Bass In Gator Creeki

I almost forgot that there were freshwater bass in Gator Creek but I was quickly reminded this afternoon when I fished the area.

I planned to do some fishing around Bio Lab Road but by the time I decided to make a run at it, it was late afternoon.   Not a really great time to do any serious fishing.

I drove into Bio Lab and saw several people crabbing and a couple of dudes pissing off an alligator at the pump station.  They were feeding the gator large mullet on a stick while wading right next to the bank.  How stupid can you get???

Anyway, I didn't wait around to see if the gator was interested in eating a human so I drove slowly along the road looking for some sign of fish.

I stopped at a couple of likely looking spots but only got a half hearted hit from a seatrout on a topwater Chug Bug.  

I rolled down to the culverts near Pelican Island to see if any tarpon were in the area and came up on a heard of sea manatees that were having a blast around the open culvert.

I fished the opposite side with a Tsunami paddle tail bait and missed a fish that obviously was not a tarpon so I decided to head out to the Vistas.

I took this short video of all the manatees around the culvert before leaving.

I was heading out to Playalinda Beach Road when a lady stopped to tell me that the gate was closed early.  They normally close the gate at 7:00 pm but for some reason it was already closed an hour early.  I thanked her and turned around to head back to the entrance of Bio Lab and drive over to Gator Creek.

When I finally got to the entrance to East Gator Creek, I noticed a lot of vehicle traffic but no fishermen in the area.  

I started fishing a topwater Chug Bug and after the second or third cast got a great hookup with a strong fish.  The fish took line and headed up the road along the bank and finally cut off my Chug Bug.

The fish was not a tarpon but it could have been a red or a snook.  Regardless, I never got a chance to look at it.

I tied on a new Chug Bug and started blind casting around the shallow flats hoping for another good fish.

After several more casts, I hooked into a large garfish that I shook off at the bank.  The fish put up a sluggish fight which definitely was not how the first fish took off.

I continued casting the area and after two missed strikes, finally hooked up and landed this black bass that hit the Chug Bug right at the bank.  The fish put up a decent fight before I landed it and took these pics.

Last year at about this time I remember catching several black bass in Gator Creek along with some Mayan Cichlids.

I released the fish and planned on heading home but when I saw all the people looking into the sky, I remembered that there was going to be a launch this afternoon.  

As luck would have it, I asked one of the guys when it was scheduled and he told me I was a dollar short and a day late.  It had already taken off.

I can't believe I was so wrapped up in catching fish that I totally missed the shot.

Anyway, after a lot of mental flagellation, I headed out of East Gator Creek and headed home.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Scouting Trip Along Bio Lab Road

After returning from a long drive from the Moffitt Cancer Institute in Tampa today, I decided to make a scouting trip along Bio Lab Road to check out the potential.

I left the house around 5:00 pm and headed directly towards Bio Lab.

The water in the Mosquito Lagoon was surprisingly clear making sight fishing a definite possibility in most areas.  The mullet along the road were thick and holding close to the bank to avoid being eaten by predators.

I took some pics and talked to a couple people who were crabbing along the bank.  Nobody was fishing.

The air temperature was 93 degrees and dropping, and there was a slight chop on the water in the lagoon.  Not a great time to wet a line.

I took several pics of the mullet in the area as I headed down the road towards Pelican Island.

I was looking for tarpon but there were none in any of the areas I scouted out, including the Vistas along Playalinda Beach road.

I did find a heard of manatees along an open culvert and a large school of redfish tailing in another area right next to the road that a friendly fly fisherman turned me on to.

He said he was wading around the school but hadn't gotten any hookups.

When I located the fish, I tried casting several baits at the reds without any hookups.

With all the mosquitoes swarming in my face and legs, it didn't take long for me to leave the area and head home.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.