Space Coast Reds

By Jan S. Maizler
Article & Travel Editor
Photos By Jan S. Maizler

A Travel Note

It’s important to understand that despite the current status of the Space Shuttle program, Kennedy Space Center is alive and well. All of its’ wonderful attractions, displays, and offerings are in full force and effect – enjoy it!

Space Coast Splendor

There’s no place in Florida – or in the world – to compare with this region stretching roughly from Melbourne north to New Smyrna Beach. The triple-habitat waters of the Indian River, Banana River, and Mosquito Lagoon provide an astonishing fishery for redfish, black drum and seatrout with bonus populations of snook, seasonal tarpon, sheepshead, jacks, and bluefish. The beaches, inlets, and shallow seas offer a bounty of kingfish, tripletails, and giant jacks as well. But the flats of the region achieve five-star prominence in featuring the biggest shallow water redfish in the state and some of the biggest seatrout as well.

The Space Coast is a vast area that rests on the main cities of Melbourne, Cocoa, and Titusville. These last two cities provide a wealth of water and land-based activities, non-angling attractions, and a cascade of excellent dining venues. This lively stretch of Florida coast blesses surfers with some great water. And to the west is the huge city of Orlando, making the Space Coast so very accessible.

Yet the Crown Jewel of the regions’ attractions is the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). While it would take a few books to describe this titan, here are a few things you and yours can do there. These include the KSC visitor complex, Lunch with an Astronaut, KSC Today and Tomorrow visitor complex, Astronaut Training Experience Tour, KSCs’ Ultimate Space Experience, and countless other offerings. After many visits there, I can assure new travelers to KSC that they’re in for an awesome and moving experience.

And, There’s Always Planning

My initial contacts with Captain David Rogers originated in reading some of his comprehensive fishing reports for CyberAngler. I visited his web site and was really impressed with two images of huge redfish, one a 30-pound bull caught on fly by colleague Chico Fernandez and the other, a giant redfish seemingly roaring in David’s arms! And the pictures of monster redfish – which David calls “slobberknockers” – seemed to go on and on.

His web site revealed a long personal angling history and an equally impressive resume of extensive expert fishing for redfish along the Space Coast. His flats boat was certainly a winner, offering his customers super-shallow draft abilities with no hull slap and comfortable ride in a gleaming 17.8 Hells Bay Professional Guide with spray rails powered by a 60 H.P Mercury engine. His rig was graced with a bow-mounted electric trolling motor, which is an absolute necessity in these waters to chase down schools of huge reds in waters as deep as five feet. The pushpole in these waters is limited in efficiency to “grazing” happy fish in very shallow water.

Time to Fish

I planned on driving up from Miami the night before the two days we would fish. I chose the Holiday Inn – Titusville right off I-95. This put me no more than ten minutes from the Titusville Bait Shack, which would be our rendezvous point at 5:30 a.m.

I timed the car trip for the wee hours after checking whether there were any roadwork closures for I-95. Night travel gave me more unencumbered freedom from other cars, which to me is as important as fishing away from pressuring boats. So the trip to Titusville was relatively quick and event-free.

Next morning, we met at the “Shack” and David picked up a good supply of bait, which included live crabs, live shrimp, live pinfish, and ladyfish chunks. With such an array of offerings, it was clear he meant business and wanted to leave nothing to chance, including any daily feeding preferences of bull reds.

To simplify matters, I parked my car there and got in his S.U.V. On our way to the launch, David told me that he’d been finding more large redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon and we would not be launching at Parrish Park on the Indian River. Yet the drive past Parrish was only perhaps another fifteen minutes before we were turning off into a snug launch area directly on the “ ‘Goon.”

It was indeed fortunate that David insisted on an early “meet time” since there were and are many boats from all over Florida that come to fish these fruitful flats. Though the waters are expansive, the boat ramps can get crowded – even on Fridays, which, in fact, was our Day #1 of fishing. David was the second boat at the ramp. In short order, he backed his trailer in the water and his skiff easily slid off the smooth and slick bunks of his trailer.

