1st GOLIATH GROUPER! Flat Bridge Sunday Night

Drove solo out to Port Orange to hitup the bridge again. After hanging out with my friend for most of the evening, I arrived late to the bridge around midnight. I started on the north side this time using my "river killer" combo. Near the middle of the bridge I almost caught a nice flounder but lost it at the surface. I dropped the bait near the same spot I lost it and it went after it again, but didn't commit. After a couple tries the flounder must have lost interest or got spooked away, I couldn't get another hit after that. So I crossed the bridge to the south side, working my way near Aunt Catfish's and the rocks. I couldn't buy a hit next to the bridge so I casually casted out several feet near the rocks. Before I could start reeling I get a nice hit and it's running towards rocks for cover. I get it out of the danger zone and lift it up. I was surprised to see my first Goliath Grouper! It was only about 12" long but very cool to see. These groupers can get huge, up to 800 pounds. Florida record is 680 pounds. All Goliath Groupers are protected and must be released.

Saturday Night Flattie Bridge Report 9/7

Took my friend Kyle to the flat bridge Saturday night for some fishing. We started on the south side of the bridge and worked our way down with very few bites. Near the middle of the bridge I finially got a tap and after a few seconds I pulled up an undersized flounder that got a release. Continued to fish the south side with no more hits, so we crossed over to the north side where we had the rare opportunity to fish the "snook hole". It's the spot on the north side all the way to the left near the rocks. This spot is usually taken by other fishermen everytime I visit the flat bridge.

I started with a silver/red head gotcha plug and hooked a ladyfish that took my line for a ride. After a huge leap out of the water the hook popped off. That was it on the ladyfish action. Couldn't get another one to bite my hook.

Switched back over to the "river killer" combo, which is simply a white twister tail on a red jighead. This is the same setup I caught the undersized flounder I mentioned above. So I dropped it straight down and started working it slowly, then felt the tap tap tap. Pulled up a nice 14" flounder that went into the bucket. I dropped my jig down at the same spot and felt another tap tap tap...it was another flounder! Though this one came off as soon as it surfaced the water. That was it for the night!

A Day Fishing with Cody - NSB Redfish

My son Cody had the day off school Thursday for a jewish holiday and I was off work by 1pm. We had all day to mess around so I took him to New Smyrna for some fishing. We each only brought a jigging pole so we were working artificials. First stop we arrived at a boat dock across the street from the popular bar in New Smyrna. Tide was very low. We walked out from the parking lot and noticed a bunch of fiddler crabs scattering about along the shoreline so we walked over there. Cody got a kick out of hunting the fiddler crabs and trying to catch them. When he finds one he traps it with a small cup and then yells for me to retrieve his catch LOL. We did this for awhile and actually caught some nice sized fiddlers. I put the ones we caught in a bucket so Cody could watch them. After we were done with the crabs we walked over to the wood dock and started throwing the jigs. I didn't have any luck but on one of Cody's casts I was watching the jig in the water. Cody wasn't paying attention, but as he's reeling in I see a small flounder chasing his bait for a second. Cody had already reeled up, not knowing there was a fish chasing his lure. He almost got one. That was it for that spot, so we moved to the South Causeway.

There we fished by the shallow area near the parking lot. Throwing a white gulp swimming mullet I casted as far as I could with a 1/4 jighead. As soon as it hit water I felt a bite and it was fish on. Nothing spectacular but it was a cute little redfish about 12" long. Gave it a safe release after a quick photo. While we were there Cody noticed a lure stuck in the water near the seawall. I grabbed a trebble hook and started playing around trying to snag it. It lifted up easily, it wasn't even stuck to anything. I was surprised how easy it came up. Inspected it and decided to keep it, it's a chartruese silver Catch Jr Mirrolure. The hooks are rusted out but those can be replaced. Free lure, can't beat that!

