Gar On A Slim Dog

Fishing the thunderstorms this afternoon gave me another chance to toss topwater baits and even catch a gar on a Slim Dog.

Left the house around 4:30 pm during a thunderstorm and headed to Gator Creek road.  

It was raining on and off, mostly on, and there was a slight wind over the water when I got to my fishing area.

There was absolutely nobody in the area when I started blind casting a white XPS Slim Dog topwater bait over the weedy flats.

I had a couple of followups without any hits and one small ladyfish that danced all over the flats before jumping off,  so I smeared up the new Slim Dog with some Pro-Cure and continued casting the area.

The Pro-Cure did the trick.   On the first cast in the new area, I hooked a gar that put up a decent fight for it's size.  I took a couple of pics before releasing the fish and continued casting in the rain.

A gator that was watching me cast my topwater bait really got interested in what I was doing when I threw the gar back.  It began to follow the next couple of casts.

Evidently it was my day for gar because after a few more casts, I hooked another gar that was a bit smaller.  I released the fish and decided to move out of the area when the gator got way too inquisitive.

The rain was slacking up when I moved to the last spot I wanted to fish.  I missed a couple of juvenile tarpon here almost every day I went fishing so I decided to try it again today.

After several unproductive casts, I tied on a baby bass pattern Chug Bug and smeared it up with Pro-Cure.   This area was a lot calmer and walking the dog didn't seem to be putting down the fish.

I waited five minutes or so till things calmed down and tossed the Chug Bug to the opposite bank.  The lure briefly hit the grass as I flipped it into the water and slowly started chugging it back.  

The plug was about 8 feet from the bank when a juvenile tarpon nailed the plug and started jumping all over the area.

The fish put up a great fight and I almost lost it into the mangrove roots twice but I finally landed it and took a couple of pics before putting it back where it belonged.

I fished the area hard for about 20 more minutes before giving it up for the day.

I'll be going back there again this week for sure.

Till next time, Tight Lines

Fishing The Thunderstorms

Fishing the thunderstorms has always been productive in our area, especially during the summer months so after I finished mowing the lawn this afternoon and a thunderstorm moved into the area, I headed down to East Gator Creek to toss a few topwater plugs into the weeds.

When I left the house the air temperature was in the low 90s and the humidity was 100%.  There was not much wind blowing which made conditions for topwater fishing almost perfect.

By the time I drove into the easternmost entrance to Gator Creek, it was drizzling enough to cool down the air temperature to a pleasant 79 degrees.

Except for a few jumping mullet, there was no sign of any topwater activity but I tied on an XPS Slimdog topwater bait, smeared it up with some Pro-Cure, and started blind casting across the flats into a deeper canal that parallels the bank on the other side.

It took only a couple of casts before I hooked and lost a large ladyfish.  Several casts into the same area produced a smaller version that was quickly released.

It started lightning and the rain ramped up enough for me to pull on my Frog Toggs.  A sane person would have remained in the truck until things died down but I'm not sane enough to do that so I continued tossing the bait into another area.

At a bend in the dirt road, I briefly hooked into a juvenile tarpon that hit my plug while I was trying to untangle a minor birds nest on my spinning rod.  

I use 30 pound Power Pro with a 20 pound fluorocarbon leader in this area because of the heavy vegetation along the edge of the road.  The problem is that braid occasionally tangles when you "walk the dog" in windy conditions.

Needless to say, I lost the tarpon.

I continued fishing until the worst of the storm passed by and landed three more ladyfish before moving on to another spot.

As I got to the culvert heading to Catfish Creek Loop, I flipped a another XPS topwater bait into the flowing water where I hoped some fish would be holding in ambush.

A large sea trout immediately nailed the plug but for some reason didn't hook itself.  I waited a few minutes casting to the other side of the road and when I resumed fishing the culvert, I tied on a Chug Bug smeared with some Pro-Cure and immediately got a hookup with a sea trout.

Till next time,

Tight Lines

Juvenile Tarpon

When I got back to town this past Friday, I was told by a local friend of mine that juvenile tarpon were the ticket if I decided to wet a line.

