Rat Reds On The Flats

After shopping at WalMart this morning and stocking up on some Storm paddletail baits, I decided to sneak off and do some late afternoon fishing at Gator Creek for some rat reds on the flats.

It was pretty windy this afternoon when I crossed the bridge so topwater fishing was definitely out of the question.

I took a few pics of the construction that is ongoing along the causeway before turning into Gator Creek road.

 

As I entered the refuge there were four groups of anglers wading the shallows fishing with live shrimp.

One of the guys had a fish on but I didn't take the time waiting to find out what it was.

I meandered to the spot I fished yesterday and although I didn't see any signs of fish, I decided to give it a try anyway.

I tied on one of the Storm baits I picked up this morning at WalMart and began blind casting the area.

After about 10 minutes, I hooked into a redfish on a dropoff.   The fish was small enough to be considered a "rat" so I took a pic, removed the hook, and put it back into the clear water to grow up.

After several casts I hooked into a larger fish that I  also released.

After missing a couple more taps, I moved up the road to another spot in the same general area of the mud flat and began blind casting.

Almost immediately, I hooked and released a sea trout that just made the slot.  The fish was hooked deep but I got the bait out and the fish was none the worse for wear.

After a couple more casts I hooked into another red that was about the same size as the previous fish.  I took another pic before releasing it.

To make a long fish story shorter, I hooked, landed and released five more rat reds on the flats before the bite died off.   The largest two fish were slot size or slightly larger.

On the way out of the refuge, I drove around East Gator Creek to pitch a few casts in likely looking areas but never got a hit.

I took some pics of the receding waters on the flats before heading home for some dinner.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

 

Topwater Ladyfish

This afternoon was perfect for topwater ladyfish in the wildlife refuge.

I left the house with a couple of spinning rods and since it was late, decided to head right over to East Gator Creek.  It was around 6:00 pm when I drove into the wet dirt road at the second entrance.

I planned to fish the culverts if they were open and hit the shallow flats if they were not.

At the first culvert, the water was moving a bit so I pulled over to fish a Creme Paddletail bait.

After several casts, I finally had a brief hookup with a ladyfish that got off after a couple of quick jumps.

About that time, I noticed a very large gator along the bank next to the water level gauge, so I grabbed my cell phone and took a few pics of the reptile.

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I made a few more casts with the paddletail bait but when I started casting the Chug Bug I had on my other rod, the gator started paying too much attention to the bait, so I decided to look for another spot.

I drove into East Gator Creek road and stopped at a couple of areas where I could cast a lure.

On my second stop, I hooked into a large ladyfish of about 25 inches or so.  The fish hit the Chug Bug after the second or third gurgle and put up a great fight.   

Because of the heavy mangroves along the bank, landing the fish was touch and go.  The fish swam into the brush two times but I managed to lead it out into open water where it eventually tired out enough for me to pull it onto the bank.

I took a couple of pics of the fish before releasing it to fight another day.

I smeared ;up the bait with some Pro-Cure Inshore Formula Gel and continued casting it across toward the other bank and slowly retrieving it.  

The water surface was almost glassy and a slow stop and go retrieve seemed to be the ticket today.

After a few casts I hooked into another small ladyfish that I immediately released.

Several casts later, and another mid size ladyfish hooked itself into an arc.  I retrieved the fish without much of a fight and after taking this pic released it.

I caught a couple more ladyfish at this spot before moving to another area.   

Another gator was getting way too interested in my topwater Chug Bug so I decided to move to a spot where I caught tarpon in the past.     

It was getting dark and as I was pulling the bait along the mangrove lined bank, a large fish that I believe was a sea trout smacked the Chug Bug when it was completely motionless.

I was wearing Crocs and like a damn fool stepped into an ant mound.  The trout hit as I was shaking off the ants from my feet.

Anyway, I was in pain from the numerous ant bites so I decided to pick up and head to the house.

Tomorrow is another day.

Till then,

Tight Lines.

Culvert Fishing

Went to Gator Creek this afternoon with Odie to take advantage of some culvert fishing.

We left the house armed with three rods and a box of lures hoping to catch anything along the dirt roads in the reserve.

When we got to Gator Creek Road, I stopped at a spot where I usually catch fish in the shallows, especially when the culverts are open and the water is running.

