Fishing action has continued red hot this May as large redfish and tasty trout have been aggressively assaulting the shallows grassflats of the Indian River Lagoon system. Tarpon, snook and bull sharks have also begun to appear in recent weeks in our creeks and tributaries. Thus we’ve had a number of great charters over the past few weeks as the following summaries and photo bear witness.

 Doug and Ginna Edwards from Raleigh, North Carolina came to Orlando for a business conference and decided to do some fishing while in the area. We are not sure if anything memorial happened at the conference but it sure did on the Indian River near Titusville as Capt. Rocky guided them to a school of huge redfish that had taken up temporary residence in the shallows. Pictured below is Ginna with a monstrous red measuring 48 inches and weighing an estimated 40 lbs.

The tarpon and snook fishing has really started to heat up!  Schools of 15 – 40 pound tarpon and big snook hanging around mangroves and are readily taking baits.  Capt. Peter spent a day fishing for these guys with Jason Stumphauser.  Jason sightfished snook, tarpon, and a bunch of bullsharks.  Sightfishing the schools of very aggressive bullsharks was the highlight of the day, as they were very aggressive and some were pretty large and in charge.

 

Todd from Nebraska and Chris, his brother-in-law from north Georgia, braved the strong southern winds rushing to greet an oncoming cold front on Wednesday. Guided by Capt. Rocky, these hardy anglers had a fishing trip of a lifetime battling redfish after redfish intent on packing away enough protein to survive several days of gale force winds. At the end of the day Todd and Chris had boated over 15 reds and 8 gator trout. All but one of the reds weighed 10 pounds or better with the largest one weighing between 25 and 30 pounds.

 

Matt and Jason, the boys of Capt. Mullet’s Bait and Tackle, fished with Peter recently. They fished a half day in the Banana River near Cocoa Beach under blue skies and calm winds.  Schools of redfish were actively feeding up on the grassflats throughout the afternoon, which provided great opportunities throughout the entire trip.  Matt and Jason landed over 15 redfish up to 18 pounds, and three trout up to 24 inches.

 

Fishing the day following the arrival of a cold front can present some special challenges. With much lower air and water temperatures, a strong north wind, and a thoroughly churned river, most fish will opt to wait for a warmer, calmer time to feed. Last Saturday was such a day. Mike from Orlando, Nate from Daytona Beach and Dick from North Carolina were up to the challenge as they joined Capt. Rocky on the Banana River for a cool, blustery day of fishing. The trio were able to boat seven reluctant reds, the largest caught by Mike which weighed about 25 pounds. They also added six trout, the largest caught by Nate, and sting ray.

Capt. Peter spent a day chasing giant redfish with his good buddy, Anthony Vargas.  Fishing a schools of bull reds in the Banana River provided a super fun morning.  Around ten redfish were caught, with most of them between 20 and 30 pounds.  Pictured is Anthony with a beautiful specimen.

 

Fish can be like small children at times in that they occasionally will refuse to eat. These times can be frustrating for seasoned anglers but, fortunately, these times typically do not last long. Rick Johnston of Cocoa Beach and Bruce Roberts of Jacksonville weathered such a time this past Monday with Capt. Rocky Van Hoose. Fishing the Banana River where the action had been red-hot in recent weeks, the fish simply refused our best offerings all morning. The afternoon portion of the charter was a better for the long-time friends as they landed three reds and four big, gator trout. All in all, despite the slow morning, a great time was had by all.

The tarpon have just shown up inside the Indian River Lagoon.  Capt. Peter and Justin Stumpfhauser spent an afternoon sightfishing schools of them this past week.  They were able to get five to eat, with Justin landing his first – Congrats Justin!  The fish were not rolling much, but were holding near the surface in tightly packed schools.  Most of these tarpon have been laying-up on the surface, and readily responding to a well placed bait.  Fishing for these smaller fish (up to 50 pounds) is a ton of fun, and is done on calm waters in a peaceful atmosphere – unlike fishing in passes or off of the beaches.

C Malcolm Smith, III from Redding, Pennsylvania, vacationing in Orlando was theme-park out and anxious to get out and do some serious fishing. Joining Capt. Rocky on the Banana River last Friday, Malcolm had a banner day catching eight big reds and several large trout despite a big wind and constant threat of thunderstorms.

