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| July 17, 2008 - Running with the Bulls |
Each year in Pamplona, Spain there is a famous festival which features crazed thrill-seekers running with snorting bulls through the narrow streets of the ancient city. Each summer, in the Indian River, we experience a similar adrenaline rush with our own brand of bulls – bull reds and bull sharks.
Yesterday, joining Capt. Peter and me were Rob and Rick, two veteran anglers from the Orlando area. They sought the thrill of tangling with the ill-tempered bull reds resident on the shallow flats of the river near Titusville. The redfish did not disappoint. Among the seven redfish fought and caught was a monster 51 inch, 38 pound bull which ran Rob up and down the river for an exhausting hour before finally being subdued. This fish, pictured below, ranks as one of the largest landed in our area this summer.
Along with bull reds, we also have bull sharks lurking in our waters. The photos below were taken last Friday in the Melbourne area of the Indian River while prefishing for an upcoming East Coast Fishing Report TV episode. All three Native Sons guides were involved during the trip in which we caught a half dozen bull sharks (shark in pictures), snook, jack carvel and other assorted species. Incidentally, the particular spot where we fished is one of the few in the IRL system where bull sharks are common enough to be targeted.
Also chartering with us last week were four air force reservists on leave – Will, Billy, Wendell and Dave. Fishing docks and drop-offs along the spoil islands in the Sebastian area with Capt. Roland, these four servicemen bagged a super grand slam consisting of snook, redfish, trout, grouper and snapper. The trophy fish from the trip was a nice 32 inch snook caught by Billy.
Our final report comes from a recent charter on the Banana River near Cocoa Beach with old friends John and Andre Le Grande of Merritt Island. This father and son fishing team spent an afternoon with me on a sight-fishing excursion for big redfish and gator trout. Pictured below are Andre with a trout and John with a redfish.
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| June 28, 2008 – Warm Weather – Hot Fishing |
The full force of summer has hit the central east coast of Florida with warmer temperatures, higher humidity, frequent afternoon thunderstorms and sizzling fishing. Along with the changes in the seasons, we have experienced several significant changes in our charter activities as well - Capt. Rocky went on an extended, non-fishing related, mission trip to Mongolia - Capt. Roland exchanged his 2005 Pathfinder for a 2008 edition, complete with a bigger Yamaha engine and Power Pole - Capt. Peter finally received his long-awaited official notification from the US Coast Guard that his certification process is complete. These changes have been exciting to us personally but we are also excited to report on great fishing action as well. Read on!
Yesterday, Capt. Peter and I combined efforts in guiding Rob and Heather Ferrari of Seattle, Washington for a little redfish action on the Banana River in the Cocoa Beach area. We caught a number of redfish and trout during the full day charter including two reds in the 30 pound range. Rob caught the first big fish after a 30 minute, reel screaming, rod arching and back aching fight in shallow water. What a memory for Rob, however, it may be Heather’s epic 45 minute struggle with her nearly 40 pound fish that becomes part of our local angling lore. The battle included an attempted assault by a demented dolphin thwarted by Peter some 75 feet from the boat, an aborted landing attempt 15 feet behind the boat during which the landing net broke into pieces and a subsequent, incredibly acrobatic, somersault over line and fish by the new captain. Pictured below are the Ferraris with their monster redfish and a triumphant Capt. Peter soaked but smiling.
(We have received a short video of the epic redfish battle by Heather Ferrari shot by her husband. It is posted on YouTube and can be found at the following link epic redfish battle)
On Thursday, it was the same comical duo of captains, Peter and Rocky, guiding the father and son team of Dexter and Greg Simms. These North Carolinians, vacationing in Orlando, also fished on the Banana River. The trip started out as frustrating as any in recent memory as a tropical low pressure system accompanied by a rare north wind pushed across the region. The fish that had been so plentiful along the western side of the river simply disappeared. However, a change in tactics toward the end of the trip proved golden as both Greg and Dexter hooked and landed big, memory-making redfish just before the thunderstorms hit the area. Pictured below are the 30 pound red caught by Greg and 12 pounder caught by Dexter.
Last Wednesday, Stephen Middleton of Gainesville, along with his daughter Katy and her fiancé Eric from Orlando, chartered Capt. Roland in the Grant area of the Indian River. The trio had a blast catching four reds and three trout before the afternoon thunderstorms arrived. Pictured below are Katy with one of her redfish and Eric with one of his spotted sea trout.
