Rainy Day On The Indian River

Even though it was a rainy day on the Indian River, I still had to get out and give my new lure a try.

I lost my hammered Bagley spoon yesterday in the brush and replaced it with a 1/2 oz. Red King gold hammered spoon that I picked up at Bass Pro Shops in Savannah.

As I crossed the newly opened A. Max Brewer fixed span bridge, I wasn't particularly interested in a long drive out to the Mosquito Lagoon, so I opted for the closest fishing location on the Indian River.

Fortunately in Florida, good fishing is pretty much everywhere.

I cruised around Gator Creek Road and headed towards Catfish Creek Loop.

Along the way I managed several casts into "fishy" looking water that my wife and I normally don't stop to fish. Today she wanted to work on a stained glass lionfish project instead of wetting a line with me. She has been disappointed lately with her lack of luck fishing with dead shrimp.

After the third stop, I was using a small Johnson Sprite gold spoon in an area where the water was only about a foot deep and hooked up to my first fish. It was a small redfish just under the slot limit that took the spoon on a moderate retrieve.

It was about 4:30 pm, the air temperature was 73 degrees and it was raining sporadically when the fish smacked the lure. I put a tape on it and it only measured 17", so I took a picture and returned it to the tannin colored waters it came from.

I was driving slowly down the road looking for telltale fish sign, stopping when the rain let up enough for me to cast and not drown. I was continuously switching rods and lures trying to give the fish every opportunity to eat when I picked up my second redfish on the new Red King spoon.

This fish was smaller than the first red and didn't put up much of a battle so I released it and moved on to another spot near the exit to Catfish Creek loop.

Several casts with a green DOA CAL jig head and green cyberflexxx jerkbait combo netted me a nice 17" sea trout.

I was going to keep the fish for dinner but decided instead to release the fish. The fish weren't biting as well as I had hoped and I didn't want to just kill one fish for the table.

Several casts later with the same lure, I picked up another sea trout in the slot but a bit smaller than the first. I guess I should have kept the first fish.

It started raining harder and everybody seemed to be leaving the area. I couldn't really blame them cause the conditions were getting downright miserable.

I moved about a mile up the road into an area where my wife and I usually have pretty good luck with the redfish.

After several casts and a couple of missed strikes with the jerkbait, I switched to the
Johnson Sprite Gold Spoon. The weather was letting up a bit and I noticed several huge wakes coming towards me in the marsh side of the road.

I waited until the fish were just in casting distance and lobbed my spoon so it would pass in front of the lead fish. The lead fish ignored the lure but another fish in the small school nailed the spoon and just about yanked the rod out of my hands.

The fish was a huge black drum that looked about 30" or so. The fish sloshed around in the shallow water and after a second or two tossed the lure back to me. Evidently the barb wasn't set deep enough, anyway I retrieved the lure and started running after the school of drum.

You could hear them drumming in the water from the bank. I managed a couple of casts to the fish but they were in no mood to take a look at another lure and continued on their way.

It was getting dark and after many casts to likely spots in several other areas, I never got another hit on anything so I decided to call it a day.

On the way out, I saw two guys out on the Indian River shallows in a trolling motor powered canoe releasing a redfish that looked to be oversize. They had to be miserable in the rain but they were catching fish and that's what counts!

If they happen to read this, I'd appreciate a comment on the fishing.

Anyway, as I left the preserve it was dark and when I got to the new bridge I just had to take a nighttime pic.

I'm used to seeing shrimpers on the old bridge on my way home from my fishing ventures, but this evening the old bridge and roadway were closed.

Both of the new fishing piers and restaurant were also closed to the public.

I know of several die hard shrimpers who are going to be raising all hell until they finish the destruction and renovation of the old swing bridge.

In any event, maybe the fishing will be better tomorrow. My wife said the temperature is supposed to be in the low 70s, so I don't anticipate another rainy day on the Indian River.

Till then

Tight Lines!