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.