March Gator Trout Fishing

The Gator Trout fishing in our area is always good but during March and April, it becomes exceptional.

Although I haven't been able to get in as much time on the water as I would like, I try to wet a line every chance I get.   So, this afternoon I took Elmo and Odie for a ride around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to check out what the locals were catching.

As I entered East Gator Creek Road, the water level at the first culvert was almost zero.

 

The water in the marsh areas has been drawn down to mud in most areas, but management has apparently been raising the water levels.

Some areas that were mud flats on Monday of this week, now had over a foot of water.   I spotted a couple of redfish in one area of Catfish Creek that had absolutely no water on Monday.

For the most part, almost everyone I talked to today was catching stingrays, catfish, and some some small sea trout.   One guy caught a slot red in one of the ponds on a cut mullet, and another lady who fishes the refuge on a regular basis caught a nice 25 inch sea trout on a chunk of finger mullet in another pond.

I drove slowly around Catfish Creek Loop road with Elmo and Odie checking out the water for signs of fish activity.

We saw a lot of waterfowl looking for dinner like the Egret below, and I spotted two redfish in the marsh area where there was not water a couple of days ago.

I left the house with a spinning rod tipped with a DOA Bait Buster, so started pitching the bait to likely looking areas. 

At the third or fourth stop, I spotted a fish in the shallows chasing something and pushing some water so I pitched the Bait Buster ahead of the fish and started a slow retrieve.  The fish turned on the bait but didn't take it so I shot another cast a couple of yards farther up and repeated the slow retrieve.

As I jerked the bait, the fish busted on the bait and after a couple of "sloshy" runs, I picked up the fish below.

I unhooked the sea trout which was what I would call and "almost gator" and released the fish to fight another day.

 

On the way out of the refuge, I spotted one other fish pushing water in the shallows that I pitched the DOA to, but it wasn't interested in the bait.  So, after a few half hearted casts, I finally decided to call it a day and bring my "boys" home.

It would be nice if Peacocks Pocket Road was open for vehicle traffic, but until they get funding, who knows when???

I was going to take my kayak out for a trial run but I still haven't got around to buying a paddle.

I guarantee that the next time I get into town, I will have all the paraphernalia necessary to sneak up on some of the gator trout that inhabit this area.

Till next time, Tight Lines. 

Peacocks Pocket Road Closure

The numerous emails I received about the extended Peacocks Pocket Road closure prompted me to contact the management of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to find out why it was not opened as scheduled.

The reports I initially received from a couple of my readers stated that the road was closed due to the damage it received from hurricane Matthew last year and that they would not re-open Pocket Road until it was deemed to be "safe" again.

After unsuccessfully trying to contact someone in authority, I decided that walking Peacocks Pocket road for myself was the only way to accurately report how bad the damage really was.

I finally got around to walking the portion from the shallow water boat launch to the large pond where I stopped a couple of weeks before and found no significant damage to the road itself, however, I finally contacted Tom Penn, the assistant to Layne Hamilton (the Refuge Manager) and eventually to Layne herself about the dike road closures.

After a long conversation, she explained to me that although Pocket Road looks passable when walking the road, there are several areas where the road has been undermined and suffered erosion serious enough to cause a safety problem with vehicle traffic.

They are operating on a continuing resolution from congress from last years budget which was cut, and are expecting additional budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year.  In short, they have a serious funding problem.

When I asked about the closures of Bio Lab Road, Shiloh Road, etc.; I was told that funding was the main problem.

It takes money to keep the dike roads open for vehicle traffic, clear of litter, etc. and over the years, the Refuge has suffered from  budget cuts. 

When I first moved into this area my wife and I loved fishing Long Pond road, Shiloh Road, Pump House Road, Bio Lab Road, and several un-named roads around Haulover Canal.   Unfortunately, all of these roads have now been closed to vehicle traffic for fishermen.

With her permission, I am posting the email she sent me below concerning the problems they are having at at the Refuge with funding.

"John,
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me last week about  Peacock Pocket road closure.  Hope you've had a chance to do some fishing since I talked to you.

I thought you might be interested in a little background information on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). 

The Refuge is one of over 560 national wildlife refuges in the country.  National Wildlife Refuges are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  The FWS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Interior.

Merritt Island NWR (~140,000 acres) is the headquarters for a 3-refuge complex consisting of Lake Woodruff NWR (21,574 acres, DeLeon Springs, FL) and St. Johns NWR (~6,300 acres, west of Titusville).  Lake Woodruff and Merritt Island NWRs are open to the public.  St. Johns NWR is closed to public entry.

Merritt Island NWR hosts over a million visitors each year.  The refuge is renowned for its fishing, waterfowl hunting and abundant wildlife.

Based on the draft 2016 Banking on Nature Report, Merritt Island NWR visitors contribute $76 million annually to the economy of local area (Brevard, Orange and Volusia counties).

Since 2005, the Merritt Island NWR Complex has lost 17.5 of 44 full-time permanent positions. 

