Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow
Story/Photos by Matt Badolato
We weren't actually in a bay, we were in a lagoon with the first name Mosquito. And there were very few, if any, watermelons in sight. What were in sight were plenty of redfish for an action-packed morning of sightcasting and plenty of tight-line therapy.
We made the mile or so paddle across the lagoon to a spot my friend frequents. With the canoe we borrowed from Whitey's we headed to our first spot to find some fish. Once there we were greeted with crystal clear water, bright green seagrass, and tails popping up to the left and right. It was a bit chilly out, which must have had the fish hunkered down and not feeding on much. We ran over and spooked more fish than we saw, but we sure saw a lot. The tails were all around us, we just couldn't get them to hit our soft-plastic offerings.
As the sun warmed up the very shallow flats, we starte to see the fish rooting around in the grass instead of just lying in the mud. Using cut mullet we started sneaking quietly up to the fish and casting right in front of them. They were hungry and any well-placed cast in front of the fish would yield a fish. We used 10lb tackle with 15lb leaders and small #1 hooks. We would cast about a foot in front of the red's nose and as soon it hit the bottom he would smell it and charge it like it was his last meal.
Ended the day around noon, had to be at work at four. Made the drive back to Orlando and still had an hour to relax before work.
Try to get out and fish before this upcoming cold front moves through, but the day it hits, go catch some flounder because this second cold blast usually tells them to git movin'.
Matt Badolato from Whitey's Bait and Tackle
www.whiteysonline.com
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