Gator Creek Redfish

The Gator Creek Redfish have been hitting well for the past couple of weeks and this Sunday evening was no exception.

After fixing the tailgate of Karen's Silverado, I decided to take Elmo and Odie for a quick scouting trip around East Gator Creek road before it got dark.

Although I didn't plan on fishing, I took along a couple of spinning rods with a topwater Chug Bug and an XPS Slim Dog just in case I saw something hitting on the surface.

We crossed the bridge and saw that a lot of people were still partying and fishing along both sides of the causeway.  

I pulled into East Gator Creek and slowly drove around the unimproved road making a couple of stops to toss around the Chug Bug.

The only thing I riled up was a small gator of about 4 feet long that simply would not leave my plug alone.

I moved to another spot and had the same problem with another larger gator, so I drove up to the small pond near the entrance to Peacocks Pocket Road and tossed the Chug Bug around until it got close to dusk.Chug Bug

I had a couple of followups but no real action but the dogs were having a great time hanging out the window and enjoying the scenery.

As I was driving out I spotted this water snake in the road digesting a fish.  I took a couple of pics and left him alone with his undigested dinner.

There were a lot of bank fishermen in the area so I decided to drive along Gator Creek to see if anybody was catching fish.

As I rounded a bend on a point, I saw several guys watching an angler fighting a fish so I pulled over and took these images of the action.

The guy caught a nice redfish that looked like it was just in the slot.  

He was fishing in a narrow creek that flows onto a mud flat that very few fishermen bother to target.

He caught the red using shrimp for bait and was one of the happiest fishermen I've had the pleasure to talk to in a long time.

After taking the pics I drove out of the refuge and headed for home.

Several fishermen were still on the causeway dunking shrimp for drum and reds as I crossed the bridge.

I plan to hit the beach and the river next week to catch up on my fishing.

Till next time, 

Tight Lines.

East Gator Creek Redfish

This afternoon I finally got a chance to hit the refuge and wet a line, so I left Elmo and Odie at the house and headed for East Gator Creek to see if I could spot a sea trout or redfish.

WhenI got to the area the wind was up and after running the road towards Peacocks Pocket, I decided to park and walk the opposite side of East Gator Creek.

I brought a rod with a Chug Bug, and a second tucked into my waist with a gold Johnson Sprite spoon.  I figured if I couldn't raise a fish with either of these lures, I might as well go back home and make something for dinner.

I spotted a rattlesnake crossing the road but before I could get a pic, it disappeared into the marsh grass.

The back path meanders parallel to East Gator Creek and the water is generally deeper closer to the bank, so it's not necessary to make long casts.

I spotted a couple of fish but I couldn't tell what they were and casting the spoon didn't get a rise.

I continued walking and blind casting with the spoon and finally got a hit from a slot size redfish about a dozen feet from the bank.

The fish put up a nice fight and I didn't have much of a problem landing it.  A gator was eyeing me as I released it and I was surprised than I was the only person in the area fishing.

I did spot a couple cars on the opposite side but nobody stopped to wet a line.

I continued walking the bank blind casting the spoon and the Chug Bug, but I never saw another fish or got a follow up.

Since it was getting late, I decided to pack it in and head for the house for some dinner.

I'll be home all week and if I can get all the work done around the house that I need to, I'll probably hit the refuge again before I have to get back to work.

Till next time, Tight Lines.