Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River Fishing

Waterfowl In The Wildlife Refuge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 23:14:00 +0000

This afternoon my wife and I finally got a chance to check out the waterfowl in the wildlife refuge.

I had planned to do some fishing but the rods were left at the house and after talking to some of the guys bank fishing around the refuge, I didn't miss much. Nobody seemed to be catching fish.

Anyway, the waterfowl were out in numbers that even avid birdwatchers would really appreciate.

As we entered the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, I was surprised at how low the water level was along the west side of the road. Where I was catching rat redfish and sea trout a couple of months ago, there was only a mudflat loaded with sandpipers.

As we drove around Gator Creek and Catfish Creek Loop I took tons of waterfowl pics, some of which I have below.

We spotted mallards, teal, mud hens, ibis, pelicans, and even a few roseate spoonbills feeding in the shallows. Definitely a duckhunters dream.

As we drove around Catfish Creek Loop, Karen and I came up on a huge gathering of Cormorants. I have no idea why they were in this area in such great numbers but I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

Click on the pic for a short video.

I'm not sure what the lone angler in the kayak was fishing for, but I don't believe he caught much around the birds.

As we drove around the refuge, I exited via East Gator Creek road to check out the mudflats in that area and took some pics of the area.

The pods of black drum feeding in the shallows in this area are now concentrated into the deeper areas along the main road.

As we headed for home, we spotted a family of Sandhill Cranes that didn't mind me taking their pic.

Although I didn't get any fishing in, we thoroughly enjoyed watching the waterfowl in the area.

Hopefully my work schedule will allow me to do some serious fishing in the next few weeks.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Tying The Mortician Rig

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 01:42:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago when I was home, I tried my luck surf fishing at Playalinda Beach.

Except for a few small whiting which I returned, the fishing was less than stellar however, I did get schooled on how to use and tie a Mortician's surf rig by one of the guys fishing at the same Lot number.

This guy was catching bluefish and smaller whiting on the same rig using different size hooks and baits, so I asked him what kind of rig he was using.

He told me that his go to surf rigs were made with 60# fluorocarbon leaders so he could toss up to a 6 oz. pyramid sinker or Sputnik sinker when necessary.

The problem with using a 60# dropper loop rig is that you can’t down size the hooks for smaller mouthed species like whiting, croakers, and pompano.

The smallest size hook you can get on a 60# dropper loop rig is a 2/0 Eagle Claw L197F Circle Hook.

I tried it with a Gamakatsu 2/0 circle hook but the eye was way too small for the 60# mono.

When you consistently miss bites and need to go to an even smaller hook like the 1/0 Mustad 39940NP-BN Ultra Point 1X strong circle hook, it's impossible to use the heavier mono rig.

The solution to quickly changing hook sizes is the so called Mortician Rig that he was using, which is nothing more than tying two figure eight knots in the 60# dropper loop rig.

The knots form a slot where you can easily add a larger or smaller pre tied hook to accept different sized baits without re-tying an entire leader.

The video above shows how to tie the rig with the figure eight knots.

My four surf rods are all spooled with 30# and 60# Power Pro and with this rig as terminal tackly, it should make casting different size baits on the same rod a snap.

When I get back home again, I'm looking forward to staking out a couple of rods on the sand using these rigs with a clam or sand flea on one hook, and a piece of chunked bait on a larger hook, to see what is biting on any particular day.

The Mortician's rig definitely makes it easier to switch out hook sizes and try different baits without the hassle of re-tying the rigs on the beach.

I've been out of pocket for the past several months but plan on wetting a line more often when I get back home.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Where Are The Pompano?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:53:00 +0000

Finally went out to Playalinda Beach to see if the Pompano were in the area.

I took a couple of rods rigged with 30# and 60# Power Pro, a few pyramid sinkers, and some shrimp and sand fleas that I picked up at the bait shop. What I neglected to bring along was a phone charger for my Android, hence no pics.

The weather was nice but a little windy and the surf was relatively calm for the area.

After rigging up with two and three hook pompano rigs and 4 oz. sinkers, I tossed my baits into the fartherest trough on one rod and closer in on the second rod.

I kept losing baits but finally after an hour or so, caught a couple of small whiting which I released into the surf.

I noticed another surf fisherman a few yards from where I was fishing had been catching whiting and a couple of really nice bluefish on the same rod.

I walked over to him and found that he was using cut baits, clam strips, and sand fleas on the same rig.

After a bit of banter, I found out that he was using something called a Mortician rig that allowed him to use several size hooks on heavier 60# terminal tackle.

He told me that a surf fisherman in Cocoa Beach told him about the rig and that I should search for it online.

We parted ways and I made a mentaal note to do just that.

Anyway, I believe that the variety of baits he was using on each of his rods is what gave him better luck than what I was having.

It was getting chilly and the bite was slow, so I decided to head for home and some dinner.

