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)
