Fishing can be a fickle and mysterious mistress at times and this past week was a good illustration of that axiom. Our scheduled charters were later in the week which provided us with the opportunity for some extra prep and down time on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was set aside for prefishing and when we caught redfish, trout and snook (inshore slam) within the first fifteen minutes of offering bait our hearts soared with expectations for wildly successful trips with client over the next several days.

So confident success would be easy on the Friday and Saturday charters, we decided to spend Thursday chasing tripletail in the buoy line outside of Port Canaveral (45 miles east of Orlando). This turned out to be a blast with 15 trips, 3 snapper, 2 flounder and 1 ladyfish boated by early afternoon. It could have been even better but we were happy with the ‘near-shore slam’ and cut the venture short. It was a good start to the week and we were sure the next two days would follow the script and be easy and fun.

Brimming with optimism, the father and son combination of Gary and Scott Martin joined us Friday on the Banana River with visions of redfish, trout and snook dancing through their dreams. We started the day by fishing the mangrove shorelines of the 1,000 Island area of Cocoa Beach (45 miles east of Orlando)for early morning snook. There had been plenty on Wednesday but Friday proved frustratingly futile. Okay, no problem, we’ll shift to one of the adjacent spoil islands to renew our recently developed friendship with the resident redfish and trout. Once again, where fish had been abundant and eager only two days prior, the choice spot had mysteriously turned difficult.

Adjusting again, we headed to the Pineda Flats where a large population of pelagic fish roams. The conditions were slick calm which is ideal for spotting manatees and taking pictures. However, we have found that the predatory fish prefer some wind and surface disturbance to conceal their whereabouts and stir the tiny crustations and juvenile fish which inhabit the grass flats and provide them dinner. It was time to change tactics and venues again.

The next spot was a sandy depression along the edge of the long grass flats. As we arrived, we were greeted by the afternoon sea breezes and several schools of redfish. After fighting, catching and photographing three bronzed brutes, we stealthfully poled through the trough in order ascertain the width and breath of our query. It turned out that there were hundreds of fish grouped in that particular depression, more than enough to keep us entertained with steady action all afternoon. Most fish appeared to be more intent on enjoying their siesta than joining us for our intended fiesta. These fish can be so fickle at times! All in all though, we had a ball and it was a successful day of fishing.

On Saturday another father and son duo joined us for a half day charter on the Banana River – Greg and Gregory Howard from the Charleston, South Carolina area. We decided to completely change the script by fishing shallow water in the early morning and deeper water in the late morning and early afternoon. Ironically, even though the locations and tactics changed, the results remained nearly identical with three fiesty redfish, one large trout and a grand time enjoyed by all. Pictured below are Greg Sr. and Greg Jr. holding redfish they caught on the trip.

(More pictures of the Howards and their catch can be found on pg. 21 of the Gallery)

One of the great things about living in Florida is the variety of options available to us in our inalienable right to pursue happiness (Fourth of July themes still streaming through my consciousness). This past week we guided charters from Titusville in the north (35 miles east of Orlando)to Ft. Pierce in the south (75 miles southeast of Orlando) and the Indian River in the west to offshore in the Atlantic in the east. And we caught redfish, snook, tarpon, trout, black drum, black tipped-sharks, bull sharks, kingfish, ladyfish, alligator, alligator gar and even an extremely rare bonefish.

One group that tasted a variety of catches was the Musik Family from South Carolina who charter two boats in pursuit of tarpon. We started just after dawn and fished the creeks in the Melbourne area (55 miles southeast of Orlando)boxing a large school of tarpon between us. Even though we had a number of takes, only two fish got the stick. One fish was huge and parted with our company after several jumps. The other was small but did grace us with a photograph session. Also caught for an unusual slam was redfish, bull shark, ladyfish and a geographically challenged gar.

