fishing - Seashells by Millhill

Our Little Boat Fishing Trip Looking For Keepers

Went out on the little boat yesterday and three of us tried our best to catch a keeper. If we wanted to eat a meal of catfish, we could easily have done so. I caught a couple of large cats when we stopped one of the backwater canals for a swim and then fished from the water. We had more room than when we all tried to cast a line from the Gheenoe.

Other than the catfish, I did get a small snook. He was a silver shimmering beauty! It’s snook season right now, and my older son was hoping to reel one in. All he got was a few catfish himself. My younger son got a small redfish, and we certainly saw more than a few “tailing redfish” along the shore.

Yes, I am beginning to learn fisherman talk. When redfish are eating they circle and show their tail. The ones we watched each seemed to be alone, but they can swim in big groups with their tails above the water, and that’s what the fishermen look for. The ones we watched would swim in a circle and make a large ripple in the calm water. These fish are really beautiful and they are delicious to eat. But size is important when you catch one you want to keep.

Because the little “Yea Mon” Gheenoe has a shallow draft, we can get into the backwater channels where most other boats can’t go. We always find shallow water to swim around in and sand islands when the tide is low.

And we have the place all to ourselves! The water was flowing, and we could drift along in the very warm water. Yes, it’s brown, but it usually is in this area.

florida backwater swimming — Floating in Backwater Chanel

Other than fishing and enjoying the sunny Florida weather, I also did some shell hunting. Because the tide was just coming in, there were a number of sandy beach areas exposed. I found a large shark’s eye shell with a piece missing. Also picked up a crown conch and pear whelk. Picked them up and then had to put them back down. Every shell was inhabited by a hermit crab.

sharks eye and crown conch — Shark’s Eye & Crown Conch

seashell — Slime covered Pear Whelk Shell

I really would have liked to keep those shells as they are all favorites of mine. In fact I don’t think I have ever found a pear whelk. I really wanted that one for my seashell collection! The place to go and get great shells is the Gulf Coast. A vacation may be in order – one day.

I took photos with my iPhone, but because of the extremely sunny conditions, it was difficult. Also, I worry about dropping the darn thing. I really need a waterproof case. Shuffling along the uneven sandy bottom of the canal is tricky. I could step into a hole at any time and drop my phone! My nice camera is still packed away, waiting for me to move into a permanent home.

Once we have our newer, bigger boat, it will be so much easier to grab the phone and get video and photos while the boys fish. Not to mention that fishing will be much more fun! So it’s all a waiting game, which is par for the course in my life. But we still had a very nice day out on the water.

Get Out On The Water in a Gheenoe

Sport fishing is a favorite pastime in Florida and the fish are plentiful. Fishing from shore is easy enough, but getting out on the water means spending money (lots of money) on a boat. Or does it?

When I was in Florida this past summer my son’s friend had come by to go fishing at our rental house on the ICW. He works at Boston Whaler in Edgewater, and the boys got to talking about boats. My son doesn’t have a bunch of money, but would love to have an affordable boat to get out to the little islands all up and down the coast and do some fishing. His friend mentioned a Gheenoe, saying it was a “glorified canoe”. It’s small and affordable with a motor and a good setup wouldn’t cost much more than $5,000 – with the motor and all. They are made right in Titusville, Florida.

It sounded perfect for what my son wanted to do. During the summer, my son looked into it more and visited a place in Maitland which sells the Gheenoe. He ended up with one and loves it. It’s like a canoe, but with a motor, and options to make additions, like comfy seats, lights, etc., and he says it handles big waves very well. He’s come across some fast moving yachts in areas of the ICW which have caused giant swells for him to navigate, and he’s done so without a problem. He even caught his first Redfish not too long ago.

Fishing in Florida For Redfish

fisherman with redfish — This Redfish is a Keeper

My son recently bought a little boat so he could go out on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and do some fishing. One of the most sought after fish on the east coast, around Mosquito Lagoon, is the Redfish. My son was lucky the other day and caught one that is the perfect size to keep. He brought it home and ate it and said it was delicious. I think they are really gorgeous looking fish with that shiny reddish silver and the distinguishing black dot on the tail. Only one fish per person per day is allowed (I believe) and they can’t be over or under a certain size. This one is just about right. Anything much bigger is not allowed to keep and won’t be all that great eating I guess. I’m not a fishing expert, but thought I’d share this image with anyone who loves to fish in Florida. He was using frozen shrimp for bait, I think.