Prof. Kenneth McClure of Merritt Island and David, his son from Melbourne Beach, fished with Capt. Rocky on Saturday on the Banana River. Fishing started strong while there was NW wind, went slack during slick condition in late morning, and finished very strong when the eastern sea breeze finally kicked in during the early afternoon. The father and son duo caught a number of big reds and several large trout, including a monster, caught by Kenneth, weighing close to ten pounds. However, David caught the biggest redfish weighing about 20 pounds. At the conclusion of the day, David mused that he’d had caught more fish weigh-wise during than he’d caught over the entire span of his previous fishing trips. Indeed, it was a gorgeous day weather-wise and a wonderful day fish-wise.

 

Ken and Wiegle and his two sons Garret and Greg from Pennsylvania took a break from the theme parks of Orlando to do some backwater fishing with Capt. Rocky. Fishing the Indian River near Titusville the trio of skilled anglers caught 15 reds – two slot fish and the rest 12 to 20 pounds. Garret had the hot rod on the day with eight redfish while Greg caught the biggest. Dad had the biggest adrenaline rush  as he got absolutely smoked by a monster red. It was a gorgeous day with half of the charter spent wade fishing on the lush grass flats.

An old fishing buddy from Maryland, Ray Duvall, joined Capt. Rocky for a half-day on the Banana River last Monday. Ray came along to assist the captain in pre-fishing for several upcoming charters scheduled for later in the week. He caught seven reds and several trout during the excursion and was trilled to return home with a solid bag of fresh fillets.

Wow! I have been writing and posting fishing reports on this website for better than a decade and have never been presented with so many compelling stories, outstanding angling and great fish as this submission. So many terrific accounts and photos in one month made editing and culling nearly impossible. I simply suggest read on and marvel. 

Capt. Jon Brett and Kyle Nalls, of Fishbuzz TV, traveled over to the East Coast to film some big redfish with Capt. Peter.  Fishing two schools of big reds near Cocoa provided some fantastic video and still footage.  Peter only had to move closer to the school of fish three times during the entire morning, as the redfish were extremely cooperative.  Both of the schools let the anglers anchor the boat right next to them and pull in red after red without having to chase them down.  The primary purpose of the trip was to create a Fishbuzz video with Peter guiding Jon, the host, to the big redfish.  But that all changed when “fun” got the best of them and Kyle (the cameraman extraordinaire) put the camera aside to jump in on the action.  It was a fantastic day with multiple double headers and non-stop action, with at least three fish hitting the 30 pound mark and many more jumping over the 20 pound mark.  When the video comes out we will put some of it on our site – there was some really awesome footage captured.

As a grandfather and fishing guide, one of the great joys of life is being able to take the grandchildren out on the water for a day of adventure and excitement. Recently I had that experience with Jenny and Rockett, ages 5 and 3, on their spring break from the cold temperatures and gray skies of Huntsville, Alabama. During our outing we watched dolphins, manatees, alligators and all kinds of water birds. Jenny helped the captain drive the boat and Rockett kept all in stitches with his humorous remarks. We also took some time to do a little fishing. Pictured below are Jenny, Rockett and their dad Rusty holding several of the redfish they caught during the day. Grandfather was smiling broadly behind the camera.

 

Perfect weather conditions greeted good friends, Paul Tully and Joe Schneider of Cocoa Beach,  for their recent fishing charter with Capt. Rocky on the Banana River. The blue skies and calm water provided a gorgeous backdrop for a day where double digit redfish were caught including a pair of double hook-ups. The first double was a pair of 13 and 14 pound fish while the second pair were identical twin 27 pounders.  There were also four fine trout landed during the trip including an outstanding 27 inch, seven pounder. At the conclusion of the charter Paul declared it had been a perfect day of fishing. 

 

 

CR Hall treated his friends, Calvin and Jagger, to a fishing trip with Peter last week. The weather was absolutely beautiful with a light north wind, bright sun, and cooler temperatures.  Fishing in the Banana River near Merritt Island, the target for the day was to catch some fish for dinner, and some big fish for photos.  The trip was Jagger’s first saltwater experience, and he started it off with a bang – catching a 30 inch redfish within the first 3 minutes.  The anglers continued to set hook after hook (with Calvin really setting the hook) steadily through the entire morning.    “The Dudes” boated over a dozen reds up to 37 inches, and three trout up to 24 inches.