Evidently the pompano were on strike this afterrnoon,

Till next time,

Tight Lines

Indian River Dolphin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 23:43:00 +0000

As my wife and I took a ride around Gator Creek Road this afternoon, the first thing we spotted was a pod of dolphin surrounding a school of redfish in the Indian River.

As we pulled into the first entrance, Karen spotted the school meandering around the line of concrete erosion brakes that parallel the causeway.

The dolphin were obviously on a school of redfish so I pulled out my cell phone and took this brief video below before moving on.

As we drove away from the action, I noticed that there were several fishermen along the banks of the river.

The air temps were in the low 90s and the fish were obviously not cooperating with the fishermen.

We drove around the dirt road taking pictures of the waterfowl who were doing much better catching dinner in the mud flats.

A Fish and Game officer from Alabama was pulling out of Catfish Creek Loop, so I stopped to ask him some questions about Peacocks Pocket road

They are working on repairing the roads in the refuge and according to him, they are pretty much finished with Peacocks Pocket but, he did not know if the managers of the refuge were going to allow vehicle traffic to the public.

About 3 years ago when I spoke with the refuge manager, I was told that the road would be open within a year. When I mentioned that to the Alabama officer, he said that budgeting caused the delay.

I thanked him for the information and we both proceeded on our way.

As I drove up to the barrier at Peacocks Pocket road at the entrance to Catfish Creek loop, two anglers with a bucket of live shrimp were walking out from behind the barrier.

I asked them if they were catching any sea trout or reds and they reported that they had caught a few snook. According to one of the guys, they were good size; in the 30 inch plus category.

I made a mental not to walk the road again when I get back from work again. The last time I walked Peacocks Pocket, I picked up a few sea trout and two nice snook.

Anyway, I thanked them for the fishing report and headed back to get an ice cream cone before heading home.

Too hot to fish the area this afternoon and I wasn't feeling up to walking the Pocket road.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Mosquito Lagoon Tarpon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 22:49:00 +0000

The Mosquito Lagoon tarpon bite has been pretty hot this week with fish pretty much all over clean water areas.

Didn't bring along a rod when Karen and I took Odie for a drive this afternoon, but I did manage to get some face time info on the tarpon this week.

These two guys were tossing a variety of hard baits to juvenile tarpon in the area I usually fish.

Because I forgot my equipment when I decided to take Odie for a ride, I wasn't too upset about not being able to fish "my spot".

While I was standing with them, I spotted three tarpon busting on the surface after mullet that were in the area around the mangroves.

Although neither of the anglers I spoke with landed any fish, they said that they had several takes.

I would be very surprised if they actually landed any of the tarpon that were in the area today. The fish were in the 50 pound category and with all the surrounding brush, it would be pure luck to bring one to the bank.

I was hoping to see some manatees on the other side of the road but none were in the area during my visit.

We left the area and on the way home stopped at Fox Lake to see if anybody was fishing that area.

We came up on these three Sandhill Cranes that are almost always in the area. They came close to the truck to check us out and wish us well as we left the area.

Hope to not forget my rods next trip.

Tight Lines.

Midget Reds On The Mudflats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 14:08:00 +0000

There were some midget reds on the mudflats in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge yesterday that I really didn't expect to catch.

The air temps were in the 90s when I finally managed to get out and wet a line so I didn't expect to catch a thing when I took Odie for a jaunt around the refuge.

I brought along a couple of light rods with Cream paddletail baits and one with a Chug Bug just for the hell of it and as we crossed the A. Max Brewer bridge, I noticed that the erosion project along the causeway looked like it was close to completion.

I too a pic as we entered the refuge and decided to toss the paddletail baits around some mullet I spotted milling around the shallows.

On the second cast I picked up a midget red that all but inhaled the bait.

I unhooked the fish and put it back after taking a quick pic on my cell phone.

I made a few more casts and caught a couple more midget reds around the same size before moving up the road.

Unlike a few weeks ago, the mud flats on the north side of the road were covered with water but there was little to no movement. I knew that the the fish had to be close to the bank in deeper water this time of the day and probably had lockjaw.

I stopped at a couple spots to cast the Creme paddletail baits and at the third spot managed to pick up another really really small rat redfish.

I took another pic and released the fish before moving up the road.

I talked to a couple of fishermen who were dunking live and dead shrimp for black drum and found out that the bite was pretty good around the Catfish Creek area. They said that most of the drum were being caught late in the afternoon and early in the morning. Typical for this time of the year.

After letting Odie out to take a wizzz, we moved to East Gator Creek to check out the area. A lone Heron was fishing along the shallows and didn't seem to be having any luck.

There were a few swirls along the deeper edges of the mudflats close to the road but even with some Pro-Cure Inshore Formula Gel, I never got another bite in that area.

Before leaving the refuge, I decided to toss the Chug Bug around the far bank on the south side of the road. I loaded the topwater up with some Pro Cure and after about the 5th or 6th cast hooked and released the ladyfish below.

We left the refuge and I headed to Fox lake to see if the freshwater action was happening.