Battle Stations!

After idling away from the ramp, David hit the throttle and snaked his way around some shallow flats and then leveled off his skiff to accelerate into that green expanse called the Mosquito Lagoon. I was glad the sun was barely up and hoped I’d get some dawn fishing shots – which I did! The run was only fifteen minutes and David slowed down, cut his engine, and lowered his “electric” into the water.

Since the waters were flat calm, he accelerated his trolling motor ever so slightly, a tactic worth noting for fishing the still conditions here. In the distance, we could see the edge of a flat that was alive with showering mullet. David said, “That’s what we’re looking for.” He also told me to be on the lookout for any big “wakes” or “pushes” of redfish schools that could easily break the glassy surface.

As we got close to casting distance, he told me to grab one of the spinning rods in the vertical holders and bait the circle hook with a ladyfish chunk. He felt that this bait came closest to matching the hatch. I cast the offering into the melee as soon as I thought I could reach it. Within seconds of closing my bail, my line tightened hard and I reeled down on the hit without striking back with the rod. The braided line melted off the reel with the kind of sound that only “braid” can make. After five minutes, I had a nice ten-pound fish next to the boat for photos and release. David said, “Let’s get a bigger one.” This was the only place in Florida where a guide could be so humorously “disappointed” that the redfish wasn’t bigger.

And that’s exactly what we did. Three fish later- two for David and one more for me – I cast to a big “push” along the edge of the flat and was hit within seconds. After I wound down on the fish, the drag kept screaming as the fish ran for almost a hundred yards! This felt like bonefishing with the addition of some very vicious headshakes that reds are known for. Though it needed no mention, David said, “slobberknocker.” It took a seesaw battle of twenty minutes before I had the fish alongside and we both estimated the fish to be about twenty-five pounds. We both “high-fived” as we’d accomplished our story mission within the first hour of our two days of fishing. This bull redfish made a great photo subject, as it was thick, brick red, and full of mean intentions.

The rest of the trip was a template of this first hour- look for wakes, showering mullet, or glowing orange balls of bull redfish schools. We never departed from ladyfish chunks because of their durability on the hook and perfect compact casting profile. The two-day tally was seventeen nice redfish from one “rat” to fish in the mid-twenties.

That first night and the next night as well, the moments before sleep became photo replays of all the wonderful action of each day – stunning sunrises, seemingly endless green watery expanses, and head-shaking, drag-screaming bull reds. This is the nightcap of a truly great destination.

Dixie Crossroads

This venerable eatery is like the Taj Mahal of seafood and it lies in the heart of Titusville. My custom is to dine at the Crossroads whenever I’m visiting this great city. Every day after finishing my fishing with Captain David, I’d meet my wife there. Though there were always limitless seafood choices, I’d always opt for the Cape Canaveral Special, which consists of a dozen shrimp, two-dozen rock shrimp, and a quarter pound of scallops. I’d surround this marvelous dish with clam chowder, cole slaw, and a big slice of Key Lime pie. The food, service, and ambiance are top-notch and every meal is a satisfying and memorable experience. Every trip to the Space Coast should include Dixie Crossroads.

Contact Data

Captain David Rogers
Phone: 407-405-0819
Web Site: www.aaahawgwildcharters.com
Email: redfishin@hotmail.com

Dixie Crossroads Restaurant
1475 Garden Street
Titusville, Florida
Phone: 321-268-5000
Web Site: www.dixiecrossroads.com
Email: info@dixiecrossroads.com

Kennedy Space Center (NASA)
Phone Inquiries: 321-867-5000
Web Site: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/

Kennedy Space Center Tours
Phone: 888-838-8915
Web Site: www.kennedyspacecentertours.net

See all the photos from the outing in Jan Maizler's Photo Gallery.