Gator Creek Manatees

After enduring a couple months of radiation therapy at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fl. I finally got well enough to take a trip around Gator Creek in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to check out the fishing.

The water level in the lagoon system is way up and this afternoon there was a misty rain falling as I drove into the refuge.

The weather today was perfect for sitting along the roadway and dunking a fingerling mullet or live shrimp, and there were several anglers doing just that.

As I entered the refuge, the first culvert was open into the Indian River.  I immediately noticed several fish around the rushing water flow busting on the crabs and baitfish that were being flused into the system.  They looked like sea trout but I couldn't be sure.

I also noticed a large group of Manatees farther out in the river feeding on the sea grasses that have been improving the water quality in the lagoon.  At first, I thought they were a large school of black drum or redfish tailing but the longer I looked, the more I realized they were Indian River Manatees. 

I took the video below and did notice that several large black drum or redfish were mixed in among the feeding manatees, which is pretty common around here.

I moved up Gator Creek road and spoke with a couple of guys that were fishing with live shrimp along the bank.  

Both anglers said they were catching redfish that they said they were releasing back into the river but as I drove on past the second guy, I noted that he had an illegal red flopping in the grass next to his sedan.

I wasn't in the mood for any altercations, so I didn't say anything but thinking about it now, I should have.

I continued around the muddy road and spotted two more guys fishing with finger mullet close to the culverts.  Both said they had just started fishing and hadn't had any luck.

The water was relatively calm today and there were definitely fish moving around making me wish that I should have brought along at least one rod to fish with.

Anyway, I was enjoying the fresh air and just getting out for a change on the water.

Hope to start posting more as I regain my weight and strength.  It's tough eating when you have a hard time swallowing and can't taste anything.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Higher Water Levels In The Refuge

With the higher water levels in the refuge, I decided to wet a line and hit some of the more "likely" spots I used to catch sea trout in.

My wife said it had been raining off and on for a good part of the week.  This normally sets off  the bite along the shallower flats of the North Indian River and many areas in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The air temperature this afternoon was in the high 80s and there was a slight breeze blowing over the mud flats when I started casting my paddletail bait along the shoreline.

Most of the areas I fish were without incident but along Catfish Creek Loop I started getting hits around the mangroves in the mud flats.

I missed three or four fish before finally landing an under slot sea trout that I quickly released.

The pond just before the entrance to Peacocks Pocket is usually taken over by bank fishermen dunking live or dead bats for redfish or black drum but this afternoon, I managed to catch another small trout on an old topwater Rebel Pop-R bait I had in my freshwater tackle box.  

After circling Catfish Creek Loop with no more bites, I decided to head back to the house and fininsh up some stairs I was working on.

Surprisingly, there were no people fishing the usual spots along the bank in either of the areas I visited this afternoon.

If I don't hit it again later today towards dusk, I'll be out sometime tomorrow.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Don'ty forget the Go Outdoors Sale going on now if you need ot stock up on all your outdoors necessities.

Waterfowl In The Wildlife Refuge

This afternoon my wife and I finally got a chance to check out the waterfowl in the wildlife refuge.

I had planned to do some fishing but the rods were left at the house and after talking to some of the guys bank fishing around the refuge, I didn't miss much.  Nobody seemed to be catching fish.

Anyway, the waterfowl were out in numbers that even avid birdwatchers would really appreciate.

As we entered the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, I was surprised at how low the water level was along the west side of the road.  Where I was catching rat redfish and sea trout a couple of months ago, there was only a mudflat loaded with sandpipers.

As we drove around Gator Creek and Catfish Creek Loop I took tons of waterfowl pics, some of which I have below.

We spotted mallards, teal, mud hens, ibis, pelicans, and even a few roseate spoonbills feeding in the shallows.   Definitely a duckhunters dream.

As we drove around Catfish Creek Loop, Karen and I came up on a huge gathering of Cormorants.  I have no idea why they were in this area in such great numbers but I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

 Click on the pic for a short video.

I'm not sure what the lone angler in the kayak was fishing for, but I don't believe he caught much around the birds.

As we drove around the refuge, I exited via East Gator Creek road to check out the mudflats in that area and took some pics of the area.

The pods of black drum feeding in the shallows in this area are now concentrated into the deeper areas along the main road.

As we headed for home, we spotted a family of Sandhill Cranes that didn't mind me taking their pic.

Although I didn't get any fishing in,  we thoroughly enjoyed watching the waterfowl in the area.  

Hopefully my work schedule will allow me to do some serious fishing in the next few weeks.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Tying The Mortician Rig

A couple of weeks ago when I was home, I tried my luck surf fishing at  Playalinda Beach.  

 

Except for a few small whiting which I returned, the fishing was less than stellar however, I did get schooled on how to use and tie a Mortician's surf rig by one of the guys fishing at the same Lot number.

This guy was catching bluefish and smaller whiting on the same rig using different size hooks and baits, so I asked him what kind of rig he was using.

He told me that his go to surf rigs were made with 60# fluorocarbon leaders so he could toss up to a 6 oz. pyramid sinker or Sputnik sinker when necessary. 

The problem with using a 60# dropper loop rig is that you can’t down size the hooks for smaller mouthed species like whiting, croakers, and pompano.   

The smallest size hook you can get on a 60# dropper loop rig is a 2/0 Eagle Claw L197F Circle Hook.  

I tried it with a Gamakatsu 2/0 circle hook but the eye was way too small for the 60# mono.   

When you consistently miss bites and need to go to an even smaller hook like the 1/0 Mustad 39940NP-BN Ultra Point 1X strong circle hook, it's impossible to use the heavier mono rig.

The solution to quickly changing hook sizes is the so called Mortician Rig that he was using, which is nothing more than tying two figure eight knots in the 60# dropper loop rig.   

The knots form a slot where you can easily add a larger or smaller pre tied hook to accept different sized baits without re-tying an entire leader.

The video above shows how to tie the rig with the figure eight knots.

My four surf rods are all spooled with 30# and 60# Power Pro and with this rig as terminal tackly,  it should make casting different size baits on the same rod a snap.  

When I get back home again, I'm looking forward to staking out a couple of rods on the sand using these rigs with a clam or sand flea on one hook, and a piece of chunked bait on a larger hook, to see what is biting on any particular day.  

The Mortician's rig definitely makes it easier to switch out hook sizes and try different baits without the hassle of re-tying the rigs on the beach.

I've been out of pocket for the past several months but plan on wetting a line more often when I get back home.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.