Christmas Week Fishing

Christmas week fishing is better than not fishing at all and since I've been out of town for a month or so in the mountains of North Carolina, I was more than ready to wet a line in some salt water when I got home this weekend.

The weather this evening was rainy and slightly windy.  The air temps were in the low 70's and the water in the area where I was wetting a line was crystal clear; usual winter time conditions for east central Florida.

I bank fished several areas in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with mostly topwater Chug Bugs and Bass Assassin soft baits with mixed results.

In the shallow flats around Gator Creek and East Gator Creek, I was using a Chug Bug around the mangrove roots and dropoffs.  I missed a couple of small trout, or at least I think they were trout, and managed to hook and release three ladyfish.  

The ladyfish were all hooked on a slow retrieve when the lure stopped moving in the water.  I was using a very slow stop and go type retrieve.

I spotted a nice gator sea trout swimming along the bank in one area that was in the 25 inch category, but I couldn't get a lure to the fish.

I briefly tossed a white 4" Bass Assassin on a jig head in a couple of areas and after getting a sore wrist with only one hit decided to continue fishing with the Chug Bug.

I parked at Pump House road and walked around the area a bit to see if anything was going on.  The water here was clean and clear but other than one small sea trout that I hooked and released on a Creme soft bait, I didn't score any respectable fish.

When it started raining more than just a light mist and the wind picked up, I got cold and decided to head back to the house for some dinner.

I was only out for a couple of hours but considering I had not fished the area for a little over a month, I can't complain about the fishing.

At least I was catching today.

Hope to get out to the beach before Christmas to check out the surf fishing.  The Pomps should be out there by now.

Till next time,

Tight Lines. 

  

October Reds

Getting October Reds on topwater baits is normally an early morning endeavor, but this evening I managed to hit one on an XPS Slim Dog bait that I picked up from Bass Pro a couple of weeks ago.

The one in the pic below was caught in the Indian River at the culverts near the entrance of Catfish Creek Loop.

The slot fish had on it's  beautiful fall colors and was so pretty I released it to fight another day.

The scouting trip started late in the afternoon and after missing several fish on gold Johnson Spoons, I switched over to a topwater, smeared it up with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula gel, and started catching instead of just fishing.

I'd like to say I caught several more reds but the only other fish I managed to land was a couple of undersize sea trout.

Have to get back to work again next week so until next time, Tight Lines. 

Late Afternoon Scouting Outing

After finishing up the chores my wife had for me today, I decided to take Elmo and Odie on a late afternoon scouting outing in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I didn't plan on fishing but I took a couple of spinning rods along just in case something wanted to jump into the truck.

It was around 6:00 pm when we pulled into the entrance to East Gator Creek and there was absolutely nobody in the area.

The air temperature was in the high 80s but there was no wind blowing and the water in the shallow flat was pretty much flat.  

I drove at barely an idle to see if anything was hitting the surface and spotted a few tails in the shallow mud flats on the right side of the road just past the culvert.

I tried to get a video of the action but by the time I could focus on a tail, they were gone.  I did manage some good pics of the sunset.

After several failed attempts to get a shot at the reds tailing, I moved up the road to fish the east side of the road.  The drop off at the far canal.is usually good for a fish or two if you can make a long cast so I gave it a few casts to see if anything was interested.

After several casts, a medium sized ladyfish nailed the white XPS Slim Dog topwater bait I was tossing and made several jumps before I could shake the fish off at the bank.  

When I don't plan on keeping the fish for bait, I usually just flip them off at the bank to reduce the mortality rate.

I had two more strikes and one more hookup before Elmo and Odie started getting into trouble.

Elmo is almost blind and pretty much can't hear anything so it makes keeping track of him a full time job.

Odie is pretty cool, he just follows me around waiting for a fish to check out.

Anyway, I loaded them back into the truck and drove slowly past Catfish Creek loop entrance to check out the area.

I spotted three groups of fishermen along the bank of the Indian River who were dunking finger mullet and dead shrimp.  

One guy had a nice slot redfish but nobody else seemed to be having much luck.

I took several pics of the beautiful sunset before heading back home and picking up a Lil Ceaser's pizza.

Once a month or so I go off my diet and share a pizza with my wife.  

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Dog Days Tarpon

After yesterday's outing at the Canaveral National Seashore road to Playalinda Beach, I expected another stellar day hooking and releasing ladyfish and tarpon, however, today the fish had a serious case of lockjaw.

