Flat Bridge Monday - Lady's Night

It was lady's night at the flat bridge Monday evening. Kyle and I fished for a couple hours at night. Alot of busting going on in the water, I thought it was trout so I told Kyle we need to try a freeline first with some live baby mullet. Turns out it wasn't trout, it was just a bunch of ladyfish splashing around. Nothing caught on the big rods, but I did bring my jigging rod this time. Gave it a go with Gulp Swimming Mullet (white) and kept getting alot of bites on retrieve. However something kept chewing the tails off my softbait so I pulled out this bad boy from my tackle box:

Bomber Badonk-A-Donk Saltwater Grade Bait (Silver Flash / Blue Back)



This is a floating topwater lure that rattles like a panicked baitfish. With this lure I landed 2 ladyfish and lost several more during battle. Don't ask me how you shake off a treble hook stuck in your lip, but ladyfish can do it. By the end of the night I took home two ladies with me and put them in the freezer. LOL

Midday at Flat Bridge - 10 LB JACKS!

Another day off work so I dropped my son off at school and headed to the Flat Bridge with hopes of flounder on the menu. Arrived there around 10:00AM and noticed it was incoming high tide with a turnaround coming soon. Last night I rounded up some live baby mullet and kept them on air. I collected about a dozen finger mullet and thats all I needed. I got them from the North Causeway in NSB where I fished with Kyle last night, but we didn't catch anything. The mullet were not that thick either.

Anyway back to the Flat Bridge report... So shortly after getting my first line wet, I had a small nibble with a live baby mullet on the bottom, but the action quickly disappeared. Also my attempt at jigging gulp shrimp today was a failure due to the strong wind and current. I just couldn't hold bottom where I wanted it to. So I cut the jighead off and freelining a live baby mullet for about an hour. Not one bite on the freeline either. I just put that rod aside and grabbed my 10 footer out of the car. LOL Yeah baby! Now I'm rocking two rods with live baby mullet fished on the bottom with a 1 oz pyramid sinker. I'm using 30lb fluorocarbon leader line and a 1/0 Owners Light Mutu circle hook.

Around 11:00am I noticed a few schools of bait running frantically and it looked like something busting them. But the topwater explosions weren't that big, probably just some small jacks I figured. Sure enough a few minutes later they returned and I had my line in the water at the right place at the right time....zoooooooooom. The baitfeeder sang to me for awhile but this fish was small enough to reel in quickly. It was just a little Crevalle Jack, under 12" long but it sure had an appetite as it swallowed a decent sized mullet.

Next cast I had a strong runner that wasn't stopping. It definitly felt like a much bigger Crevalle Jack. The damn thing took my line straight towards the other fishermans lines to my left, I'm thinking to myself "oh great this fish is gonna get me in trouble". Fortunately for the fish it jetted under the bridge and broke me off. It had me in a bad position anyway. Even though I lost that one, it only broke my leader line so I still had my weight attached. Besides now I'm pumped and ready for more.

With a live mullet in the water, I'm tying a new rig on my pole that just broke off. I didn't even get a chance to finish and the baitfeeder goes off. Another big jack! This one went out then raced back towards me. This one I got to fight a little longer than the first one, and I actually got to see it for a glance. But knowing the crevalle's they don't give up that easy. Another dash and it went under the dang bridge again. I held on as much as I could but it just wouldn't turn around. The line rubbed against something sharp and eventually broke the main line. My whole rig including weight was gone. By now the bait were busting all over the place with bigger explosions on the water. In fact you could actually see a few jacks in the water racing each other to the next victim. However, now I had two broken rigs and no lines in the water either.

I raced to tie knots and get both lines in the water again. Then waited, not long though. Heard the bait busting coming from my left, split second later the big 10 foot rod in front of me gets a big hit. Quickly grabbed it and felt the power of another big jack on the end. Seconds into my fight, I hear my other rod going off with what sounds like another big jack. The jacks are still busting fish out in the water too! Not much I can do but handle the 10' rod I grabbed first. It's taking me to the right so thats where I start walking. As I'm walking, I pass my other rod that is still singing but I can't do nothing about it. hahaha. So I get this badass jack tired out eventually and there's absolutely no way I'm bringing it over the bridge rails. It was way too heavy. A guy comes along and notices my other rod. I ask him to go ahead and see if he can reel it in because I'm busy at the moment. He was cool. He grabs the rod and fights it for a short while but the main line breaks. Oh well, by now I'm getting my big jack up the rocks and successfully on the land. Whew!! My personal best Crevalle Jack! 10 LB 6 Oz and 24 inches long to the tail fork.