On Thursday, Dr. Rick Baney of Melbourne and Brian his brother chartered Capt. Roland for an offshore trip, which would be better described as near-shore. Leaving out of Sebastian Inlet (60 miles southeast of Orlando), they fished within two miles of shore and caught their own version of a slam consisting of black-tipped shark, kingfish and redfish. Pictured below is Rick and with his beautiful twelve spot redfish.

Another brother combination chartered Capt. Roland on the following day. Mark and Jeff George, along with Jeff’s son Greg, caught a number of fish total including five snook and five trout including the one pictured below. Despite having to dodge the rain showers, the trio from Sarasota had a terrific time wading along the spoil islands of the Intercoastal Waterway and enjoying the unspoiled, natural beauty of Ft. Pierce (75 miles southeast of Orlando).

Finally, on Saturday, Capt. Rocky took a party to pursue redfish in the shallow, clear flats of the Indian River Lagoon near Titusville (35 miles east of Orlando). The exact fish count was lost early but 25 reds would be a safe and conservation estimate. While the first red was the smallest of the day, measuring about 22 inches, there were monsters that followed. By the way, among the monsters there were three, drag screaming, rod bending, arm aching fish that exceeded 40 inches. Also caught on the trip were sea trout and ladyfish to complete the third slam of the week. Another successful pursuit of happiness, wouldn’t you agree?

A common concern this time of year is the effects of our Florida sun and heat. It is a legitimate concern, after all, this is the Sunshine State and our temperatures can push the low to mid-nineties on occasions. However, it is not near as uncomfortable as one may think. You see, coastal communities are blessed with natural, super-sized chillers which in our case is called the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic keeps our temperatures a good five degrees cooler than inland communities (such as Orlando) while providing us with moderating sea breezes in the afternoon. Beyond our geographical blessing of being a coastal community are several counter-measures we can employ as well.

One wise antidote to the effects of summer heat is simply dressing appropriately (short sleeve, Columbia style shirts and short pants). Another is drinking plenty of fluids during the day to remain properly hydrated (the Lord provided our bodies with a most effective cooling system called ‘perspiration’).

There are other counter-measures to the heat too. One favorite among Native Son guides is to plan to spend some time ‘in the water’. And not only can wade fishing negate some of the effects of the summer sun but most find it is an exciting way to fish as well. Finally, if all else fails, we may take an hour at noon to visit one of our many waterfront cafes to eat, chat, strategize, and simply ‘chill out’.

Fishing in the summer can be hot too! Both Capt. Roland, with the Keene family from Virginia, and Capt. Rocky, with John LeGrande and Marco Albano from California, guided parties to the Ft. Pierce area on Tuesday (75 miles southeast of Orlando). The Keene family had a great time wading along the pristine islands and catching snook, redfish, snapper and sail cats. Among the fish caught by John and Albano were four large snook (the largest was 36 inches) and a number of gator trout (the largest being 31 inches). Pictured below is a snook double-hitter by the Californians.

Wednesday brought a rare tropical wave through the area. This was accompanied by lots of rain, wind and super low pressure which didn’t help the fishing as we were also experiencing abnormal full-moon tides. Thursday’s trip was as frustrating as we’ve ever experienced as the fish simply refused to cooperate. This resulted is a very rare offer of a full refund by us … if you don’t catch fish, you do not have to pay.

Friday’s fishing recovered somewhat as Mark George and friend caught several nice fish including three snook and three gator trout. Saturday fishing was ‘off the chain’ … we lost count of the fish before 9:00 am but are sure that seven huge trout over 30 inches were among the totals.

