The Black Drum Are In The Creeks

After taking care of some work around the house, my wife and I decided on the spur of the moment to go fishing and try and catch some Black Drum.

It was around 4:00 pm before we finally loaded the truck and headed for the Indian River.  

We decided to hit the local bait shop to pick up some live shrimp,  so we stopped at Captain Hooks on Garden Street and picked up a baker's dozen of "bombers".  

These are super size shrimp in the jumbo  plus category that are great for gator sea trout, snook and big redfish.  

I didn't have a bait bucket so we used the cooler I brought along to keep our drinks in.  

We drove into Gator Creek road and into Catfish Creek Loop and decided to fish a point where I have caught reds in the past.

I baited up a jumbo shrimp for Karen on her spinning outfit,  then set out three bait casting rods  with live and dead shrimp and sat down to wait.  (Not one of my better traits.)

After a few minutes I had a hit on the rod with a smelly shrimp on it but missed whatever was dumb enough to try and eat it.

I re-baited with a live shrimp and after several minutes picked up an undersize spotted sea trout which I quickly released.  Shortly after that, I landed another sea trout that was the smallest I ever caught in salt water.  The little trout was no longer than 6 " and when Karen wanted to take my picture with the trout, I quickly vetoed the idea.

While I was unhooking the little trout, Karen hooked a black drum on a bait casting rod I asked her to watch.  

The fish put up a "sloshing" fight that was atypical of a drum and when she landed the fish we knew why.  The juvenile drum had its tail removed by some predator, probably a dolphin looking looking for a drum dinner.

Tailless Drum

Tailless Black Drum

I took a couple of pics of the tailless fish before  releasing it.

In the next half hour just as dusk was on us, I hooked and released two more black drum and another as it got dark.  All the drum were caught on either live shrimp or some smelly dead shrimp I brought along that was cluttering up the freezer.

We released all the fish and when it got too dark to see, we decided to head for home.   Except for the one black drum that Karen landed, she never got a hit on the live "bomber" shrimp she was using.

Apparently I was in a small school that was just a few feet away from where she had her rod staked out.  The other two bait casting rods I had out never got a hit either and they were to the right and left of where I was catching fish.

We were hoping to catch a redfish, but I couldn't complain about the fishing.  The tally was two sea trout and three black drum in the 22' to 25" range.

After I get through with my projects tomorrow, we'll probably go out again and wet a line or two.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Catfish Creek Was Hot This Evening

The bank fishermen around Catfish Creek were catching this evening, not just fishing.

When my wife asked me to pick up a prescription for her, I packed up a few rods and took Elmo and Odie along for a spin around Catfish Creek in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

As we crossed the A. Max Brewer Bridge it looked like everyone had at least one fishing rod out in the river.

I drove around Catfish Creek and stopped to talk to several fishermen to see what was biting and what the fish were biting on.

The first guy I spoke with was landing a slot size redfish as I drove up to him.  He and almost everyone I spoke with was using shrimp for bait, and catching either slot size and under Redfish, or slot size Black Drum.

 I didn't want to waste his time so I drove up the road and talked with another couple who were fishing a culvert.  They said they had just got there and were using shrimp for bait.

I brought along three rods this evening each tipped with different lures but I didn't expect to do much fishing with the dogs along. Elmo usually chills out in the back seat but Odie is a handful and has to explore and watch everything that is going on.

The air temperature was in the high 70s and the river was like glass. There were several people paddling kayaks and a couple of guys at the mouth of Catfish Creek fishing from a shallow draft flats boat. The scenery this evening was awesome.

I spotted several pushes of water that were probably Black Drum and a couple of redfish in the shallow marsh area. I tossed a gold spoon for awhile with no luck and switched to an Electric Chicken paddletail bait and got one hit from a sea trout.

As it got closer to dusk I made a few casts with a Chug Bug and got a follow up from something but no hits.

I used my camera this evening more than my fishing rods and took these pics of the sunset before moving out of the refuge.

As I was driving past one area I like to fish, a fisherman was landing this slot size Black Drum that he caught on a piece of shrimp. I took his pic but forgot to get his name.

 
Anyway, after taking a few pics of his fish I packed up Elmo and Odie and headed home.

Karen and I plan to go fishing tomorrow with the "pups" and I plan to hit the spot where I spooked the reds this evening.

Hope you enjoy the pics,

Till next time; Tight Lines.