 

CR couldn’t get enough redfish this week and chartered Peter for another day in the Banana River.  Gidget and Joe were also in on the fun.  The day began with the anglers fishing a group of large redfish.  After eight or so bull reds to start the morning, it was time put some meat on the table.  After running up the river to a school of slot fish, a limit of redfish and some nice trout were quickly put on ice.  The water had cleared up as the day progressed making for some beautiful fishing conditions on the grassflats.  Once they had enough fish for the table, it was time to have fun with the groups of large redfish that are roaming the flats.  Gidget and CR finished the day with back-to-back bull redfish…wonderful way to end the day!  The total tally for the day was 24 redfish (four over 40 inches, seven slot fish, and the rest were mixed over-slot fish).  Gidget put on a “Gun Show” while teaching the boys a thing or two by catching the largest and most (including catfish).

 

 

Richard Dixon and his son Richard spend part of their time in Florida and the balance up north. Before returning north this year they wanted to do some fishing and build some memories. Capt. Rocky guided them on the Banana River recently in pursuit of both goals. After a frustrating, and somewhat comical, start where the Dixon duo missed eight fish in succession, Richard and Richard settled down to a solid morning of angling. By the end of the half-day charter they were masters of the seas and caught everything that bit including their last six redfish and trout in a row. And it turned out to be a great day of fishing and memory making despite the start.

 

 

Dave, Dave Jr., and Dan had a fun day on the water with Peter in the Banana River recently.  Fishing on the shallow, grass flats provided a lot of fun redfish.  The guys landed 11 redfish, with a variety of sizes from 25 – 38 inches.  Dave Jr. made his dad very proud by starting the day off with a 37 inch bull red – his first redfish ever, and at 6 years old is one fantastic catch.  But Dave Jr., also known as “Dave the Wave” or “Mullet Tail”, didn’t stop there – he built his biceps on big redfish all morning long!  These guys put a “hurtin’” on some great fish.

 

Jack Chamblin of Merritt Island and his grandson Nick from Chicago decided at the last minute to take advantage of the outstanding spring weather and do some serious Banana River fishing. Since Jack lives on the river Capt. Rocky picked up the duo on his dock and planned to fish productive shorelines within easy wading distance of Jack’s home. An unusual early morning dense fog settled in and changed plans a bit and the charter started with fishing for trout. After several fine trout the fog lifted allowing the hunt to begin. The grandfather and grandson pair hooked up immediately on a double (pictured below). A number of other reds were added as the morning progressed capped by the big red being held by Nick in the following picture.  

 

 Rusty and his two boys, Nick and Andrew, fished with Capt. Peter in the Banana River.  The angler were in town visiting family, and decided to see what the fishing was like near Cocoa Beach.   The trio landed around a dozen redfish (most over 30 inches) and a couple of nice trout (one of which went 26 ¾ inches).  Fishing groups of redfish that were holding up on the shallow flats that were actively feeding was the key to success.

 

Georgia anglers, Lee his son Ryan, wanted to experience some Florida fishing on the Space Coast.  Peter guided the duo on the Indian River Lagoon near Cocoa Beach.  Not wanting to take any fish home, Lee and Ryan wanted to target redfish (the bigger the better).  Fishing groups of large redfish that feed up on grassflats and points, the anglers landed 10 redfish from 33 to 42 inches, and two 23 inch trout.  

The fishing along the central east coast of Florida does not take a back seat to the NCAA basketball tourney with our own version of March Madness. The fishing this time of year is awesome with outstanding balmy weather and aggressively hungry fish. We had a number of great charters over the past several weeks including the following individual accounts.

Late morning conditions this past week have provided good sight-fishing for redfish and black drum.  Drew Lowery spent a morning sight-fishing with Capt. Peter along the flats of the Banana River Lagoon near Cocoa Beach.  Casting at schools of black drum and redfish in the clear water made for a fun day on the water.  Pictured is Drew with a hefty red.

 

Jack Chamblin of Merritt Island and his grandson Nick from Chicago decided at the last minute to take advantage of the outstanding spring weather and do some serious Banana River fishing. Since Jack lives on the river Capt. Rocky picked up the duo on his dock and planned to fish productive shorelines within easy wading distance of Jack’s home. An unusual early morning dense fog settled in and changed plans a bit and the charter started with fishing for trout. After several fine trout the fog lifted allowing the hunt to begin. The grandfather and grandson pair hooked up immediately on a double (pictured below). A number of other reds were added as the morning progressed capped by the big red being held by Nick in the following picture.  