By the way, every charter this week, except one, included some ‘wade’ time and those who ventured forth into the waters were thrilled with the experience

The sizzling summer fishing season has definitely arrived along the Central East Coast of Florida (near Orlando)as the temperatures are reaching the upper 80’s. However, believe it or not, more important to our fishing success than the warmer water temperatures is the summer wind pattern – westerly land breezes in the morning, calm conditions at noon and easterly sea breezes in the afternoon. You see, to an astute angler, the wind provides important clues to the location and activity of the fish. In other words, the wind can be your friend. A few cases in point …

On Wednesday, the Edwards Family from North Carolina joined us for a charter on the Banana River in Merritt Island (40 miles east of Orlando). Leaving the ramp mid-morning, we took our time to make sure we caught the right bait (the right type, size and color) and began fishing in the deeper water during the calm of the day. Several large trout (24 and 27 inches) which had been enjoying the cooler, calm deeper water joined us before we wore out our welcome. We decided to change venues in time for the advent of the afternoon sea breezes.

The action started slowly at the second spot with only two reds in the first hour or so but as the sea breezes accelerated, so did the feeding and it was almost non-stop for the last two hours. The final count for the half-day trip was 13 redfish to 32 inches and 3 spotted sea trout. (Pictured below are Ben Edwards with his big red and Ginna Edwards with one of the gator trout.)

Thursday found both Native Son captains fishing in Ft. Pierce (75 miles southeast of Orlando)with five members of the Cummins Family of Alexandria, VA (Mike the dad and his kids, Matt 17, Erin 13, and Daniel 12 along with nephew Troy 16). Arriving shortly after dawn, we stationed our crew on one of our favorite islands along the Indian River. The action was torrid early on with the west morning wind and an outgoing tide. We caught a number of nice snook and large trout and continued fishing until our bait supply was exhausted.

After cast netting another couple of dozen baits (not a quick or easy chore in the Ft. Pierce area), we decided to adjust our location to fish the start of the incoming tide and the mild eastern sea breezes. Once again the fish were willing. The final tally for the half-day trip was 6 snook to 31 inches, 8 trout to 25 inches, an enormous jack carvel, and one small Goliath grouper (several larger snook were live-released within several feet of the landing net.)

On Saturday Capt. Roland hosted Kim McCarthy and her dad, Bob, from Merritt Island/Cocoa Beach and fished the Melbourne area (55 miles southeast of Orlando) in the morning before making the long run to the Banana River in the afternoon. They had a ball catching five redfish to 30 inches and learning the subtleties of Indian River lagoon fishing. (Pictured below is Bob and one of his three redfish.)

Also on Saturday, Capt. Rocky took Lane Smith and his buddy Mike on an afternoon, half-day Banana River fishing trip (Merritt Island, 45 miles east of Orlando). After being quickly blown-off the first spot by four inconsiderate jet skiers, we made our way to a productive redfish ‘hole.’ Using the strong eastern wind we were able to stay a good distance from the fish and lob our baits a good country mile. The redfish, not detecting our presence, began to cooperate and five large bronzed beauties were landed in short order. Since we were wading and stayed at a distance using the wind to our advantage, the bite should have continued for some time. However, we once again encountered the inconsiderate. This time the culprits were three knuckleheads running the flats in an aluminum john boat. (They were well inside the Manatee restrictions.) The fish fled and the spot was spoiled.

We quietly left the area to the joy rider and traveled another five miles further south to a remote, semi-secluded location. After a careful stealthy approach, we once again found hungry fish and quickly caught a 30 inch redfish along with a rare Banana River snook. Unfortunately, our solitude did not last long. It was the same inconsiderate boater as before. This time not content just to run the flats, he yelled wildly, banged on his aluminum boat, spun circles and churned the water while cutting scares through the lush grass flat. Oh, by the way, he also spooked the fish to kingdom come. (Saturday fishing often presents us with a special set of challenges known as the weekend warriors, or, as sometimes dubbed, the goonagans.) Despite the rudeness, it was still a pretty good day with six redfish and one surprising snook.

Not sure if Bob Dylan was much of an angler, but his famous lyrics, “the times, they are a changing, certainly have applied to the fishing along the central east coast of Florida (greater Orlando area) over the past two weeks. The wicked winds of spring have finally blown themselves into an abyss, probably located someplace east of Mimms, and summer is now king. And his majesty has brought to his realm warmer temperatures, balmy conditions, and afternoon thunderstorms.

