Chasing Reds
- Rick Stewart
- Feb 8
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 12
All we needed was one that day to make us happy, as we were in search of another first for Kelsie, this time it would not be a turkey, but a fish. More specifically a redfish.
Every fisherman has a certain species of fish that they will chase above all others, for me that is the redfish. A saltwater fish of red and gold color, easily told by its distinct spot at the base of its tail, built like a torpedo, with a fight that will tire even the strongest of arms. I have been chasing these fish since I was a boy, and I started chasing them in a place called Mosquito Lagoon.
This story takes us to New Smyrna Beach, Florida at the northernmost point of Mosquito Lagoon. Mosquito Lagoon is a body of water located on the east coast of Florida in Brevard and Volusia counties. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from the Ponce de Leon Inlet to a point north of Cape Canaveral and connects to the Indian River via the Haulover Canal. I have been coming to this body of water since I was old enough to be on a boat, and I always cherish any time I get to spend there.
It’s late June of 2020, the year of covid quarantine, and we have decided to take a week-long trip to Florida for Kelsie’s birthday. Well if you're going to be near what I consider to be one of the best places to fish in central Florida you may as well book a fishing charter. My father set us up on a trip with a guide named John Frazier of Inland Fishing Charter, whom we have fished with before, and had great success catching our limit of trout, with a few redfish to sweeten the deal. Our fishing group consisted of Kelsie, Brad, my father, and me.
We left the Airbnb at 5 am on the morning of the 29th. After stopping at the gas station for some drinks, and a short delay waiting on a half-drunk guy trying to operate the ATM, we were on our way to the fish camp.
We were taking off that morning from the famous JB’s Fish Camp located at the intersection of Pompano Ave and Turtlemound Rd. JB’s had a dirt parking lot, featured a seafood restaurant, and served as a pick-up and drop-off point for a lot of the local fishing guides. On weekends, and certain weeknights you could come and see live music while snagging a drink at the bar. At six o’clock in the morning, however, the place was a ghost town. We grabbed our bags, and a small cooler and headed for the dock. Our guide John was already there waiting for us, his navigation lights still on from the dark boat ride over to the fish camp.
We got settled in on the boat, as John backed away from the dock, and we were off to our first spot of the day. As the boat glided into the spot we were immediately met by the Mosquito Lagoon welcome party, a swarm of gnats that instantly covered our legs. We spent the next forty minutes swatting at our legs and passing around bug spray, which had about the same effectiveness as spitting on a house fire. Once the sun got a little higher, and the temperature began to rise, the gnats retreated to whatever hell they came from. Finally able to focus on fishing and not the agonizing itch from the gnat bites, the first fish was finally caught.
Brad’s reel was screaming from the line being stripped off his reel as he picked the rod tip up to set the hook. It was more muscle memory than anything as the fish had already hit the bait with enough force to set the hook itself. As we looked to the end of his line we could see the unmistakable V wake of a redfish. Everyone reeled up their baits so there wasn’t anything in the way when bringing such a prized cooler trophy to the boat. After a decent fight, John dipped his net in the water, scooped up the fish, and flopped it on the deck. Now you are never upset when someone catches a fish on a charter, but with the decline of the natural grasses in the lagoon, we knew the redfish were getting harder and harder to catch. While this was a group fishing trip I think it was an unspoken goal that we wanted to get Kelsie a redfish for her birthday.
Brad took his celebratory photo, and John placed the fish in the cooler. Brad finally looked back at my dad and me, and I think we were both shooting daggers from our eyes. Brad immediately said, “I probably should have handed the rod to Kelsie." We all let it go and got back to fishing. It was 6:44 am and we still had four hours of fishing left to do.
We spent the next three and a half hours moving spots and catching a couple of trout at each spot. We ended up catching a total of eight trout to go with our single redfish. At about 10 am we decided to move to one last spot before it was time to head back to JB’s. At this point, I was starting to let myself become a little frustrated as I could see the time running out to get Kelsie her redfish.
John got the boat into position, and we all cast our baits out in different directions. As we waited for a fish to bite, I was focused on Kelsie’s line more than my own, which is probably why I missed the hook set when a fish hit my bait. It was a rookie mistake and the voice in my head was yelling at me to focus on the task. My internal thoughts were interrupted when Kelsie’s line started screaming off the reel. John immediately says what we are all already thinking “It’s a redfish, get the net”. Brad reaches for the net to hand to John, and I reach for my phone to start recording Kelsie fighting the fish. As the fish got closer and closer to the boat, I was on pins and needles knowing that at any moment the fish could turn the wrong way and spit the hook. Finally, he was within net range, John talked Kelsie through what he needed her to do to get the fish in the net. He took one scoop with the net and put the redfish on the deck.
Kelsie was smiling ear to ear when that fish finally hit the deck of the boat. The best part was I got the whole fight and reaction on video so that we can always look back on that moment. John took the hook out, picked it up with a fish gripper, and handed it to Kelsie. I think I took 20 different pictures of her holding that fish, and I was smiling as big as she was. I was happy and relieved that we finally completed our goal of getting her that first redfish.
We decided to take some group pictures of Kelsie, Brad, and myself with our fish. I didn’t have a redfish to hold up so I grabbed two trout for the picture. We put the fish back in the cooler and headed back to JB’s.
We unloaded the boat and watched John clean the fish. Enjoying the show of him throwing the carcasses to the catfish that obviously knew where to hang out for a free meal. We thanked and tipped John for everything, and watched him take off to get another group to fish a little farther south. After a seafood lunch and some celebratory drinks, we headed back to our Airbnb, and then back to the beach to enjoy the rest of our vacation.
If you are looking for a great fishing guide around the Mosquito Lagoon area be sure to check out John Frazier. All his info and booking availability can be found at: https://www.inlandfishingcharter.com/. I can promise you won’t be disappointed.
A final note about the Lagoon. This fishing trip took place almost two years ago. While we were there a lot of the natural grasses which made this a paradise for redfish, (especially the big bull reds that came in the winter) were on the decline as they had been for years. Not only has this made it harder for fishing guides on the water but it has also completely devastated the manatee population, not only in the lagoon but also in the rest of the Indian River Lagoon System. Many organizations such as CCA Florida, Captains for Clean Water, and VoteWater, have put a huge effort into the restoration of these habitats and acting as a voice of the people to the government. Links to all these organizations can be found below if you would like to get involved in this Florida habitat crisis. Even if you can not get involved hands-on, any donations would greatly help in this effort.
If you visit Florida, whether that be to enjoy the beach, Theme parks, or in the pursuit of any of the fish and wildlife that live here, please remember to leave it cleaner than you found it, because while you may be just visiting, the people who live there depend on those waters for their livelihoods, so please respect it.
Written by: Ricky Stewart
CCA FLORIDA: https://ccaflorida.org/
Captains For Clean Water: https://captainsforcleanwater.org/
Vote Water: https://votewater.org/
Comments