Fishing With The Boys

After listening to the depressing Sunday morning talk shows, I decided to go fishing with the boys this afternoon in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I loaded up Elmo and Odie along with a few rods and headed to East Gator Creek Road to see if the fish were hitting topwater lures.

The air temperature was a pleasant 82 degrees and there was a slight breeze on the water in the open areas enough to create a ripple, but the water was like glass along the sheltered areas.

The flats along East Gator Creek in many places were covered with floating vegetation making topwater fishing almost an ordeal.  It took strategic casts into the open areas to get a hit, followed by a quick retrieve over the vegetation to keep from snagging.

When a fish did hit, you had to quickly pull it over the floating weeds to land it.  Not an easy task, but do able.

I was using a Bass Pro XPS Slim Dog on one rod, a small size Chug Bug on the second rod, and a small size SkitterWalk on the last one.

I got two small spotted sea trout and most of my hits on the Slim Dog, and a slot size sea trout on the Chug Bug along East Gator Creek. 

Fishing with the boys was fun, but you have to keep one eye peeled on them to keep them safe from gators.  And there were several in the first area we fished.

I decided to drive over Haulover to check out the Patillo Creek area.  I hadn't been in that area for some time and it seemed like a good day to see if I could nail a tarpon.

Both Elmo and Odie were in their cruising mode.  One paw out the window and the wind blowing through their lips.   I just had to take this video.

When we got to Patillo Creek, we were the only people in the area and it was dead calm on the water everywhere.

I pitched my Slim Dog around several likely looking areas and had a small tarpon swirl on the bait, but it didn't eat it.  In the closed backwater opposite the river, I had a nice hit from a large sea trout but again, I didn't get hooked up.

Patillo Creek is beautiful but I have had only limited success in the area; mostly at dusk and early in the mornings.

Anyway, after pitching the Chug Bug and SkitterWalk in a few other areas without any success, I decided to call it a day and head back to the house.

I took a few pics of the area and closed it down.

The dogs were happy to get out, but they were ready to head for the Hacienda.

On the way home, there was a function on the west side of the bridge which was closing down that I later found out was the Mullet Festival.  

Hope to get out again tomorrow to check out the fishing, without the boys.  Fishing with the boys is something they look forward to but I catch more when they stay home.

Tight Lines.