Haulover Canal Bank Fishing

Apparently Haulover Canal bank fishing is about to end in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The signs posted along Haulover Canal advising the public that continued littering would cause a closure apparently went unheeded.

When I drove into the area to check out the fishing yesterday, I spotted NO FISHING signs like the ones above and below at the entrance to Bairs Cove and on both sides of the canal.

It's sad that because many thoughtless visitors to the area could not, or would not pick up after themselves, one of the last and possibly the best bank fishing areas in the entire refuge has been closed to bank fishing until farther notice.

I've lived here for almost 25 years now and have witnessed the closure of the majority of vehicle accesses to the Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River, and I have to say that for the most part, the public has brought it upon themselves.

Drunk or sober, there is no excuse for anyone NOT picking up their own trash.

The next time you hear a complaint about not being able to use an area in the wildlife refuge, remember that many of us brought it on ourselves by not reporting individuals who were littering, not telling people you saw littering to pick up their trash, or by simply not picking up trash you happened to see in the area..

It appears that I'll be using my flats boat or kayak in the future.

P.S. .As an addendum to this post; after trying out the surf fishing at Playalinda Beach on Wednesday, I drove to Haulover Canal and around the Bio Lab Road small boat launch and spoke to a wildlife officer that I met there about the closures.

He told me that because of the continued littering, the Haulover Canal area may be closed permanently.

When I asked him if they planned to re-open the area, he told me that they do not have the resources available to either police or clean up the areas, so the obvious solution is to temporarily or permanently close these areas to public use.

So much for the bank fishing we used to enjoy in this area.

Till next time, Tight Lines