Drum, Drum and More Drum

Drum, Drum and more Drum has been the name of the game for the past few weeks on the northern part of the Indian River.

Several fishing fanatics that I talk to on a semi regular basis said that everyone fishing shrimp was catching Black Drum  in the river, so I decided to see if I could pick up  a couple.

Late this afternoon I finally decided to check out the river and see what was being caught in the area.

I hastily packed a few rods, some bait and my cameras and headed for Catfish Creek.

I left the house around 4:30 pm and got to the river about 10 minutes later.

On the way into the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge I spotted a pair of Great Blue Herons doing their mating ritual.

I stopped to take a pic but before I could pull out a camera, the female took off and left the male courting himself.

I took this quick pic and continued up Gator Creek towards where I hoped to get a fishing spot.

There were a surprising number of fishermen on the Indian River and around both sides of Catfish Creek had fishermen staked out at their favorite spots.

At one spot I hoped to fish I spotted Bernice, a fishing acquaintance who always seems to catch some fish.

She was fishing next to a couple of other guys and when I asked her if she was catching anything, she show me these pics of juvenile Black Drum that she had been catching for the past couple of weeks.

 

I took these copies from her actual photos and continued down the dirt path looking for a spot to fish.

The next opening was free and since it was almost dark I decided to put out my poles and fish with frozen cut bait and shrimp.

There was a mild wind blowing and all my rods were rigged without sinkers.  I baited up one outfit with a medium fresh dead shrimp and was going to add a sinker to hold bottom when I realized I didn't bring along any tackle. In my haste to get out of the house, I forgot everything so I tossed the bait out as far as possible and let it set.

I baited the second rod with a cut ladyfish steak and again tossed it out as far as I could and sat down to enjoy the overcast weather.

After several minutes, it was evident I needed a sinker.  I was fishing braid and it acted like a float pulling the baits with the wind.  Not a good way to fish for reds or drum!

I saw a couple of guys fishing the entrance of Catfish Creek with artificial baits in a shallow draft boat so I decided to give that a try.

I pulled out another rod and tied on a gold spoon hoping to entice a cruising redfish, but after a couple dozen casts, I realized it was a losing proposition.

It was around 5:30 pm when I finally decided to put everything up and head home.  

As I drove around the loop a kayaker was loading up his kayak so I asked him if he was catching or fishing.   He tole me he caught a  few small sea trout but had no luck with the Black Drum or the redfish.

I thanked him for his report and headed home for some more turkey.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get out earlier and pick up some drum for dinner.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Christmas Eve On Playalinda Beach

I didn't expect to spend Christmas Eve on Playalinda Beach but that's exactly where I was this afternoon.

Because of some health problems I've had, I have been spending time at home recuperating instead of going fishing at my usual spots and this afternoon I couldn't spend another hour at home, so I decided to hit Playalinda Beach to see how the surf fishermen were doing.

The tide was out when I hit the entrance and when I asked the attendant if she had any fishing reports, she told me that this past week the surf fishermen were catching Whiting and Pompano.

She suggested fishing lots #3 and #10 so I thanked her for the information and headed to the beach.

I passed an energetic gopher tortoise tripping down the road and a gator at the first curve to the beach but no humans.

When I stopped at lot #3 to see if there were any fishermen on the beach, I only saw a couple of family groups making the best of an overcast day.    The surf was up and I was surprised that no surfers were in the area.

I decided not to fish the spot and headed toward lot # 10.  As I passed Eddy Creek I was surprised to see no cars in the lot so I parked and pulled out my tackle.

I set up a couple of sand spikes along a trough and baited up with fresh dead shrimp on one rod and finger mullet on the second.

 

The waves were strong this afternoon and there was a good rip current just past the first trough that required a 6 oz. sinker to hold bottom.

I started out fishing my Okuma bait runner rod with a finger mullet and a 4 oz. sinker.  That didn't last more than one cast.  Added an ounce per cast until I finally got the bait to hold on the bottom just past the first trough.

I had mono on the other surf rod I brought along so I tied up a two drop leader with a couple of small circle hooks and started fishing with a 4 oz. pyramid sinker.

I baited the second rod with small pieces of peeled shrimp and tossed the rig out just past the breakers.

The fishing was slow but the company was great.  Some gulls, terns, sandpipers and a snipe were all interested in my shrimp.