The water was calm but after casting both plastic and the top water Chug Bug around the lily pads, I never got a hit.

I took this pic of some resident Sandhill Cranes that seem to like like people before leaving the park and heading home.

Till next ;time,

Tight LInes.

Where Did The Flats Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:37:00 +0000

Me and my wife decided to take Odie for a ride this afternoon to check out the fishing spots in our area.

It was mid afternoon when we loaded up a couple of rods and headed into Gator Creek Road.

There was a slight breeze on the water and the air temp was in the mid to low 80s. Not great for topwater fishing but acceptable for swimming a few paddletail baits.

When we drove into Gator Creek, I was surprised to see a lot of dried up mud flats.

The areas where I had been catching redfish and sea trout a few weeks ago were now drawn down to unfishable trickles.

Undaunted, we drove out of the area and decided to hit Bio Lab Road to see if the flats in that area were fishable.

The water levels in the lagoon were way down and the water was almost crystal clear making sight fishing the thing to do for the rest of the week.

I stopped to fish a couple of spots where I spotted a single fish and picked up an under slot sea trout on the Creme paddletail bait I had on the rod. I took a a quick pic and released the fish.

The water on the other side of the road where there is normally a few ladyfish, snook, and juvenile tarpon was virtually dried up and fishable only to the waterfowl that were wading the shallows.

A few brown pelicans, roseatte spoonbills, and cormorants were in the area along with the usual shore birds dining on small crustaceans. We took a few pics of the birds and decided to head to the house for dinner.

I was not thrilled catching only one small sea trout but compared to the other anglers dunking baits along the bank, I seemed to be out fishing them.

All in all it was a pleasant afternoon in the refuge.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Rat Reds On The Flats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 23:53:00 +0000

After shopping at WalMart this morning and stocking up on some Storm paddletail baits, I decided to sneak off and do some late afternoon fishing at Gator Creek for some rat reds on the flats.

It was pretty windy this afternoon when I crossed the bridge so topwater fishing was definitely out of the question.

I took a few pics of the construction that is ongoing along the causeway before turning into Gator Creek road.

As I entered the refuge there were four groups of anglers wading the shallows fishing with live shrimp.

One of the guys had a fish on but I didn't take the time waiting to find out what it was.

I meandered to the spot I fished yesterday and although I didn't see any signs of fish, I decided to give it a try anyway.

I tied on one of the Storm baits I picked up this morning at WalMart and began blind casting the area.

After about 10 minutes, I hooked into a redfish on a dropoff. The fish was small enough to be considered a "rat" so I took a pic, removed the hook, and put it back into the clear water to grow up.

After several casts I hooked into a larger fish that I also released.

After missing a couple more taps, I moved up the road to another spot in the same general area of the mud flat and began blind casting.

Almost immediately, I hooked and released a sea trout that just made the slot. The fish was hooked deep but I got the bait out and the fish was none the worse for wear.

After a couple more casts I hooked into another red that was about the same size as the previous fish. I took another pic before releasing it.

To make a long fish story shorter, I hooked, landed and released five more rat reds on the flats before the bite died off. The largest two fish were slot size or slightly larger.

On the way out of the refuge, I drove around East Gator Creek to pitch a few casts in likely looking areas but never got a hit.

I took some pics of the receding waters on the flats before heading home for some dinner.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Fishing Low Water In The Mud Flats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 02:03:00 +0000

After a long 8 hour drive from Highlands, N.C. I had to take Odie out for a drive in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I was beat but my loyal little dog insisted on a road trip so we packed up my rods and headed out to the nearest water which happened to be Gator Creek.

The weather today was in the 70s and there was only a slight breeze on the water. A good day for submerged baits.

The water in Gator Creek was very low exposing several acres of mud which provided the waterfowl a smorgasbord of exposed crustaceans

There were several groups of anglers fishing live baits from the shore and two guys wading near the entrance of Gator Creek fishing with fly rods.

As Odie and I drove around the unimproved road, I spotted a pod of baitfish breaking on the surface so I pulled over and started fishing with the rod tipped; with a Storm Wild Eye Swim Shad. This is my "go to" bait for dirty water conditions that usually produces hits.

I was fishing the paddletail bait on 10 pound mono and started casting to the area where I spotted the baitfish.

I started pulling the plastic bait from the shallow mud flat onto the dropoff and after the third or fourth cast, hooked up with a nice redfish that looked like it was just over the slot.

The fish was solidly hooked, so I foolishly decided to record the fight with my cell phone. Bad idea!!

Click on the pic to see the results of a portion of the fight is below.

The red put up a great battle before finally pulling the hook at the bank. I had the fish on for several minutes while I was trying to get a video but as it got to the bank, I almost dropped my cell phone and in the process of catching it managed to get my feet wet.

Undaunted, I went back to the truck with Odie, ditched my socks and continued fishing the area.

After several casts around the area, I got another solid hit from what I thought was a good red but after again trying to video the fight realized it was a large stingray.