This trip cost me though, the same Okuma Avenger 65 that was repaired is having the same problem again. Basically the baitfeeder is a secondary drag on these reels which allows you to disengage the spool and main drag. They are ideal for live or cutbait fishing, especially when your working 2-3 rods at once. When a fish picks up the bait and runs, your suppose to hear a clicking sound. Problem now is I don't hear the clicking sound anymore. It still works fine, just without the sound to alert the bite. I've had this reel for 2 years now and it's been through alot. It's been dunked in saltwater at the beach, in the shop for a cleaning after that, then shipped to a warranty service shop to fix the absent "clicking" sound. They fixed it, but at some point during my trip today the clicking has failed again. I think alot of it is just abuse and wear on the reel itself. I have another Avenger 65 that was purchased a year ago, exact same model and it works fine with no issues.

Flat Bridge Late Friday Night

A late trip to the Port Orange bridge turned out to be a fun trip. It was Friday night with a slight chill in the air. First signs of fall/winter, though it will still be awhile. When I think of cool weather, the fall mullet run comes to mind. Thats the time to bring your castnets because schools of mullet are usually everywhere, especially at night around pier lights. Tonight I didn't bring my castnet, instead I decided to go with a frozen ladyfish fillet that we would use for cutbait. Zack came along with me tonight bringing his two rods. So we arrived around midnight and Zack's first cast soaked in the water for no more than 30 seconds when he got a runner. It put up a good fight for sure. Got it out of the water and get this....He just caught a 22" Redfish right off the bat! I was like whoa, what just happened. LOL This red was very beautiful, one side had 3 black spots and the other had 4 spots. It was within legal slot so I kept it in the cooler. When we were done with the redfish, Zack started catching catfish one after another. Then I got in on the action with a catfish too. All together I caught a catfish and a couple whiting on cut ladyfish chunks.

1st Hammerhead! Flat Bridge Thursday Night

Fished the flat bridge Thursday night for a couple hours by myself. The tide was incoming and almost slack tide. I brought some frozen ladyfish for chunking and frozen lightly salted shrimp. The salt definitly helps to keep the shrimp firm so they stay on the hook better. The fish didn't seem to care either.

Casted one rod with a chunk of ladyfish and noticed immediate taps. The taps were like something small had found a chunk that was too big for it's mouth. I waited for something to actually take the bait and bend the rod. It finially looked like something bigger was interested in the bait and possibly already hooked himself, so I grabbed the rod and fish on! I felt the power of a strong fish, this definitly wasn't a catfish. As I'm reeling, it made a couple 2-3 second bursts that took some line out. And after a brief fight, I had caught my first Hammerhead Shark! This one was 28" long too, which makes it the longest shark species I've caught so far. I've caught a few of those Bonnetheads, but it was cool to actually say I caught a hammerhead. All Hammerhead sharks are protected in Florida state waters, effective January 1st, 2012, so possession and harvest is prohibited. With that said it was safely released back in the water, I did take a quick picture though.

Port Canaveral Offshore 7/29/12

My friend Shaun at work invited me on his family boat for an offshore fishing trip this weekend. All together is was Shaun, his sister Tiffany and husband Todd, Shauns dad who owns the boat, and then their friend who is a fishing guide that knows the waters pretty well. Including myself there were six people on the boat. The guide brought all the tackle we needed. Plus we were just trolling, so I didn't have to bring my fishing pole.

We launched at Port Canaveral around 7:30AM and man was the ride out bumpy. I bruised my back, bottom and elbow pretty good trying to brace myself against the impact as we cruised about 35mph for 30 minutes. Our first fishing spot was an artificial reef about 25-30 miles out. The guide setup the trolling lines, each with a mahi rig tipped with frozen ballyho. As soon as we started trolling a line was hit and fish on! Todd grabbed the rod and reeled in the first fish of the day, a big Barracuda.



No more hits for a couple hours, we probably circled that reef at least a dozen times. It was time to switch location, so we reeled in all the rods and headed to deeper water. We stopped about 38-40 miles out as we hit the gulfstream. Let me tell you the water out there is so blue and pretty that you just want to jump right in. Our guide friend put the rods back out in the water and we began trolling again. The only fish caught out there was a Bonito Tuna that Shauns' dad reeled in and released after a quick photo. If it was me, I probably would've kept it for sharks. Bonito is actually at the top of the list for shark bait. It's a really red and bloody meat that sharks can't resist.