 

 

David, his son Brandon, and his nephew Bo spent an afternoon with Capt. Peter on the Banana River.  The main goal of the trip was to get Bo, visiting from Kentucky, hooked up to some of Florida’s famous “bull-reds”.  Fishing the grassflats with live mullet, the anglers landed 14 redfish and one trout (not to mention a “trash-fish slam” – a pufferfish, stingray, and catfish).  The goal was achieved as Bo bested a big red at the end of the day while Brandon did the same with a great double-header.

George Littrell returned to Cocoa Beach last week from Maryland in time to do some fishing with Capt. Rocky before his next trip back. Opting to join Rocky to assist in the daily ritual of catching the bait, the charter started pre-dawn. (It was a real pleasure having someone along to help with this chore.) Pushing south of Ramp Road the charter commenced with some early trout action. After catching a half dozen it was time to wake up the late rising redfish. A number of reds were caught over the ensuing hours. The charter ended with sight-fishing redfish in the full sun and clear waters. Pictured below is George holding one his ‘concrete blocks.’

 

C.R. Hall celebrated his birthday out on the water this week with Gidget and his mom, Mami.   Due to the conditions, Capt. Peter opted to take the anglers out during the afternoon instead of the usual morning routine.  Capt. Peter quietly polled up to and around mangrove Islands and along grassflats while the trio fished along the edges of the flats and along the sandbars.  The trio caught six reds up to 32 inches and five trout up to 24 inches. 

 

Capt. Peter spent some time down in Fort Pierce last week with tournaments and a couple of guide trips.  One of those trips was spent guiding John, an avid bass angler from Okeechobee.  John wanted to fish for trout and reds with artificials.  The early morning top-water bite produced some good surface strikes.  Once the fish quit hitting off of the surface, spoons became the lure of choice.  Dragging the spoon across sandbars in the clear water had the best results.  Mike caught a bunch of trout up to 22 inches, some redfish, and bluefish during his time on the water.  Switching from bait to artificials can be fun every now and again – especially in areas like Fort Pierce where there is such a variety of fish.  There’s nothing like watching a big trout explode on a topwater lure in the golden, morning light.

It has been a couple of weeks since our last fishing report was posted and the guides of Native Sons Fishing Charters, LLC have been super busy. While we are trying to gather pictures and accounts of these charters, we thought it high time we post a few highlights in order to give our readers an idea of just how fantastic the fishing has been thus far in February. By the way, we promise to add other summaries and photos to this report when we finally get a minute to catch our breath.

Some fishermen are born great while others have greatness thrust upon them. We are not sure how George Littrell achieved angling greatness but we are certain he has it. George, who splits his residency between Maryland and Cocoa Beach, is a long-time friend of Capt. Rocky. Recently he and Rocky hooked up to chase some redfish on the Indian River near Titusville. Conditions could not have been more perfect with calm seas, bluebird, sunny skies and moderate temperatures. George caught over a dozen reds with most exceeding twenty pounds. It was simply a ‘great’ day of fishing, by George!

Capt. Peter had some friends come down to visit him from Delaware and Maryland in hopes of spending a day on the water in Central Florida.   A.B. Cullen and Jay Fleming wanted to get some good photos of black drum and redfish.  Jay is a professional photographer who travels around the world observing wildlife and sharing his experiences through film.  The first day of fishing was spent sight-fishing schools of black drum and then tailing redfish.  One of the schools of drum that Capt. Peter has been fishing has in excess of 50 drum between 20 and 40 pounds.  These fish offer great sight fishing opportunities and are a great fighting fish.

Photos in order: Jay Show’s off one of his drum – Capt. Peter and A.B. show off a double – A.B. shows off a nice trout – Capt. Peter with another nice drum.

Jason Garey, along with Brian and Brad, two buddies from Houston, TX , had had enough of their hotel room in Orlando and decided to do some serious redfishing. The trio picked a day when most would have never gotten near the water due to the stiff north winds whipping the river into angry ‘tempest tossed.’ Braving the winds and the waves, Capt. Rocky guided the Texans to one of the very few sheltered shorelines on the Indian River. During the afternoon charter, the threesome displayed outstanding skill, strength and stamina while catching three redfish over fifteen pounds, the largest a 45 inch beast caught by Jason and estimated to weigh between 25 and 30 pounds, along a number of big trout. There were several other big brutes battled, including another heartbreaking monster lost boat-side. All in all, despite the nasty conditions, it turned out to be an awesome day on the water for Jason, Brad and Brian.