This time the fish stayed on longer but managed to break off on the brush at the bank.

Since this was the last paddletail bait I had with me, I decided to head home and dry off my wet feet.

All in all fishing the low water in the mud flats proved to be a good idea. The bite was on and Odie had a nice ride.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

A. Max Brewer Causeway Restoration Project

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 02:07:00 +0000

For those of you who have been wondering about the huge triangular shaped concrete objects along the road and the work that is being done along the A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway causeway in Titusville; here is a brief synopsis.

Since I relocated to Titusville over 30 years ago, the wave action from tropical storms and hurricanes in the Indian River Lagoon has been steadily eroding the shoreline acreage along the dike roads and the causeways, particularly during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Peacocks Pocket Road and several other "dike" roads used to be a great drive for bank fishermen before the hurricanes washed them out making them unsafe for vehicle traffic.

Finally the erosion along the causeway is being addressed by the powers that be.

DRMP engineers of Gainesville designed the $4.2 million project that is being built by the aquatic restoration firm Sea & Shoreline.

The project involves removing the rip-rap rocks along the shoreline and installing approximately 2,000 feet of large pyramid shaped concrete structures called Wave Attenuation Devices or WADs.

The WADS are are now being located about 400 feet off the shoreline to break up the waves before they hit the causeway and will be visible about a foot and a half above the water at high water levels.

They are expected to absorb the wave energy generated during hurricanes and tropical storms, and should promote the accumulation of sediment.

The hollow pyramid shaped concrete WADs are being installed with enough space for manatees and dolphin to swim through and will have navigational lights for boater safety.

After the concrete WAD installation has been completed, the project includes the restoration of approximately 4,150 cubic yards of sandy material along the existing shoreline along with the planting of new palm and mangrove trees, the planting of approximately four acres of seagrass, and the seeding of one million clams to filter and purify the water in the lagoon.

After completion, which is expected to be in the spring of next year, the project will be monitored for a three year period to see how well the WADs, seagrass planting, and clam seeding have affected the area.

Seagrass is the underwater rainforest habitat that provides the diversified underwater nursery for fish, shrimp, mollusks, and crustaceans in our lagoon system.

We sincerely hope the project works as projected.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Snook In The Mangroves

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:00 +0000

After my dentist appointment this afternoon, I finally got a chance to wet a line in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge>

I brought four rods tipped with plastic swim baits, a Chug Bug, and a Badonk-A-Donk topwater lure and headed to the nearest water which happens to be Gator Creek.

At 4:15 pm the air temperature was around 70 degrees and dropping. There was a good breeze over the water which made for a chilly outing.

There were plenty of fishermen on the banks dunking fingerling mullet, live and dead shrimp but nobody I spoke with had caught anything.

After fishing with Creme paddletail swimbaits at several spots with only one hit, I decided to drive around East Gator Creek to fish the mangroves along the opposite side of the creek.

I switched to the Badonk-A-Donk and started tossing the bait as close to the opposite side of the bank as possible without catching a limb.

I started tossing the bait around the mangroves and retrieving it as slowly as possible around several spots until, I got an immediate hit when the bait landed just underneath a mangrove.

The fish jumped completely out of the water and pulled drag for a second or two until it shook the bait.

I immediately recognized it as a snook of about 30 inches or so.

The bite was unexpected to say the least so I waited a few minutes before tossing the bait around the same area.

After about 15 minutes or so, I got around to fishing the same spot. This time a fish of about the same size hit the bait as it hit the water and again jumped completely out of the water.

I had the snook on for two more jumps before it pulled off.

I waited a while before casting to the same area again but the fish was definitely spooked, so I moved on down the road to try another spot.

I had a boil under another mangrove bush but after making several more casts, never got another hookup.

As I was leaving East Gator Creek, I stopped to talk to another fishermen who said the fish were hitting but the weather was crazy. Although he and his daughter were from Orlando, he said he fished this area for over 20 years.

I forgot his name but he told me that the bite for black drum, redfish, and snook bite was on fire.

The upcoming cold front should only improve the fishing on the muddy shallow flats along the area.

As I was leaving the refuge, I crossed the bridge and took a pic of the temperature inversion over Titusville. The cold front is upon us.....

With any kind of luck I'll be able to get a few more days of fishing in before the new year.

Until next time,

Tight Lines and Merry Christmas

Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge Hogs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 16:53:00 +0000

Thanksgiving Day was the first time in a couple of months I was able to wet a line along Bio Lab Road in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.

Odie and I loaded up a couple of rods and headed to the Patillo Creek area to see if anyone was having luck with the black drum that usually inhabit the area this time of the year.

Several anglers were bank fishing with live and fresh dead shrimp but only one fisherman reported having any luck. The water was dead flat and the bite was slow.

After surveying the area and tossing a Creme paddletail bait around several likely looking spots without even a tap, I decided to move on to Haulover Canal to see if anybody there was catching fish.