I spotted a lot of action around the shallow grassy area adjacent to the road so I decided to toss a few lures to see what was biting.

Odie sat in the truck with the A/C going while I started tossing a Storm paddletail bait around the milling baitfish.  The lure was apparently way too small so I tied on a larger version and almost immediately started getting hits.

On the third or fourth cast with the 3" Creme paddletail bait. I briefly hooked a ladyfish that shook off the bait after the third jump.  

I continued casting into the grassy area and hooked a couple more ladyfish that I promptly relesed.

I let Odie out of the truck to do his duty and started casting a small topwater bait around the area with no success.  

It was around 5:00 pm and the fish should have been interested in the bait but today they were only interested in paddle tail baits.

I switched to another Creme paddle tail bait and after a few casts hooked into a small redfish that I quickly released.

Several casts later, I hooked into another red that I took a pic of before releasing.

The action around the open culvert continued for about a half  hour or so before I decided to try another spot.  Odie was in the truck and I didn't want to leave him alone too long.

We headed to East Gator Creek where I tossed around a Chug Bug and a Badonk-A-Donk top water bait.

I had a couple of hits on the Chug Bug but couldn't get a hookup, so I switched back to the smaller paddle tail baits.

I spooked a good redfish that I walked up on along the bank and after getting a brief bump on another fish decided to move on up the road.

The next spot I stopped at produced a couple of Mayan Cichlids that wanted to murder the paddle tail bait I was fishing with.   I kept getting good hits but I couldn't get a hookup.

Finally, a Mayan nailed the plastic bait enough to hook itself.  The fish put up a surprisingly goods fight for its size so I took its pic before releasing it.

After landing a second fish, I decided to get back home.  

Odie was getting antsy and I couldn't watch him while I was tossing lures.   Way too many gators in the area for him to get too close to the bank.

The tally for the short time I was on the water was 3 ladyfish, 2 redfish, and 2 Mayan Cichlids.

Not bad for an hour and a half of fishing.

Till next time,

Tight Lines. 

Gar On A Slim Dog

Fishing the thunderstorms this afternoon gave me another chance to toss topwater baits and even catch a gar on a Slim Dog.

Left the house around 4:30 pm during a thunderstorm and headed to Gator Creek road.  

It was raining on and off, mostly on, and there was a slight wind over the water when I got to my fishing area.

There was absolutely nobody in the area when I started blind casting a white XPS Slim Dog topwater bait over the weedy flats.

I had a couple of followups without any hits and one small ladyfish that danced all over the flats before jumping off,  so I smeared up the new Slim Dog with some Pro-Cure and continued casting the area.

The Pro-Cure did the trick.   On the first cast in the new area, I hooked a gar that put up a decent fight for it's size.  I took a couple of pics before releasing the fish and continued casting in the rain.

A gator that was watching me cast my topwater bait really got interested in what I was doing when I threw the gar back.  It began to follow the next couple of casts.

Evidently it was my day for gar because after a few more casts, I hooked another gar that was a bit smaller.  I released the fish and decided to move out of the area when the gator got way too inquisitive.

The rain was slacking up when I moved to the last spot I wanted to fish.  I missed a couple of juvenile tarpon here almost every day I went fishing so I decided to try it again today.

After several unproductive casts, I tied on a baby bass pattern Chug Bug and smeared it up with Pro-Cure.   This area was a lot calmer and walking the dog didn't seem to be putting down the fish.

I waited five minutes or so till things calmed down and tossed the Chug Bug to the opposite bank.  The lure briefly hit the grass as I flipped it into the water and slowly started chugging it back.  

The plug was about 8 feet from the bank when a juvenile tarpon nailed the plug and started jumping all over the area.

The fish put up a great fight and I almost lost it into the mangrove roots twice but I finally landed it and took a couple of pics before putting it back where it belonged.

I fished the area hard for about 20 more minutes before giving it up for the day.

I'll be going back there again this week for sure.

Till next time, Tight Lines

Gator Creek Tarpon

Went out to give Elmo and Odie some windshield time with Karen and decided to try for some Gator Creek tarpon on the shallow grass flats.