We hit the flat bridge after this and noticed the wind had picked up on that side of town. We didn't spend too much time here but I did jig the bottom for a little bit with a white twister tail. Felt the flounder tap and hooked a nice flounder, but my knot failed when I tried to lift it out of the water. oops! That was it for us, we had a good day and it was time to start heading back.

Flat Bridge Report 8/29

Hit the flat bridge last night from 10pm to midnight. Still trying to find the ladyfish pretty much all week but haven't had any luck. I know they are still hanging around the area but they are shy on the bite. The ladyfish are used primarily for sharking, it's my #1 bait for sharks in fact. I think every shark I've caught, besides bonnetheads, has been on cut ladyfish. Alot of times I go to the flat bridge to specifically target ladyfish for the bait freezer. I'm probably the only person there that wants to catch a ladyfish LOL.

Intel from locals that fish the flat bridge often are catching a few small ladyfish, trout, flounder, and now some small snook have made an abundant appearance recently. My online friend "fishnfool" fishes the flat bridge just about every morning at 4am to sunrise. He says most days the bite only lasts about 20 minutes and then shuts down. He has been catching some ladyfish too, so I know they are in the area.

So last night I returned with the same agenda but unfortunately yet again I couldn't get the ladyfish to bite. I tried several spots around the bridge lights and only came up with an undersized flounder that got a release. It was caught on the DOA mullet paddletail. During the last couple weeks the needlefish have found a new home around the bridge lights too. Those annoying fish can easily snip the tails off my plastic bait, rendering them useless. Hopefully the needlefish depart soon so I'm not spending so much money on soft plastic baits!

Saturday Night Sharkin' - Bethune Beach

Another night trip to Bethune Beach with Zack. We arrived before midnight and setup two rods, both baited with cut crevalle jack. The action was very slow most of the evening, in fact, only a few small bites but nothing was hooking. I didn't catch anything but my friend Zack caught another 3' Atlantic Sharpnose shark at the end of the night. The fight was disappointing though, it really didn't fight at all. It pretty much came in without any aggresive runs. The shark swallowed the hook and was already bleeding out when it came on the beach. So I began the process of cutting and gutting the shark for the cooler. We had to packup to ice down the shark so we ended up leaving a little earlier than planned. Here's Zacks shark on the beach...

Wednesday Night Shark! 37" Atlantic Sharpnose

Took my two friends Kyle and Zack to the Bethune Beach last night and had a blast again! Armed with ladyfish, each of us had a chance at a toothy shark tonight. The first hit came on Kyle's rod but it didn't stick to the hook. It quickly came off after a brief battle. Next turn was Zack. He had just casted and was about to put his pants back on...wait wait...let me explain this. We typically wear long pants and shoes on the beach at night because of the no-see-ums and mesquitos. They can be really annoying and uncomfortable during the summer. So everytime we cast our lines out, we take off our pants leaving our boardshorts on so we can get wet. Once the rod is set in the sand spike, we dry our legs off to put the long pants back on. You have to keep exposed skin to a minimum during the summer nights in Florida. =)

So back to the story, as I was saying it was Zacks turn. He had just casted his line out and dried off. As he was putting his pants on, his rod gets a bend. This is the crucial moment where you have to rush to the rod. Needless to say, Zack was a little delayed in getting to the rod with his pants around his ankles haha. The bite didn't stick unfortunately and the fish was gone.
And finially, it was my turn. My rod gets a good lick and I immediately feel the battle. During retrieve it tangles lines with another rod, but I still successfully got it in. It was a 37" Atlantic Sharpnose shark! And to top it off, Zack and Kyle untangled the lines without cutting anything off. It took them a good 10-15 minutes, but they got it figured out.

Personal Best Bonnethead Shark!!