The water in the canal was barely moving and although I spotted several anglers fishing around the bridge fenders and north side of the canal from the bank, only a couple of guys reported catching mangrove snapper. Nobody was catching redfish or black drum from the bank.

There were a couple of boats anchored at the mouth of the canal on the Mosquito Lagoon side fishing the deep holes but I couldn't see if anyone had any fish.

I moved on to Bio Lab Road and found the water levels there way down. The Mosquito Lagoon looked like a mirror with only an occasional surface commotion from feeding sea trout.

I stopped at several areas to fish a Chug Bug and the Creme paddletail bait that I had with me and had only one half hearted strike on the topwater bait.

Odie and I continued on Bio Lab road until we spotted a commotion along the bank which turned out to be two sow hogs and a trio of piglets.

I've always known about the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge Hogs, but until the refuge managers cut down the vegetation along the road, I have never actually seen them. The hogs were totally unafraid of humans and acted almost domesticated.

I took a couple of pics and a short video of the pigs before moving on to fish another spot. Click on the pic below to see the video.

After tossing my baits into a couple more "fishy" looking areas, I decided to head home and grab some turkey for dinner.

Hopefully I won't have to wait another month or so to get out and do some more fishing in the area.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Topwater Ladyfish

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:56:00 +0000

This afternoon was perfect for topwater ladyfish in the wildlife refuge.

I left the house with a couple of spinning rods and since it was late, decided to head right over to East Gator Creek. It was around 6:00 pm when I drove into the wet dirt road at the second entrance.

I planned to fish the culverts if they were open and hit the shallow flats if they were not.

At the first culvert, the water was moving a bit so I pulled over to fish a Creme Paddletail bait.

After several casts, I finally had a brief hookup with a ladyfish that got off after a couple of quick jumps.

About that time, I noticed a very large gator along the bank next to the water level gauge, so I grabbed my cell phone and took a few pics of the reptile.

I made a few more casts with the paddletail bait but when I started casting the Chug Bug I had on my other rod, the gator started paying too much attention to the bait, so I decided to look for another spot.

I drove into East Gator Creek road and stopped at a couple of areas where I could cast a lure.

On my second stop, I hooked into a large ladyfish of about 25 inches or so. The fish hit the Chug Bug after the second or third gurgle and put up a great fight.

Because of the heavy mangroves along the bank, landing the fish was touch and go. The fish swam into the brush two times but I managed to lead it out into open water where it eventually tired out enough for me to pull it onto the bank.

I took a couple of pics of the fish before releasing it to fight another day.

I smeared ;up the bait with some Pro-Cure Inshore Formula Gel and continued casting it across toward the other bank and slowly retrieving it.

The water surface was almost glassy and a slow stop and go retrieve seemed to be the ticket today.

After a few casts I hooked into another small ladyfish that I immediately released.

Several casts later, and another mid size ladyfish hooked itself into an arc. I retrieved the fish without much of a fight and after taking this pic released it.

I caught a couple more ladyfish at this spot before moving to another area.

Another gator was getting way too interested in my topwater Chug Bug so I decided to move to a spot where I caught tarpon in the past.

It was getting dark and as I was pulling the bait along the mangrove lined bank, a large fish that I believe was a sea trout smacked the Chug Bug when it was completely motionless.

I was wearing Crocs and like a damn fool stepped into an ant mound. The trout hit as I was shaking off the ants from my feet.

Anyway, I was in pain from the numerous ant bites so I decided to pick up and head to the house.

Tomorrow is another day.

Till then,

Tight Lines.

Culvert Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 22:18:00 +0000

Went to Gator Creek this afternoon with Odie to take advantage of some culvert fishing.

We left the house armed with three rods and a box of lures hoping to catch anything along the dirt roads in the reserve.

When we got to Gator Creek Road, I stopped at a spot where I usually catch fish in the shallows, especially when the culverts are open and the water is running.

I spotted a lot of action around the shallow grassy area adjacent to the road so I decided to toss a few lures to see what was biting.

Odie sat in the truck with the A/C going while I started tossing a Storm paddletail bait around the milling baitfish. The lure was apparently way too small so I tied on a larger version and almost immediately started getting hits.

On the third or fourth cast with the 3" Creme paddletail bait. I briefly hooked a ladyfish that shook off the bait after the third jump.

I continued casting into the grassy area and hooked a couple more ladyfish that I promptly relesed.

I let Odie out of the truck to do his duty and started casting a small topwater bait around the area with no success.

It was around 5:00 pm and the fish should have been interested in the bait but today they were only interested in paddle tail baits.

I switched to another Creme paddle tail bait and after a few casts hooked into a small redfish that I quickly released.

Several casts later, I hooked into another red that I took a pic of before releasing.

The action around the open culvert continued for about a half hour or so before I decided to try another spot. Odie was in the truck and I didn't want to leave him alone too long.

We headed to East Gator Creek where I tossed around a Chug Bug and a Badonk-A-Donk top water bait.

