Fishing Report - Trout & Jack Crevalle 8-24-12

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Tide: Out-going
Time Fished: 7:00 am - 10:00m
M.F.-5:25 AM
Partly Sunny
Wind: NW at 5 mph

Other Observations: Lots of bait moving down the channel and the Jacks have been killing them

Catch:
-(5) Jacks Crevalle
-(3) Trout

The trout bite has been pretty good in the Halifax River lately and my dad has been catching a limit plus most times out. I decided to fish with him Friday morning. The action started out good but tailed off pretty quick on the trout.

We were fishing with pretty large croakers about 4-5"l. on a Carolina rig. It is easy to miss a trout when using such a large bait. They have a tendency to swim off with the bait before trying to swallow it and we missed 3-4 my setting the hook to quickly. You would get the croaker back with half his scales missing. I suspect these were smaller trout doing this and having trouble trying to eat such a large bait.

Schooling Jacks striking bait out in the channel!

 

We chased the striking jacks up and down the river casting at them with a 5m MirrOlure.

We fished them for 30-40 minutes but Dad is not interest in fish you can't put in the cooler so we

left them striking and headed for the launch. 

Fishing Report - Jack Crevalle, Trout & Ladyfish 8-31-12

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Tide: fished incoming 
Time Fished: 6:45 am - 9:00am
M.F.11:20 AM
Mostly Sunny
Wind: Light N

Other Observations: Small finger mullet were everywhere and the Jacks and Lady fish were hammering them pretty good

Catch:
-(5) Jacks Crevalle
-(1) Trout (several Trout short strikes)
-(2) Ladyfish
I had a number of other hook-ups and strikes

I have just completed the design and fabrication of the new mount of my GoPro camera on my Kayak. I couldn't wait to get on the water with it to video a fishing adventure. Friday ended up being the day, though I could only fish until 9:00AM due to a scheduled meeting with a client.

The action was really good and I had a stretch where I was hooking up a fish on every cast! Though the fish were running a little small the action made up for it.

I did catch one of the biggest Ladyfish I can remember. I was fishing a 5M51 floating MirrOlure and this thing inhaled the whole bait and only had about 3/4"of the plug visible. Of course, being a ladyfish, she made some impressive leaps right at the boat. I also fished a 27MR MirrOdine which is a suspending twitch bait that is an outstanding lure.

The bulk of the action was small Jacks but even the little ones can pull pretty good.

I did a basic edit with Windows Live Movie Maker so I could post it for everybody. It is incredible how sharp the footage is from the tiny GoPro Camera when watched in HD.

I cut the action down to about 15 minutes to fit on Youtube so there is a lot missing but all the main action is there.

Hope you enjoy it! Larry S. If you want some more info on the incredible GoPro Video Camera or are interested in one to video you own adventures, Amazon has a great price on them, here is a link:

GoPro has recently released the Hero 3 and comes with some significant upgrades in an even smaller package if you can believe that. Here's a link to Amazon for more info:

N. Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report 6-2-12

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After finding some trout last Sunday in the NIRL I was chomping at the bit to get back on them. I got a call from one of my fishing partners Rick, looking to make a plan for a fishing trip this morning. I told him my plan was to put in at Scottsmoor at 6:00 AM and whoop up on some trout! He was in!

The wind forcast was for very light winds out of the west but it was already stirring the tops of the cabbage palms when we arrived. We hurried and got our boats launched and paddled for deeper water. We probably launched about 6:30.

The trout have been hanging out in the deeper water just outside of the grass flat in about the 2'8"-3'6" depth.

We fished top water first and there was some action but I switched over to the old reliable 17mr pretty quickly. I probably had not made 10 casts before I hooked up a trout.

I ended up catching about 8 trout and loosing that many more along with 2 or 3 ladyfish. Rick caught about the same but the problem was they were all pretty small and we could not put one on the boat that would make the slot.

The other strange thing was the lack of ladyfish activity and the lack of bait. Later in the morning we pushed up onto the flat and headed south looking for a redfish but there was no activity at all on the flat. We did not even jump a redfish and there was almost no bait activity. I guess that's a good reason for the reds not to be there either.

