Chilly Day For Redfish

Sunday turned out to be a chilly day for redfish but they were biting pretty decent in the river and in the marsh areas of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I wasn't sure I was going to wet a line today because I'm coming down with a chest cold or something, but I decided to go fishing anyway.

My wife went horseback riding so I packed up some casting and spinning rods and headed for Catfish Creek Loop road where I saw some guys catching reds yesterday.

I decided to fish with ladyfish chunks so I went about catching a ladyfish for bait.

At the first set of culverts where I usually pick up a fish or two, the water was crystal clear and there didn't seem to be any fish in the vicinity.

I drove down the road past a marsh creek and started casting a gold
Johnson The Original Sprite Spoon to see if I could come up with a ladyfish or two.

This is the same area where I occasionally pick up some reds as they cruise the shallow marsh canal into the pond.

After several casts into the deeper marsh canal, I started pitching the spoon past a shallow point into the pond hoping for a possible redfish.

As luck would have it I hooked into this nice red on the second cast into the shallows.

I was using one of the baitcasting rods I bought Friday and the fish was a perfect test for it's effectiveness.

The red was bigger than I thought and it made several long runs into the shallow pond before I could finally lip it onto the bank.

I took a couple of pictures for this site and measured the fish before releasing it back into the pond.

The male redfish measured in at 29" and was beautifully colored from the tannin water.

I tried several more casts to see if I could pick up another red but the commotion put down any other fish in the immediate area, so I moved up the road and continued casting for a ladyfish.

It only took a few more casts before I landed what was to become my bait for the afternoon.

Neil Clark and his wife drove past me while I was casting for bait and we chatted a while before he moved on to the spot he was catching fish yesterday.

I followed him to the same general area where I planned to fish chunked ladyfish.

I almost never bait fish but this afternoon the wind was whipping up so I decided to park by butt and bank fish with Neil and his wife.

I opted to fish two bait casters and rigged them up with enough weight to cast the ladyfish chunks.

After pitching out both baits, Neil came over and we shot the breeze a bit to pass the time.  This is why I don't like still fishing.   For me it's boring as hell but I decided to give it a shot.

After about half an hour or so the short rod with 10# test Cajun Line got a hit.

The tip bobbed and I briefly had the fish on but the hook wasn't set and it got off after a brief tussle.

The other rod jerked but I didn't think anything was on the line so I let it set.

After a while, I got bored and pulled in the rig with a bare hook.  No bait.  Not a plan for catching fish!

I re-baited and continued waiting.

Meanwhile, Neil picked up a redfish on a chunk of ladyfish.  After a brief fight he landed the fish that measured in at a long 22".   Notice the nifty measuring board he has mounted on the tailgate of his truck!

I took some pics that unfortunately didn't turn out as good as I hoped.  The lens was clouded up because of the difference in temperatures inside the car and I didn't discover it until it was too late.

Anyway, below is the best one that I could salvage.

The wind continued to blow and I was getting cold.  About this time my wife called and I decided to call it a day.

I don't mind bank fishing when the weather is right and the fish are biting, but as the temperature dropped the fishing also slowed down.

As I reeled in both rods, the air temperature was 69 degrees but with the wind, it felt like 59.

It was definitely a chilly day for redfish and I told Neil I had enough fun for one day.

I'm taking vacation this week and hope to make it to the Keys if I don't get sick.

Till next time, Tight Lines.