The fishing patterns are a changing too. We are doing more early morning fishing, noon napping and afternoon running, running away from the storms, that is. Vast schools of eight to ten inch mullet are concentrating the pelagic species along the shorelines and mid-flats and the fishing has been fantastic at times and lethargic at others.

Dr. Rick Baney and his son Jack, aka Capt. Jack, fished with Capt. Roland last Saturday in the Grant/Sebastian area (65 miles southeast of Orlando). After catching several large trout, they shifted from the shoreline and what had previously been a hyper-productive redfish spot to the islands in the middle of river. Several more trout and four snook were added to their totals. Pictured below is Capt. Jack with one of his snook and gator trout.

The following Monday, Antiny and Willie joined Capt. Roland in the same waters. They caught one redfish and six trout in a morning charter. The largest trout measured 25 inches as did the red. The pace of fishing was steady but one could sense the fishing pattern was beginning to change.

This past Wednesday all three Native Son guides were in the Grant/Sebastian area (55 miles southeast of Orlando) as part of a large corporate charter/tournament and we scorched the other teams by catching fish after fish after fish. Dale and Matt, from Daytona Beach, the crew of Capt. Rocky, drove home with three first place finishes for redfish, trout and sail cat and $1200 cash. This father and son duo emptied the bait well twice catching large redfish, gator trout, snook, bluefish, jacks and one silly sail cat (which, believe it or not, was one of the targeted species of the tournament). In addition to what was caught, the big ones got away including four monster snook doing their best freight train imitations, two bull sharks and one acrobatic tarpon. Not bad for a four hour cruise. (The angler below is Ed, part of the team fishing with Capt. Roland).

The next day the bluefish invaded the area and greeted Gary and Scott, his son, along with Uncle Ray from Crimson Tide Country. Despite many cutoffs from the toothy blues, we landed three redfish (largest was 32 inches) and three trout (largest 26 inches). We had a great time fishing and trading Bear Bryant stories. (Pictured below are Scott and two of his fish from the trip.)

When the times are a changing, it is time for the locations and tactics of the anglers to be a changing too. Cooler, deeper water is starting to become more important and slower, stealthier approaches are more productive. In addition to our year-round favorites of redfish and trout, we are spotting and targeting more snook and tarpon, the boys of summer. All in all, we welcome the change. Afterall, anytime is a great time to be a fisherman.

There is some controversy among serious guides concerning the relative merits of participating in fishing tournaments. Some guides feel they put undue pressure on the fish population while doing damage to grass flats while others feel that those who oppose are simply jealous and afraid of the competition. Now without commenting on either argument, we are of the opinion that, if good conservation is practiced, they can be most beneficial. We feel the competition pushes us to new and sharper fishing skills, provides a great source of fun and fellowship with other anglers, and can be, at times, quite profitable. Frankly, we love tournaments and participate frequently at several different levels.

Our professional redfish team, consisting of Rocky Van Hoose and Peter Deeks, Jr. compete against world-class fields in the FLW Redfish Series and the IFA Redfish Tour (both are nationally televised circuits). In addition, they are regular monthly participants in the Titusville chapter of the Xtreme Redfish Series. This team should qualify for the championship classics of all three tours and you can follow their progress on a separate website www.nativesonsprofishing.com

The other Native Sons fishing team, consisting of Roland Jones and Don Patterson, compete in the Treasure Coast Flats Circuit and are doing quite well. In their most recent event, these two took first place redfish, first place trout and first place slam. They earned over $1500 for the day. Currently they are ranked in the top four in three different TCFC classifications. Their escapades can be followed at www.tcfcircuit.com

This past week three of the Native Son Guides were invited to participate in the annual Bradco Roofing Supply corporate tournament hosted by Harry Goodes Outdoor Store in Melbourne. There were 30 of the best local guides, each paired with two Bradco folks for the half day event. All the teams with Native Sons guides did well but the one captained by Rocky Van Hoose, Dale and Matt from Daytona Beach, did outstanding, winning three of the six different classifications including longest redfish (33 inches) and longest trout (29 inches). Along with great memories and bragging rights for the year, these two Bradco customers drove back to Daytona Beach with over $1,200 of prize money.