My son and I were invited to spend the day with my neighbor, Dave, and his kids at the beach. It was Daves' birthday and he wanted to take the kids to the beach and fish. The plan was for the dads to leave early morning and then the wife would bring the kids later in the morning. So Dave and I left about 7:30am and arrived at his sisters condo near Bethune Beach. A great place with a nice double decker patio. The top deck has a nice view of the beach!
My buddy Zack met us at the condo later on and after hanging out for awhile we decided it was time to get the lines wet. Unloaded everything and setup on the water. For bait I brought frozen shrimp, frozen ladyfish and bluefish. Most of us used the shrimp and had little success. I think Dave and Zack eventually tried cutbait but no hits. The fishing was really slow to say the least.
The kids arrived later in the morning and were ready to splash around. We let them play close to shore in the water as we continued to fish. I finially got a good run on a piece of shrimp. It was a good fighter and I had to manuever it up and under some lines still in the water. I'm not one to brag but I dominated this fight! LOL

Got it up on the beach and saw it was a big bonnethead shark, my personal best by far. I'd say about 3' long, unfortunately I didn't measure it. I was more worried about getting it back in the water quickly so it would survive a release. I took the hook out, posed for a few photos, showed it to the kids and they watched as I put it back in the water.

SHARK WEEK! Surf Fishing Report

Well it's been a busy month for me. I was out of town from July 12-22 on a family vacation to Indiana. When I came back I had to get back on the water. And that I did. This week I went night shark fishing twice at Bethune Beach. The surf is the calmest I've seen in a long time on the Atlantic side. Swells are 1 ft or less, and the current is not strong. I'm able to hold with a 3 oz pyramid. The first night, it was just me and Zack, and I hooked into a big one. It took me awhile to get it close, and it got stuck on a far sandbar during the fight. Finially got it close enough to see and could definitly tell it was the biggest shark I've caught from the beach. Probably about 4-5 feet long all together, we didn't know how to land this shark without getting hurt or breaking the line. I think we were more concerned about breaking the line and losing the shark. I played with it along the shoreline as we tried to persuade one another to get in the water and grab it's tail LOL. Hey you can't blame us for being nervous about grabbing a shark by it's tail. Plus it wasn't exactly beached either, the water was shallow but deep enough for it to swim if it really wanted to. I finially worked it up close, and Zack grabbed the tail and tried to pull it back fast. The shark tried to whip it's head side to side so Zack let go, and just at that moment a wave came up on the beach. Just enough to pull the shark back in the water LOL. During this event the hook came off and we watched the shark swim away towards deeper water. It was gone. No pictures and no measurements, but a hell of a catch for me. The score is 0-1 on sharks this week so far.

A few nights later I took my friends Zack and Kyle with me to the same spot at night. We had a late start this time, probably got setup with lines in the water near midnight. Zack got the first hit but only lasted about 2 seconds. The baitrunner drag was pulling fast on the initial hit, then snap the 40lb mainline broke. Seemed odd at the time but now that I think about it, I believe it was a big shark that just happened to tail slap the line as it was briefly running off with the hook.
Score 0-2
The next hit was for my friend Kyle on the 10' pole. He fought the fish and it seemed good size from what I saw. I'm not sure what happened but the line broke on this one too. The whole rig gone again.
Score 0-3
A little bit later it's my turn, I get the hit on my 12' pole. I'm reeling in a good fighter and get it up to the shore without much difficultly. I see it's a shark and about 3' long. It's still in the water and I thought Kyle was going to grab it. But the shark freaks out and spits the hook, then shark goes bye bye. haha Oh well, I still had alot of fun and it was a very active night. But the score is now 0-4.

It was after these two nights that I realized I need to upgrade my shark gear, mostly just the mainline on my reels. I'm currently fishing with 40 lb braided line with 100 lb wire leaders. The wire leaders aren't breaking, it's just the 40 lb braided line. So within the next few weeks I'm planning on respooling my bigger reels to 100 lb powerpro braid. I'm also looking at adding a new reel, the one I'm interested in is the Fin Nor Offshore series 8500. With this reel, I could spool it with 500 yds of 100 lb braid. Wow! Plus it has max 60 lb drag pressure, which is almost 3x what my other reels are capable of.