I left the house around 1:30 pm and arrived at the pond I fished yesterday around 2:00 pm.

Despite the overcast conditions, a  lot of people were on the road going to the beach but nobody was fishing the Vistas or the ponds.

I stopped and pulled out the outfit I used yesterday with the beat up XPS Slim Dog, smeared it up with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula gel, and started casting around the same areas as I did yesterday.

After the third or fourth cast I hooked into the biggest tarpon to date.  The fish was well over three feet long and could only get half out of the water when it tried to jump and toss off the lure.

The fish stayed hooked until the fourth jump which was really a head shake when the hooks pulled out of it's mouth.

I was not a happy camper because I really wanted to get a pic of the tarpon for this site but I put on a happy face and continued casting around the area looking for another bite.

For the next hour, I made an undetermined amount of casts with several topwater baits and never got another hit or follow up from a tarpon or even a ladyfish.

I tried two other Vistas with the same result.

I have no earthly idea what happened to put down the bite but it stopped cold.

With my tail between my legs and sweat dripping down my shirt, I gave up the idea of fishing and headed home for some air conditioning.

I may get out to fish again before heading back out of town, but I hope the fish are hungrier than they were today.

Till next time, Tight Lines. 

Searching For Tarpon

On Thursday afternoon when Karen and I went searching for tarpon along the Canaveral National Seashore, I had a lot of action with several hookups but I couldn't land a fish to save my life, so late Friday afternoon, I decided to see if I could change my luck.

I left the house without anything but a box of topwater lures and some water.  

I don't know what the heat index was, but the air temperature was in the high 90s and there was a lot of thunderstorm activity in the area.

When I entered the Canaveral National Seashore, I didn't waste any time getting to Vista 7 but after making several casts in the area without even a follow up I decided to check out several other areas.

I tried two small ponds along the road that produced a few busts on the XPS Slim Dog topwater bait I was using and managed to land a couple of small ladyfish that I quickly released.

When I finally got tired of casting, I decided to head out of the area but on the way I stopped at a large pond just before the Bio Lab road exit to give it a final last shot.

I smeared up the Slim Dog I was using with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula gel and started fan casting around the area.

On my second cast I missed a good fish that I couldn't identify but it looked like a large ladyfish.

A couple of casts later in the same general area produced a small ladyfish that was double hooked and put up no fight.

I continued casting farther out in the pond and hooked into a large juvenile tarpon that was in the three foot category.  The fish made a jump that shot him at least 6 feet out of the water and tossed back my lure.

I waited a while and juiced up the Slim Dog with some fresh Pro-Cure and after another couple of casts hooked into another tarpon that was larger than the first fish.  

The fish jumped once and made a fast run down the channel close to the road.  On the second jump, which was next to the shoreline, the fish tossed the lure back to me into the bushes.

I couldn't believe that I couldn't land a damn tarpon, but that fishing.

Anyway, I continued tossing the Slim Dog around and caught several more ladyfish that started hitting like crazy just before it started raining in earnest.

I put on a brimmed hat and continued tossing the topwater plug and managed to hook and lose three more tarpon in the three foot category before the bite stopped completely.

The rainstorm evidently perked up the bite and when it stopped raining, the fish stopped eating.

Ticked off at myself for not being able to land just one tarpon, I headed for home to get in my daily walk.

I plan to try the area again tomorrow, God willing.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Tarpon In The Vistas

This afternoon I decided to get out to Playalinda Beach to catch a few whiting for dinner and see if there were any tarpon in the Vistas on the way to the beach. 

I loaded up a couple of surf rods and one river rod with a Bass Pro topwater popper, just in case and headed to the beach. 

On the way to Playalinda, I stopped at the bait shop and picked up some frozen shrimp and a pack of finger mullet for bait. The girl at the shop said that the tide was on the way out and most of the surf fishermen were catching whiting and a few keeper pompano on sand fleas and shrimp. I figured that since I was already loaded up, I might as well head out to the Lots even though the tide was heading in the wrong direction.

 When I showed my lifetime pass to the girl at the kiosk, I asked her why she was wearing a mask when she was all alone in the booth.  She said it was required, so I left it alone. I'm convinced we have all gone mad! 

 Anyway, as I drove past the first Vista I was going to stop but decided to hit the beach first.  

