On the Creek
Dr. D convinced me to go kayaking on the second day of 2009 at Callalisa. Putting in at the park was quite easy, and getting into the thick mangroves with no sight of civilization took little time. On the second big bend in the creek, as we drifted casting into a meander pool, two dolphins surfaced, as if from nowhere, about ten feet from MAD, giving us both quite a start. It proved to be the most exciting moment of the fishing day. Fortunately the exploring was pretty fun. The birdlife was thick, mainly pelicans and osprey. They also had no fish. We paddled 2.5 miles south(ish) until we hit a knot of channels that would have been difficult to remember on the return. Both of us neglected to bring map, compass, or GPS (yes, I know, very bright for our first adventure into a channeled mangrove ecosystem). So we decided to turn back and try the fishing elsewhere. Just as well since there was nothing to be found save mullet and dolphin (though MAD did hook a tiny grunt). Upon our arrival at the landing, several Latino guys were pulling in approximately twenty pounds of mullet with a cast net (~ ten fish of two pounds each). Guess who also forgot to bring a cast net?
We drove our yaks down to the Canaveral Visitors Center in New Smyrna Beach and chatted with some dudes who were hooking trout by free-lining live shrimp from the dock. We paddled south to the oyster bars, casting gulp and spoons to no avail. Drifting back to the dock about two hours later, our greatest action came from pinfish. In short, skunked but satisfied with a good day of paddling, seven miles all told
