The ink is drying on the final week of February and it must be recorded as one of the wildest and wackiest in recent memory. For instance, during this week, the temperature ranged from record highs to record lows with a 50 degree swing in a single day. The winds hit all points of the compass within a four hour span and varied from dead calm to hauling gales. And the fishing activity flexed from frenzied feeding one day to listless fasting the next. Indeed, it was one wild and wacky week!On Monday Capt. Rocky had the pleasure of guiding two brothers from Michigan, Fred and Earl Rafferty. These two seasoned anglers hit gold with near-ideal conditions; glass-like seas and hyper-aggressive fish. The final fish count for the day reached double-digits with redfish from 26 to 41 inches and even included a gator trout to add a bit of variation to the bag. Pictured below are Fred and Earl and a few finned representatives from the day.
Tuesday brought the forecasted cold-front rumbling through the region in the early afternoon. The morning prelude featured strong southwest winds and caused us to scramble strategies. Using NASA Causeway as a protective barrier, Mark Keith from Harrisburg, PN and Capt. Rocky braved their way across the Indian River to the productive flats. Even though the trip had to be cut short prematurely to avoid the savage teeth of the front, they were able to catch three redfish and another gator trout. (Incidently, the larger breeder trout have begun to appear on the flats in impressive numbers). Pictured below are Mark and his biggest redfish, a 42 inch brute caught on ultra-light tackle.
Wednesday and Thursday found all boats anchored and secured in safe harbor. After setting a new high temperature on Tuesday, we went for an unseasonably super low on Thursday. Moreover, the strong north winds pushed water off the flats and dropped river levels by at least six inches. This caused our fish to suffer from severe anxiety disorders which they promptly displayed by eating everything in sight on the following day.Mark Keith rejoined Capt. Rocky on Friday to finish what was started prior to the arrival of the front three days before. Changing locations and tactics to take advantage of the calm water and bright sun, these two opted to pitch live finger mullet to sight-fished reds and trout for most of the charter. The exact total caught of the super aggressive fish was lost but we feel comfortable reporting a number in the 12-15 range. Pictured below are Mark and several of his trophies from the day.
Also on Friday, Capt. Roland, chartering out of Melbourne, guided local Steve Jones and Brian Johnston from Ohio. They located a school of solid upper slot reds dining along the side of an old wooden dock. Seven fish from the school were greeted boat side along with one sea trout. Pictured below are Steve and Brian proudly posing with some of their new found friends.
Closing out the week, the McManus Clan from Melbourne celebrated Jim McManus’ 50th birthday on Saturday with a charter guided by Capt. Roland. They visited the same south county school discovered the day before and enjoyed catching five reds. Jim, Jack, and Joe McManus are each pictured below holding redfish from the trip.
Captain Rocky Van Hoose
321-986-9588
Captain Brian Jones
321-626-5072
Posted by Rocky Van Hoose on March 02, 2008 at 03:36:50 PM