The first lots had several cars so I headed up to #9 and checked out the area. The water was dirty and the tide was going out. There was a good current moving which would require a heavy lead to hold bottom, so I moved up to lots #10 and #11 to see if conditions would be more conducive to fishing.

These lots were also about the same; dirty, roily water and a heavy current.   I planned to fish around lot #10 but after talking with a surf fisherman who was there most of the morning without any fish, I decided to wait for a high tide tomorrow morning to fish the surf. 

I planned to head back to fish East Gator Creek but decided to stop at Vista 7 to give it a shot.   

On the third cast with my popper, I hooked into a juvenile tarpon around 3 feet long.   The fish jumped twice before sending the lure back to me.   

I loosened up the drag on my reel and continued tossing the small topwater popper around the area.   After several casts, another tarpon slightly smaller hit the plug and got off after the first jump. 

I always bow to the tarpon when they get hooked but today for some reason the lures kept getting thrown back to me.  

After several more casts around the area, the bite died down so I moved up to the next Vista and continued casting the small popper. 

This Vista produced hookups with two more tarpon about the same size as the last site and one smaller tarpon about two feet long.    All the fish were hookups that got off after a couple or three jumps.

Frustrated, I gave up and headed back home to tell Karen about my trip.

Karen wanted to pick up a prescription and take the "boys" for a ride, so I packed up the river rod and we headed out to Walgreens.  They filled her scrip and we headed over to Bio Lab road to scout for snook spots and see if there were any tarpon in the area.,

We didn't see any tarpon, but I found a few nice spots for snook along the road.   When we came to Playalinda Beach road, I decided to try the Vista where I hooked into the larger tarpon earlier, and Karen agreed.

When we drove down to the Vista,  I got out of the truck and on the first cast hooked into a tarpon that was over three feet long.    The fish took a lot of drag, jumped four times, and on the last jump broke off my favorite topwater popper.

It was the only one I brought with me so I tied on a large Zara Spook that I tossed around for several minutes without even a follow up.    The tarpon apparently were only interested in smaller baits today so I packed up my rod and we all headed back to the house.

I broke my diet and ate four slices of pizza from Lil Ceasers before doing my afternoon walk.

Till next time,

Tight Lines..

Fishing East Gator Creek

Finally got a chance to wet a line this afternoon at East Gator Creek.

This was my first chance since I got home from North Carolina to go fishing so I picked the closest area available to hopefully catch some fish.

When I got to East Gator Creek, there was a decent breeze on the water which made topwater casting a bit of a challenge.  

I brought three rods along each tipped with a Badonk A Donk, a Bass Pro XTS popper, and a XPS Slim Dog topwater bait.

I had a box of Chug Bugs in the back with a few DOA lures just in case, but on this trip, I never got a chance to use them.

I already completed my walk for the day and it was around 6:00 pm when I tossed my first lure on the flats.  

The  XTS topwater popper I was using was black on top with a silver/white belly below.  I smeared it up with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula gel to spice up the bait and started blind casting the area.

After many casts around the grassy flats I finally hooked and landed a ladyfish of around 15" that jumped all over the place before giving it up.

In the next hour or so, I managed to hook and land two more smaller ladyfish around the same area.

I moved up the road and started casting to the far side of the flat where a deep dropoff paralleled the weedy shallow flat where I saw a fin break the surface.

I made several casts across to the deeper water and finally got a follow up from a juvenile tarpon.  The fish looked like it was interested in my bait but even with the Pro-Cure, it had lockjaw.

Several unproductive casts later, I finally decided to give it up and run around Catfish Creek loop to see if anybody was catching fish.

I saw several groups of fishermen dunking live mullet and cut baits but nobody admitted to having caught anything.

I took a few pics of the sunset as I was going around Catfish Creek 

By the time I finished circling the road, the full moon was coming up and I decided to head for home.

Hopefully, I'll get out to wet a line in the next couple of days.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

More Late Afternoon Topwater Action

Around 5:00 pm I decided to walk the bridge and check out the fishing in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The weather was balmy as I trudged the A. Max Brewer bridge to get in my daily exercise and I was sweaty when I got back to the truck.

I had good luck fishing yesterday so I decided to get in more late afternoon topwater action on the flats.

 

As I entered the refuge, I passed the culvert and noticed some activity in the shallows but I decided to pass it up and head towards where I caught fish yesterday evening.

As I drove slowly towards the spot, I spotted some tailing action on the other side of the road.