We currently have 26 full-time permanent, one 1/2 time permanent position, and 4 temporary positions on the Complex. 

One third of the permanent staff (8.5) are in the Complex's wildland fire program (which is a zone program covering all FWS lands in the eastern Florida peninsula). 

The remaining staff work in visitor services (2), law enforcement (2), maintenance-facilities (2), maintenance-heavy equipment operation (2), biology (3), management (4), natural resource planning (1: regional responsibilities) and administration (2).

The National Wildlife Refuge System has experienced between -1% and -8.7% budget cuts over the past 6 years (since 2011).  We are currently preparing for budget reductions between -10% to -20% for the next two fiscal years (FY2017 and FY2018). 

Our fiscal year starts on October 1.  We are in FY2017 and are operating under a stop-gap Continuing Resolution (CR) budget until April 28, 2017.  Another CR or an appropriation bill will need to passed by Congress and signed by the President to prevent a government shut-down after that date. 

In reference to your concerns regarding the continued closure of Peacock Pocket Road, Merritt Island NWR suffered $28.5 million in damage from Hurricane Matthew on 10/7/2016. 

Approximately 45 of 140 miles of Refuge levees sustained damage that ranged from complete loss to minor washouts, impacting several of the refuge's public roads that are located on levees. 

Biolab Road lost approximately 5 miles of road bed.  Peacock Pocket Road suffered erosion and undercutting. Both of these public roads are closed indefinitely to vehicles, but are open to walking and biking. 

East Peacock Pocket Rd (to the boat ramp), Gator Creek and Catfish Creek loop are open to vehicles. 

Currently there is no funding to repair the hurricane damage. 

We are trying to "patch" Peacock Pocket and Biolab roads with material we will try to salvage from the washouts and any excess limerock or similar material we can find on the refuge.  We are also partnering with Brevard Career Source to obtain trained workers and equipment (at no cost to the refuge) to assist with the repair work on the levees related to Hurricane Matthew damage.

My primary concern is public safety and these roads will not be re-opened unless they are safe for public vehicles.

During our phone call, you asked me to outline the Federal budget process.  I'll do my best to simplify a complex process.  In case you need more information, I attached a detailed description of the federal budget process.

President - proposes budget

Congress (House and Senate) - develops own budget plan or "budget resolution"

Congress (House and Senate)- following adoption of a budget resolution, congress considers individual appropriation budgets for agencies.  They must take into account statutory deficit reduction legislation.

Congress (House and Senate) - must pass an appropriations bill and the President must sign it before the start of the fiscal year on October 1 or affected agencies and discretionary programs must shut down.  If an appropriations bill is not enacted, Congress must pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) and the President must sign it to provide stop-gap funding to the agencies.

Department of Interior (DOI) receives appropriations after the President signs the bill.  Funds are then distributed by the DOI to individual agencies according to funding levels outlined in the Congressional appropriations bill.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service distributes appropriations based on appropriations bill:

    National Wildlife Refuge System - funding is allocated, based on Congressional appropriations, to the following programs*:
        Wildlife and Habitat Management
        Refuge Visitor Services
        Refuge Law Enforcement
        Conservation Planning
        Refuge Operations
        Refuge Maintenance

(*Funding for wildfire suppression and prescribed burning operations on National Wildlife Refuges are distributed through the Department of Interior's Office of Wildland Fire.)

On March 23, from 4-7 pm, we will be hosting an open house at the refuge visitor center to inform the public about plans to replace the existing visitor center. Tom and I will be there and you are welcome to attend. Hopefully we can find some time to talk.

Please contact me if you have any questions.  I understand your concerns regarding the road closures and appreciate your input and comments.  I truly hope we can get the roads open soon! "

Layne L. Hamilton
Refuge Manager

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 2683
Titusville, FL 32781

321-861-2278
321-403-9213 (cell)
321-861-1276 (fax)

layne_hamilton@fws.gov 

For those of you who care about the road closures as much as my wife and I do, I suggest making a call or sending an email or a letter to your representative about the road closures and lack of funding for the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Florida's 8th District Congressman is Bill Posey -  CLICK HERE
email

Florida's 6th District Congressman is Ron Desantis -  CLICK HERE
email

Other public officials.

Politicians love their cushy jobs and when enough of us raise our voices to our representatives, they usually pay attention.

Till something opens up again, Tight Lines.

New Kayaks

Because of the road closures in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the potential of them not reopening anytime in the near future, I finally broke down and purchased a couple of new Kayaks when I was in Mobile, Al.

I've been looking around for quite a while and after talking to Layne L. Hamilton, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge manager, I realized that it was time to "bite the bullet" and pick one up.

There were a couple of good deals at Bass Pro in Mobile, Al. but when I spotted the ones below at Field and Stream that were on closeout at an especially low price, I finally broke down and pulled out my Amex card. 

It was my birthday present to myself, and since they were so cheap, I decided to buy one for my wife who has her birthday next month.

There were two of them against the wall next to some more expensive models that I was watching, and when one of them was sold I quickly made my decision.