Last Tuesday, Caleb Bryson and his nephew Derrick chartered Capt. Rocky and Peter to chase tarpon and bull sharks on the Indian River near the Sebastian area. Despite hooking and jumping an estimated 20 ‘poons’ along with one huge shark, we just weren’t able to bring any of the monsters boat-side for pictures. Therefore we decided to head for the flats and target reds and trout. Pictured below are Derrick holding a 32 inch fish followed by Caleb and Derrick posing with 19 spot beauty.
Finally, an explanation - we are hoping to receive and post a treasure trove of fishing summaries and photos from trips guided by Capt. Roland during my time on the mission field. I will either amend this report or post a new one when these arrive. |
| May 7, 2008 – Fishing in May is Marvelous |
Have you ever had an experience so thrilling it was hard to describe to others? Well, as avid anglers, we have found that fishing along the Florida East Coast during the month of May can be so overwhelming that it is difficult to find adequate descriptions. This time of year, it seems every one of our prized inshore species from redfish to snook competes for our undivided attention. And it does not matter what part of the Indian River Lagoon system we are fishing, May is simply marvelous. Let’s start this report in Titusville and work our way south.
Last weekend, fishing the Indian River near Titusville, Peter Deeks, Jr. hosted Steve and Kim Stepp from Orlando, owners of Velocity Powerboats. The primary purpose of the trip was to test out the draft of Velocity's new 22 foot center console. During the test run, they took time to sight-fish shallow pods of redfish and were rewarded with upper slot to over slot fish, including those pictured below. (By the way, there was also a 30 inch snook to anchor the trip.)
Yesterday, fishing the Banana River near Cocoa Beach, Capt. Rocky guided John Lagrande and his co-worker, Bob Noble. Bob is new to the area and wanted a tutorial on shallow-water, river fishing. The trio of anglers caught six solid redfish during their half-day charter including a gorgeous 13 spot fish, a big 34 inch monster and a double catch - all are featured below.
Last Thursday, Capt. Roland guided Mark George, his brother Jimmy, and Mike Snyder into the Grant/Sebastian area of the Indian River. This chartered included entertainment from large gator-trout, redfish, snook, and a few other species. By the way, Jimmy and Mike serve on the USS Iwo Jima and had a one day leave before departing for the Persian Gulf. We wish to thank them and all their shipmates for their extraordinary sacrifices and service to our country.
It was Capt. Roland guiding again on Saturday, this time in the Ft. Pierce area. His charter consisted of Vickie Raleigh and Wayne Rowell, Maverick Boat dealers from New Brunswick, Georgia. They caught a number of good fish including personal bests in sea trout for these veteran anglers - Vickie's fish weighed eight while Wayne's hit the scales at seven pounds. However the real story of their trip came close to noon when Vicki hooked and landed a monster 40 inch snook which weighed 22 pounds - words could not adequately describe the thrill of this experience for Vickie.
Finally, Peter and Capt. Rocky were also in the Ft. Pierce area on Saturday fishing another Treasure Coast Flats Circuit event. Both anglers managed bragging sized fish, including another inshore slam by Peter. But the big news from the trip turned out to be two snook which were well over legal limits. The biggest of these measured 43 inches and weighed 30 pound. It equaled a personal best for Capt. Rocky. Fishing in May is simply marvelous!
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| April 23, 2008 - Fish, Fish Everywhere |
If you live along the central east coast of Florida, are an avid fisherman and have a pulse, you’ve got to love this time of year. There are fish, fish everywhere from Ft. Pierce to Grant/Sebastian to Cocoa Beach to Titusville. As a result, we have many recent tales to tell in this report with limited space, so let’s get on with the telling.
There were two terrific reports from the Ft. Pierce area over the weekend. The first featured Vickie Raleigh and Wayne Rowell, a pair of Maverick Boat dealers from Brunswick, Georgia, guided by Capt. Roland. These two caught several gator trout, among other species, before hooking, and landing an awesome 34 inch snook. The fight alone on this fish will not soon be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it.
The other Ft. Pierce tale from the weekend came from Capt. Peter, Kenny Vitek of Orlando and me as we entered and won the slam category of the Riverside Café Inshore Tournament. Fishing against an estimated 125 anglers, we caught four snook from 28 to 34 inches, a number of trout over 27 inches and a single 26 inch redfish to complete the slam, hooked just minutes before the end of the tournament. What an adrenalin rush!