I parked and took a video of some very large black drum tailing the muddy flat.  The wind was blowing just enough to ripple the water and give the drum enough cover to feed in the area.

Click on the pic below.

I was going to switch to a DOA jerkbait or a Saltwater Assassin paddletail lure but I forgot to bring my tackle boxes and was stuck with the four topwater baits I had tied onto the rods I brought along.

Shitty planning.....  Anyway, I watched the fish for a while before moving down the road to do what I do best.

This afternoon was a clone of yesterday's fishing trip.  I hooked and shook off a nice ladyfish that I hooked on a Badonk A Donk topwater bait at the first place I stopped and managed to land three more small ladyfish.  The smallest one hooked itself on the nose and tail and came in like a wet rag.

Two more casts after I released the lady, I hooked into a sea trout that I also released.

I continued to catch and release a total of 7 ladyfish and three spotted sea trout.  All were caught on a Badonk A Donk topwater bait smeared up with Pro-Cure gel.

This was the first fishing trip where I had to stop fishing because I couldn't cast anymore.  I sprained my wrist and even though I had it wrapped, the pain just got to me.

On the way out of the refuge, I passed by several anglers dunking baits but I didn't bother asking how they were doing.  It looked like most were just having a great Sunday afternoon outing.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

99

Sea Trout and Ladyfish On The Flats

The weather was wet and windy when I decided to hit the flats in East Gator Creek for some sea trout and ladyfish action.

This afternoon was my first chance to wet a line sine I got home Friday night so despite the weather, I decided to get in some topwater fishing.

I knew from prior experience that fishing the fronts and thunderstorms can be extremely productive and this afternoon proved my theory.  

As I slowly drove into East Gator Creek Road looking for signs of topwater feeding activity, it started raining just enough to cool things down.  

The air temp was still in the 80s and there was enough wind to make walking the dog a pain in the butt.

I started out blind casting the weedy flats with a small Bass Pro Tourney special popper that I smeared up with some Pro-Cure inshore formula gel.  I do this to increase my hookup ration and the stuff really works.

I made three casts around the first culvert and had a couple of follow ups but no hookups so I moved down the road blind casting around the shallows.

The water was crystal clear and I spotted several long nose garfish along the bank.

I drove up the road to another weedy flat and again started blind casting the area.

After a few casts I hooked up with a ladyfish around 20 inches that got off after a few jumps.  

A few casts later and I landed another smaller version that I quickly released.

The wind was slowing down but the rain was becoming steadier and the bite was perking up.

I started casting parallel to the bank with a Badonk A Donk that I had on my other rod and hooked into a couple more ladyfish which I landed and released.

Moving up the road into a sheltered area, I hooked into a nice sea trout that I took a pic of  and quickly released.

In that spot I managed to hook and release two more ladyfish and one more smaller sea trout.

As the rain slowed down to a halt, I took a slow ride around Catfish Creek Loop to see what was happening in that area.

I stopped to briefly talk to two fishermen who both said the sea trout bite was picking up.  The one guy was using croaker under a popping float and had three sea trout and the other group was using finger mullet.

As I was talking to the second angler, I spotted some tails on the Indian River side of the road.  He told me that the other fisherman had just lost an over size redfish at the bank.  He said the tail was huge and the fish was probably in the 15 pound category.

He said the school was just outside of casting range from the bank but with the corakers he was using for bait, I'm pretty sure he'd be getting a hookup before dark.

I bid him farewell as I took a pic of the sunset and headed home.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Haulover Canal Tarpon

This morning seemed like a great day to hit Haulover Canal and try for some black drum.

I loaded my heavy surf rods into the back of my truck, stopped at the local bait shop to pick up a half dozen blue crabs for bait, and headed for Haulover.

When I got to the canal the bridge was down so I hit the northwest side and got a spot right at the bridge.

I cut a blue crab in half and put one piece on both of my heavy rigs.  

I was using a 10 foot Tournament surf rod with an Okuma baitrunner reel loaded with 60 pound Power Pro.  

The current was pretty strong so I rigged the 6/0 hook on 40 pound fluorocarbon leader with a 3 oz. sliding sinker to hold bottom.

The other rod is a Penn Fierce III spooled with 30 pound Cajun Red line and the same terminal tackle setup.

I tossed the baits out, set both rods on medium drag and sat down to enjoy the beautiful day.