I was beat after an 8 hour drive but I decided to check out the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see if there were any tarpon in the deeper flats.

It was late, so I didn't have much time to fish so I picked the closest area to target and wet a line.

The air temperature was still in the low 90s and there was a slight breeze that put a nice ripple on the water.

I saw absolutely no sign of any topwater action but since I only had two rods with me and both had topwater baits tied on, I decided to fish with what I had on hand.

I pulled out a 7 1/2 foot Penn Combo with 20 pound Power Pro and about three feet of fluorocarbon leader with a Badonk-A-Donk and smeared it up with some Pro Cure inshore formula to make the bait a little more appetizing.

I started blind casting and walking the dog over and around the grass flats and after several casts finally got a short strike.  After several more casts another larger fish hit the bait and again missed getting hooked up.

I started noticing small busts on the surface on the opposite side of the area I was fishing and started making long casts into that area.

Finally I got a hookup with a large ladyfish that I landed and quickly released.

A few casts later I picked up a dinky juvenile tarpon that didn't put up much of a fight.  I took a quick pick and released the fish to grow up.

I moved to another area and kept on catching small tarpon, all of which were under 15 " in length.

Finally I had a tarpon about 3 feet long hit the bait but after the second jump it sent the lure flying back to me.   You're supposed to bow to the fish and I guess I just didn't.

Anyway, after several more casts it was apparent that the fish were put down so I packed up the rod and headed home to get something for dinner.

I love catching tarpon in the summertime.  The bigger the better, but juveniles are just as fun.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Fishing The Thunderstorms

Went fishing the thunderstorms this afternoon in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for tarpon and I wasn't too disappointed.

Late this afternoon around 4:00 pm I decided to wet a line and try to beat the thunderstorms that were predicted to roll into the area,

When I crossed the A. Max Brewer bridge towards Playalinda Beach, the causeway on both sides was jam packed with people bent on enjoying themselves for the 4th.

Social distancing was definitely not on the agenda but everyone seemed to be having a great time.

I passed the throng and headed to East Gator Creek where I missed some fish on topwater baits the other afternoon with Karen and the dogs.

I pulled into the same area and saw some topwater activity on the other side of the shallow grassy flats.  Something big was busting on baitfish just off from the deeper water canal on the opposite bank.

I spotted a couple of soft shell turtles swimming along the deeper canal close to the road and a two gar at the bank waiting to pounce on some baitfish.

I pulled out the Badonk-A-Donk that I was using the other day, smeared it up with a goodly amount of Pro-Cure super gel and started fan casting around the dropoff on the other side of the shallow flat.

I spent about 15 minutes casting with only a couple followups and was getting discouraged when the wind started picking up and the skies darkened.

Like a light switch, the next cast had a fish bust on the lure knocking it out of the water.  I walked it back but the fish didn't follow.

I made a couple more casts over the shallow grass and as I sped up the retrieve a bit, a juvenile tarpon of about 3 feet nailed the bait, jumped once, and sent it flying back to me.

I tossed the bait around for a few more minutes without another hit and changed rods to fish an XPS Slim Dog.

On the third or fourth cast a small snook hit the bait and started jumping all over the place.  The fight lasted until it headed to the mangroves at the bank and got off.

I lost the lure to either the fish or the mangroves.

I put on another Slim Dog that looked like a finger mullet, smeared it up with Pro-Cure and started casting as the thunderstorm got closer.

Just as it started to rain, another tarpon a little larger than the other fish busted on the bait and took off over the flats.   It jumped once when it was over the grass and when it landed, the lure let loose.

About this time, the air temperature dropped, the rain started blowing into the windows of the truck, and the gusty wind turned into a gale.   When it started lightning, I decided to call it a day and head for the house.

I took a few pics of the area before and during the thunderstorm as I was leaving the refuge.

My wife called to ask me when I was going to come home as I was leaving and I told her about the tarpon.  She asked me why I didn't take along the Go Pro I bought so I could record the action and the truth is, I really didn't even think about it.

Next time I will.

