Well it's a brand new year and hoping to share some brand new fishing stories. Sorry I haven't posted much in the last month, but with the holidays and cold weather in the area I just haven't had much time to get out on the water. 2011 was a great year for me and my fishing friends though. The many hours of research and time on the water has paid off. I learned many different techniques, rigs, and how to target specific species. As the new year begins, now would be a good time to highlight the best of the best of 2011. So here's a summary of my 2011 fishing adventures and best moments to remember. Enjoy =)
In late January/February I participated in my first ever Shad & Crappie Derby with very good success, and came really close to catching the longest American Shad for 1st place. I caught my first American Shad on January 24th that was 16" long. A few days later I caught my largest shad at 17.5 long. All together I caught 10 American Shad in 3 weeks.
17.5" American Shad that almost won 1st Place
On February 21st, me and two friends made the first hike to the river bank at Mullet Lake Park at night. It was a scarey trek not knowing if there will be alligators or snakes on the way out there. But the 3 of us carefully pushed forward and it was definitly worth the hike. Zack set the bar on the biggest catfish of the year that was 17 LB!
Zack's 17 LB Catfish of the Year
Now in March, my friend Kyles' fiance, Tara, almost surpassed Zacks big fish but not quite. No surprise it was at Mullet Lake park again and this one was 15 LB 6 OZ. Congrats Tara!
Tara's Big Catch 15 LB 6 OZ Catfish
No fooling around in April! This month was very productive at Mullet Lake Park for me. I caught several catfish and gar as my fishing buddies were just watching. I love bragging lol. One night I caught a 7lb 5oz catfish and 3 Florida Gar. Then another night I caught a 4lb 14oz, another florida gar, and then a 12 LB Catfish that was my personal best at the time.
My 12 LB Catfish on the hook!
May came and so did my personal best catfish of the year. May is also the month we basically stopped hiking out to Mullet Lake park because of alligator nesting season. It was just too dangerous to risk our lives to fish. Summer was also here and so was the rainy season, making the pathway to the bank very wet and muddy. I'm just glad I got to catch a big one before our mullet lake catfishing season was over for the year. On the night of May 15th, me and my friends hiked out to the bank at Mullet Lake park. I caught a monster 14 LB 6 OZ catfish that night. Later that month we made one more trip to the park bank and I caught an 8 LB catfish to cap off the month.
My Personal Best 14 LB 6 OZ Catfish!
When June arrived it was saltwater life. It also marks the first time me and Kyle were introduced to the species of Crevalle Jacks. These are probably the most addicting fish to fight on your line. Once you hook one, you will understand. The Crevalle Jacks were only caught in the morning, shortly after first light. Me and Kyle would stay at the pier all night and wait it out until morning to get some Jack action. The long nights were exhausting but it was so much fun once you knew the Jacks were around. I also can't forget to mention the huge 24 LB southern stingray I landed one night in New Smyrna. I fought it for almost 10 minutes, the whole time guessing what was on my line. Was it a big drum? a shark? Nope, just a stingray LOL
Huge Stingray that was 24 LB!
Attention Crevalle Jacks!
In July I caught my personal best Spotted Seatrout one morning, it was 23.5" long and 5 LB 10 OZ. After spending so much time in New Smyrna I switched it up to the St Johns River again. Since Mullet Lake Park was a no go, I decided to give CS Lee Park a try along the bank. I quickly learned that this was my new catfishing spot for the next several months. It was so much easier to access too with the bank being next to the parking lot. Most of the catfish at CS Lee were 1-2 LB but my biggest catfish this month was 6 LB 10 OZ. As the year went on, CS Lee Park would continue to produce sizeable catfish.
Personal Best Spotted Seatrout 5 LB 10 OZ!
August was a very busy month for my fishing blog. At CS Lee Park I caught my biggest Longnose Gar so far that was 20 LB 8 OZ and 54" long! This is the longest fish in my record book. Another night at CS Lee I caught two large catfish, a 9 1/2 and 5 1/2 LB catfish! The 9lber is the biggest catfish so far at CS Lee Park. Also this month I also started surf fishing for the first time at Canaveral National Seashore. Surf fishing is a whole new ballgame, requiring some new gear like sand spikes, longer rods, and different rigs. The Whiting bite was on, including my personal best 15" Whiting.
Personal Best Longnose Gar 20 LB 8 OZ!
Biggest Catfish at CS Lee Park! 9 LB 6 OZ
Personal Best 15" Whiting at CNS #3
September was another busy month, mostly on the surf. This is the month when my son Cody and I caught our first Redfish! Kyle also caught his first Redfish. All of them were on the surf at CNS too. In between surf fishing, I visited CS Lee Park and had some luck there too with a couple nice 3-4 LB catfish. And then finially, a catch that will last a lifetime... One night at the North Causeway in NSB, I caught the biggest fish of my life, a big bull redfish that was 36 LB and about 48" long! Kyle was with me that night so I have a witness LOL. With his help, we were able to get it out of the water and take measurements. We were sweating with excitement and pumped with adrenaline the whole evening. It was definitly the highlight of my year!
Cody and I catch our first Redfish!
Kyle's first Redfish too!
36 LB/48" Personal Best Redfish!
October was the month when the St Johns river saw major changes. Heavy rains caused severe flooding that completely submerged boating docks. I did some saltwater fishing in New Smyrna and caught quite a few Sail Catfish, one being my personal best at 4 LB 8 OZ. Those sail cats really put up a good fight too! The fishing at CS Lee Park was good too, with mostly 2-3 LB catfish biting. The river flooding actually made it a little easier to fish at CS Lee since the water was even closer to the parking lot. I just set some rods and leaned against my car waiting for a bite. :)
Personal best saltwater Gafftopsail Catfish 4 LB 8 OZ!
I didn't fish very much in November and December, but I did manage to squeeze in a few trips to CS Lee Park. I caught a couple 2 LB catfish and a bigger 5 LB 8 OZ catfish came about mid November before our Thanksgiving family cruise. As December came, the water levels on the St Johns river went down rather quickly and as of now it's pretty much back to normal.
Well there you have it, 2011 came with alot of personal bests and alot of first time species for me. I know alot of my records will probably stick for awhile, but as long as I keep putting time on the water, there's always the possibility of hooking the next Big Catch. Thanks for reading!
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