Wow! I have been writing and posting fishing reports on this website for better than a decade and have never been presented with so many compelling stories, outstanding angling and great fish as this submission. So many terrific accounts and photos in one month made editing and culling nearly impossible. I simply suggest read on and marvel.
Capt. Jon Brett and Kyle Nalls, of Fishbuzz TV, traveled over to the East Coast to film some big redfish with Capt. Peter. Fishing two schools of big reds near Cocoa provided some fantastic video and still footage. Peter only had to move closer to the school of fish three times during the entire morning, as the redfish were extremely cooperative. Both of the schools let the anglers anchor the boat right next to them and pull in red after red without having to chase them down. The primary purpose of the trip was to create a Fishbuzz video with Peter guiding Jon, the host, to the big redfish. But that all changed when “fun” got the best of them and Kyle (the cameraman extraordinaire) put the camera aside to jump in on the action. It was a fantastic day with multiple double headers and non-stop action, with at least three fish hitting the 30 pound mark and many more jumping over the 20 pound mark. When the video comes out we will put some of it on our site – there was some really awesome footage captured.
As a grandfather and fishing guide, one of the great joys of life is being able to take the grandchildren out on the water for a day of adventure and excitement. Recently I had that experience with Jenny and Rockett, ages 5 and 3, on their spring break from the cold temperatures and gray skies of Huntsville, Alabama. During our outing we watched dolphins, manatees, alligators and all kinds of water birds. Jenny helped the captain drive the boat and Rockett kept all in stitches with his humorous remarks. We also took some time to do a little fishing. Pictured below are Jenny, Rockett and their dad Rusty holding several of the redfish they caught during the day. Grandfather was smiling broadly behind the camera.
Perfect weather conditions greeted good friends, Paul Tully and Joe Schneider of Cocoa Beach, for their recent fishing charter with Capt. Rocky on the Banana River. The blue skies and calm water provided a gorgeous backdrop for a day where double digit redfish were caught including a pair of double hook-ups. The first double was a pair of 13 and 14 pound fish while the second pair were identical twin 27 pounders. There were also four fine trout landed during the trip including an outstanding 27 inch, seven pounder. At the conclusion of the charter Paul declared it had been a perfect day of fishing.
CR Hall treated his friends, Calvin and Jagger, to a fishing trip with Peter last week. The weather was absolutely beautiful with a light north wind, bright sun, and cooler temperatures. Fishing in the Banana River near Merritt Island, the target for the day was to catch some fish for dinner, and some big fish for photos. The trip was Jagger’s first saltwater experience, and he started it off with a bang – catching a 30 inch redfish within the first 3 minutes. The anglers continued to set hook after hook (with Calvin really setting the hook) steadily through the entire morning. “The Dudes” boated over a dozen reds up to 37 inches, and three trout up to 24 inches.
CR couldn’t get enough redfish this week and chartered Peter for another day in the Banana River. Gidget and Joe were also in on the fun. The day began with the anglers fishing a group of large redfish. After eight or so bull reds to start the morning, it was time put some meat on the table. After running up the river to a school of slot fish, a limit of redfish and some nice trout were quickly put on ice. The water had cleared up as the day progressed making for some beautiful fishing conditions on the grassflats. Once they had enough fish for the table, it was time to have fun with the groups of large redfish that are roaming the flats. Gidget and CR finished the day with back-to-back bull redfish…wonderful way to end the day! The total tally for the day was 24 redfish (four over 40 inches, seven slot fish, and the rest were mixed over-slot fish). Gidget put on a “Gun Show” while teaching the boys a thing or two by catching the largest and most (including catfish).
Richard Dixon and his son Richard spend part of their time in Florida and the balance up north. Before returning north this year they wanted to do some fishing and build some memories. Capt. Rocky guided them on the Banana River recently in pursuit of both goals. After a frustrating, and somewhat comical, start where the Dixon duo missed eight fish in succession, Richard and Richard settled down to a solid morning of angling. By the end of the half-day charter they were masters of the seas and caught everything that bit including their last six redfish and trout in a row. And it turned out to be a great day of fishing and memory making despite the start.
Dave, Dave Jr., and Dan had a fun day on the water with Peter in the Banana River recently. Fishing on the shallow, grass flats provided a lot of fun redfish. The guys landed 11 redfish, with a variety of sizes from 25 – 38 inches. Dave Jr. made his dad very proud by starting the day off with a 37 inch bull red – his first redfish ever, and at 6 years old is one fantastic catch. But Dave Jr., also known as “Dave the Wave” or “Mullet Tail”, didn’t stop there – he built his biceps on big redfish all morning long! These guys put a “hurtin’” on some great fish.
Jack Chamblin of Merritt Island and his grandson Nick from Chicago decided at the last minute to take advantage of the outstanding spring weather and do some serious Banana River fishing. Since Jack lives on the river Capt. Rocky picked up the duo on his dock and planned to fish productive shorelines within easy wading distance of Jack’s home. An unusual early morning dense fog settled in and changed plans a bit and the charter started with fishing for trout. After several fine trout the fog lifted allowing the hunt to begin. The grandfather and grandson pair hooked up immediately on a double (pictured below). A number of other reds were added as the morning progressed capped by the big red being held by Nick in the following picture.
Rusty and his two boys, Nick and Andrew, fished with Capt. Peter in the Banana River. The angler were in town visiting family, and decided to see what the fishing was like near Cocoa Beach. The trio landed around a dozen redfish (most over 30 inches) and a couple of nice trout (one of which went 26 ¾ inches). Fishing groups of redfish that were holding up on the shallow flats that were actively feeding was the key to success.
Georgia anglers, Lee his son Ryan, wanted to experience some Florida fishing on the Space Coast. Peter guided the duo on the Indian River Lagoon near Cocoa Beach. Not wanting to take any fish home, Lee and Ryan wanted to target redfish (the bigger the better). Fishing groups of large redfish that feed up on grassflats and points, the anglers landed 10 redfish from 33 to 42 inches, and two 23 inch trout.
