Eleven

duckmanJR

Well , It;s been almost two months since I posted a report. Just kinda lazy I guess and the picture thing is starting to aggravate me.
I was going to post yesterday because a while back I thought I would put 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 slams on one post...but people would probably think it was a zip code... then I figured I would post when I had # 10 slam put away....but days dragged on with dang few Redfish after getting to #9. Then Turkey hunting took me away for a few days but I managed to collect my public land bird. Some tough weather off and on when I came back to fishing.
Yesterday was # 10 and today even in the wind was able to chalk up #11. I was feeling that it was not that good till I went back 16 pages in the archives to see I was only at # 3 / 4 at this time last year...so....

In a nutshell the fishing has been very sporatic. The Redfish has been the lynchpin catch and if I luck into one...it is almost a fait accompli for a slam.  The Snook fishing has been a bright spot as it does not seem to have suffered the near catastrophic collapse that the Redfishing has in this area. The last few weeks has had the bigger fish out along the mangroves and I've got a few but have lost a few but that's the nature of the game when you are using 8 lb mono. Some skill and a bucket of luck for a win.  
The last month the Trout has actually gotten as tough or tougher than a snook.  They are now fully in spawn mode on new and full April moons so they actually desert the normal haunts and wind up in some places that I normally do not look for them. From catching 15 - 20 a day....now lucky to do 6 or 8.

I am still throwing the Strike King / CAL set up with a little chug bug action from time to time but my rotator cuff issues keep that to a minimum.   Color varies by water condition but Pearl is my solid producer unless the water is way off color.  Which brings me to maybe the most important tip I can pass along. While that super gin clear water is nice....it seems to have way less hungry predators in it. You don't want the really dirty water...you want what I call "stained"... It is that water that is off a bit. Slow your retrieve so you are just getting the tail wiggling and close to the bottom and it seems to produce.

So, other things I have noticed.  Well, the ramps are a bit busier than normal. And I am kinda used to being the first to launch in the morning unless Remo is going but now there are a few other "early birds" out. The other day I saw Remo, Flek , Artie and Barnacle Bill were all out before me.... I guess I'm going to have to get my **** in gear in the AM .
Another oddity is that all of a sudden...there are Kayaks and SUP's everywhere now...way more than I ever remember.
Bait....well it went from very scarce to abundant...in spots. Normally, I always like to stay on bait while I fish but I have had fish without a stitch of bait to be seen.

So, Here are a few pics if you want to bother opening them.   First is my Turkey.     

[img]https://i.imgur.com/E8ioFqyl.jpg[/img]

Reds..

[img]https://i.imgur.com/l5OA5Wal.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/DPyueBWl.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8eMw8PIl.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/jYLHeBEl.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/G175Yfwl.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/weXDX1Tl.jpg[/img]




And a few snook

 [img]https://i.imgur.com/6aIDAi5l.jpg[/img]



[img]https://i.imgur.com/Ow26RWal.jpg[/img]


 

mcmklm

I fish north in the Titusville area and if I had written a report it would be like yours, fewer reds and trout, trout bite is very early and stops quick, it’s still dark only very first light and I throw the DOA fluorescent cream color, it’s my go to. the trout can be easily over slot but you gotta hope your on the right spot to start and be very quite, otherwise you lose that timeframe; every day I go out things change.one thing I have noticed, when I have an inexperienced fisherman with me I will slip out to deeper water and have them throw a gulp with a popping cork, usually gives them a few to catch and release when they blew hooksets for the big ones early on. But lately I’ve been having a hard time finding them, it used to be quite easy , hope that doesn’t mean there aren’t any smaller school trout out there somewhere that can grow up and move inside.

duckmanJR

They are still out there....but nowhere near what we had before we lost 43 thousand acres of seagrass.  

The difficulty is that Trout spawn in our systen in April , May , and June with some stragglers or females new in the spawning pool as late as July thru October but these are just the stragglers.  When spawning takes place the gravid females move off to deep channel edges and holes.  Buck males are capable of spawning at year two....10 - 13 inches but females reach sexual maturaty at age three  or about 15 inches.  They grow in reproductive "value" as they age with those big gravid females over 24 inches producing up to a million eggs. Contrast that with a 15 incher doing about 15 thousand eggs... Really makes those big girls ultra valuable to the system.   

The big females will move back shallow after the spawn and eat finfish voraciously to replenish the oils needed for egg bouyancy and production.

PS....this is not my research nor is it conjecture...It is the work of Dr.Grant Gilmore previosly (retired) of Harbor Branch institute.   

mcmklm

Decent size trout this morning several over slot, nothing less than 17”. Lost count of how many missed hooksets and gettin loose half way through the fight. I can’t find any reds though.