 

I kept getting hits on the finger mullet but whatever was biting kept chopping off the baits up to the head.  It could have  been bluefish or mackerel but I never landed a fish on that rig today.

I did manage to hook and release a few small whiting on the peeled shrimp.  They were all about the size of the fish below.

 

All the whiting I caught this afternoon were literally by accident.  I never felt a bite on any of the fish I landed but the small circle hooks did their job.

Fishing the surf during windy conditions is tough enough but when a strong rip current is included in the scenario, feeling a bite is next to impossible.

I didn't get to the beach until around 4:00 pm this afternoon and even though the tide was coming in, I decided to head for home at around 5:30 pm.  I probably could have caught some more whiting but I got tired of fighting the current.

I took the long drive home via Bio Lab Road and saw several people wade fishing the flats.

Next time I'll bring along a "river rod", just in case I decide to fish the lagoon.

Till next time, Tight Lines to your all and have a Merry Christmas.

The Redfish Were Biting This Weekend In Catfish Creek

The Redfish were biting this weekend in the Indian River on live shrimp and cut baits.

Saturday afternoon I took Elmo and Odie out to the river and ran around Catfish Creek Loop to see

Odie

what people were catching.

I wasn't exactly on a fishing trip with the two dogs along, but I brought along a couple of rods just for the heck of it.

Saturday the weather was perfect for bait fishing along the shoreline.  The air temperature was in the mid 70s and there was very little wind on the water.

As I drove past the gate into Catfish Creek Loop I saw several fishermen with rods set out fishing finger mullet, cut baits and shrimp.  

There were schools of mullet milling around in the shallows and every once in a while something would bust up the school sending baitfish off in a flash.

The two spots I planned to fish were occupied so I drove past them and met up with Beatrice, an avid fisherwoman, who had a couple of rods set out in the shallows. 

She said she caught four small redfish on shrimp and a few black drum the day before in another area of Catfish Creek.

Elmo kept barking so I didn't spend much time swapping fish stories with her.  Instead, I moved on to check on some other anglers.  

Evidently Saturday was a "hot" day for reds because everyone seemed to be catching them, mostly on cut baits.

I tried fishing a couple of spots with artificial lures but gave it up after a short time.  The dogs, especially Odie were uncontrollable.  I took some pics of the area and talked to a couple other fishermen before leaving for the house.

Sunday turned out to be a bummer.  I left the house late and decided to pick up some live shrimp to fish with.  I'm not usually a bait fisherman but when everyone is catching and I'm just fishing, it's time to get it on.

I picked up some live shrimp at the local bait shop and was told that the fishing hadn't been that great today.  The owner told me that "yesterday they were tearing them up" in Catfish Creek.  

I didn't bother telling him I already knew that and was wondering why he didn't tell me that the fish were not hitting until after I paid for the bait.  Oh well, you can always freeze the shrimp.

When I drove into Gator Creek Road I immediately noticed the lack of fishermen in the area.  The air temperature was 65 degrees and the wind was blowing constantly.  It was tough fishing for anyone using artificial baits so I decided to try shrimp and cut ladyfish.

I only saw three other fishermen while I was in the area and only one said that he had caught any fish.

I fished for an hour in a small cove without a strike before pulling in my baits and moving on up the road.

A couple of guys in a kayak were fishing the cove but they weren't getting any hits either.

I was going to fish a spot on the river where I caught fish in the past, but another fisherman had five rods out at the spot.  

When I pulled up to him and asked him how he was doing, he showed me a 22" redfish he was taking home for dinner that he caught on a cut bait.

He introduced himself as Charles Actice and he reported that the redfishing had been hot for the past few days in this area.  He said he caught his limit every day on cut baits and that he fishes the area on a daily basis.

Since he was packing up to leave the area, I pulled in past where he was fishing and tossed out a chunk of ladyfish on one rod and another rod with a large shrimp.

I'd like to tell you that I nailed a couple of nice redfish, but I only had one bite and that turned out to be this catfish who picked up a chunk of  Ladyfish.  

At least I didn't get skunked!

Anyway, I fished until it was almost dark and it finally got to chilly for me to hang around, so I packed it in and headed for home.

I took a couple pics of the sunset before heading out and you can see from the pic that it was a chilly afternoon on the Indian River.

I bought the 50 shrimp special today and could have gotten away with only a half dozen but when I got home and finished rinsing off my rods, I tossed them in the freezer for another day.