Fishing the thunderstorms is almost always productive especially during the summer months, but when it gets as bad as the conditions in the two videos below, it's best to just pack it in.   (Click on pics)

By the way, I was the only fool out there during the storm.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

7/4/2020 East Central Florida Fishing Report

Just got a 7/4/2020 inshore and offshore fishing report from a couple of Captains fishing out of Port Canaveral for East Central Florida.

This year the recreational season for red snapper in Atlantic federal waters will be open July 10, 11, and 12, and July 17.

  
The red snapper bite is really good with most of the fish in 60 feet to 250 feet of water.   The largest snapper, those above 20 pounds, can be found in good numbers outside of the 120 foot depth range.

Almost any live or frozen bait, including squid, including vertical jigs will get you a snapper strike.

The king mackerel bite is strong along the 8A and Pelican Flats out of Port Canaveral and just about any of the wrecks and reefs that are in the 15 to 20 mile zone that are outside of Ponce Inlet.

A slow trolled Sea Witch and strip combo or a live or frozen bait on a wire stinger rig are the two best ways to catch kingfish but they have also been hitting lipped diving plugs early in the mornings, especially those that are running 10 to 30 feet deep.

In the morning, the kingfish typically feed a little bit higher in the water column which is why you don't need a plug that goes 40 feet or deeper.

Most of the king mackerel in our region are running in the 12 to 18 pound range but out of Port Canaveral along the buoy line, you generally find larger kingfish in the 30 pound and over category.

Closer inshore, the tarpon in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River and inshore along all our beaches have been biting well.  

Small flies that imitate glass minnows, baby ballyhoo, or needlefish are working really good, as well as flies that imitate small crabs or shrimp in the backwaters around Shiloh Road. 

Live or cut mullet, pogies, sardines, pilchards, or other large baitfish are also working well off the beaches.   

Most anglers are using 7/0 or 8/0 circle hooks on heavy fluorocarbon leaders to catch them.

Most of the tarpon right now in our area are running 60 to over 90 pounds.

The mangrove snapper in our area are plentiful on the reefs and wrecks  offshore right now, but you can also find them on any deep water dock, bridge piling, causeway, pier, or other hard structure in the lagoon system.

They are super easy to catch on a small piece of shrimp and a 1/0 circle hook which makes them perfect for your kids to catch when you take them out this weekend.   

Most of the fish are running 8 to 14 inches right now.

Gator Creek Tarpon

Went out to give Elmo and Odie some windshield time with Karen and decided to try for some Gator Creek tarpon on the shallow grass flats.

We passed the causeway which was beginning to load up with early July 4th celebrants and headed towards the East Gator Creek entrance.

The water was almost a dead calm and it was beginning to rain, so I left the dogs in the truck along with Karen and decided to make a few casts across the flats to see if anything was in the area.

I started out with a bone and red colored XPS Slim Dog that was smeared up with some Pro-Cure Super Gel inshore formula.

After the 3rd or 4th cast, I hooked a small ladyfish that tossed the bait after the second jump.
I made several more fruitless casts before giving up on the bait.

I don't know who said fish were stupid, but they definitely know how to avoid a lure when it stings one of their kind, anyway, I switched to a Chug Bug and missed two more ladyfish that tossed the lure before finally landing the small one below.

 

It was all bloodied up so I kept it to chunk up for reds.

I finally switched over to a silver/black back Badonk-A-Donk topwater bait that I was meaning to try out.

I smeared up the lure with some Pro-Cure on the sides and on the first cast hooked a legitimate size sea trout that I immediately released.

A couple of casts in the same area produced another boil from a much larger fish.  I'm not sure if it was a red or a large sea trout, but it smashed the bait completely out of the water and then left it.

I kept trying for the fish but after a dozen or so casts I gave up and moved on up the road.

I never spotted a tarpon but I kept getting follow ups and hits on the lure until Karen decided we needed to head to the house.

Before I get back to work next week, I plan on trying the areas again closer to dusk to see if the fish will be more receptive.

The topwater bite pattern right now seems to be just after a thunderstorm when things clam down.   The fish become active during and right after the storms roll by.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.