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.