Till next time,

Tight Lines..... 

Sunday Afternoon At Catfish Creek

Late Sunday afternoon I decided to hit Catfish Creek to see if the fish were biting.

I left the house at around 3:30 pm and was driving in the refuge 10 minutes later.  As I drove past the second set of culverts, I met up with Ron, a friend of mine who had his canoe in at the first pond.

He hadn't caught anything but said there were some nice oversize reds busting baitfish around the shoreline.  They apparently weren't hitting what Ron was offering.

I left him and drove into Catfish Creek Loop to see who was fishing that area and met up with a couple more anglers who weren't catching anything but catfish.

I tossed a Chug Bug and a gold spoon around several areas but didn't get any takers, so I continued until I met up with Bernice.

Bernice was fishing live shrimp and had picked up a couple of small redfish in a cove that I sometimes fish.  I stopped to talk awhile and while we were talking, another redfish hit on one of her rods.

 

She asked me to grab the rod until she could reel in the Badonk Donk topwater bait she was fishing wtih, so I set the hook and gave her the rod when she was ready.

A short time later she landed this 17" redfish which was promptly released after the pictures were taken.

It was getting late so I moved on up to another shallow cove and started fishing with cut ladyfish steaks.

In about 15 minutes a redfish hit the bait and dropped it just as quickly.  Evidently it felt the rod pressure.

I re-baited and watched as several redfish cruised along the shoreline in the shallow cove.  None were interested in the cut bait, and I was silently kicking my butt for not picking up some live shrimp.

Anyway, I took a brief video of some of the fish that were cruising by and a couple of the sunset as I waited in vain for another bite.

It was getting dark and people were leaving the area.  Bernice drove by and said she had caught three more redfish about the same size as the one in the picture.

I was getting bit up by gnats so I reeled in the ladyfish steak, packed up the rods and headed for home.  I took this last pic of the beautiful sunset.

My back was still killing me and I couldn't sit and wait for another bite.  Maybe next weekend I'll be more into fishing.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Sport Shrimping On The Fishing Piers

Sport shrimping on the fishing piers this evening was less than stellar but that didn't stop everyone from having fun.

When I decided to visit the pier it was just turning dark and the band was playing at the pavilion.  The smell of frying seafood coming from the restaurant immediately made me hungry and if I was a drinking man, I would have joined in on the revelry.  Everyone at the bar seemed to be having a great time.

Even though this was a "fact finding trip" I brought a rod with me tipped with a paddletail bait, just in case something was biting.

Both fishing piers had groups of sport shrimpers standing by the rails tending their dip nets, waiting for a shrimp to cruise by.  Unfortunately, the winter shrimping season in this area is just starting and there was not much action.

The people in the deeper water seemed to be dipping more shrimp than those I spoke with who were set up in the shallows.  However, as everyone told me "it was still early".

I took a few pics and a short video of people hanging off the rails and made a few dozen casts with my paddletail bait. 

There were sea trout in several areas and some needlefish but no large trout or redfish that I could see.

I went to the end of the lower fishing pier and made a few casts to the bridge piling.  I had one solid hit from something right on the bottom and I shook off a couple of undersize sea trout at the rail.

One of the guys at the end of the pier heard me talking about the big black drum and redfish that hang around the pilings and showed me a picture of a 44" bull redfish that he caught the day before on half of a blue crab right at the spot I was fishing.

I thanked him for the information and we spoke a bit before I decided to head for the house.

The band was still playing their tunes as I left the area.  It was still early.

On the way home I passed the park where there was a "Lights Of Hope" festival of some sort going on.  I could smell food but decided to continue home and focus on Turkey.

I'll be spending more time down there when the shrimping starts to get into gear but until then; Tight Lines.

Peacocks Pocket Road Is Closed

As you can see by the signs below, Peacocks Pocket Road is closed again for the waterfowl hunting season until February 15th .

 

The annual closure that began several years ago is an aggravation to anglers who like to fish the area during the winter months, but it does have the benefit of easing up on the fishing pressure.

The reds, sea trout and black drum in the wildlife refuge get beat to death during the rest of the year and since I have been fishing the area, I have noticed a declline in the amount of fish and how easy they are to catch.

Catfish Creek Loop is still open to the public and is also a good area for reds, sea trout and especially Black Drum.

The water in the marsh area is up and many areas that are normally above water are now submerged.

