Shrimping Report For 11-21-2012

Here is the most current shrimping report for 11-21-2012.

The "die hard" shrimpers were out on both fishing piers this evening and some of them were doing quite well, especially from the upper fishing pier.

I was sick with the flu for the past few days and finally couldn't stand being in the house anymore so I put on my "hoodie" and headed for the fishing piers under the new Max Brewer Causeway Bridge in Titusville.

When I got to the area a guitarist was playing solo for a small crowd of party goers who all seemed to be enjoying the evening and their adult beverages.

There was a brisk wind blowing across the Indian River and it was quite chilly.  The shrimpers who were on the piers were all wearing heavy clothing while hanging over the rails looking for their quarry.

I spoke with a couple of guys on the lower pier who didn't seem to be doing much however, it didn't seem to dampen their spirits a bit.

One shrimper had about a dozen shrimp on the bottom of his 5 gallon bucket and another guy I talked to had a few less.  Nothing outstanding for this time of year to say the least.

I took a few pics of the crew and moved on to the upper fishing pier to see how they were doing this evening.

The upper pier was entirely different from what I saw on the lower pier.

These guys were netting more shrimp, although not in the quantities one comes to expect from this area of Florida.

I talked to a couple of guys who were just setting up who were so busy netting shrimp, they looked like they didn't have time to set out all their shrimp lights.

During the brief time I was on the upper fishing pier, the guy I was talking to netted at least a dozen shrimp.  A few were in the "jumbo" category.

The shrimper I spent most of my time with said that this was only the second time he tried shrimping.  His net was obviously brand new, but he knew how to spot and net shrimp.

The air temperature this evening was in the lower 60s and dropping, and the water temperature, according to one of the "die hard" shrimpers was a "perfect" 66 degrees.

He evidently thought that this was the optimum water temperature for the shrimping to pick up and I didn't know enough about it to argue the point.

I walked both piers and saw a couple of guys fishing but they were only picking up small undersize sea trout.

I was still feeling crappy so I decided to head for home before I picked up a case of pneumonia on top of the flu.

I compiled this video of the action, or lack of it, during the time I was there.


Everyone I spoke with said the shrimping should get better as the month progresses and the temperature drops.  We shall see!

Till next time, Tight Lines!

Another Cold Front

By the time I finally made it home Friday, it was way to late to go fishing. Instead, my wife and I took a little trip over the newly constructed Max Brewer bridge to see if anyone was fishing or shrimping from the new pier or the bridge.

The restaurant at the fishing pier apparently was the place to be. There was live music playing and everyone seemed to be having a hell of a good time mixing it up.

There were a few shrimpers with lights dropped along the sea wall and pier but the shrimp didn't seem to be cooperating.

Several fishermen were catching small undersized sea trout and all the while I was there, nobody caught anything of any size.

The lack of catching certainly didn't have any affect on anyone's spirits. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I had planned on getting into some serious fishing today but I had an appointment with Jackson Hewitt to go over my taxes. How I love April 15th!

Anyway, the weather today was in the low 50s for most of the day and the wind was blowing enough to attract a gaggle of wind surfers on the North side of SR 406. The wet suits they were wearing were appropriate attire today.

Anyway, we drove around Catfish Creek road and into Pump House Road on the other side of SR 406 to see if anyone was catching fish. There were a lot of people on the banks fishing, but no one was pulling in fish; at least when we were driving by.

It was getting late and the temperature was dropping, so we headed home.

With the option of going fishing or picking up groceries at Wal Mart; I chose stocking up on grub.

On the way back from the store, I stopped at the Municipal Marina to see what progress was being made on the new boat ramps and park areas.

Here are the pics along with one of a rat redfish I caught flipping a spoon into the grass flats along the Indian River. The red must have had a death wish. Anyway, I just couldn't leave a Saturday go by without catching something!

If the temperature gets decent tomorrow, I'll be out on the water at least for a little while to give you guys another report.

Till then, Tight Lines.

Max Brewer Causeway Bridge Closure

The Max Brewer Causeway Bridge, at Parrish Park on SR 406 has been closed since Feb 21, 2010.

Initially I believed it was due to the swing bridge being stuck, however several people I have spoken with said that the closure was due to the ongoing bridge construction. No one seems to have any idea when or if the bridge will be reopened to vehicle traffic.

Several subscribers emailed me on this and all I can report to date is that it is still closed.

For now, anyone wanting to launch their boat at the Parrish Park ramps, will have to enter the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge from North US 1, then going onto Kennedy Parkway (Co Hwy 3), and then to Max Brewer Memorial Parkway.


When I visited the bridge late this afternoon, I spoke with a couple of shrimpers to get an updated report.

The general consensus is that the shrimping still 'sucks' compared to prior years.

The gentleman in the picture has been wintering in Titusville, from his home in Ohio and shrimping here since the 80's. He said the shrimping has been gradually going downhill.



The colder than average weather, along with the commotion from the new bridge construction, has caused the shrimp to run deeper than normal, making them harder to net.

I was surprised that they were still loading their generators onto the bridge, even though it was officially closed, but I guess that's what die hard shrimpers do.

In any event Bart, I believe he said his name was, said that the last good shrimp run this year was back in late January, and that he was still hoping for better shrimping when the water gets a bit warmer.

Although he seemed genuinely disgusted with the shrimping, it couldn't have been that bad if he bothered to unpack all his gear and lug it on to the bridge for the night.

I might get out with my wife and our wonder dog Elmo tomorrow to try some fishing and get some fishing reports on both the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Fishing.

Till then, Tight Lines and enjoy the pics!

Indian River Flats Fishing

April is the month for gator sea trout in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon estuaries.

This week in particular has been excellent fishing in the shallow grass flats north of Scottsmoor.

The Scottsmoor ramp is primarily for shallow draft boats, however if you take it easy and follow the markers out from the ramp, it can accommodate boats with a pretty deep draft. Use common sense and you shouldn't have any problems launching.

On Friday afternoon I spoke with some fishermen at the ramp who were gearing up for some wade fishing in the grass flats just north of the ramp.

The gentlemen I spoke with said they were catching bragging size trout by wading out to knee depth and staking one rod out with a live finger mullet. They were then casting top water skitter walk plugs with a second rod to pass the time between bites.

They also reported that they had been catching some huge redfish using the same technique during the middle of the week.





This particular area has been a local hot spot for years and is pretty much under fished.

Returning to Titusville on late Friday, the Max Brewer causeway bridge was loaded with over 50 people shrimping and fishing. The blood red full moon attracted quite a crowd of sport shrimpers. They reported dipping "jumbo" shrimp in large numbers for the past week.

I spent part of Easter Sunday out on the river driving around the Wildlife Refuge watching the finger mullet getting busted up by schools of large trout and a few redfish. I picked up a couple on artificial DOA Shrimp and Terror Eye lures but nothing to really brag about.

Enjoy the collage of pics I took at the Scottsmoor boat ramp.

Tight lines guys!