Fishing can be a fickle and mysterious mistress at times and this past week was a good illustration of that axiom. Our scheduled charters were later in the week which provided us with the opportunity for some extra prep and down time on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was set aside for prefishing and when we caught redfish, trout and snook (inshore slam) within the first fifteen minutes of offering bait our hearts soared with expectations for wildly successful trips with client over the next several days.
So confident success would be easy on the Friday and Saturday charters, we decided to spend Thursday chasing tripletail in the buoy line outside of Port Canaveral (45 miles east of Orlando). This turned out to be a blast with 15 trips, 3 snapper, 2 flounder and 1 ladyfish boated by early afternoon. It could have been even better but we were happy with the ‘near-shore slam’ and cut the venture short. It was a good start to the week and we were sure the next two days would follow the script and be easy and fun.
Brimming with optimism, the father and son combination of Gary and Scott Martin joined us Friday on the Banana River with visions of redfish, trout and snook dancing through their dreams. We started the day by fishing the mangrove shorelines of the 1,000 Island area of Cocoa Beach (45 miles east of Orlando)for early morning snook. There had been plenty on Wednesday but Friday proved frustratingly futile. Okay, no problem, we’ll shift to one of the adjacent spoil islands to renew our recently developed friendship with the resident redfish and trout. Once again, where fish had been abundant and eager only two days prior, the choice spot had mysteriously turned difficult.
Adjusting again, we headed to the Pineda Flats where a large population of pelagic fish roams. The conditions were slick calm which is ideal for spotting manatees and taking pictures. However, we have found that the predatory fish prefer some wind and surface disturbance to conceal their whereabouts and stir the tiny crustations and juvenile fish which inhabit the grass flats and provide them dinner. It was time to change tactics and venues again.
The next spot was a sandy depression along the edge of the long grass flats. As we arrived, we were greeted by the afternoon sea breezes and several schools of redfish. After fighting, catching and photographing three bronzed brutes, we stealthfully poled through the trough in order ascertain the width and breath of our query. It turned out that there were hundreds of fish grouped in that particular depression, more than enough to keep us entertained with steady action all afternoon. Most fish appeared to be more intent on enjoying their siesta than joining us for our intended fiesta. These fish can be so fickle at times! All in all though, we had a ball and it was a successful day of fishing.
On Saturday another father and son duo joined us for a half day charter on the Banana River – Greg and Gregory Howard from the Charleston, South Carolina area. We decided to completely change the script by fishing shallow water in the early morning and deeper water in the late morning and early afternoon. Ironically, even though the locations and tactics changed, the results remained nearly identical with three fiesty redfish, one large trout and a grand time enjoyed by all. Pictured below are Greg Sr. and Greg Jr. holding redfish they caught on the trip.
(More pictures of the Howards and their catch can be found on pg. 21 of the Gallery)
One of the great things about living in Florida is the variety of options available to us in our inalienable right to pursue happiness (Fourth of July themes still streaming through my consciousness). This past week we guided charters from Titusville in the north (35 miles east of Orlando)to Ft. Pierce in the south (75 miles southeast of Orlando) and the Indian River in the west to offshore in the Atlantic in the east. And we caught redfish, snook, tarpon, trout, black drum, black tipped-sharks, bull sharks, kingfish, ladyfish, alligator, alligator gar and even an extremely rare bonefish.
One group that tasted a variety of catches was the Musik Family from South Carolina who charter two boats in pursuit of tarpon. We started just after dawn and fished the creeks in the Melbourne area (55 miles southeast of Orlando)boxing a large school of tarpon between us. Even though we had a number of takes, only two fish got the stick. One fish was huge and parted with our company after several jumps. The other was small but did grace us with a photograph session. Also caught for an unusual slam was redfish, bull shark, ladyfish and a geographically challenged gar.
On Thursday, Dr. Rick Baney of Melbourne and Brian his brother chartered Capt. Roland for an offshore trip, which would be better described as near-shore. Leaving out of Sebastian Inlet (60 miles southeast of Orlando), they fished within two miles of shore and caught their own version of a slam consisting of black-tipped shark, kingfish and redfish. Pictured below is Rick and with his beautiful twelve spot redfish.
Another brother combination chartered Capt. Roland on the following day. Mark and Jeff George, along with Jeff’s son Greg, caught a number of fish total including five snook and five trout including the one pictured below. Despite having to dodge the rain showers, the trio from Sarasota had a terrific time wading along the spoil islands of the Intercoastal Waterway and enjoying the unspoiled, natural beauty of Ft. Pierce (75 miles southeast of Orlando).
Finally, on Saturday, Capt. Rocky took a party to pursue redfish in the shallow, clear flats of the Indian River Lagoon near Titusville (35 miles east of Orlando). The exact fish count was lost early but 25 reds would be a safe and conservation estimate. While the first red was the smallest of the day, measuring about 22 inches, there were monsters that followed. By the way, among the monsters there were three, drag screaming, rod bending, arm aching fish that exceeded 40 inches. Also caught on the trip were sea trout and ladyfish to complete the third slam of the week. Another successful pursuit of happiness, wouldn’t you agree?
A common concern this time of year is the effects of our Florida sun and heat. It is a legitimate concern, after all, this is the Sunshine State and our temperatures can push the low to mid-nineties on occasions. However, it is not near as uncomfortable as one may think. You see, coastal communities are blessed with natural, super-sized chillers which in our case is called the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic keeps our temperatures a good five degrees cooler than inland communities (such as Orlando) while providing us with moderating sea breezes in the afternoon. Beyond our geographical blessing of being a coastal community are several counter-measures we can employ as well.
One wise antidote to the effects of summer heat is simply dressing appropriately (short sleeve, Columbia style shirts and short pants). Another is drinking plenty of fluids during the day to remain properly hydrated (the Lord provided our bodies with a most effective cooling system called ‘perspiration’).
There are other counter-measures to the heat too. One favorite among Native Son guides is to plan to spend some time ‘in the water’. And not only can wade fishing negate some of the effects of the summer sun but most find it is an exciting way to fish as well. Finally, if all else fails, we may take an hour at noon to visit one of our many waterfront cafes to eat, chat, strategize, and simply ‘chill out’.
Fishing in the summer can be hot too! Both Capt. Roland, with the Keene family from Virginia, and Capt. Rocky, with John LeGrande and Marco Albano from California, guided parties to the Ft. Pierce area on Tuesday (75 miles southeast of Orlando). The Keene family had a great time wading along the pristine islands and catching snook, redfish, snapper and sail cats. Among the fish caught by John and Albano were four large snook (the largest was 36 inches) and a number of gator trout (the largest being 31 inches). Pictured below is a snook double-hitter by the Californians.
Wednesday brought a rare tropical wave through the area. This was accompanied by lots of rain, wind and super low pressure which didn’t help the fishing as we were also experiencing abnormal full-moon tides. Thursday’s trip was as frustrating as we’ve ever experienced as the fish simply refused to cooperate. This resulted is a very rare offer of a full refund by us … if you don’t catch fish, you do not have to pay.
Friday’s fishing recovered somewhat as Mark George and friend caught several nice fish including three snook and three gator trout. Saturday fishing was ‘off the chain’ … we lost count of the fish before 9:00 am but are sure that seven huge trout over 30 inches were among the totals.
By the way, every charter this week, except one, included some ‘wade’ time and those who ventured forth into the waters were thrilled with the experience