When I took Elmo and Odie for a drive through the area today, I stopped to ask several fishermen how they were doing.  Most were just enjoying the weather and only one lady angler said she was catching fish.

When I stopped to talk to her, she told me she caught a couple of barely legal redfish on live shrimp.  She released both fish and was in the process of rigging up a top water plug to try a change of pace.

The area she was fishing holds some nice black drum, and during the spring, sea trout.

I bid her farewell and wished her luck before driving around the rest of the refuge.

Live or fresh dead shrimp is the bait of choice this time of the year for black drum, redfish and sea trout.  Cut baits will still produce but with the cool weather and the beginning of the winter shrimp run, shrimp is definitely the bait of choice.

On my little scouting drive I noticed only one redfish that was pushing a wake in shallow water and since I didn't bring a fishing rod along, I made a mental note of the area and headed back home to rest my back an have another portion of turkey.

Maybe Karen and I will take the "boys" out tomorrow and wet a line.

Till next time,  Tight Lines and don't eat too much turkey.

Fizal's Catch

Fizal's catch was sent on 11-17-2014 in response to his comment on "Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge".

another rainy Saturday afternoon in the refuge

Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge

Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge

Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge

Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge

Trout Dinner

Slot Drum

Drum on Shrimp

 

Windy Weekend Fishing

It was a windy weekend fishing but after being on top of a mountain in South Carolina all week, it was still great to get out on the river.

I didn't get to wet a line until late Saturday afternoon and when I finally got out to the wildlife refuge the wind was blowing just enough to make casting a real pain.

I started fishing with Chug Bugs and would up trying jigs, paddletail baits, a Johnson Sprite, and even cut ladyfish as a last resort.

I missed several sea trout before finally landing a couple in the 19 inch category, and nailed a two foot long ladyfish on a Chug Bug that danced all around a small pond before coming to the bank.

I was after redfish but I only saw two in the marsh canal and they were not taking my lures.

Sunday afrternoon, Karen wanted to take Elmo and Odie out to the "swamp" for our weekly dog outing.

We left the house at around 3:00 pm and dropped the first line in the water at around 3:20 pm.

I love where I live!

We were heading to a pond where we sometimes catch reds but I had to stop a couple of times at some likely looking spots to throw a Chug Bug around.

At the first stop on my second cast with a Chug Bug I missed what looked like a nice slot redfish.  The fish nailed the lure about three feet from a submerged grassy island and I made the mistake of trying to set the hooks.

Several casts to the same area resulted in a followup but no more hits so we moved up Peacocks Pocket road to the spot where we originally planned to fish.

When we got there, Odie got out of the car but Elmo wanted to sleep on the seat.  I baited up three rods with cut ladyfish steaks smeared up with some Pro-Cure Saltwater Formula Gel
"for effect".

The air temperature was around 71 degrees and there was a slight breeze on the water.  Perfect for topwater baits but after an hour of casting with no hits, I gave up and watched the cut baits with Karen.

Karen and I both missed two fish before I finally hooked a hard head catfish which I released.

It was almost dusk when I got a nice bite from what I thought was a big sea trout.  When I finally got the fish to the bank it turned out to be the biggest Sailors Choice I ever caught.

The fish was almost a foot long and had teeth like a sheepshead.  Anyway, I took a couple of pics and sent it on its way to piss off some other angler.

  

It was getting dark and we were not getting any more bites so we decided to pack it in and head for the house.

At least we didn't get skunked but I can do without another windy weekend fishing in the refuge.

Till next time,

Tight Lines to you all.

Another Rainy Saturday Afternoon In The Refuge

It was another rainy Saturday afternoon in the refuge but I still decided to get in some fishing before dark.

The air temperature was 69 degrees and there was a very slight wind blowing this afternoon when I drove into Peacocks Pocket Road.

The marsh canal was full of action this afternoon but I wasn't sure the fish would be eating.

When I saw the first group of redfish pushing water up the canal, I started fishing with a DOA paddle tail bait loaded up with Pro-Cure.  Unfortunately the redfish were not interested in the bait, so after several unfruitful casts I was ready to pick up and move on but an 18" sea trout stopped me.

I quickly landed the fish and continued fishing the Bass Assassin "electric chicken" paddle tail bait.

When another small group of reds came up the marsh canal from the other direction, I continued tossing the bait to them but they were still not eating.