By luck, they had a second one in plastic which I put my name on and asked them to hold them both until I was leaving for Titusville.

When I got back to the apartment, I realized that I couldn't fit them both in the back of my Silverado pickup with the tool box in the back.

I dug around online and finally found a kayak carrier on sale on Amazon that would be able to accommodate both kayaks.   It slipped into the trailer hitch and adjusted to height and width so I ordered it with the hopes that it would be delivered before I headed for home.

I got the kayak carrier as promised, and with the help of the people at Field and Stream, loaded them onto my pickup.

The carrier is something I recommend to anybody who has a kayak or long canoe;  it worked like a charm.

Now I need to pick up some paddles, an anchor, and some water tight boxes and I'll be ready to hit the really shallow areas where my Maverick flats boat can't get into.

Hopefully, if the weather permits and I get all the work done around the house that I need to, I'll get out and talk about my first venture.

Till then, Tight Lines.

Javier's Spotted Sea Trout

Got this email from Javier Cuazo the other day that I decided to post.

"Whent fishing yesterday in the refuge (3/15). It was really cold and windy. 

Try my luck at Cat Fish Creek first with not a bite. 

Moved to the entrance of Gator Creek and after 2 hours and caught this fat Spotted Seatrout 23" with live shrimp."

I had several other emails of nice sea trout catches in the area but they didn't include any pics.

 Good going Javier, it pays to have patience.

Something I really lack when I fish with live bait.

Till I get home again,
Tight Lines.

Dauphin Island Jetty Fishing

Working out of town frequently allows me the opportunity to sample fishing in a variety of settings and this weekend, I managed to try out Dauphin Island jetty fishing for bull redfish.

From what I was told about the area, March is a good month to target bull redfish off the jetties and the beaches of Dauphin Island, Al.,  so this Saturday and Sunday I decided to try out the area.

The last time I tried fishing this area, I learned the hard way that you need stout tackle.

I was spooled by a bull redfish that was probably in the 30 to 40 pound class which ended my fishing day.

This time I stopped at Bass Pro and picked up a Penn, medium heavy outfit that I spooled with 20 pound Cajun red line, a three way swivel, and 40 pound fluorocarbon leader.

I stopped at the bait shop before the bridge to the island and picked up a couple of large mullet that I cut up for bait.  The lady at the bait shop told me that a guy who came in earlier caught a 33 pound bull redfish on a mullet head, so I decided to use cut baits.

I couldn't wait to try out the new outfit I bought myself for my birthday, so I drove to the end of the the island, found a decent parking space, and proceeded to trudge out on the jetty.

The fishing conditions Saturday afternoon were far from ideal.  There was a brisk wind blowing, and the air temperature was in the high 60s to low 70s.

As I made my way out to the farthermost point on the rocks,  I wondered why there was nobody else fishing the area.  I was later told that the tide was wrong.

Undaunted, I cut up a fresh mullet, baited up my 5/0 Owner hook, and on my first cast, the rod broke about a foot and a half from the tip.

Mad as hell, I quickly reeled in the broken tip, trudged back to the truck, and drove back through the tunnel across the bay to Bass Pro.

When I explained what happened, the guy at the register apologized and replaced my rod without any guff.

It was too late to drive back to Dauphin Island, and there was a wreck before the tunnel that had westbound traffic on I-10 backed up for miles, so I drove back to my apartment resolving to try it again tomorrow.

On Sunday, I started out around 1:30 pm and repeated the drive to the jetties.

The weather was a bit nicer, but the air temperature was still cool and the tide was apparently going out.  Again there were very few people fishing the area.

I baited up with a large chunk of fresh mullet, cast out and began the waiting game.

While I was waiting for a fish to hit, I took some videos of the oil rigs in the Gulf, the boat traffic, and some dude in a kayak that was apparently trying to commit drown himself.

I spotted several porpoises in the area, and a shark that briefly surfaced around the outer edge of the jetty.

It took about 45 minutes before I finally got a hit that almost jerked the rod out of my hands.  Whatever the fish was, it took off like a shot and then dropped the bait.

I reeled in what was left of my mullet head, baited up with a smaller chunk of mullet, and pitched the rig out as far as I could from the jetty rocks.

 I missed two more fish before finally hooking and landing a hard head catfish.

At least I didn't get skunked.

As the sun started to hit the horizon, it started to really get chilly on the rocks, so I decided to try one more bait before calling it a day.

I cut the head off the second mullet and pitched it out one last time.

This time I hooked a nice redfish that I played tug of war with for a bit before losing it on the rocks.   I quickly discovered that landing a fish on the jetties without any help can be a big problem on the wet rocks.

I was cold, disappointed, and hungry, so I decided to head back to the apartment and come back when the tide was more favorable.

 As I left the area, I briefly stopped to see if anyone on the small fishing pier was catching anything.  Other than a few croaker and sand trout, nobody had caught a redfish.  Probably because everybody was using shrimp. 

With the weather change coming, I probably won't get out on the jetties again until my next trip to Mobile, so until then.

Tight Lines.