Sabastian Redfish Fishing
By David Gant
“What are you fishing
for?” the man asked me. “Redfish”, I responded. “Not
with that you ain’t, not here”, he said with a
smirk. I had caught redfish before on a rod and reel that was
half the size of the rig currently in my hand and did not foresee
any problems today. Not only that, but I also had a bucket
of live finger mullet that I had just caught minutes earlier
and I knew they were a favorite bait of most fish that inhabit
Sebastian inlet. “What do you mean?” I replied
indignantly. “Your rod is too short and that reel don’t
hold enough line to catch a redfish here” he shot back
and then continued by asking, “What do you have for bait?” After
learning that I had live finger mullet, the man who later introduced
himself as Nick, asked for one and then asked me if I wanted
to catch a redfish. I said “yes” and handed him
a mullet. Nick took his ten-foot surf rod and hooked the mullet
on his line. He then sent that mullet - like a rocket launched
from nearby Cape Canaveral - half way across the inlet and
three times as far as my casts were traveling. I now was beginning
to understand why Nick was not confident in my rod and reel.
You need an extra long surf style rod and sufficient line to
throw your bait far enough to reach the fish. After making
his cast Nick handed me the rod and said, “Start reeling.” I
started reeling and BAM! Immediately, I hooked a fish and after
fighting for almost 30 minutes, I landed the biggest redfish
of my life. “Want to do that again?” Nick asked
me. In response, I shouted, “Absolutely!” I then
handed him another mullet. Just like before, Nick launched
this second mullet into the inlet and handed me the rod. Instantly,
a fish hit the bait and after another 30 minutes, I reeled
in the second largest redfish of my life. This happened a total
of four times. After two solid hours of fighting these substantial
fish, my arms were worn out and I needed a break. I started
giving away my mullet to other fishermen on the pier because
I knew, at the rate of one mullet every 30 minutes, I would
never use them all.
My wife Loren and I
had left Fort Lauderdale and traveled to Sebastian Inlet after
Hurricane Wilma knocked out our power
and water. It turned out to be a smarter move than we initially
knew, because although the water was restored after three days,
electricity to our house remained out for over two weeks. We
spent part of these two weeks in a small Bed & Breakfast
located in Melbourne Beach about 15 miles north of Sebastian
Inlet State Park. The park straddles Sebastian Inlet and extends
from the Atlantic Ocean on the east side to the Indian River
Lagoon on the west side. Visitors can enjoy a wide variety
of activities including fishing, surfing, swimming, sunbathing,
shell collecting, snorkeling, canoeing, kayaking, boating and
camping. However, with the wonderful beauty of the park it
would be easy to spend an entire day just strolling the over
three miles of pristine beach that is contained within the
park. Camping is best experienced from November through May
when the weather is cooler and more pleasant.
Sebastian is one of
the most productive fishing destinations on the entire east
coast of Florida. Common catches for anglers
include snook, redfish, bluefish, spanish mackerel, flounder,
black drum, jack and a variety of sharks. The inlet can be
easily fished from jetties located on either the north or south
side of the inlet and from a catwalk that runs under a bridge
that spans the inlet. With a boat, canoe or kayak you can explore
and fish both in the ocean and the lagoon in addition to the
inlet that connects them. There is a boat ramp in the park
providing boaters with easy access to the area. There is also
a bait and tackle store located near the north jetty that sells
fishing licenses, bait and tackle and rents rods and reels.
In
addition to fishing, the inlet is equally well known for the
quality of its surfing.
The inlet’s configuration
creates a surf break that is very popular with the surfing
crowd. Several major surfing competitions are held here annually
drawing surfers and spectators from across the country. If
the sun gets too hot, visitors can move indoors by visiting
two museums in the park. The McLarty Treasure Museum features
the history of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet while the Sebastian
Fishing Museum tells the history of the local fishing industry.
Waterfront pavilions and the mile-long Hammock Trail provide
more shady venues to escape the sun and either picnic or hike.
With a visit to Sebastian
Inlet you learn that it is located in an area of Florida known
as the Space Coast. This area is
home to many other famous destinations including Canaveral
National Seashore, Ron Jons Surf Shop and the Kennedy Space
Center. The most famous of these, the Kennedy Space Center,
provides visitors an opportunity to experience the past, present
and future activities of America’s space program. Guided
tours provide access to space launch operations, launch pads,
rockets and incredible technology from both the past and present.
Visitors can experience interactive space flight simulators,
touch a real piece of Mars, board the Space Shuttle Explorer
and spend time at the Astronaut Hall of Fame. For a truly incredible
visit, check the launch schedules that are published in advance
via the internet, and with a little planning, you can schedule
your trip to include the viewing of an actual launch of the
Space Shuttle.
During my visit to the
area, however, the fishing was so good that I never escaped
the excitement and action surrounding
Sebastian Inlet. I made several new friends while fishing on
the jetty and hope to see them again soon. By the way, if you
ever have the opportunity to travel to Sebastian and catch
a redfish, there is no question as to their edibility. In my
opinion, the best way to cook a redfish is one of the simplest.
Visit Publix or another nearby supermarket and buy Paul Prudhomme’s
Blackened Redfish Magic seasoning. Cooking directions are included
in the packaging. Once you try it, you will quickly understand
how Paul and his redfish recipe became so popular. And after
visiting Sebastian Inlet, you will likewise understand why
it is so popular.