Again, several hours and no more hits. The topwater action was really slow today so we slow trolled back towards inland. We returned to the reef where we started and circled several times. Another Barracuda hit a line and this time it was Tiffany's turn to reel it in. This would turn out to be the last fish in the boat for the day.



A closeup of the Barracuda teeth...


Back to trolling the reef and another hit. Guess what it was my turn! This fish was was taking line at will though, tightened the drag as much as we safely could but nothing was stopping it. Finially it stopped and it was time to reel. Unfortunately the reel I was using was very difficult to handle. The reel kept getting stuck as I'm trying to spin the handle. Because of this, there was too much slack in the line and the fish came off. I was disappointed to say the least. Not a good feeling knowing you just lost a big fish. But thats fishing, sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't.

We headed back to the dock around 5:00pm with no fish in the cooler but I still had fun. The fishing was just slow that day, nothing you can do about that. It was my first time offshore and I got to see a few fish I don't normally see. Also I learned alot from the guide just being able to watch how he hooks the ballyho onto those mahi rigs. Hopefully someday I'll get to try it again!

Flat Bridge Friday Night - 1st Black Drum!

Started fishing around 5:30pm and stayed until almost 10:00pm today at the Flat Bridge. I stopped by Donald's Bait and got their 3 dz shrimp. This batch had alot of jumbo sized shrimp which is a plus. I setup in my usual spot and immediately started getting bites but most of the action was coming from those pesky pinfish. They are really thick in the water there, and they will steal your bait very quickly. Live shrimp don't stand a chance no matter how you hook them. Because of this I really didn't catch anything other then a few pinfish for awhile.

I was getting some really strong hits right as I was running out of bait. I was using the jumbo sized shrimp but the hook just wasn't setting. It's probably the 3/0 circle hook so perhaps I need to try a bigger 5/0 on the jumbo shrimp. Finially around 7:30 I used all of the 3 dz shrimp. Back to the bait shop across the street and bought another 3 dz shrimp. Not as many jumbo shrimp in this mix but it did look like alot of medium shrimp which is good.

When I returned the big bites were gone for the time being. A father and son fishing down from me caught a nice 17" (fork length) Bluefish using cut pinfish. He asked if I wanted it, I said sure. I'm going to cut and freeze it for cutbait. Right now I have plenty of ladyfish in the freezer but I want to add some bluefish and jack. Then I'll be ready for shark fishing LOL.



Anyway back to my report. Eventually I caught a nice 13" whiting, Southern Kingfish. Figured there would be more whiting since they usually travel in schools but didn't see anymore. Several more casts later I hook into a nice Black Drum straight down under the bridge. I was using the 2 hook pompano rig which I think has size 2 circle hooks. This is my first Black Drum I've ever caught so I had to check FWC regulations on size limits. (I keep a reference card in my tackle bag). Black Drum have to be at least 14" and no more than 24" total length, maximum 5 per day. You may possess one over 24". With my catch at 14.5", it qualifies as legal slot so in the cooler.





Overall I'm very happy with the drum and whiting, and I finially get to take home something that's edible for once. I also get to add some bluefish to my cutbait stock.

Flat Bridge Tuesday Evening

Got the urge to fish the flat bridge yesterday evening. Bought 4 dozen shrimp at 38 Live Bait, but I'll be honest, I didn't get 4 dozen shrimp in my bucket. Looked like I was short at least a dozen or more. I even asked the girl working there, who I've never seen there before, but she insisted it was 4 dozen. I didn't want to sit there and challenge her on it, I'd rather go fishing. So I left there knowing I was screwed on that deal. Plus I know another bait shop next door to the flat bridge if I needed anything else. The only reason I went to 38 Live is because it's cheaper.

Nobody at the flat bridge when I got there. I started fishing about 6:00PM and first cast caught a couple fish. Immediately I had a sea robin and a catfish.





Not long after that I hooked into a small Crevalle Jack but it popped off as I tried to lift it up the bridge. Then I got a small Spotted Seatrout but it was too short to keep. Seatrout have to be at least 15" long and this one was less than 12".



