luck. The current was rushing towards the Mosquito Lagoon end of the canal at a pretty good clip, and even with surf rods and 4 oz. sinkers, we couldn't hold bottom long enough to get a decent bite.

Some anglers were picking up a few snapper here and there but for today, we didn't see any black drum or redfish caught.

There is a spot redfish tournament on the books for April 4th. in Titusville that will probably load up the boat ramp parking lots next weekend.

If the rains start as predicted tomorrow afternoon, and continues through the week, we're looking forward to a good tournament next weekend.

Till then, tight lines!

April Gator Trout Fishing

Early spring fishing in central Florida's Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River systems is noted for producing huge Gator trout. In normal years, April would hail the mullet migration into the estuaries, however this year the silver schools may be running a bit late.

The abnormally low water levels that we experienced this year, cleaned out the river system and produced the crystal clear waters which is good for the estuary.

The February and March low water conditions provided some incredible sight fishing opportunities for gator sea trout in the sandy pockets of the Mosquito Lagoon's grass flats, and also for early morning tailing redfish on the shallow flats.

The fly fishermen in particular did quite well, using stealthy approaches, and making long casts, to fish in crystal clear water less than a foot deep, in many locations.

If the rains begin on time, and the water levels start rising,we should see some great trout fishing this April.

Egg laden female gator trout of up to 3 feet long will be spawning in the shallows before the new and full moons and chasing silver mullet schools all over the place. This is really the best time of year for anyone interested in snagging a trophy trout.

Early morning and late evening fishing with top water skitter walks or chug bug lures will get you some action with the trout and redfish if they are in the area.

Don't forget the huge schools of redfish. The rising water usually draws slot size schools of reds into the shallow flats to feed. Larger "bull redfish" are often cruising the sand bars and deeper areas just off the flats.

As the sun warms the water, you can easily see the redfish tailing in the shallows and grabbing a bite to eat.

I am eagerly waiting for April's showers .....

Tight lines to you all!

Shuttle Launch Sport Shrimping

The space shuttle Discovery launched this evening on the Space Coast without a hitch and as usual for evening missions, lit up the Indian River as the shrimpers were assembling their long handled shrimp nets.

I didn't bring my camera for any new pics, however I took the opportunity to ask several shrimpers about their activities.

The gent's I spoke with all said about the same thing. The shrimp were definately running and they were huge. One gent said he dipped 250 shrimp "the other night" and they were all from 6" to 10" long.

The other guys said about the same thing but with differing quantities. Everyone else I spoke with also said the shrimp they caught were over 6 inches long.

If there wasn't so much traffic right now down by the river, I'd consider bring my old net and a couple of lights and give it a try. Seven or eight shrimp would just about do me for a good dinner.

Well maybe next week.

Tight lines and heavy shrimp buckets to all!

Haulover Canal Manatees

A windy day on the Mosquito Lagoon didn't make for much fun fishing. Coming back from the Lagoon we decided to check out the Haulover Canal area for some possible action.

Unfortunately, the current in the canal was moving pretty fast and my wife and I were not really prepared for that kind of fishing. It probably would have taken at least a 4 oz. sinker to hold bottom, and with the light spinning gear we brought, it was almost impossible to chuck a sinker out that far without busting the 10 lb. lines we were using.


My wife and I drove to the boat launch and were pleased to see at least 20 manatee munching on the sea grasses found there. The weather was cooling down and the manatee were congregating around the seawall and walkway next to the ramp.

Several were sporting prop wounds on their tails and one on it's back. Unfortunately not everyone heeds the slow motor, no wake zone in and around the canal. These were the lucky ones. Every year thoughtless boaters run across the backs of these gentle creatures.

Till next time, tight lines!

Indian River Shrimping Report

Well the Indian River shrimpers were at it again this evening with mixed results.

It was a beautiful clear evening with a half moon that provided great visibility on the river.

My wife, my wonder dog Elmo, and I drove through the preserve area to check out the water level before going to where the shrimpers were doing their thing. The water is still very low on the Indian River, so we decided on taking a boat ride tomorrow to catch fish, if the weather holds.

When we got to the bridge, we saw about 30 people hanging over the railings trying to dip out their limits of shrimp.

I questioned several "regulars" about their success. The general theme was that the shrimp were not running like they were in previous years, however, the shrimp that were being caught were medium to jumbos in size. One gentleman I spoke with, as he was packing up to leave, said that the shrimpers in the boats were doing better than people on the bridge.

I did notice when we drove past the Marine Patrol station, that about twenty boat trailers were parked under the lights. Based on the number of boats out this evening, I can only assume the guy on the bridge knew what he was talking about.

Another shrimper said that the shrimping up north in Oak Hill ICW was a lot better than in Titusville, but that the shrimp were much smaller. He told me that he and his neighbor dipped four gallons last Friday during the tide change but they were small.

There were the usual schools of trout chasing shrimp and small bait fish over and around the shrimp lights.

Not being one to pass up an opportunity, I decided to catch a few.

I pulled out my fishing rod and caught several medium sized trout on a D.O.A. Terror Eye before I decided to call it a night. It was like being in a fish hatchery! Fish were everywhere.

Here are some pictures you might enjoy. I tried to get some shots of the trout swimming over the lights. Unfortunately only a couple were viewable. You can make out several good sized trout in one of the shots.

With any kind of luck I'll have a fishing report for tomorrow. Tight lines!

What Do You Need To Go Sport Shrimping?

Sport shrimping takes a lot of gumption during the winter months. If you don't believe me, try standing on a bridge half the night, looking over the railing with the wind blowing, and the temperature in the low 40's trying to dip a bunch of shrimp into a 5 gal. bucket.

Did you get the picture? Not quite.

The flip side of sport shrimping is that from October to late April, when the shrimp are supposed to be "really running", between the new and full moon phases, you will have a lot of camaraderie. Hundreds of shrimpers visit Central Florida's ICW bridges annually to take advantage of our unique shrimping sport fishery.

Like any other activity, when you try it, shrimping gets into your blood and tends to become as addictive as sport fishing, or sky diving. (Both sports native to the Titusville, Fl. area.)

When you DO become a dedicated sport shrimper, you will need some basic equipment to get your 5 gallon bucket limit.

A long handled circular dip net is a must for bridge shrimping. The regulars have learned to add extra handle lengths and reinforce the nets with tape to keep them from separating at the seams.

An array of home made or commercially purchased shrimp lights will be needed along with a power source to light up the water column. Lanterns are used in some areas, however underwater lights are preferred by the Indian River Lagoon shrimpers.

Most seasoned shrimpers use the small Honda type portable generators to power up to six underwater lights. When only one or two lights are placed out, a 12 volt battery can be used as a power source. The battery doesn't last very long when more than a couple of low voltage lights are used plus it's a pain to transport.

Shrimp traps are also used by some shrimpers. The rules and regulations for using them can be found HERE.

Finally, a 5 gallon bucket is needed to transport your shrimp. Florida allows one 5 gallon bucket per person per day as a "bag" limit. That's a bunch of shrimp!

When you become an addict to sport shrimping, you will want to customize your nets, traps, lighting arrays and start paying more attention to the Farmer's Almanac and tide charts.

Yes folks, it is addictive. I was out Friday and Saturday night to check it out, and despite the complaints from the "old timers" that "the run wasn't neer as good as last years" there were still a ton of sport shrimpers on both sides of the bridge having a great time.

Tight lines to all.