I immediately spotted a Cormorant swimming under my rods to grab an oyster cracker for lunch.  As I caught him on video I also caught a couple of tarpon busting the surface just under the bridge.  Click on the pics to see a video.

There was a pod of about 7or 8 tarpon in the 80 to 100 pound range rolling on the surface in the area of the bridge for about an hour after I arrived.  

There were a ton of glass minnows in the canal, so I assume that they were chowing down on them.

I briefly thought about trying to hook up with one of them but there wasn't a chance in hell I could have landed one that size from the bank, especially were I was set up.

I continued watching the fishermen on the other side of the canal and a little blue heron that was catching glass minnows for his lunch as I waited for something to bite.

Finally, the baitrunner took off and I tightened up the line to set the hook on the fish.  As soon as I pulled back, I felt the weight of the fish briefly before the fish cut me off on the rocks.

I reeled in the barrel sinker without the hook and snelled on another 6/0 Owner hook.  I baited up with another half of a crab and tossed the bait almost across the canal.

The current was getting stronger than when I arrived and there was a lot of weeds in the canal that were causing problems holding bottom.  

After 5 minutes or so, you had to reel in, strip off the weeds and make another cast.

Finally, I got tired of catching weeds and moved to another spot near the middle of the canal, hoping that the weeds would not be as much of a problem.  Unfortunately, after an hour of removing weeds with only one bite that took my crab, I decided to call it a day and give it up.

I normally fish artificial baits but I do enjoy fishing the canal but when the weeds are this thick, it's too much like work.

I finally packed it in around 5:00 pm and let the tarpon have the canal to themselves.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Another SpaceX Launch

After getting drenched the other day waiting for the Space X Launch that was scrubbed, I decided to give it another try and get in my daily walk to boot. 

The launch was supposed to lift off around 3:00 pm so I parked and walked over the bridge about a half hour earlier. 

About the time I got to the top of the bridge, I spotted a tugboat motoring down the ICW pushing some kind of erection.

I tried out the video on my Samsung S10+ and took a short vid just before liftoff.

The liftoff was not as great as some that I have watched but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I waited about 5 minutes to try and catch a video of the booster coming back down to the Cape, but I missed capturing it on video by a hair.

I planned to get in some fishing today, but decided to hit Haulover tomorrow to checkout the bite.

Till then, 

Tight LInes.

Late Afternoon Topwater Action

Finally got a chance to get out of the house to wet a line and get in some topwater action with some ladyfish this afternoon.

I didn't get out until quite late and it had just stopped raining when I got to the grassy flats I usually fish.

The wind put a nice ripple on the water and was blowing right into my face, making casting and working a topwater bait a challenge.

I started fishing with a gold and black back BadonkADonk topwater lure smeared up with some Pro-Cure.

I'd like to say that I nailed the hell out of the fish but I had to work for every bite I managed to eke out.

After several unfruitful casts and a couple of birds nests in the Power Pro I was using, I finally picked up a ladyfish that hit the topwater and danced all over the flats before giving it up.

I took a quick pic before releasing the fish and continued casting into the wind.

I caught two more ladys about the same size as the first fish and released them both before moving on to an area that was less windy.

At this spot I changed baits and started tossing a Bass Pro topwater bait I picked up on sale when I was working in Mobile, Al.

After several casts and a couple of follow ups, I hooked into a small tarpon that made two jumps right at the bank before pulling off.

I spent the next half hour casting, hooking and releasing all sizes of ladyfish that just couldn't leave the smaller topwater plug alone.

Finally, after a 7' gator started getting too interested in my topwater baits, I decided to head for home and call it a day.

In total I managed to hook, land, and release seven ladyfish in all sizes.  

I just had to take a pic of the smallest one I hooked who had an appetite of a gator trout and the mouth of a guppy.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

 

Topwater Sea Trout Over The Weeds

April, May, and June is when topwater sea trout fishing is at it's peak, so I decided to thit the wildlife refuge after mowing the lawn to try catching a few fish.

As I drove over the A. Max Brewer Bridge I was treated with the sight of wind surfers along the causeway.

 

This usually means crappy topwater fishng, but because I only had a  couple more days in town to do any fishing, I continued to the weedy shallows around East Gator Creek.

The water was clear and there was a lot of topwater activity along the far bank in several areas so I opted for a Chug Bug to see if I could pick up a sea trout or two.

I had a devil of a time with the weeds but I finally got a hookup with a slot size sea trout that I lost at the bank.

