A Windy Evening In The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

It was a windy evening in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge but I decided to wet a line anyway.

By the time I got home from work this evening it was after 5:30 pm so I didn't waste any time deciding if I should bother going fishing or not.  I just picked up three rods and headed to the refuge.

As I crossed the causeway bridge, the wind was blowing the truck around so I knew fishing would be difficult.  There were two guys in wet suits wind boarding and nobody fishing the shorelines.

The drive through Gator Creek road was uneventful.  A dude was trying to cast net some baitfish at the second set of culverts and I admired the fact that he could get the net to open against the wind.

I only spotted two other fishermen this evening and both had several rods set out with live finger mullet.  I don't know if they were having any luck but they didn't look very happy as I drove by.

The air temperature according to the truck sensor was 58 degrees and the wind was blowing in at around 14 knots.  There were white caps on the Indian River and I knew casting would be a problem.

As I drove past the barrier to Peacocks Pocket road, I slowed down at the culverts and spotted a swirl in the shallow water.  I couldn't tell if it was a sea trout, a black drum, or a red but from the amount of water that was pushed around, I could tell it was a size-able fish. 

I pulled the truck over to the side of the road as far as I could and pulled out the spinning combo that was rigged with a gold Johnson's Sprite.

I picked up the "Tight Line" rod and reel combo that I bought on sale at Bass Pro, spooled it up with Cajun Red 15# line and a 20# fluorocarbon leader.  Perfect for casting a relatively heavy lure in windy conditions.

The first cast I made landed a foot or so away from the fish and spooked it.  As I reeled the spoon back I was cussing my luck. 

I followed up with a second cast about ten feet away from where I thought the fish was headed and brought the spoon back in a slow, jerky retrieve.

The spoon didn't travel more than ten feet before a nice oversize redfish inhaled the lure.

I fought the fish carefully and after one long run and a few short bursts gradually steered the red into the shallows where I could get a Boga Grip on it's lip.

The fish was definitely over the slot, it measured in at 30" so I took a few pics and released it in the very shallow water.  There wasn't enough water to revive the red so I pushed it out a bit into deeper water until, with a little prod from my rod tip, it took off.

After several more casts into the area without any luck, I moved on up the road to see if I could stir up some more action.

I had one other hit from a large fish, but it wasn't hooked well and got off.   From the wake it left behind it was probably a red, but I couldn't be sure.

Anyway, it was a little after 6:15 pm when I decided to head for home.  The weather was not conducive to fishing this evening and I was getting chilly.

Tomorrow is tax time for me so if I survive the sticker shock, I may just want to wet a line.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.