We passed the causeway which was beginning to load up with early July 4th celebrants and headed towards the East Gator Creek entrance.

The water was almost a dead calm and it was beginning to rain, so I left the dogs in the truck along with Karen and decided to make a few casts across the flats to see if anything was in the area.

I started out with a bone and red colored XPS Slim Dog that was smeared up with some Pro-Cure Super Gel inshore formula.

After the 3rd or 4th cast, I hooked a small ladyfish that tossed the bait after the second jump.
I made several more fruitless casts before giving up on the bait.

I don't know who said fish were stupid, but they definitely know how to avoid a lure when it stings one of their kind, anyway, I switched to a Chug Bug and missed two more ladyfish that tossed the lure before finally landing the small one below.

 

It was all bloodied up so I kept it to chunk up for reds.

I finally switched over to a silver/black back Badonk-A-Donk topwater bait that I was meaning to try out.

I smeared up the lure with some Pro-Cure on the sides and on the first cast hooked a legitimate size sea trout that I immediately released.

A couple of casts in the same area produced another boil from a much larger fish.  I'm not sure if it was a red or a large sea trout, but it smashed the bait completely out of the water and then left it.

I kept trying for the fish but after a dozen or so casts I gave up and moved on up the road.

I never spotted a tarpon but I kept getting follow ups and hits on the lure until Karen decided we needed to head to the house.

Before I get back to work next week, I plan on trying the areas again closer to dusk to see if the fish will be more receptive.

The topwater bite pattern right now seems to be just after a thunderstorm when things clam down.   The fish become active during and right after the storms roll by.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Catching Bonnethead Sharks In The Indian River

I didn't know that there were Bonnethead Sharks in the Indian River until this afternoon when I saw a couple releasing one at the bank of Gator Creek.

Karen and I decided to take Elmo and Odie for a quick spin around the refuge after our daily walk around the block.

Because it was late in the afternoon and I didn't plan on fishing, I didn't bring along any bait.  

We loaded the dogs into the truck and headed out to Gator Creek to check out the fishing.  

I was surprised at how many fishermen staked out their spots along Gator Creek and Catfish Creek Loop.   Every good spot was taken and most anglers had at least a couple rods out with shrimp or cut baits.

As I rounded the bend near the second entrance to Gator Creek, Karen spotted someone trying to get the hook out of a fish.  She thought it was a stingray but when I drove closer, I saw that it was a small shark.

I pulled over to see what species it was and saw that it was a Bonnethead of about 4 feet long.

While the guy and his wife were trying to get the hook out of the fish, I got my cell phone out of the truck and took a few quick pics along with this short video (Click on Pic).

The angler that caught the fish thought that it was a big redfish until he saw the fin clear the water. 

I have caught juvenile bull sharks and a couple of black tips in this area of the Indian River, but this was the first Bonnethead Shark that I've ever seen landed.

After the release, we cruised the rest of the area but nobody seemed to be catching anything except hardhead catfish and stingrays.

On the way out of East Gator Creek Road, I stopped to let the "boys" do their duty and took a couple of pics of the sun going down.

I'm home for the week and will probably wet a line after my Dentist appointment tomorrow.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Juvenile Tarpon In The Creeks

Catching juvenile tarpon in the creeks is always a blast and although late October is usually at the end of the bite, this afternoon turned out to be worthwhile.

It was raining off and on all morning and I just had to get out of the house to wet a line.   I asked Karen if she wanted to go fishing with me, knowing that she doesn't like fishing in the rain, and when she said she would sit this one out, I tossed my rods into the truck and headed out to the MINWR.

I thought about fishing Gator Creek but since it was Saturday, I assumed that there would be a lot of pressure in that area, so I headed to the Volusia County line to fish the shallow creeks in the northern part of the Indian River.

It was around 4:00 pm when I got to the first culverts and it was raining just enough for me to put on my Frog Toggs.

There was a lot of topwater activity on the south side of the culvert which looked like a school of juvenile tarpon.

When I spotted the fins breaking the surface, I was positive and pulled out a spinning rod with a small Chug Bug.  (Click on the pic above.)

I smeared up the plug with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula gel and on my first cast briefly hooked into a small tarpon which I shook off at the bank.

