Fishing Log-

It’s Friday and I am on my way to look at a job on A1A. It’s been a long week and I look jealously at the men and women out there on the water doing what I love to do fish. As I notice yet another group fishing I decide right there and then I am going fishing tomorrow. “NUTS.” I say to myself. I was going to charge my battery in my boat, as it needs it desperately. Then I realize the trip wont be possible until Sunday then I will have a good charge on the battery and I will be ready bask in the sun and hopefully catch that monster I haven’t been able to find in quite a while. Twenty miniatures down the road I see a man standing about 20 yards off the bank of the Indian River wade fishing and he is fighting something fierce. I pull over to watch him as he is being turned around in almost a 180-degree turn. This fish is not going to make this easy for him. Eventually after two nice runs and a couple nice headshakes I watched this unknown wade fisherman land a nice 15 pound Snook. He looked over at me sitting in my vehicle and gave a Tiger Woods like fist shake. I proceeded to roll down my window and give him one back. As I looked in all of my mirrors I pulled off the shoulder and climbed back onto A1A to continue on my original mission. Work. Once again I am driving and it finally dawns on me. I don’t need the boat I am going wade fishing on Florida’s treasure coast.

The state of Florida has Florida has more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams & waterways. All of these waterways aren’t accessible by boat and a lot of them have some amazing fishing that is within 30 or 40 minutes of your house. As a boat owner I was reluctant to try this new style of fishing but once I walked up on a school of jacks and had them racing around my feet I knew this style of fishing had an upper hand on fishing from a boat. The ability to “stalk” fish is really exciting and I promise you once you have tried it you will find yourself leaving the boat and reaching for your waders.

There are many places on A1A that have walk in spots that wade fisherman utilize all the time. They are little cut outs in the mangroves that one can walk in to and get away from the craziness of everyday life. And believe exciting fish and me these little spots can hold some big. There are also parks that line the coastline that are owned by the state. Most of these parks allow fishing and during the right time of year there are plenty of opportunities to be had for boaters and wade fisherman alike. Florida’s biggest kept wade fishing secret is the number of mosquito ditches that hold large numbers of fish. The ditches can be a great spot to catch Snook snapper and redfish.

But the real key is the miles of beams that separate the rivers and ditches. Next time you are driving on the east side of the river and see a yellow gate. Pull over and take a walk you will be surprised on how far those beams will take you and how much wildlife you will see. You will even find that in some cases you will be able to get to and fish spots that you neighbor with the $30,000 cant get to. Now that is what I am talking about. Another recommendation is to take a bike on long excursions. You will be able to travel and cover a lot more ground and sneak up on some pretty interesting critters.

I encourage all of you to explore our state. We have access to so many diverse ecosystems and there are more than just fish to be seen out on the flat. You might spook the Great Blue Heron or even have a close encounter with a manatee. The mosquitoe ditches provided endless wildlife viewing. Take advantage of these pathways into uncharted territory. They will lead you to some places that you will for sure want to revisit

There are all kinds of things you will need and hopefully the rest of this article covers most of them.

GEAR
That night I started to gather all of the gear I thought I might need and then some.
I grabbed my rods and my tackle box. I then grabbed a pair of my neoprene duck hunting waders, next I grabbed some reseal able plastic bags to put anything and everything I didn’t want to get wet. I later found this was one of the best things to bring. They will hold everything from your cell phone to your fishing license. I also used one of those plastic tackle box lures inserts to hold the few lures and jigs I wanted to bring. You always will want to grab bottled water or some kind of bottled drink. I bring one because usually that is all there is room for.

FISHING RODS
The next morning as I arrived at my chosen location I put on my waders and pulled the rods out of the back of my truck and then realized something. I had to choose one rod. “Ha!“ I said to myself what was I thinking. This brings us to rod selection. Make sure before you head out you have decided on ONE rod and make sure the rod you choose is one that you can do it all with. From live baiting to jig fishing to the ever-exciting top water fishing. Also. Choose a rod that doesn’t wear you out. A bigger rod that is heavier and more bulky will wear you out a lot faster than a smaller more lightweight stick. Remember you will be casting in a different position then when you are on a boat. Your stomach and your chest are almost at water level. This forces you to work a couple different arm muscles that a boat angler doesn’t use.

TACKLE
Make sure to carry an arsenal of artificial when you are wade fishing, but make sure you don’t over do it. The last thing you want is one of everything. You wont use half of what you tote out there. I recommend picking five lures and jigs that are your absolute favorite. If you are bringing jigs grab a couple extra because you know they will get torn up. I personally pick out my lures and jigs and then put them in a heavy duty reseal able bag and put it in the inside of my waders. (It will stick against your chest.) I would encourage everyone check into a product made by a company named TALS. They are the makers of what they call the “practical fishing system” This looks like a perfect tool for people that like to wade fish. Notice how everything is right at your fingertips. It also has a little drop down tray to set say a lure or pliers on. This really looks neat and I am interested in checking one of these out.

CLOTHING
This could be one of the more important things to get right when wade fishing. If you wear pants you are going to sweat to death in neoprene waders. I highly recommend wearing a lightweight pair of shorts. I say lightweight because any extra material on your shorts will bench up and get folded inside the waders. This doesn’t seem like a huge deal but as you get into deeper water the pressure increases just enough to push those extra pieces of lumpy material into your legs and it can be very annoying.

As far as a shirt goes I recommend a long sleeved shirt that can be modified into a short sleeved shirt by unzipping the sleeves. In the early hours out and around mangroves the mosquitoes are bad but the no-see-ums are and can be so bad that they will make you want to end your wade fishing trip early. After the sun comes up a bit you can leave the sleeves on and protect your skin from the suns or take then off and get a tan.

Lastly, make sure you have sun block and bug spray. These two items can be bulky and hard to tote around. I recommend applying them before you leave your car or truck. It will be enough to get you thru and you wont have the added weight.

All of this information is just to get you started. There are so many things to remember when going wade fishing; it is almost good to start your own checklist to make sure you have it all. The last thing you want to do is get 200 yards out into the mangroves and realize you forgot your favorite top water plug as you watch the Snook nailing mullet like there is no tomorrow. I only say that because it has happened to me! Remember if you haven’t tried wading fishing get out there and giving it a shot. It is amazing the amount of fish you can sneak up on.

FFAH-