11-29-2001, 08:34 PM
The bulls are coming, I have heard a few good reports this past weekend the the bull reds are starting to move into the southern part of the Banana River. When these fish get here the will average 40 to 55 inches and will only hang out on the flats for a few weeks. If you have never hooked into a 40+ inch red, you don't know what you are missing. I have had many clients take over an hour to land one of these monsters. Most of the time you can site fish these big boys with top water lures. One of the best things about catching these fish on the surface is watching 2 or more reds fight for you lure while not pushing it away. When these fish come up to strike a top water plug they push so much water in front of them it is common to see their wake push the lure a few inches in front of their mouths. This only makes the reds even more aggressive. Many times I have seen them strike a lure up to a dozen times a jumping a foot out of the water just trying to grab a lure. <br><br>I expect to see these reds by the full moon and if history repeats itself they will only be on the flats till the water temp drops below +/- 65. Most of the reds will be in 3 to 4 feet of water and moving very fast. Your best catches will be from 10am to 3pm. <br><br>Currently the fishing has been great we have caught reds up to 40 inches and trout up to 30. Most of our catches have been on clear/silver flake Got-cha Saltwater Curltail Grubs or root-beer Trout Killers. Yesterday, John Passanisi, with Don Ray Internet Studios caught a nice East Coats Slam (Trout, Redfish, and Snook) in the south part of the Indian River near Grant on a chartreuse Cotee Reel Magic. <br><br>Trout<br><br>Trout fishing has been great this week. We have been able to boat fish up to 30 inches with most of our best catches on clear/silver flake Got-cha Saltwater Curltail Grubs. This is not to say that we are not catch trout on top water in the early am. For those of you wanting to work the surface try using MirrOlure's 51MR-808 and the TT-28 and 21 rigged with a Daiichi Bleeding Hook on the front. Most of the trout we have caught have been along the inside of schools of bait fish.<br><br>Best chance<br><br>This is a great time of the year to get out on the water and catch some fish. I would recommend getting out by 6 am and working the schools of bait for trout. I would start out by casting noisy top water plugs before switching to your grubs or other soft baits. As the sun comes up keep your eyes open for reds moving up on the flats. This time of year most reds will spend the night in deeper holes and move on to the flats by mid-morning. <br><br><br><br><br>See you on the water<br>Capt. Doug Blanton<br>Indian River Adventures<br>321-432-9470