Goat Creek Kayak Fishing

Happy Monday Spacefish!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! My family had a wonderful Christmas, it is such a magical time to experience Christmas with two young children, you can see the magic through their eyes, and it is truly special. In addition to great family time, I smoked two butts, and 3 racks of ribs, and it was fantastic!

I had a very Merry Snookmas on my last trip before Christmas day at Goat Creek. I have to give a huge shoutout to Luke Foster, a fantastic young angler, who attends Melbourne Central Catholic, he gave me a great run down on Goat Creek one day during finals week, and I have to say all of his advice was on point as I had a dynamite day fishing back there.

Launch Spot

So the launch spot is a bit tricky here, as there really isn’t a public park close by, I just backed my truck up and unloaded the kayak right from a grassy area off of US Highway 1 just south of the mouth of Goat Creek. https://maps.app.goo.gl/3T7FSNwApds1RtuT8 I put a link to a dropped pin, but there are several places like this, I also saw someone back their truck down the hill just by the bridge on Goat Creek to fish and then head on. If you get out early you shouldn’t have any issue parking by the side of the road like I did.

Break Down of Goat Creek

The best way I could describe Goat Creek is that it is like Brevard County’s version of the Loxahatchee River, it is a beautiful little waterway where freshwater and saltwater mix. There is a big sandbar at the mouth of the creek that cuts this main creek bed during the parts of the year when the water level drops, so there are residential Snook & Tarpon that get landlocked in there. At the mouth of the creek there are mangroves but as you get further back you see the vegetation change to more of the freshwater look.

This a great place to fish in the winter because this water is much warmer due to the stagnation and muddy bottom, and it offers wind protection and because it is a hard place to get a boat into, you are also able to target fish that are much less pressured.

Speaking of pressure, it was really nice not having to deal with dolphins and manatees, though it is a bit gatory back in there, I did see one Gator on this trip, but they don’t seem to spook the fish like Dolphins do, and unlike manatees that will just sit there and let you hit them with your kayak then freak out, they do a phenomenal job of getting out of the way.

The photo just below was taken just east of the railroad tracks, as I was one my way back up the creek before calling it a day.

Elephants, Peanuts, and KISS

There are three phrases all anglers would do well to remember…

1. 1. “Elephants do, in fact, eat peanuts.”
2. 2. “Match the Hatch.”
3. 3. “Keep it simple, stupid.”

Snook were the primary target on this trip. My MCC angler, Luke has been catching sub-species like Fat Snook, and he has also caught some decent size Common Snook as well as Tarpon, and Largemouth Bass in Goat Creek this year.

Coming off the recent cold snap, I knew Tarpon would be iffy at best, but I had a rod rigged with micro tackle, and my go to small bait presentation to try and see if I could catch a Fat or Swordspine Snook. The Ugly Stik Lite Pro with 8 pound braid, to 15 pound fluorocarbon and the 2 inch Tsunami Salt X Swim Shad is my go to set up. I had caught several smaller and fun sized Snook moving down the creek both on the ultra light tackle, as well as a regular mangrove skipping set up, a 7 foot Ugly Stik Inshore Rod, with a Penn 3000 Reel, 10 pound braid to 25 pound fluorocarbon leader with a 3/0, ⅛ oz screw lock hook to a weedless paddle tail.

But as I made my way past the railroad bridge I came around a curve of the creek where out in the open, Snook were blasting pods of minnow sized fry. My eyes opened as wide as my 5 year old’s on Christmas morning! I grabbed the ultra lite, and cast my minnow profile bait slathered in procure into the frey and after a few turns of the reel felt a thump.

Luckily for me this happened in open water and with the pedal drive kayak I could play the fish with loose drag and use the pedals to my advantage. After the biggest Snook was landed I did have to change to a new swimbait as the hook was nearly bent out. Pictured above are two of the bigger Snook that were caught on the little bait, it’s crazy to see such a little bait in such a big, bucket mouth. Pictured below is the swimbait and frayed leader after the Snook from the cover at the top of the report was landed. When targeting Snook 30 pound leader is a safe bet, I have gotten away with some quality ones on 20. But it’s all relative. Remember you can’t catch anything unless you get the bits first, so I always go out with 15, 20, 25, and 30 and will adjust throughout the day, to the conditions and brightness etc. During the winter I will typically gamble more with light leaders as the fish are more sluggish, and finicky. But with Snook I have caught more away from the structure in the winter and it is not uncommon to see them outside of the mangroves taking advantage of the sun for warmth. Also in a place like Goat Creek which may not have nearly as many predators like Dolphins and bigger Bull Sharks these fish may feel more emboldened to hunt away from the structure.

An Ode to the Backcountry Snook

Snook are my favorite fish. They are all beautiful in their own way, from the big ones down to the baby Snooklets. But by far, my favorite ones are the ones that have that bronzed, died easter egg appearance they get from hanging out in the tannic acid stained backwaters. I think these fish have a beautiful coloration, but they are also the most fun to catch back in these creeks. Especially when you have a chance to catch a big one on ultralight tackle after quietly stalking the winding creeks to get the bite. I thought this was an appropriate time to pay homage to the black backed, backwater bandit, the creek Snook.

Merry Snookmas everyone, best gifts are found under trees!

Conclusion

What an awesome day trip this was on Goat Creek, if you are looking for new spot to have some fun kayak fishing this winter, make sure to give this place a go! Also, make sure to swing in to Kayaks By Bo to check out their post-Christmas sales! Whatever you need for your paddle sports adventures, I can assure you, they have it!

Thanks for taking the time to read. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Until next time!