I had a couple of hits on the Chug Bug but couldn't get a hookup, so I switched back to the smaller paddle tail baits.

I spooked a good redfish that I walked up on along the bank and after getting a brief bump on another fish decided to move on up the road.

The next spot I stopped at produced a couple of Mayan Cichlids that wanted to murder the paddle tail bait I was fishing with. I kept getting good hits but I couldn't get a hookup.

Finally, a Mayan nailed the plastic bait enough to hook itself. The fish put up a surprisingly goods fight for its size so I took its pic before releasing it.

After landing a second fish, I decided to get back home.

Odie was getting antsy and I couldn't watch him while I was tossing lures. Way too many gators in the area for him to get too close to the bank.

The tally for the short time I was on the water was 3 ladyfish, 2 redfish, and 2 Mayan Cichlids.

Not bad for an hour and a half of fishing.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

A "ride" In The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:03:00 +0000

Despite the 90 degree plus temperatures this afternoon, my wife and I took Odie for a "ride" in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge along Bio Lab Road.

Odie had just undergone oral surgery and was pretty sore but he perked up a lot when we asked him if he wanted to go for a ride.

The air temperature was 93 degrees when we left the house around 2:30 pm which is undoubtedly the worst time to do any fishing, but I brought along a few rods "just in case" we came upon any tarpon.

Bio Lab Road was where I wanted to scout out to see if there were any tarpon in the area.

The water in the lagoon was down and the water clarity was better than I expected. You could easily see the dark splotches of grass among the bottom in the shallow flats along the road.

There wasn't much baitfish activity on the flats and although we saw several fish hitting bait on the surface at the deep edge of the flats, I didn't bother to fish the area.

We drove to the southernmost section and pulled into an area we call "manatee bay"

and spotted several manatees in the area.

I started tossing a topwater plug along the mangroves hoping for a snook or tarpon and after several blind casts had a brief hookup with what looked like a juvenile tarpon.

The fish smashed the lure and almost immediately shook off.

Because of the heat, Karen wanted to head for home so we meandered out of Bio Lab Road towards Playalinda Beach and hit a couple of Vistas before leaving.

All three of the Vistas we stopped at were void of any fish. I had expected to see some tarpon or ladyfish but nothing was hitting any of my baits.

I tossed a sub surface Mirr-O-Lure, Johnson Sprite gold spoon, and a Tsunami Paddletail bait for several casts at each spot with only one follow.

At this point, Odie was panting and my wife was getting very uncomfortable, so I decided to head for home.

Till next time

Tight Lines

Space X Night Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 May 2024 14:55:00 +0000

Went down to the fishing pier around 9:00 pm to see what was happening and was told that another Space X night shot was going off shortly, so I moved across the bridge to hopefully get a decent video of the launch.

At the bridge, I was assaulted by a group of marauding coons that were looking for a free handout.

I took a short video of the group of coons before scaring them off and was going to wet a line before takeoff, but a couple from France said that the launch was rescheduled in a couple of minutes.

I put away my rod and took this video of the launch before heading home.

I was going to toss a Chug Bug around for a while along the shoreline for a wandering sea trout but it was getting late, so I decided to try tomorrow night instead.

Till next time,

Tight Lines

Another Space X Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 02:55:00 +0000

Went out this afternoon to see if the sea trout were hitting and got to see another Space X launch over Gator Creek.

The water levels in the flats are down considerably and even though the fish that are still in the area, they were not hitting.

I left the house at around 5:30 pm to toss around a Tsunami paddle tail bait and after about a half hour of fishing only got one hit, which I missed.

While fishing, I took a breather and a little after 6:00 pm, this shot took place.

After the traffic in Gator Creek Road tapered off, I tried wetting a line at East Gator creek on the way out of the refuge.

I fished a couple of my favorite spots with the paddletail bait and a gold spoon I had in the truck without any hits.

The water levels on the flats were so low I didn't bother fishing the left side of the area at all.

After taking a couple of pics, I packed it in and headed for the hacienda for some dinner.

Hopefully, Ill be able to get out a few more times this week before heading back to work in N.C.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Windy Scouting Trip In The Refuge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 21:34:00 +0000

After a week without wetting a line, my wife and I decided to take Odie for a scouting trip in the refuge.

The weather was great. Air temps at around 72 degrees, sunny skies, and enough wind to make topwater bait fishing out of the question.

We drove around Bio Lab Road, Peacocks Pocket Road, Patillo Creek Road and finally around Haulover Canal wetting a line in a couple of areas without any success.

Bio Lab road was one way only to Playalinda Beach road but since my last trip, the powers that be have taken down the signs and allowed two way traffic throughout.

Along Bio Lab, we saw several people fishing, but nobody seemed to be catching anything. The water in the Mosquito Lagoon is very low and almost crystal clear throughout the southernmost section.