Well, here's some pictures from the trip I just wish they had been a little bigger.

Larry S.

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Trip 5-27-12

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My Bride and I loaded the kayaks in the dark this morning and headed for the North Indian River Lagoon. It's a pretty good haul from where we live in Flagler to the launch in Scottsmoor. I took the time to net a little bait for Tammie to fish with, a few finger mullet and mud minnows. This is the first time I have been out this year due to hunting season so this was a voyage to shake out the Cob webs and get back to fishing.

We got on the water about 7:15AM which was about an hour later than I wanted. The Sailflow wind forecast was for 0-2 mph for most of the morning but when we launched it was already 6-7 mph and building.

We paddled out to the edge of the grass line and fished the 2'8" to 3'4" depth and hooked up with about10-12 trout by 8:15 AM. About half of them tore off before I got them in the boat but it was some pretty good action. By this point the wind was getting up to about 12-15 mph and made it tough to fish as I had not brought a stake pole or anchor thinking there would be no wind to deal with.

I pick up about (3) lady fish after that but the trout bite had slacked off it appeared. Although with the wind, I really could not stay on them when I did find a few.

I did have one real good trout on that immediately started stripping drag but pulled off. All of fish were caught on a Mirrolure 17MR except one fish that Tammie had on. She spent most of her time sight seeing and just enjoying the morning.

The trout were a little on the small side but there are some decent keeper mixed in. I felt that had we launched an hour earlier or if the wind had been lighter that we would have easily each had a limit to bring home.

The water was clear and reasonably high. The best part was that there was no floating grass to deal with. Also, though it was a holiday weekend, apparently the looming storm kept most everyone at home.

As soon as this weather breaks I be back on them!

Larry S.

Fishing Report 7/9/11 -PM - Pellicer Flats

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Mon. July 9, 2011
Moon - new moon on Fri.

M.F.= 1:30 pm
Temp.: Low 73, 87 h.
wind: N-NE-laid after 7pm

pressure: 29.99 (Steady)
humidity:82% -62-94%
rain: rain showers afternoon in bunnell but petered out before getting to the beach

fully cloudy and rain

The lack of action this morning at Scottsmoor left me disappointed and fell far short of satisfying my appetite to stretch my line. After fishing at Scottsmoor I went straight to the office to do some work. That was worse than not catching any fish and while working my mind wandered to thoughts of another fishing adventure. I knew the tide was about right to fish up at Pellicer flats but the ominous black Sky's suggested the trip could be a wet adventure. I checked the Doppler radar on line and found some pretty serious rain in a long line, all headed right for where I wanted to fish! However, it seemed to be breaking down just before getting there. It was later than I wanted when I finally made the commitment to leave. It was really bad looking and I was second guessing myself as it started to sprinkle on my windshield before I even got out of town.

When I arrived at the launch I was glad to see the weather had run everyone else off and I had the whole place to myself. The tide was almost full and it made catching any fiddler crabs a little tough but I did managed 12 or 15. I put the yak in the water, loaded up and paddled off.

My plan was to try to catch a few sheepshead off some pilings before heading to the flats for some top water action. I spent about a half hour soaking fiddler crabs along the piles without even a nibble.

The tide was still coming in and the weather seemed to be holding so I headed for the nearest cut to ride the tide in to the flats before it changed. I fished my way in without a strike until I was near the west end of the cut. I had just noticed the tide had started out when I rounded a sharp bend in the cut. Ahead, I could see an oyster bar extended mostly across the cut. I was fishing a yellow Johny Rattler and made a long cast to the far side of the bar and started my retrieve. Shortly after clearing the bar the plug was smashed by a big trout that looked to be 20-22".  In true trout character he wallowed and fanned the surface before diving for deeper water. It was a great fight but the trout finally tore off by partially straightening the forward hook. Damn the luck.

While I was embroiled in the fight I saw another fish strike off a point up ahead. By the time I lost my fish that one had struck two more times. I finished plugging the spot and moved ahead to catch the striker. Three casts to the spot produced nothing. I moved ahead a little and made another cast. It was met with a serious strike. I had him on for just a minute but was able to escape me also.