In conclusion, let us encourage you to consider participating in the local open inshore tournaments. It is a great way to hone skills and meet a good bunch of fellow anglers. Many of the local events are relatively inexpensive to enter and donate much of the proceeds to charity. Many have both adult and children/youth divisions and most allow participants to hire guides (hint, hint, we love to be a part of them). Think about it; a great day of fishing, sharpened skills, good fellowship with fellow fishermen and maybe, just maybe, a little extra profit as well.

We have been dogged by consistently strong east winds for the past month or so and have been queried by a number of clients, and potential clients, as to the effects of inclement weather on the enjoyment of the fishing trips. Obviously, if the weather is hazardous to health – such as thunderstorms, lightning, hail, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or locust plagues – we do not venture forth. But we can often make great memories (with great fishing) in windy conditions by strategically choosing sheltered launch ramps and fishing locations among the many spoil and barrier islands in our area. Several recent trips prove our point.

Yesterday we had strong eastern winds (15-20 mph with gusts to 25 mph) and I had the pleasure to fish with Malcolm Smith of Reading, Pennsylvania. This was a ‘seasoned’ angler who swore that a little bump in transition (boat ride from spot to spot) would be fine. We launched at Kelly Park in Merritt Island (45 miles east of Orlando) and headed to the ‘western wall’ of the Thousand Island area of Cocoa Beach (Banana River). Two fine trout greeted us in the first 15 minutes of fishing (the largest was 28 inches and weighed seven pounds). We shifted locations across the river to a good eastern wind spot and picked up our first redfish (26 inches) and a number of other mid-20 inch trout. After the action slowed, we shifted again to another eastern wind spot and picked up an additional seven redfish and a few more trout over the next hour. The action was intense as we had a number of ‘double’ hook-ups testing the skill of the crew. Our totals for the day were eight reds and over a dozen trout (lost count) and one great day of fishing … despite the wind.

Another prime example was our day in Grant (65 miles southeast of Orlando) last week with the ‘Young Guns’ from Melbourne, Fl – Steve Young and his two sons Austin and Chase. Again the winds were howling but Capt. Roland’s 22 ft. Pathfinder neutralized its effects. We are not sure of the exact fish count for the day once again but eight redfish, twelve trout, and a snook would be a pretty fair guessimate (identical totals to the story above).

Both of the younger of the ‘Young Guns’ had great catches. Austin, age 15, caught his first inshore slam and we’ve included a picture of him holding a one of his trouts, a fat 28 inch fish, and one picture of his snook and his brother … uh, the snook is the one in the photo with the dark line down its side. Austin also caught a half-crazed bluefish, but we won’t embarass him by mentioning it further. (see below for photos)

Chase Young, age 10, had a ball catching redfish and trout and we’ve included a picture of him holding a redfish. Interestingly enough, if you would have asked these guys whether or not they noticed the weather, I think you would have merely gotten a puzzled glance as if to say, ‘What weather?’

The fishing has been really, really good the last several weeks from New Smyrna Beach to Ft. Pierce … and we’ve been guiding charters everywhere on the Indian River Lagoon System. There would be much to report fishing-wise but we thought we’d use this report to ‘brag’ on several anglers who’ve had their pictures and fishing stories shared on TV or in the print media.

First, there is Derrick Brown from Cocoa Beach who, along with Mark his father, fished with us late last fall near Merritt Island. Derrick caught a big redfish and his picture and story was featured in a recent edition of Coastal Angler Magazine. He was selected as their ‘Junior Angler of the Month’. Congratulations Derrick!