We drove into an area close to the beach road that holds juvenile tarpon and snook during the summer months, but after many casts around the area with a Storm Creme Spoiler Shad bait and a Chug Bug, it was apparent that the fish were not in the area.

Karen and I spotted a group of 8 manatees that were cruising the area and a gator that up along the bank that was extremely lethargic.

Karen thought that it was sick but it could have just been waiting for dinner.

The three groups who were fishing that area said they never even had a nibble, so I didn't feel too bad about being skunked.

We moved to Patillo Creek Road and found several groups of fishermen covering all the best bank fishing spots. The people I spoke with also said that the bite was non existent.

From there we drove over to Peacocks Pocket Road to see if the refuge managers had opened it up. A couple of years ago, they said the road would be open in the spring of 2023. We're still waiting.,...

Anyway, several vehicles were parked around the shallow water boat launch and a few people were fishing the banks without any success. The water around the boat launch was crystal clear, but after scanning the water for a while for signs of fish or baitfish activity, I didn't even bother to wet a line at any of the spots I used to fish but decided instead to head home

Despite the skunk, out scouting trip in the refuge was worth the price of the gas we burned. The weather was beautiful and like just about everybody we spoke with; Me, Odie, Karen were glad to get out of the house and enjoy the day.

Till next time,

Tight LInes.

Trout In The Culverts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 01:43:00 +0000

Haven't had time to fish much these days but I decided to head down to Gator Creek to wet a line while waiting for the Space X launch this evening.

As I rolled into Gator Creek Road, I took a couple of pics of some nice artwork on the concrete barriers that stop people from pulling up close to the water.

I had what I thought was an hour or so to wait so I pulled up to an open culvert where I had luck catching rat reds in the past.

There were what looked like trout in the culverts feeding in the shallows on small newly hatched baitfish, so I tied on a 3" Cream Spoiler Shad bait that I had with me and started tossing it around the weeds.

I had a bump on the first cast and missed the fish so I continued fan casting the area.

In about 15 minutes of fishing, I had three more hits and missed every single fish.

I cut off the bait and started rooting around my truck to find a smaller lure that would hopefully get a solid hookup.

After tearing apart my center console, I found a small white Cream Spoiler Shad about an inch or so long that I tied on.

After the first cast, I hooked into a nice slot size sea trout that put up a decent fight for its size.

I took a pic, released the fish, and continued tossing the small bait around the area.

A couple of casts later, I caught another sea trout that was a clone to the first one.

In the next half hour, I managed to land two more fish and missed about the same before I packed up the rod in expectation of the Space X launch.

It took a few minutes and a search on my cell phone for me to realize the launch was going to be delayed again till around 8:00 pm.

I didn't feel like waiting around for another possible letdown, so I headed to the house.

As it turned out, the launch did go off around 8:30 pm but I videoed it from my back yard.

Not the best vantage point, but it was still cool.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Space X Launch From Backyard

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 00:58:00 +0000

Went down to Gator Creek road to watch the launch that was supposed to fire up around 6:34 pm but after two delays, I headed home and managed to video the shot on my cell phone around 8:21 pm. from my backyard.

I'll post the time I spent fishing separately.

Tight Lines.

Herd of Manatees

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:07:00 +0000

Check out this herd of Manatees I discovered in the southern part of the Mosquito Lagoon.

Didn't get many bites but sure got some giggles watching the manatees.

Click the pic above.

Till next time

Tight Lines.

Reds On The Mud Flats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 19:17:00 +0000

I finally got a chance to take Odie for a ride around Gator Creek Road and was surprised to find reds on the mud flats along the west side of the unimproved road. We left the house around 4:00 pm and found several people setting up their cameras with telescopic lenses on the bridge apparently waiting for the Space X launch that was later scrubbed.

A large plane that was apparently affiliated with the launch was circling the space center several times before leaving the area.

I have not been in the area for about a month so I stopped to talk to a couple of anglers to see if they were fishing or actually catching.

The first guy I had a conversation with had three rods out of the back of his pickup and was sitting on the tailgate waiting for a bite.

He was fishing the shallow mud flats which were now flooded using shrimp for bait.

He said he hadn't caught anything yet but did catch three slot redfish the prior day.

We shot the bull awhile and I left when Odie started to get anxious about getting out.

We drove along the road and spotted three other parties with lines out on both sides of the road but nobody seemed to be catching anything.

The air temp was in the low 60s and a good breeze was making it seem colder. I had on shorts like a fool and only stopped a couple of times to toss a Chug Bug and a Cream Spoiler Shad around. Nothing was interested and neither was I.

Next time I take a ride with Odie, I'll dress for the weather.

After circling Catfish Creek Loop and exiting via East Gator Creek, I decided that the fishing would have been much better using live baits on the mud flats.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 22:53:00 +0000

The cold fronts that will hit is this month will make water temperatures in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River drop substantially and bring schools of bull redfish and speckled sea trout onto the grass flats.