With less than 30 minutes to fish before dark I decided I had better get across the flat to my little hot spot.

I eased up to a small dot of an oyster bar with a channel between it and the bank. I had seen a nice strike there as I plugged my way over. I made a long cast with the "rattler" and ...wham! Another real aggressive strike but I only felt the fish for a split second, another nice trout lost!

I repositioned to the north side of the bar and plugged a little more. It was about time to leave and I said "self  I'm gona make one more cast back into that channel where I just left. A couple of sloshes from the Johny Rattler and a nice 18" trout blew up on it and the fight was on.....I just can't get enough of that!

I plugged the area a bit longer without much action until it was pretty dark and time to start the mile plus paddle back to the hill. I wanted to paddle out the next cut to the south but had a little trouble finding it in the fading light. I finally recognized a narrow passage to a larger cut that led to the one I was looking for. As I came to a tee with the main cut there was just enough light left for me to see a massive strike up ahead. The fish through water 3' into the air. I hastily  paddled ahead to make a cast. Before I could get there at least 4 more fish struck the surface! They were tearing in up! It was some of the best top water action I had seen in a long time.

I made a cast with the "rattler" and it was immediately met with a strike. A larger than average ladyfish took to the air with some 10-15' charging leaps. I fished the spot for about 30 minutes, well past hard dark. The action was unbelievable but all I could catch was large ladyfish. It was getting late so I paddled off into the dark and left them biting. Still can't believe I couldn't catch a trout out of all that. Typically, trout and ladyfish hang together and your liable to catch either or when the bite is on.

It was 10pm by the time I got back to the launch.

I ended up with (4) nice trout on, loosing (3) of them and about 8-10 large ladyfish. All in all it was a pretty good little trip.. Had the tide been an hour earlier I feel like I could have whooped up on the trout.

Til the next report, good luck,

Larry S.

The odd thing was this trout only had one spot on his body but normal spots on his fins and tail?

Unusual.

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Fishing Report 6/4/11 - Indian River Lagoon, Scottsmoor Ramp

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Mon. July 4, 2011
Moon - new moon on Fri.

M.F.= 1:30 pm
Temp.: Low 72, 87 h.
wind: calm winds -0-5 mph max.

pressure: 30.01 (Steady)
humidity:81% -66-94%
rain: 0

Sunny to partly cloudy

notes: water dirty, little bit of grass floating

I haven't been able to  get the trout off my mind that I found over at the NIRL. I got up at 4:00 AM to make the drive to Scottsmoor. I was in the water by 6:30 and headed for deeper water.  I moved out to 30-36" of water and started plugging with my 17mr.

I was surprised how slow it was getting started. I picked up a few ladyfish but could not find a trout. The ladyfish we a little larger than average. I fished about 3/4 of a mile south and then decided to head back north.

I had bought a new X-RAP recently and decided to put it on a spinning rod and see what it can do. I

I started running into more bait activity north of the channel to the launch. About 250yds north I hung a trout on the new x-rap, glass-ghost. I made another cast and hooked another. The third cast back to the spot produced the same result. The only problem was they were a little short. I grabbed the rod with the 17MR and made a fourth cast.....nothing, dang it! I made a 5 th cast with the x-rap and fish on, another trout. I could not catch a trout on the 17mr to save my life. I think it was partly due to the dirty water and the x-rap's deeper running depth.

I picked up a few more lady fish and a couple of trout as I moved north but the bit petered out so I headed back south to where I had found the trout. I made a long cast with the x-rap and I didn't make two cranks on the reel and the plug got smashed. The rod bent over and I started loosing line! I thought "this is gona be a heck of a trout!" When I got the fish near the boat I got to see him boil up and saw the spots on his side...trout! The next time the fish came to the top I saw a much bigger fish with a side that looked 6-7 inched wide but it had no spots?? "What the heck was that?" The next thing I know the fish boils up again beside the boat and I've got about a 10lb. sail cat on the front hook and a 17" trout on the rear!! Unbelievable! I really did not know just what to do....the cat was to big for me to grab and I did not want to loose the trout. About that time the fish solved the problem and broke me off. The last I saw them, they were headed down still hooked to the x-rap. Damn the luck! That was a brand new plug.