Slow Morning @ CNS LOT 4

Invited my buddy Zack and neighbor Dave to join me Saturday morning at CNS. Woke up early before 5am and called up Dave to see if he was about ready. On the way I scooped up Zack and headed to the coast. Quick pitstop to the baitshop to load up on shrimp and ice. We finially parked at Lot 4 around 6:45am and hauled our gear to the beach. It's not so bad with my foldable beach cart that has balloon tires. It really floats on sand while hauling my cooler and tackle bag.
Upon arrival it was almost low tide and the waves were not big at all. We started with 4 rods with a mix of frozen sand flea and fresh dead shrimp. We quickly noticed the current was very strong which made it hard to fan out. The only weight that held were my 4oz spider weights, but I really don't like them. They hold good, but they make retrieval very difficult. Several times I picked up my rod after a bite and I felt the weight literally STUCK in the sand. I had to hold the drag and pull the weight out of the sand before reeling in. I kept switching back from pyramid to spider weights and back to pyramid, trying to find something that would work for us. I thought the current would slow down as the tide slacked, but I don't that even happened. Seemed like the current kept rolling the whole time. I think we only caught a couple croakers and catfish the whole day. It was pretty bad.
Towards the end of the trip after 9am, Zacks rod goes bizerk. The fight would continue to take line, just a constant drag singing. The drag was tightened down to try to turn the fish back towards us, because it was headed straight towards where several other surf fishermen were posted up. The fish was still really far out and I'm still not sure what the hell it was. But after several minutes, the rig popped. My pompano rigs are only 25lb test and the whole rig was gone. All that was left was the top barrel swivel of the rig. One of those fish you can't stop I guess. I don't think we would've had enough drag on my reel to pull it in anyway. Could've been a big stingray pulling away, but we like to presume otherwise. LOL
My friends said they had fun, even with the slow fishing day. I had fun too but definitly disappointed in the fishing. It could've been worse I guess, we could've got skunked completely. With no fish in the cooler after a long morning, we packed up and left after 10am.

CNS #4 - 3 Pompano, Small Sharks and a BENT HOOK!

Monday morning I woke up and headed out to the usual spot at CNS. First stopped by End of the Line baitshop for the shrimp and ice. Arrived at Lot 4 around 6:00am and found nobody else in the parking lot. In fact, I was the only one fishing lot 4 for a good 4 hours! So I setup my two rods and immediately noticed a strong North current which made my day that much longer. I basically fished my longest 12' pole for most of the time until the tide had moved all the way up. At least the 12' was holding better than the 10'. Once the current slowed, I was able to hold with 4oz pyramid weights on both rods.
The morning started off slow because of the current troubles, I managed a small whiting and some catfish. Then I got my first pompano at 11" to the fork using a piece of shrimp.
I brought my sand flea rake and found 6 usable sand fleas the entire time. I caught another 11" pompano on shrimp and then baited with sand fleas, next cast got another 11" pompano. I had to find a couple more sand fleas so I used shrimp in the meantime, thats when I caught some baby sharks and other small fish. I caught 2 baby sharpnose and a croaker. Found a couple more sand fleas and caught another small bonnethead. Finished the morning with shrimp and had a massive run. I picked up my rod and the drag was rolling off really fast. It made a few stops and I thought I was gaining ground but it continued to take line at will. So I tightened the drag a little and this mistake cost me the fish. I noticed the fish pop off shortly after the drag adjustment, and I reeled in a BENT HOOK! My first bent hook actually, this has never happened to me before. The hook was an Owners Light Mutu #2. I'm not sure if I would've landed it anyway since I had small light hooks with 25lb test leader line. Ended the day at about 10:00am after catching a small bonnethead on shrimp.

Another good day on the water considering the variety of fish and numbers. I caught about 15 fish and only took home the 3 pompano which are now one of my favorite surf fish to eat.
3 Pompano (all 11" to the fork)
3 small Whiting
2 small Bonnethead sharks
2 small Sharpnose sharks
4 Catfish
Croaker