Capt. Peter had the privilege to fish with Vince Blumberg and his kids Aubrei and Elliott.  Prior to becoming “first-mate”, Elliott started the morning off with a nice seatrout.  Elliott did a fantastic job driving the boat and catching bait until his time ran out and had to be reunited with his mom for a beach date.  Vince and Aubrei were then able to enjoy some father/daughter time and fantastic flats fishing in Florida’s beautiful Space Coast.   Aubrei and Vince caught a variety of fish including redfish, black drum, and trout. (The final picture is ‘first mate’ Elliot having a blast driving the boat.)

Three good friends, Mike, Tim, and Tom, enjoyed a great day of fishing the flats with Capt. Peter this past week on the Banana River near Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach.  Fishing schools of mullet in the early morning provided a good trout bite.  Once the sun warmed the water, the grass flats came alive with schools of big redfish and trout foraging for food.  Concentrating on the sandy potholes near the edges of flats, the trio of anglers caught 13 reds up to 38 inches, and six trout up to 27 inches. Pictured below are Tom and Tim holding a pair of trophy redfish.

Three generations of the Murphy boys, Tom, Peter, Jacob and Conner recently chartered a day of fishing with both Capt. Rocky and Capt. Peter. Leaving Kiwanis Park in Merritt Island, both captains opted to fish along the Sykes Creek arm of the Banana River. Peter and Conner went with the ‘old man’ guide and had a blast catching redfish and big trout. Conner, the youngest Murphy, caught the biggest redfish – a 37 inch, 17 pound bull – while his dad Peter caught the biggest trout measuring 27 inches and weighing an estimated seven pounds. And since both fish are considered trophies, one can imagine a life-long argument insuring over which had the better catch. (The first two pics are of Conner while the final pic is Jacob holding his big red.)

C.R. and Gidget Hall enjoyed the beautiful weather we have been having this week out on the water with Capt. Peter.  The morning was spent fishing schools of black drum and redfish on grassflats on the Banana River.  C.R. and Gidget show off two of their beautiful redfish.

The monthly calendar may have changed but the red-hot redfish action has not. February started the same way January ended with a great day on the Indian River Lagoon chasing tailing redfish for the guests of Native Sons Fishing guides.  The following are accounts of individual angling performances over the last week.

 February began with a bang for Andrew and Rebecca Partridge from Dallas, TX who had a blast on their half-day charter with Capt. Rocky. This father and daughter duo enjoyed a gorgeous winter morning on the Indian River near Titusville, FL with temperatures touching the mid-70s, a far cry from the massive snow and ice storm ripping through their hometown. After some dolphin and manatee watching the pair proceeded to stalk tailing redfish on the flats.  Rebecca caught first red on the first cast at the first stop in the first fifteen seconds of fishing. She then nailed a spotted trout with her second cast and hooked into another redfish on her third cast. Andrew eventually joined the fray with a fat upper slot redfish and a beautiful 24 inch trout on back to back casts. He also caught the last and the largest redfish, a 45 inch, 30 pound beast. What a way to spend a winter day!

 

  

Lee Harp from Wichita, KS and his Uncle Ken from Orlando helped draw the curtain yesterday on one the best months of redfishing in recent memory. The weather was absolutely perfect with balmy temperatures, slick, calm water and bright sunny skies. The redfish took advantage of the spring-like conditions and flooded the flats in search of food. They were served live finger mullet by the Harps and aggressively attached the baits. The final tally on the half-day charter reached doubled digits and featured a pair of double hook-ups of 20 pound plus fish. The largest fish of the day was caught by Lee and weighed nearly 30 pounds.

 

 

Fishing with Dr. Pat Holden and his son Dr. Carlos Holden was a real paradox, pardon the pun. The two docs caught the day after the arrival of our last cold front and were greeted by a low barometer and cool north breezes. This combined to make the fish a bit scare and a tad sluggish. Nevertheless, the Holdens were patient and nailed a couple of very impressive redfish including a monster caught by Carlos and an unbelievably beautiful, 59 spot specimen by Pat. We suspect both fish will be long remembered by the ‘pair of docs’.  

 

 

John, Joe, and Jack fished the flats of the Banana River with Capt. Peter.  The cooler temperatures had the fish seeking warmth.  During the morning, the best fishing came from deeper creeks and canals.  Once the sun warmed the flats, schools of redfish and black drum moved up on the shallows to feed.  Sight-fishing a school of sunning redfish produced this beautiful fish for Joe.