It looks like This new X-Rap is going to be a winner!

Since that was my one and only xrap and the bite had slowed to a trickle I decided to head for the hill.

It was pretty much my designated quit time anyhow.

I ended up hooking about 8 trout and 30 or so ladyfish. Only 3 of the trout would measure and I had lost all three of them. $35-40 in fuel to get down there and back and I had nothing for the supper table.

That cat trying to eat my trout and hooking both of them at one time made for quite a memory though.

Tight Lines, Larry S.

IFA Kayak Fishing Tournament - Titusville 6-19-11

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Tournament Day!
Mosquito Lagoon - East side & Indian River Lagoon - Scottsmoor
Sun. June 19, 2011
Moon - 4 days past full
M.F.= 3:00 pm
Temp.: Low 71, 87 h.
wind: SSW varied from 0 to 10 mph, switched to E at 1:00pm
pressure: 30.03 (Steady)
humidity: 65% -52-88%
rain: severe storms over night
Sunny

My prefishing had not revealed any particular outstanding spot to get on some big reds so I decided my plan would be to get my trout out of the way early at Scottsmoor and then head for the NE corner of Mosquito Lagoon, put back in and just start paddling South looking for reds.

At the Capt's meeting we were instructed that we could launch no earlier than 5:45 am. I think I was in the water just before 6AM.

I paddled for the edge of the grass to fish the sand bottom at the 30-36" depth. On my third cast of the morning I hooked up with a trout on the 27MR-18 MirrOdine. Boy was I excited! I could tell by the way he pulled he would measure enough to get me on the board. Half way to the boat he pull off! Man, was that disappointing.

I recovered the plug and made another cast. A couple of fast twitches and I had fish #2 on. I jumped the ladyfish a few times and she threw the plug. The next cast was met with the same result…another lady fish. I pried her off the plug and hummed it right back out. The plug barely hit the water when it was smashed by a 3 lb. Ladyfish.

That's the one, I'm just about to make a big mistake!

I pulled the fish alongside the boat and lifted it up with the line. It’s mouth was gaped open with the forward hook in the lower jaw. This is where everything went sideways.

I could see what was about to happen but I couldn’t stop myself….I just had to lip that fish. As soon as I touched her she went wild, thrashing and hung the trailing hook in the side of my thumb! Now, I’m hooked on one end of the plug with a 3 lb flopping fish on the other. I instantly grabbed the fish and pinned it in the bottom of the boat.

My first thought was to get the fish off the plug before the hook got buried even worse. There was already blood all over the plug, thumb and my leg. I used my pointer and middle finger to maneuver the plug out of the fish while I held the thing with a death grip with my right hand and got her out of the boat. I rolled my thumb over and immediately realized the situation was already to the “worse” point! The hook was completely buried to the bottom of the bend. Damn it! This is pretty bad I thought. I might not be able to deal with this by myself. This might turn into a trip to the emergency room.

After accessing my options I decided to try to push the hook through and get myself back in the game.
I pulled my bait knife, cut the line to the plug and retrieved the needle nose pliers from my tackle box. The next step was to get the plug off the hook. I used my knife to open the split ring and was able to work the hook off. It was a delicate operation to say the least.

With the hook off the plug I clipped the other two hooks off the treble. All the easy steps were over and it was time to push this thing through! I don’t know how many times I pushed, probably 6-8 times. I would push….stop and take a couple deep breaths. It felt like I was pushing as hard as I could. Finally, the point started to come through. I cut the skin down the side of the point a little and once the barb was out it gave me enough room to get the needle nose around the hook and clip the point off. Man was that a relief when the barb popped off! After that it was just a matter of backing it out and bleeding it as much as possible to flush the wound out.

In a couple minutes I had a new hook on the plug and was back in the hunt! Strangely enough my thumb wasn’t even soar. I barely thought about it the rest of the day.