The singles, pairs, and small groups of smaller reds that we like to chase during the summer months seem to disappear this month and make way for schools of 50 to 100 or more redfish in the 30 inch plus category that cruise the flats in water that is often less than a foot deep.

The larger over slot sea trout that have been holding in deeper water most of the summer months begin their spawning activities in late fall that continues well into the early spring. These gator size sea trout will start showing up over patches of hard bottoms on the flats in much better numbers this month.

The dark hard bottoms in particular are magnets for big sea trout, snook, and redfish this month. Pods of 15 to 25 or more trout can frequently be found sunning themselves over darker patches of hard bottom and will usually eagerly grab most presentations.

The best part about the cooler waters temperatures on the flats this month is that the reds and sea trout feed all day long. You don't have to get on the water before the break of dawn to catch a mess of fish.

Unfortunately, I've been tied up in North Carolina working and am unable to access the great fishing opportunities available here however, you can still avail yourself. Till next time, Tight Lines.

Port Canaveral Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 20:57:00 +0000

On my way back from the Doctors office today, I decided to stop by Port Canaveral to see if any anglers were dunking baits along the sea walls.

I parked my truck, pulled out a rod with a Creme swimbait and started checking out the fishing around the area.

The first couple of guys I spoke with had some pinfish in their bucket and were not doing so great.

Another oriental guy was netting up baitfish and fishing with live finger mullet around the sea walls and boat docks. He said he was after snook that were hiding around the pilings.

I wished him well and started casting my swimbait around the bridge abutments but after several unfruitful casts realized that the lure didn't come even close to "matching the hatch" of the migrating baitfish.

I saw several pods of Atlantic Menhaden under the drawbridge and around the rocks heading away from the locks and a couple of what looked like Spanish mackerel chasing them but they weren't interested in my small lure.

I started walking back to my truck when I heard the oriental guy yelling like crazy. He hooked and apparently lost a nice size snook that he was targeting underneath the boat dock.

I didn't say a word, just packed my rod up and headed back to Titusviille.

On the way out I drove past the head boats which were both docked. I was surprised that they weren't out catching fish but what do I know.....

Anyway, I took a few pics of the area, including the large cruise ship that was berthed at the terminal before heading home.

I made a mental note to come back and fish the area with some baits during the evening, but when I left the house later in the evening, the rain storms prompted me to turn back home.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Pocket Road Mini Slam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 01:17:00 +0000

Finally got out this afternoon to wet a line in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge around Peacock Pocket Road.

It was around 3:00 pm when I pulled up to the barrier at the lower end of Peacocks Pocket and the air temperature was a cool 90 degrees.

I originally planned to fish Bio Lab Road at the southern end near Pelican Island but when I drove into Gator Creek Road, I decided to walk Pocket Road instead.

There is a lot of vegetation around the banks of the road making casting and landing a fish pretty tough. Here are a few pics of the area to let you know how difficult the fishing can be.

I was using soft Creme paddletail baits, a Tsunami shrimp, and a small Chug Bug to cover the entire water column.

After tossing lures in several spots prior to parking at the barrier without any action, a walk up the road seemed like a good idea. I figured I would get my walking in for the day and maybe catch a few decent fish.

My first cast around the culverts hooked me up with a dink rat redfish like the one below.

The little fish hit the paddletail bait at the bank near the culvert and put up a short fight before I released it to grow up.

There are a lot of oversize reds that cruise the shoreline along the road, but they are not usually active until dusk or at daybreak. During the heat of the day I didn't expect to catch any lunkers.

I continued fishing up the road in several spots where I could cast the soft bait and managed to hook into a couple of dink sea trout like the one below.

I lost three more trout around the brush at the bank before hooking into this snook.

The fish hit the lure at the bank and put up a decent fight before I could land and release it. The snook was in the 20 inch plus category which is unusual for this area.

As I walked down the road tossing baits into areas where I could without getting hung up, I managed to get several more hookups but the fish kept getting off in the heavy brush along the bank.

When I got a relatively clean area near a small pond where I used to catch some nice redfish before the road was closed, I hooked into another snook that I managed to land and release. The fish wrapped around some submerged brush twice, but each time I gave it slack and it pulled off without breaking off.

This fish was a bit smaller but good sport to catch and release.

I continued casting the area and lost another sea trout before hooking into a ladyfish that jumped all over the place before I could land and release it.

As the bite stopped I moved up the road to another secluded spot and hooked into another trout that broke off my lure in the brush. This was my last paddletail bait so I decided to head back to the truck and head home.

With the heat and skinning up and down the bank to get a good casting spot to fish, I was pretty beat. I had walked about two miles down Peacocks Pocket road and had not brought any water along to rehydrate, so heading back seemed a prudent option.

When I got back to the culvert at the barrier, I was soaked with sweat and light headed.

The air conditioner in the truck was definitely a live saver today.

All in all I had a productive day on the water. I managed an inshore "mini slam" of redfish, sea trout, snook, and ladyfish, if you count them.

Not Bad....

Till next time,

Tight Lines.