Our motto at Native Sons Fishing Charters is to provide "A Fishing Trip you’ll never forget." This past week our crede became our experience for three charters as the balmy, unseasnable temperatures of our Indian Summer set the stage for some of the most memorable fishing drama of the year.
The lead story for the week starred a guide from the west coast, Capt. "Red" Ed Brennan and Cynthia, his close friend and favorite fishing partner. Their directive to Capt. Rocky was simply "we want to battle big redfish." The next few paragraphs are descriptive narratives of the trip from Capt. Red Ed’s report to his own clients, family and friends. While visiting family on the East coast for the holiday, Cynthia and I decided to fish the infamous Mosquito Lagoon for MONSTER Redfish with Captain Rocky Van Hoose, and we had an EPIC adventure! After securing enough Redfish candy, live Finger Mullet for bait, we were on the hunt. Conditions were anything but perfect as not only was it windy but it was also mostly cloudy which, as you know, only makes site fishing that more difficult. Of course, that wasn't going to stop us! After catching more Catfish then we could count, we finally had a bite that could have only been what we were hunting for, Cynthia hooked and boated the nice 30 inch Redfish pictured below.
Now most folks would be happy to CATCH a Redfish that size but we were there for the real MONSTERS. Shortly after re-baiting we weren't disappointed as the rod I was holding was slammed by what felt like a Volkswagen and the fight was on! After an awesome twenty minute fight we put the 42 inch Redfish, in the boat for a few pictures before we released him for someone else to enjoy!! 
If you haven't fought one of these MONSTERS it will test all your angling skills and definitely tire you out, especially on light tackle. Again after re-baiting, it was Cynthia's turn to fight a MONSTER! If my fish hit like a Volkswagen, the fish that hit Cynthia's rod was like a Freight Train! She did a masterful job fighting the fish but eventually it wore her out and she had to hand the rod to me for a short rest. In all my years of CATCHING Redfish, I have never seen or felt a fish fight like this! Every time we would get him close to the boat he would just scream line off the reel and it was like starting the fight all over again! This fish was well over 50 inches! It was EPIC!!! The sun was starting to set and we were beginning to wonder and joke if we would get this MONSTER in the boat for a few pictures before it got dark. Cynthia did take the rod back and fought the fish like a professional but after at least an hour and twenty minutes the MONSTER came unbuttoned and swam away. We had just lost a potential state record Redfish, but it was an experience that the three of us will never forget!!!
The second memory making trip occurred aboard Capt. Roland’s boat, the "Lip Rip" in Sebastian Inlet. Dr. Cronin of Melbourne Beach and his neighbor Jerry ventured into the inlet in search of breeder redfish and monster snook. They battled several large fish including the redfish held by Dr. Cronin in the picture below.
This was actually the second Sebastian drift charter for the good doctor during the holiday week as he and Charlie, his son-in-law, chartered Capt. Roland several evenings before when they caught other large redfish and snook.
The final unforgettable trip in this report was also guided by Capt. Roland. Two anglers from San Antonia, Mike and Chuck, along with their sons, fished the Grant area and were entertained by the usual cast of characters; redfish, snook and trout. The thing that made this trip so memorable though was a cameo appearance of a fourth species – GROUPER.
Grouper is a rare find in the Indian River but recently Roland has been able to locate several pods of this highly sought-after species. Pictured below are Mike and his son posing with one to the four large grouper fought on the day.
Captain Rocky Van Hoose
321-986-9588
rvanhoose@cfl.rr.com
Captain Brad Jones
321-626-5072
jonesmelb7@bellsouth.net
Posted by Rocky Van Hoose on December 01, 2007 at 12:28:12 PM