Frustrated, I moved up the road to another culvert where I spotted a sea trout swirling in the shallows.

Several casts to the fish  produced a hit but the fish didn't get hooked.  I started walking back to the truck when a family in a van pulled up and asked me how I was doing and if I was John. 

Fisal said he was an avid follower of this blog and we talked awhile about the fishing. He said some fishermen up at the Peacocks Pocket boat launch area caught a dozen or so black drum and that they were having a "contest".  I didn't know of any fishing tournaments today but who knows?

Anyway, after awhile Fisal and his family moved on and I continued fishing.

I had planned on fishing the small ponds in the marsh but I kept spotting moving redfish and black drum in the marsh canal so, I changed plans.

The next school of fish that pushed down the canal were black drum.  I could hear them "drumming" from the bank so I decided to fish one rod with a cut ladyfish steak to see if I could pick one up.

It took only a few minutes before another group of fish passed by and something picked up the bait and took off.  I hooked the fish and as it got to the bank I saw it was another sea trout about the same size as the previous one.

I unhooked the fish, took a pic and released it.

I saw a large redfish in the shallows and switched to a Chug Bug to see it it was interested.  After a couple of casts I knew Chug Bugs were not on the menu today.

I got another sea trout on a Johnson Sprite gold spoon and decided to move on up the road.

When I tried to start the truck, it was stone cold dead.  I left the radio on and the battery died on me.

Fortunately another fisherman in a Dodge Ram pickup gave me a jump and tole me he caught a slot rod and some catfish.

I thanked him profusely for the jump and continued fishing with the truck running.

I caught a couple more sea trout in the 18" to 22" range, missed a nice redfish on a Chug Bug, and on the way out of the refuge, hooked an oversize redfish on a ladyfish steak just at dusk.

The redfish peeled off line and made two nice runs before swimming directly into some mangrove roots.  I fooled with it for a while trying to get it loose, but it finally broke off my hook and swam away.

It was almost dark and I didn't feel like snelling on another hook so I headed for home and a nice meal.

Maybe tomorrow will be more productive.

Till then, Tight Lines.

(On 11-18-2014 Fizal shared these pics of his catch.)

Drum on Shrimp

Slot Drum

Trout Dinner

Tight Lines!

Tossing Chug Bugs On A Chilly Sunday Afternoon

Tossing Chug Bugs on a chilly Sunday afternoon turned out to be 

Our first real cold front moved through the area last evening and the fish in the wildlife refuge were not eating.  The bite was slow to nonexistent but  the fish were out there.

I totally forgot about the time change and lost an hour of fishing time, but since the redfish and sea trout weren't cooperating, I didn't care too awfully much.

I only saw one other fisherman in the refuge this afternoon and I totally forgot to get his name.

He was tossing Chug Bugs like I was doing most of the time.  We talked

The air temperature this afternoon was in the 60s and there was little to no wind on the water.  It should have been a stellar day for sea trout on top water baits but they were not cooperating.

I had a couple of followups but no hookups when the other fisherman drove up.   The first time we talked he said hadn't caught anything.  He was "jump fishing" like I was; moving from spot to spot and not spending too much time in any one location.

He moved on and I did the same.

I wasn't having any luck with Chug Bugs so I switched over to a paddletail bait smeared up with Pro-Cure.

After several casts with the paddle tail bait I finally picked up a small sea trout that I pulled off at the bank.  I moved up the marsh canal and fished several other areas with the bait and missed two more fish.

They were hitting the paddletail bait as long as I fished it slow.  I had two hits with the bait laying on the bottom but missed both fish.

I passed the other fisherman and stopped a little past him as I spotted a swirl at the bank.   Several casts didn't get me a hookup so I decided to move on.  As I put the rod in the truck, the other fisherman pulled up and showed me a  picture on his smart phone of  a 29 " redfish he just caught on a Chug Bug. 

I told him about this site and asked him to make a comment.  It would be nice to get his name and a pic.

Anyway, it was getting dark and I was ready to call it a day so I moved up the road as he turned around to head out of the refuge.

As I got to a place my wife calls "bobcat bay" I spotted a redfish in the canal and decided to toss a Chug Bug to the fish.

After three casts the fish hit the bait but not enough to get hooked.   I tried a couple more casts and just as I thought the fish lost interest, it nailed the Chug Bug almost at my feet.

After a brief fight I landed the slot red, took a quick pick and released it to fight another day.