Things died off for awhile, well the catching did anyway. And as expected I was running out of bait because 38 Live Bait shorted me. It was still before 8:00PM when I packed up my things and drove to Donald's Bait across the street before they closed. I got 3 more dozen shrimp and this time, I got my moneys worth if not more. Returned to the same fishing spot and finially caught two Lady Fish that went into the cooler for cutbait. Witnessed a couple good hits on my rod towards the end of my visit when it was getting dark. My baitfeeder was singing a steady song on one hit but as I grasped the reel the fish was gone. Another good hit was a stop and run, stop and run, stop and run sound. Again as soon as I picked up the rod it was gone. Both sounded pretty strong whatever they were. I ended up leaving near 10:00PM.

Flat Bridge Sunday Evening

Sunday evening I fished the flat bridge with Zack for a few hours from 6-9pm. We picked up 3 dozen live shrimp and caught some undersized fish. Fishing with shrimp is definitly busy work with all the pinfish, spots, croakers stealing the bait off our hooks. If you leave your line in the water for more than a few minutes and don't notice any taps, then it's likely your bait is gone.

A guy fishing down from us caught a couple small blacktip sharks during our time there. It's amazing how many sharks I've seen come up from this bridge from bonnetheads, hammerheads and blacktips.

Sorry no pictures on this trip. The fish weren't that big anyway so everything was thrown back to grow.

Small Crevalle Jack
Small Bluefish
Small Catfish
Lady Fish

Flat Bridge Friday Afternoon - Bonnethead Slam!

When I got off work around 1:30pm today, I decided to try fishing the flat bridge during sun-down hours/early evening. I got on my computer real quick to check the weather forecast, tide chart, and to find a baitshop closer to the flat bridge in Port Orange. The only other baitshop I knew of was 38 Live Bait in New Smyrna. It didn't take long to find one in Port Orange, and it was surprisingly close to the flat bridge. It's called Donald's Bait & Tackle on Dunlawton Avenue. Their live shrimp come in mixed sizes, about a dozen for $3.50. A little expensive but what can ya do. I think the medium shrimp at 38 Live Bait are only $2.50 a dozen.

So I get there around 5PM and setup my two rods. One rig was a 2-hook pompano rig and another was just a single 3/0 hook. After about 20 minutes I catch my first 22" Bonnethead Shark just underneath the bridge. I got a few pinfish during the next 90 minutes or so. It wasn't until after 7PM when I started reeling in the fish, I mean sharks. In about an hour I caught 3 more bonnethead sharks. All were out as far as I could cast with my 7ft rod and a 1 oz weight. A guy fishing down the bridge from me caught a nice 2-3 ft Hammerhead Shark during this timeframe too. All together I got four bonnetheads on live shrimp today.

22" Bonnethead Shark
22" Bonnethead Shark
21" Bonnethead Shark
20" Bonnethead Shark

Port Orange Flat Bridge - Monday Night

Me and two friends Zack and Kyle headed out to do some saltwater fishing Monday night. We arrived at the baitshop 5 minutes before they closed at 9pm. Hey everyone does it! Anyway we got our 3 dozen shrimp and drove 1/4 mile down the road to the North Causeway. Man this place was packed with people. Several cars in the parking lot as well. So immediately we decided this place was a no go. It was then I decided to take the 15-20 minute drive to Port Orange. I've been hearing good reports coming from a flat bridge and tonight would be my first time fishing there. Parked next to the bridge and not surprised to see most of our shrimp have died by now LOL. Oh well fresh dead shrimp works too. We fished with my two hook pompano surf rigs. I just hooked a whole shrimp on each hook and dropped the rig straight down.

Kyle drew first blood tonight when he caught a small sailfin catfish. Then Kyle caught a nice 1.5 to 2 foot Bonnethead Shark. Very cool! Then Kyle hooked into a beast that took him for a ride. The fight looked intense, I could see Kyle struggling to control the fish. It was darting left and right rapidly and also making 3 leaps out of the water. It was really awesome! It all happened so fast I couldn't tell what it was until he got it underneath us. As we're looking down we definitly could see it's a manta ray of some sort. The description and behavior all leads me to think it's a Devil Ray. We didn't raise this one up on the bridge, instead it shook off the hook and got away safely. After that Zack caught a nice size Lady Fish. And then finially I caught something, but it was a smaller lady fish. That was it for the night, we probably fished for another hour without seeing another fish. Great night for the guys and it was cool to see a variety of fish for once.