Topwater Action In The Marsh

Some topwater action in the marsh was my original plan for this afternoon's fishing trip to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, but I didn't get a chance to get out until around 6:30 pm.

I originally planned on fishing Patillo Creek but the area wasn't completely open to vehicle traffic.

Friday on the way home from work, I decided to take a detour to see if Shiloh Marsh road was open for vehicle traffic.

I took the Scottsmoor exit on I-95 and headed up to the unimproved road only to find that there was still a barrier across the road.  Although I was happy to see that the "powers that be" fixed the potholes that were all over the road up to that point, I wasn't happy about the road being closed.

This time of the year is killer for the really big bull redfish that inhabit this area of the Indian River but it can't be fished without a boat unless he road is open.

I saw four trucks parked at the barrier and talked to one guy who was pulling two kayaks across the gravel to launch.  He said the reds were hitting pretty good on finger mullet, shrimp and cut baits.

Anyway, I turned around and made a mental note to take my Gheenoe next time I decide to make the trip.

I drove towards Haulover Canal and headed into Patillo Creek to see if this section was open.

As I neared the road I was happy to see that the barrier was down and the road was open.

I drove as far as I could in both directions to scout out the area and found no one else around.

It was absolutely peaceful and did spot a couple of redfish in the large pond at the first culvert.

This afternoon when I finally got to Peacocks Pocket road, the first person I saw was a friend of mine who fishes the area about as much as I do.  He was pulling in a slot redfish that he picked up on a live finger mullet under a small float.

I briefly stopped and asked if he had any luck anywhere else in the refuge and he told me about a bait stealing red that he just couldn't seem to hook.

The area where he was fishing was at the first culvert in the refuge and this was the first time I saw anyone catch a red from this area.  Most of the time I catch sea trout and ladyfish.

I moved up the road while there was still light and decided on fishing topwater baits.

I spotted a total of five redfish but they all had a bad case of lockjaw.

In the hour that I had to fish the area, I stopped at five locations and picked up two sea trout on a blue and silver Chug Bug and one trout on a Berkley Fire Tiger paddle tail bait.

All the reds I spotted were busting baitfish on the opposite bank of the marsh canal and probably could have been fooled with a live mud minnow or finger mullet.

One thing was certain, they were in no mood for the Chug Bug, gold spoon or paddle tail baits I was tossing to them.

The trout started hitting the Chug Bug just as it started getting dark and when the wind started slowing down.

I apologize for the lousy pics but both my Nikon Coolpix and Samsung cameras are in the shop for repairs and I'm still in the learning curve with my IPhone.  Evidently I'm tough on cameras.

I hope to get out again tomorrow and give Patillo Creek a try.

Till then, Tight Lines.