I moved to another area when a small gator came in to investigate my Chug Bug, and picked up another sea trout that I landed and carefully released.

I continued casting and landed a small ladyfish that I released at the bank. 

The fish were short striking my Chug Bug so I smeared some Pro-Cure on the lure to keep the fish interested.

I hooked and released two more sea trout before another gator came into the area and messed up my fishing.

The next spot I stopped to fish was an area where deeper water along the mangrove bank always harbored black drum and redfish.  It is a good area to fish but really tough to successfully land a fish from the bank once you get a hookup.

I tossed the Chug Bug only a few feet off the bank and had an immediate hookup with a big fish.  I think it was a large sea trout but I never landed it.

The fish made a run to the weeds in the middle of the shallows and then headed straight for the mangrove roots where it broke off with my favorite Chug Bug.

About this time another gator popped up looking to see what all the action was about, so I packed up my rods and headed back to the house. 

Hope to get out again before I head out of town again so until next time, Tight lines.

Gator Creek Topwater Fishing

I really missed Gator Creek topwate fishing when I was out of town and haven't been able to comment much about it so this afternoon I decided to give it a try. 

It was hot all day with just a slight breeze blowing so when I finally finished up with my chores, I picked a trio of rods and headed to the wildlife refuge.

When I crossed the bridge, very few people were around the causeway.  I spotted only two fishermen dunking baits and nobody was wind surfing.

As I entered East Gator Creek, I immediately noticed how low the water was on both sides of the road.

 

The first culvert where I usually fish first was virtually unfishable.  The mud flats where reds, ladyfish, and sea trout normally cruise were above water so I passed up the  area and moved on to the eastern side of the road to concentrate on the weedy shallows.

The water was  tannin stained and coffee colored but crystal clear.  The shallow flats looked fishy, so I parked and waited to see if there was any topwater action.

I didn't have to wait long before a couple of big fish started chasing a pod of mullet in the midst of the weeds.

Because of all the weeds, I decided to try fishing with a freshwater weedless frog that I occasionally use for bass.

I had several hits when I slowed down my retrieves, but I couldn't get a hookup.

I finally decided to try fishing a BadonkADonk topwater bait.  It was the closest lure I had on hand that mimicked a mullet.

On the second cast I missed a nice ladyfish, and on the third cast I hooked and landed the fish below.

I released the fish and caught another lady a few casts later.

I caught and released three more good size ladyfish before an eight foot gator started chasing my lure and forced me to move on to another area.

 

At the second location I missed three more ladyfish and briefly hooked into a small tarpon that tossed the bait after the second jump.

As another gator swam in an ruined my fishing, I decided to head to the bridge and get in my daily walking before heading home.

It was remarkable that I saw no one else fishing the area while I was out.  

In any event, I plan on getting out again tomorrow to try some more Gator Creek topwater fishing..

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Ladyfish On The Flats

After walking across the A. Max Brewer Bridge twice, I decided to try catching some ladyfish on the flats in East Gator Creek. 

 As I drove across the bridge, I took a pic of the crowd on the north side of the causeway.  Despite the windy conditions, there were tons of people out today wind boarding, fishing, cooking out and generally having a good time. 

It was around 5:30 pm when I drove into the entrance of East Gator Creek.  I drove slowly watching for fish busting on baitfish in the grass.

About a hundred yards down the road, I spotted some action on the eastern side of the flats along a drop off, so I parked and pulled out my rods.

I had some luck on a Bass Pro Special Tourney Popper a couple of days ago so I decided to try it first.

I smeared the bait with some Pro-Cure and on my first cast across the flats hooked and landed a small ladyfish that danced across the water several times on it's tail.

I released the fish and continued casting around the area and hooked into a second fish about the same size as the first.

After several more casts closer in on the grass, I hooked and lost a medium sized sea trout that nailed the popper at the edge of the grass.

I spent about an hour at the spot and managed to hook and release five ladyfish before calling it a day.  

I missed or lost at least seven fish in the same area.

There was a lot of vehicle traffic on the road but for some reason nobody was fishing the area.

On the way out just past the culverts, there was a group fishing on the mud bank at the entrance to Catfish Creek Loop with on idiot swimming with his fishing rod chest deep in the middle of the area.  

I was going to stop to take his picture and tell him about the 10 foot gator that calls this area home, but I decided that it probably wouldn't do any good.

Hope I don't read about him in the news tomorrow.....

Till next time,

Tight Lines.