After hooking up and losing three more fish, they lost interest in the Chug Bug, so I switched to a green and black patterned Creme paddletail bait.

After several casts around the rolling tarpon, I finally hooked into another larger  tarpon that I took a quick pic of and also released.

When the fish lost interest in that bait, I tied on a Mirrorlure suspending twitchbait that I picked up in Mobile, Al. at the Bass Pro shop there.

Evidently the tarpon hadn't seen one of these baits because my first cast picked up a larger tarpon that was about 3 feet long.  The fish jumped four times before throwing the bait back to me.

After another couple of casts, I landed and released a smaller version of the fish that got away.  After taking a quick pic, I released the fish and continued fishing.

When the rain stopped, the water became dead calm and the tarpon bite came to an abrupt halt.  It was like someone turned off the switch because I couldn't buy a bite.

Finally, when the gnats started getting to me, I decided to head back to the house.

I took a couple of pics of the area before leaving which are below.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Windy Afternoon On The Grass Flats

Went out this afternoon to Bio Lab road but it was a windy afternoon on the grass flats and my intention of fishing topwater baits in the area Karen and I hit the other day vanished.

I quickly made my way to the grass flats around East Gator Creek and started pitching a gold Johnsons Silver Minnow that I smeared up with some Pro-Cure.

The wind wasn't near as bad in that area, so after several dozen casts without a hit or followup, I switched rods and started fishing a topwater XPS Slim Dog that I also smeared up with some Pro-Cure Inshore formula.

The change evidently was the ticket because after only a few casts I picked up a nice sea trout on the lure.

I unhooked the fish and after taking a couple of pics, put it back into the clear water.

Several casts later I picked up a small ladyfish followed by another smaller sea trout which I returned to the flats.

There was a gator that kept following my topwater baits in the one area I like to fish best, but after awhile I had to move to keep him from following my baits.

I took this brief video before moving to another spot.

Around 7:00 pm the wind started to die down a bit and for some reason, so did the bite.

I fished several areas until around 7:30 pm with the Slim Dog and a small Chug Bug, but only got a couple of followups and short strikes.

.Besides the gator, there was a horse fly that followed me to every stop and kept biting my legs to the point of torture, so I decided to head home early and get some dinner.

I'm not sure why God made horse flies, gnats, or mosquitoes.  If anyone knows, please comment on it.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Its Hard To Beat A Chug Bug

Over the years I've learned that its hard to beat a Chug Bug for topwater fishing under almost all conditions and this afternoon's trip to Gator Creek again proved my point.

I got back to town late Friday, but didn't get a chance to wet a line until late Sunday afternoon.

The weather was typical for late August.  Hot, slightly breezy, with late afternoon thunderstorms being the norm.

I brought my usual array of spinning rods, all tipped with Chug Bugs and XPS Slim Dog topwater baits to fish the grassy flats in Gator Creek.

The slight breeze on the shallows made the Slim Dog a bit difficult to present properly, so I spent most of my time tossing a couple of Chug Bugs around the deeper drops.

I was hoping for some tarpon, but I never saw one roll all the time I was on the water.  I did manage to do quite well on ladyfish and sea trout.

The first couple of spots I stopped at produced some followups and a couple of medium sized ladyfish which I took some pics of and quickly released.   

I spent some time fishing an area in the shallows where I nailed a tarpon a few weeks ago when I was last home and was rewarded with several spotted sea trout ranging in size from 14" to 25", all on the Chug Bug

I was fishing two sizes and found that the smaller size was getting more fish.  The larger size Chug Bug got less hits but in every case, larger fish.

I spent a total of about two hours on in the area before the wind picked up and I got tired of casting to fish.

The huge horse flies that made a meal of my shins also had a lot to do with me giving it up early.

Although there were plenty of gators in the area, I think they really need to rename Gator Creek, Horse Fly Creek.

Anyway, I fished all the way up to the entrance of Catfish Creek Loop which for some unknown reason is still closed to vehicle traffic.

I managed to catch and release 7 ladyfish, 6 spotted sea trout and I missed a small redfish and several more sea trout in a small pond all in a couple of hours.

I plan on getting out this week with my fly rod and see if I can still jump some juvenile tarpon and snook in the Mosquito Lagoon.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.