Gregory Durham and his dad, Greg Senior, from Melbourne Beach, fished with us in January in the Sebastian area. Gregory caught his first redfish during the trip but it was a picture of him holding a trout that appeared on the highly popular Chevy Florida Fishing Report in March (Sun Sports TV). Way To Go Gregory!

Natalie van Hoose of Merritt Island (aka ‘The Champ’) went with her dad for one last fishing fling in February prior to moving to Prague, Czech Republic. Her picture and story also appeared on the Chevy Florida Fishing Report (Sun Sports TV). I’m proud of you, Nat.

Finally, Paul Oxendine from Naples, Florida, his mother, and a good friend from his church, fished in the Cocoa Beach area with Capt. Roland Jones and Capt. Don Patterson in early March. His picture and fishing account was featured on Chevy Florida Fishing Report last week (Sun Sports TV). Atta Boy, Paul!

I am frequently asked by out-of-towners, ‘what is the best time to fish in Florida?’ My answer is ‘anytime you can get down here … but if you can get down in May or June, you’ll be most happy you did’

We have finally put winter and the high winds of April in the rear view mirror and the fishing is absolutely stunning this time of year. In addition to the excellent redfish, snook and trout activity, we are finding tarpon crashing poggies gathered in the boat basins along the Indian River in the Melbourne area, pompano doing their sideways skip in the Grant area and breeder snook beginning to stack in the Sebastian Inlet.

Over the past month we’ve had good trips to New Smyrna Beach, catching fat, upper slot redfish and some enormous trout. The Tanners from Gainesville GA joined us for one trip to the northern edge of the ‘Lagoon’ and caught a number of trout in the upper 20 inch range. We also saw a monster fish that must have exceeded 35 inches.

The Banana River is as productive as I’ve ever seen it. There are at least seven large schools of redfish on the Pineda Flats. These fish range in size from mid-slot to 40 inches and we’re catching them by sight-casting lures to the fish in the clear water or chunking live finger mullet on long casts into the sandy potholes.

The northern reaches of the Banana are also producing. Curtis and Ann caught 11 redfish in the lower 30 range and 3 large spotted trot on a half day trip on the 26th. Rick and his buddy Sam from Indiana landed a 45 inch redfish on the 9th in the same area.

Finally, the Indian River in the Grant area has been good as well. We’ve had a number of excellent trips including Scott and his father-in-law John from Vermont on the 4th of April. These two anglers caught a number of reds along one mangrove shoreline before moving to ‘B’ hole where large trout have been holding. Among the 20 ‘gator’ trout (fish over 25 inches) was one that measured 33 inches and tipped the scales at 13 pounds (see attached picture). And believe it or not, we saw one trout in this area that was even bigger on a trip this past Saturday (May 6th). This trip with Donald and Brad produced multiple slams – snook to 29 inches, redfish to 30 inches and trout to 26 inches – and there were a bunch of them too!

Now you know why I love this time of year … the fishing just doesn’t get any better than May and June along the central east coast of Florida … and if you don’t believe me, give us a call and we’ll prove it

Winter still hasn’t arrived and the fishing is the finest it’s been in many years … and so is our charter business! We’ve hardly had time to re-spool reels, repair boats or even mow the grass (still having to mow once a week … and it is MARCH!). Finding time to write fishing reports has been difficult – I even missed a good portion of the NCAA March Madness because of the pace of fishing.

I’ll make this report brief … The fishing has been hot all over – from Titusville where we’ve had days of 25 plus redfish, caught sight-fishing to Ft. Pierce where the snook and gator trout are still stacked, holding to their shallow water, summer haunts. The Banana River in Merritt Island has had more redfish in it than I can ever remember. And I’ve been around long enough to remember ‘a long ways back.’