The fish have been congregating in the Grant/Sebastian/Melbourne Beach segment of the Indian River too. Capt. Roland guided two successful charters in the area last week. The first trip to relate featured a grandfather, father and son trio of Jerry Jones, and Eric and Garrett Reese. These anglers from Tennessee also caught an inshore slam of redfish, trout and sheephead. The following pictures are of Garrett, the youngest member of the crew.
The other Grant/Sebastian Inlet charter concerned Deltona residents Mitch and David Gordon and again it was Capt. Roland guiding the charter. These eager and enthusiastic anglers faced a difficult barometric condition but still fought and landed several trout, ladyfish and jacks.
The Banana River, Cocoa Beach charters have been fantastic over the last two days. Migrating finger mullet have begun their spring flood of the flats and the predatory fish are in a feeding frenzy. Yesterday I had the pleasure of guiding Jerry and Brenda Bulington of Gary, Indiana on their first backwater fishing adventure. On the half-day charter we caught eight redfish and one huge trout with a number of other fish fought and lost, including two monster redfish. Several of the ones which did not get away are pictured below.
The second Banana River charter was on Monday and featured Gene Garner from the Cornhusker State vacationing in Orlando. Capt. Roland assisted me on this charter as we caught five redfish and eight huge spotted trout. It was just one of those magical days where the fish were aggressive and hungry all day. What an absolute blast!
Finally, old friends from the Crimson Tide State, Howell and Jean Riggs, hooked up with young Peter Deeks, Jr and Capt. Robert Rohmann the previous weekend for two days of fishing. On the first day, the guides chose the Indian River near Titusville as their venue and caught approximately 15 redfish. On the second day, having only four hours before having to rush to Orlando International Airport, they opted to stay closer to home and fish the thousand island area of the Banana River near Cocoa Beach. Another six redfish were caught, along with several large trout.
What an awesome week of fishing!
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| April 11 - A Little Tom Foolery, A Lot of Fishing |
The monthly calendar has flipped and so has the fishing. We’ve gone from the madness of March winds to the wetness of April showers. Enough of the Tom Foolery, the logbook is bursting with reports and pictures, let’s get down to it.
After a few days off in the Florida Keys, Capt. Rocky returned the middle of last week to guide Scott and Jesse from Orlando for a much anticipated fishing charter. Originally receiving their half day trip as a Christmas gift from a very dear friend, these two waited until spring break to assault the Titusville flats in search of monster redfish. Six brutes were fought and caught with an equal number battled and lost. Check out the spots on these fish and smiles on these faces.
Kirk and Ron, another pair of eager anglers, chartered Capt. Roland last Saturday after an all-night alligator hunt. They had a decent day of fishing the Melbourne Beach area of the Indian River catching redfish, trout and snook. Even though it appears in the following picture that Kirk is about to keel over from exhaustion while posing with one of his reds, we are happy to report he hung tough through the entire trip and has some great tales (and tails) as a result. After all, it was a most unusual Orlando vacation for these two extreme outdoorsmen.
A pair of Yankees from Connecticut, Ron and Tim, are the next fishermen found in the logbook. Capt. Roland was their guide and the Banana River near Cocoa Beach was their adventure. And it turned out to be one of the better recent charters as the two caught 12 reds and 2 large trout. (Ron and one of his reds are pictured first while Tim and one of his trophies follow).
Another pair from the Yankee State, Ernie and Bill, were our next visiting anglers. These two had both Capt. Rocky and Capt. Roland as their guides on their Titusville fishing charter. It was one of those post-cold front, high pressure system kind of locked-jaw days that needed the collective fishing wisdom of two guides to produce fish. Covering nearly twenty miles of shallow water, we had a grand time with alligators, manatees, and dolphins while managing to find a few fish willing to cooperate. Pictured below is Bill with one of the three large trout caught on the day.
Our final report features the ‘Geerlings Gang’ from Michigan - family patriarch Mike, along with four sons, Doug, Dan, Brian, and Phil and son-in-law Mike. Even though the Geerlings Gang sounds like a group of gangsters, these were actually great guys and good anglers. Fishing the Banana River near Cocoa Beach again, this double boat/captain, half day charter caught six reds, four trout and an early-season snook. Pictured below are Doug, Dan, Brian and Phil respectively – incidentally, the first redfish photographed had 59 spots.
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| March 29, 2008 - Trying Times |
“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.
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