I was getting chilly, the light was fading, and my wife called to tell me it was time to get home for dinner.

Exit Stage Left!

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Tossing Chug Bugs Into The Wind

Late Saturday afternoon when I finally decided to hit Peacocks Pocket Road, I didn't expect to be tossing Chug Bugs into the wind but that's exactly what went down.

As I was crossing the Bennett Causeway Bridge I could tell that fishing was going to be a challenge. 

When the windsurfers and para-sailers are having this much of a blast on the North side of the causeway, the fishing usually sucks. 

I pulled over and took a few shots of the action before driving into Peacocks Pocket road but from the strength of the wind gusts, I didn't expect to have a re-run of yesterday's action.

I fished the ponds with Chug Bugs but the wind was causing a lot of problems with my presentation. 

At my second stop, I managed to catch a nice Ladyfish which I kept for bait.  I managed to hook up with a small sea trout but when I got it to the bank it flipped off.

At the next stop, I changed lures and decided to fish a Johnson Sprite.  It was easier to control and was an acceptable bait for a couple of redfish that I spotted in the grass.

The gold spoon, one of my "go to" baits, netted me three sea trout, all about the size of the one below.

After about an hour and a half of tossing Chug Bugs into the wind and later the spoon; I decided to call it a day.

I drove all the way through Peacocks Pocket road and never saw another person.

Maybe God was trying to tell me something?  Anyway, when my wife called and asked me where I was, I was on the way.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Chug Bugs For Gator Sea Trout

It's hard to beat Chug Bugs for gator sea trout and this evening was no exception.

When I got home from work this evening I heard that a cold front was moving into the area so I loaded up a few rods and headed to Peacocks Pocket road to cast a few top water plugs around the area.

Unless something changes this year, the managers of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge usually close Peacocks Pocket road to the public from November 1 until mid April; so I decided to get in my "last shot" at catching some fish before the closure.

When I crossed the causeway bridge I could see that top water fishing was going to be a challenge.  There was a steady wind blowing across the water which would make a decent presentation difficult to impossible.

I headed straight for a couple of ponds that I wanted to fish before it got dark.

At the first pond I started throwing an XPS top water bait around some promising areas.  I had a couple of followups and nailed one nice ladyfish that I kept for future use as redfish bait.

Another fisherman pulled up behind me where I had parked and started putting on waders.  He told me he was going to fish a deep "trough" on the Indian River side of the road with paddletail baits.

He said he usually does quite well with reds and sea trout that use the deeper trough as a sort of deep water highway.

I left him to his fishing and moved up to another smaller pond where I nailed another 2 foot ladyfish on a Chug Bug.  The wind was blowing too hard to fish the "walk the dog" bait properly and the Chug Bug was a better option.

I missed a couple of small sea trout in the same pond before I decided to make one last stop at another area Karen and I fish on a regular basis.

As I rounded the bend on a larger pond I decided to fish the leeward side of a small grassy island.

The water was calmer and it just looked "fishy" so I started tossing the Pro-Cure coated Chug Bug into the grass.

My second cast plopped down into the middle of the grass and a huge fish erupted on the Chug Bug.

The fish inhaled the bait and started peeling off drag into the middle of the pond.  I was silently cussing myself for not putting on my sports camera.  It was a great fight.

The fish headed towards the brushy shore twice but I eased up the pressure and it turned to swim back into the open pond.

I thought I had an oversize redfish on until I got the fish to the bank.  As I reached down to "lip" the fish, I saw that it was a big gator trout.

I pulled it to the bank and quickly got the camera and tape measure.  The fish measured in at 32" using the pinched tail method.

I got the pliers out and unhooked the fish, took a few pics and quickly released it to fight another day.

The fish took off like a shot and I'm sure it won't eat another Chug Bug for at least a few days, if ever.

I moved up to another stretch and missed another fish that I believe was a red.  The fish hit the Chug Bug completely out of the water but didn't hook itself.

I never ceases to amaze me how a fish can nail a bait with two treble hooks and still not hook itself.

Anyway, it was getting dark and the air temperature was dropping quickly.

I packed up my rods, tried to call my wife and headed for home.

I hope the refuge is open tomorrow but if not, I'm sure I'll find some place to wet a line.  On thing is for sure, you can't beat Chug Bugs for gator sea trout or anything else for that matter.

Till next time, Tight Lines.