Bio Lab Scouting Trip

Went on a "scouting trip" with Karen, Elmo, and Odie to check out the Mosquito Lagoon fishing.

Odie assumed his position on the center console as I loaded up the truck with four spinning rods, just in case.

We took off rather late in the afternoon and headed past Gator Creek and the Black Point wildlife drive towards Bio Lab road.

The game plan was to make a quick run around Bio Lab to see if juvenile tarpon were still around the area.

We drove around the Bio Lab boat launch parking area and headed to the first set of culverts at the entrance to Bio Lab road that usually hold small tarpon during the hot months.

Today, after checking out the area, it was obvious that no juvenile tarpon were in the area.

As we headed down Bio Lab road, we saw only one other person who was fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon on a kayak with a full sized cooler.

I wanted to ask him if he had any fish or adult beverages in the cooler but my wife was too embarrassed and made me move on down the road.

It was a hot day with little to no wind on the water and most of the areas in the lagoon that we drove by had some serious brown algae which made sight fishing pretty much impossible.

When we got to Playalinda Beach road, I decided to drive toward the beach and check out some of the Vistas to see if any tarpon were in the vicinity.

We stopped briefly at two Vistas that were stained with brown algae and saw no tarpon. 

I was going to head to the beach but Karen wanted to head back, so I decided to stop at the last Vista on the way out and toss a Chug Bug around just for the hell of it.

After several casts I was ready to pack it in but a nice ladyfish nailed the Chug Bug and started dancing all over the place.

I landed the fish, took a quick pic and added some Pro-Cure to "flavor" up the bait.

A couple of casts later I hit another ladyfish that quickly shook off the lure.

I caught two more ladyfish in the same area before I decided to leave the area.

Although Karen was in the truck with the "boys" with the A/C going watching me catch fish, she couldn't leave the dogs out of the car in this area to fish herself.

It was getting late so we decided to head home and pick up a Pizza for dinner.

We left the area, headed over to Lil Ceasers and home for din din.

Elmo and Odie were happy to get out for a "ride" and I was ready to calm my growling stomach.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Saturday Scouting Trip

Got out late Saturday afternoon for a scouting trip around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I was going to take my two best friends, Elmo and Odie, but they both needed their summer haircuts and it was way too hot for them in the truck.

I didn't plan on fishing but I took a few spinning rods along, just in case something interesting was happening.

I got on Hwy 46 to I-95 North and headed towards Shiloh Road to see if any juvenile tarpon were still in the creeks.

When I drove into the dirt road, I spotted some wild pigs along the side of the road which immediately took off.

I pulled out my cell phone and set it on camera in case anything other wildlife was interested in getting it's picture taken.

When I drove up to the culvert and stopped to see if there was any fish activity in the area. There were a few small glass minnows along the bank but other than a couple of mullet, nothing was happening.

The water on the Indian River side was brown and although the marsh side was clearer, there was a lot of floating algae on the water.

I drove up to the barricade to North Shiloh Road to turn around and only saw a couple catching crabs along the bank.  It was around 4:30 pm and the air temperature was in the high 80s, so I really didn't expect many fishermen in the area.

As I was driving out of the area towards US-1,  I spotted a large bobcat in the middle of the road walking towards my truck.  As I slowed down to grab my call phone for a pic, the bobcat waked off to the side of the road and quickly disappeared in the grass along the marsh.

I got a quick video of the large cat which was definitely not one of my better shots.

Closer to the main road, I spotted a couple of raccoons crossing the road which also disappeared in the brush when I got closer to them.

I was low on gas so I decided to head into the Kennedy Space Center to check out Haulover Canal.

About a mile past the entrance sign, I spotted a group of Sandhill Cranes along the side of the road.

I pulled over and took these pics which I made into a short video.

The cranes kept walking up the road as I drove toward Haulover to check out the area.

When I got to the bridge, there were several boats in the canal but relatively few fishermen on the banks.  I didn't bother to drive down and check out the catch because my gas gauge was on empty.

It was late and I decided to hit the closest gas station and grab a Lil Ceasars pizza for dinner.

