The fall mullet run continues through the Indian River Lagoon system from Titusville to Ft. Pierce and out Sebastian Inlet into the Atlantic. The resulting feeding is causing fantastic fishing action as the following reports bear witness.
Captain Peter and I had the great pleasure of guiding Randy Higginbotham, his wife, and his brother Dennis for a full day of fishing in and around the mouth of Sebastian Inlet. It was impossible to keep an accurate count of all the fish caught during the day as the action was nearly continuous among the migrating mullet. Our slam included snook, redfish, trout, ladyfish the size of baseball bats, bluefish and huge jacks. Pictured below are Randy and one of the snook, the whole Higginbotham Clan with a pair of jacks which were a pair of triple hook-up, and Dennis holding a large ladyfish.
Our next report involves Dan Reukauf and his two buddies chartering with Capt. Peter in the Titusville area in early November. The threesome had a blast sight-fishing the shallow potholes and around the structure with live finger mullet. The final fish count was nine redfish to 20 pounds along with two gator trout. Photos from the trip are provided below.
In mid-November, Christian Oyler, home on leave from the US Navy, and I fished the shallow grass flats of the Indian River Lagoon near Titusville. Sight-fishing the grass flats and sandy potholes using artificial lures, we caught several really nice redfish while spotting well over a hundred fish. The day had picture perfect weather – calm winds and bright ‘blue-bird’ skies.
Also chartering with me in mid-November was Nathan Chapman, an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, and his father Jimmy Chapman from Mississippi. We fished the IRL near Titusville for a half day trip and caught five redfish and three trout. The largest redfish was a fat 33 incher weighing approximately 13 pounds. By the way, Jimmy Chapman fishes the pro bass trail. Pictured below are Nathan about to land a redfish and his father holding another.
Our final report features a father and daughter duo, Mike and his daughter Olivia (from Wisconsin) who joined Capt. Peter for a beautiful half day of winter fishing down in the Sebastian Inlet area. They were on vacation for the week in Orlando, and decided to spend some quality father/daughter time and get away from the busy theme parks (Disney). These two skilled anglers fished the mangrove lined creeks and flats edges with non-stop action – they caught over 50 fish consisting of Pompano, Mutton Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Jack Crevalle, and Sheepshead. Pictured: Two of Olivia’s many fish – a big pompano and a giant sheepshead. The fat pompano put up a great fight, but was no match for Miss Olivia’s great fishing skills.