In short order I had another trout on and lost that one also. A few minutes later I lost another! I couldn’t believe this was happening. Finally, I put a trout in the boat but he turned out to he a ¼” short to measure. The bite started slowing after that so I paddled back north to start another drift.

I got back into a few fish and before I knew it I had five legal trout but all were about 16 ½”. I just couldn’t get any on that were any better than that. I had about 12 on all together. I don’t know how many ladyfish but they far out numbered the trout.

At 8:30, an hour late, I decided I would have to head for the ramp and get out of there. I loaded the boat as fast as possible and struck out for New Smyrna Beach.

I think I was back in the water around 10:00 and was feeling I had really burned a lot of valuable time and was questioning myself for not going to Dummits Cove where I had seen a pile of redfish on Friday and was much closer. The problem was I just could not get them to eat.

I started paddling south and had brought my binoculars so I could increase my coverage of the flat. It was a great idea that worked well. The only problem was that there was almost no redfish to be found. I paddled 3 ½ miles south and probably did not see half a dozen redfish and all were jumped, no pushers, no tailing, no nothing!

While it was only 87 deg. The wind had died on the flat and it was H O T! I had to pull my glasses off and wipe the sweat rolling down my face about every third cast.


Once I reached tiger shoals I realized the likely hood I was going to put a red in the boat was not good and getting worse. All I could dohope for a miracle. I did jump a few more fish on the way back but saw nothing I could try to make a cast to.

Finally, I made it back to a sandy strip I call the sink hole and came up on the down wind end and made a cast with the 27MR. Wham! Fish on but it immediately went air born……ladyfish. I made another cast and hooked up with a fish that pulled hard and held deep. I felt I might have a minimum red on but all of the sudden the line popped! Noooooooooo! After all the bad luck for the day I just lost a plug that I have literally caught hundreds of fish on. I guess it was inevitable though.

I tied my back up 17MR on and made another cast. I immediately hooked another lady. Another cast another lady.
I put the plug rod down and made a cast with my gold spoon. You guessed it…..another ladyfish! However, this one was a little small, maybe 10”. About half way to the boat a huge redfish in the 36” range struck at the thrashing ladyfish! I could not believe it. If it had not been for the swarm of ladyfish I could have had a real shot at catching that fish. I think I could have finished 3^rd or 4^th with that fish. As it were he probably saw the boat and I could never draw another strike from him….ladyfish, sure!

I fished one more sand hole which took me right to the wire. Weigh in was 1:00-3:00pm and it was after 1:30 and I still had over a mile paddle to get hack to the truck! I squared everything away and started stroking. I knew I did not have close to enough fish to make a good show but typically half the boats will not weigh in a fish. After all that effort I was at least going to weigh in what I had……or so I thought.

I hit the hill running, through everything in the truck and took off like a shot. I had to get back to New Smyrna and cross over on hwy 44 to get to the interstate and head south to Titusville for the weigh in. I thought about shooting down A-1-A but 95 sounded faster. Well, just as I got onto the interstate I could see it was a parking lot up ahead and all traffic was stopped!!! It turned out to be a small pickup upside down on the shoulder and looked pretty bad. Hopefully no one was seriously hurt. Talk about rotten luck for me though! Rather than finishing in the middle of the field at about 18^th, I got a big fat zero for not making the 3:00pm dead line.

What a day! I can’t remember ever fishing any harder.

The weigh-in was pretty enlightening . It worked out that first place went to a guy that fished 125 miles from where the tournament was held! What! I couldn’t hardly believe it! The rules had stated “no off limits” but It would have never occurred to me that someone would fish so far outside the area. Incidentally, this guy is a captain and a guide and fished his home waters. That just was not right! Legal according to the rules….yep!

I did send a letter to the IFA urging them to have a look at the way this rule is written but as of this day I have received no response.
I probably had 30-40 ladyfish and about 12 trout on. No redfish however. There were two really large trout caught , one 27.75” and one 26.25”. The winning red was 39”(from Jacksonville).

Anyway that was the big Titusville Tournament. I don’t know if I would do that again or not. Maybe with a few rule changes.

Larry S.