I never bothered wetting a line this afternoon, but the scouting trip did produce a lot of wildlife sightings.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Scouting Trip In The Refuge

Got back home Friday night but couldn't wet a line until this afternoon when I took the "boys" out for a scouting trip in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I loaded up Elmo, Odie, and three spinning rods tipped with soft and topwater baits and headed out to north Shiloh Road to see if anything was happening.  

Taking the dogs fishing alone is great for the boys, but not so much for my success at fishing.

I drove down the unimproved gravel road to the barrier with high expectations.  The air temperature was in the 70s, and there was little to no wind over the water.

The weather was beautiful but the fish apparently had lockjaw.

I pitched a couple of topwater baits around the first set of culverts for about 15 minutes without a hit or a follow up before moving up towards the barrier.

The water at the culverts was a dingy brown color which was undoubtedly brown algae.   In every spot we stopped to fish, I never had a hit or even a follow.

There was plenty of wildlife around the area and only one car parked close to the barrier. 

I spotted a coon, a wild pig, and tons of different bird species wading in the shallow ponds so I just had to take a few pics.

I spotted a guy on the other side of the barrier fishing from the bank but I didn't want to intrude, so I packed up Elmo and Odie and left the area.

We headed into the wildlife refuge towards Haulover Canal but on the way I decided to check out Patillo Creek.

Again, only one group of people was fishing the area close to the dead end along the northern part of the road.  The flats were dead calm and although both anglers were reeling in their rods, I didn't see anyone catching any fish.

I pitched around an XPS Slim Dog and a Chug Bug for awhile but never got a hit.

It was getting towards dusk and the sunset on the Indian River was absolutely beautiful.  I took a few pics of the scenery and the "boys" before heading out of the area.

As we crossed the Haulover Canal bridge, I couldn't believe the amount of people fishing the banks of the canal.  Apparently, that is where the fish were.

I drove past several bank fishermen before taking the opportunity to ask one angler who was leaving the area what the bite was all about.

He said everyone was catching black drum and redfish.  The drum bite was apparently on fire in the deeper waters of the canal.

He said shrimp and fresh crab sections were the baits of choice and that the drum were in the 12 pound plus category.

I thanked him for the information before leaving the area and heading for the house.

Till next time,

Tight Lines

Scouting Trip

Finally took the "boys" on a scouting trip around East Gator Creek road to see if anything was happening on the bank fishing front.

The first entrance is still barricaded, but East Gator Creek road is open up to Peacocks Pocket road which is closed seasonally to vehicle traffic from Nov. 1 to Feb. 15th, and Catfish Creek Loop which is still apparently closed because of hurricane damage.

When I turned into East Gator Creek with Elmo and Odie hanging out the window, the air temperature was in the low 70s and there was a mild breeze blowing across the shallow flats.

I drove slowly looking for some topwater action, but nothing was happening, even towards dusk.

I tossed my favorite Chug Bug around a couple of areas where I caught fish in the past, but nothing was interested in the bait this evening.

As we drove around the area, I was surprised to see that the road was nicely mowed for vehicle traffic.  Too bad they couldn't repair Peacocks Pocket with the same funds.

Anyway, it was late in the afternon when we finally made our way up to the barricaded roads,  other than one family who was fishing the culverts, nobody was in the area.

On the way out, I spotted several pods of mullet meandering within casting distance from the road but I didn't bother pitching a bait around them.

Hopefully, after Thanksgiving, I'll be able to wet a line in the area.  There are definitely fish in the area, but the Chug Bug apparently wasn't the best choice.

I'll probably be dunking a finger mullet just like the other guys in the area.

As we drove over the bridge, I decided to make a quick run past the fishing piers.  I was surprised to see that they were closed down by the local government.  Although I didn't see any damage to the piers, I assume that the hurricane was the cause.

I wonder what the local shrimpers are going this time of the year.   I'm definitely going to do some research on it to find out why it has been closed off.

Without a boat, kayak, or canoe; it's getting tough to do any bank fishing in this area.

Too bad, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge used to be one of the best areas in East Central Florida to fish and observe waterfowl, but apparently those days are gone.

Till next time, Tight Lines.