9-11-2017 Fishing

September 11, 2017 was the first time since Hurricane Irma that I bothered visiting the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and it was an interesting sight.

The winds were still gusting and although the water levels on the causeway were close to the roadway, it did not deter some hardy souls from wetting a line in hopes of catching redfish for dinner.

When I took Elmo and Odie for a ride, I was surprised how many fishermen were actually out on the water.

The north side of the causeway was spotted with at least a dozen fishermen who had each staked out at least a couple of rods with cut or live mullet.  

When I asked about the fishing, a couple of guys said the reds were "hitting like there was no tomorrow".

I took a couple of quick pics and a short video before heading back to the house for some cleanup,

I briefly thought about grabbing a rod and joining in on the action, but my yard needed some attention.  I had three ponds in my yard which is not in a flood zone, and a 50 foot tree across my driveway that I could not take down because of the water.

I count my blessings.  It could have been so much worse.

Till when I can wet a line again,

Tight Lines.

Hurricane Irma Fishing

Evidently Hurricane Irma didn't stop some die hard fishermen from taking advantage of the low pressure associated with the storm.

An exceptional redfish bite in our area often occurs just before a front, especially before a hurricane.

Although I do not recommend anyone picking up a rod to fish this particular storm, it is well known that fish bite like crazy when the barometer drops.

At 2:00 pm this afternoon, I took a quick spin around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see if anybody was dedicated enough to break out their fishing tackle, and as I suspected, the north side of SR 402 was dotted with guys putting out live mullet to fish for redfish.

I also spotted two really dedicated guys putting away their wind surfing gear.

Parrish Park was empty except for a couple of fishermen under the A. Max Brewer Bridge and the fishing piers were also for the most part uninhabited.

 I spoke to one fishermen as he was leaving the lower fishing pier and asked him if he was doing any good.  He said he caught several small spotted sea trout and a small redfish and was moving to the next bridge to see if he could catch anything larger.

I briefly thought about going back home and picking up a fishing rod, but as I started back to the house, the rain started again.

Hurricane Irma is one storm I take very seriously, so I'm home behind boarded up windows waiting for the hit tomorrow morning.  

The latest track shows the category 3 storm moving through the Florida Keys and Miami tomorrow morning and then turning to Naples and Tampa, but with almost a 70 mile wide swath, we are going to get nailed regardless of the path.

Hope you all took this one seriously and prepared for it.

Till next time I can go fishing again, 
Tight Lines and God bless.