Native Sons Fishing Guides, Central Florida & Indian River Lagoon Fishing Charters

Archive for March, 2008

March 29, 2008 – Trying Times

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

“These are the times that try men’s souls …” Now Thomas Paine’s famous quote originally had little to do with fishing, but it could not have been more applicable to fishing guides in the greater Orlando area than during the last two weeks. Horrendous north winds, unseasonably cold temperatures, historic low water levels and funky fish combined to make this stretch in our calendar a real challenge. Blessedly, however, there were just enough good charters sprinkled between the successive cold fronts to keep us from running off and joining the French foreign legion.

Casey Haire from Orlando, his neighbor and Rusty his grandfather, joined Capt. Rocky for a Titusville redfish hunt several days ago and observed first hand the difficulties of trying to fish in water too shallow to float a flats boat. We finally found enough water to keep our ankles wet and several willing combatants such as the one pictured below, but it was certainly trying.

The following Wednesday, Shawn, also from Orlando, along with his two sons Samuel and Seth, his boss JR Lundy from Dallas and his two sons, fished with Capt. Rocky and Capt. Roland in the Grant area on a double charter. This was a day when even the frogs and ducks would not have ventured forth. The crew caught several large trout, black drum, sheephead and mango snapper while hiding in the relative protection of Honest John’s Canals. Pictured below are Samuel and Seth hold one of their black drum.

The weekend brought Andy Kane and his two twin children, Ben and Mattie to the Cocoa Beach area. The Saturday portion of the two day charter gave us a brief respite from the brutal spring conditions and the fish responded with a certain degree of savagery. The final count for the day included six redfish to 48 inches (see below) and eight gator trout, the largest being 30 inches.

Two days of unseasonable cold weather descended upon the area and the water temperatures dropped 12 degrees in less than 48 hours. This caused the fish to scramble into survival mode and guides to ponder the providential vicissitudes of life. Unfortunately for Todd Reader and his wife, who had been looking forward to fishing the Indian River Lagoon for nearly a year, their charter was as trying upon the soul of Capt. Rocky as any in recent memory. Pictured below is Todd holding the best fish on the most trying day.

Fishing the same day but 40 miles to the south were three generations of the Reese men from Tennessee. Guided by Captain Roland, this crew battled through the high pressure system and slow tidal movements in Grant but wound up catching a slam of redfish, trout and sheephead. Pictured below are Justin Reese and a fine spotted sea trout.

Finally, yesterday the weather began to show signs of returning to normal late spring conditions. Jeff Tomski and his son Jackson, got to see hundreds of redfish schooling and large trout holding in the sandy potholes of the Banana River. And even though the fish were not yet in a feeding frenzy state of mind, several were coaxed into attacking our baits, including the two pictured below.

March 17, 2008 – Cobia Mania

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

It happens along the east central Florida shoreline for a few weeks in early spring and again, albeit to a lesser degree, in late fall. It is the cobia migration. And this much anticipated event triggers cobia mania which is a highly contagious condition common among many of the serious greater Orlando anglers.

Now cobia typically range in the size from five pounds pups to seventy pound slobs. They can be found swimming with the large manta rays also migrating at the same time (see below), holding to floating structure such as buoys and various ocean debris or free swimming on the surface. They seem to be incurably curious and will hit a wide variety of jigs and lures. They are often sight-fished and best of all, perhaps, they are absolutely fabulous as table fare.

Last Friday under perfect conditions consisting of bright blue skies and calm seas, Capt. Rocky of Native Sons Fishing Charters joined Capt. Nate Fowler and Capt. Alex of Laguna Charters to hunt for cobias as a prelude to the filming of a future episode of the East Coast Fishing TV show. This was one of those days when we wished that our dress rehearsal was the actual performance because within the first hour we had caught a limit of three cobes ranging in weight from 60 pounds to 25 pounds (we believe the 60 pounder is the largest cobia weighed at the Port thus far this season) and ended the day catching three more on light tackle and top water plugs. Enjoy the following pictures from the day.

In conclusion, we would love for many of our charter clients to enjoy such a day. It takes a rare combination of the right weather and sea conditions in the midst of a short three week migratory window in the early spring and late fall. It has been our observation that those few who are fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time will be forever infected with cobia mania.

March 8, 2008 – In Like a Lion

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Some wise wag once wrote that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Obviously, after just one week, it is too early to give absolute credence to that ancient soothsayer, however, over the past week, we had roar through the greater Orlando area tornados, gale force winds, driving rain and even hail. As a result, we were graced with only two fishable days – Wednesday and Thursday – and these days were as different as different could be.

Now Wednesday, the fine weather not withstanding, was as funky a day on the Indian River Lagoon as we’ve had in sometime. Capt. Roland, guiding a party from Texas out of Melbourne Beach, had his clients all over fish, and good fish too. This hard-luck charter threw everything but the bilge pump at big numbers of giant snook, gator trout and, what had been, heretofore, gregarious redfish. Nothing worked. These fish had gone into a strict fast and simply refused every temptation. What frustration!

Also fishing on Wednesday, Capt. Rocky, guiding out of Titusville, had the pleasure of hosting Jack and Eilene Kling from Delaware. Again, fish, fish, everywhere, but bites were few and far between. Fishing on this day was proving to be tougher than a two dollar steak from IHOP!

Finally, after frustratingly flinging live finger mullet at a vast school of tailing redfish for what seemed like forever, one lone brute broke with the fast and saved the day from utter futility. (Pictured below are the Klings with the lone Wednesday triumph.) Thank goodness for second chances because Thursday would be so, so different.

Fishing essentially the same three spots as the day before, Capt. Rocky, Jack Kling and Ed, a fellow Delawarean, found the fish in a much different frame of mind. The first location, where redfish tails where wagging so impressively the day before, appeared deserted on Thursday. The party quickly moved to their second spot. This time, opting to anchor at a distance, the trio waded back to the fish in the calm, clear water and lobbed baits from afar. Bingo! Huge gator trout gleefully greeted them in a most hospitable fashion. Some of these monster trout were in the 32-35 inch range. (None of the trout were handled to avoid over-stressing these actively spanning fish – no pictures were taken). This was fun but it would be the third and final spot where the real fireworks would occur on this day.

The third location was also a repeat from the prior day but, again, the outcome was so different this time around. Instead of giving a blow by blow account, we simply offer the following photos are prima fascia evidence of the truth of another old adage, “Oh, what a difference a day can make.”

Feb. 29, 2008 – One Wild and Wacky Week

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

The ink is drying on the final week of February and it must be recorded as one of the wildest and wackiest in recent memory. For instance, during this week, the temperature ranged from record highs to record lows with a 50 degree swing in a single day. The winds hit all points of the compass within a four hour span and varied from dead calm to hauling gales. And the fishing activity flexed from frenzied feeding one day to listless fasting the next. Indeed, it was one wild and wacky week!

On Monday Capt. Rocky had the pleasure of guiding two brothers from Michigan, Fred and Earl Rafferty. These two seasoned anglers hit gold with near-ideal conditions; glass-like seas and hyper-aggressive fish. The final fish count for the day reached double-digits with redfish from 26 to 41 inches and even included a gator trout to add a bit of variation to the bag. Pictured below are Fred and Earl and a few finned representatives from the day.

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