When a Plan … B comes together

When planning trips for “Wild Fish Wild Places” we need cooperation from many different entities such as government, tourism, airlines and outfitters. This type of planning takes months and months of hard work and communication. So, when a trip falls apart just days before the departure date, it is a test to get something else lined up.

The Wild Fish crew had the bags packed and ready for a long trip to the country of Colombia to chase the Payara, Peacock Bass and many different species of Piranha around the Rio Orinoco basin. A day and a half before the departure date we received a call from the booking agent with the news that the outfitter had to go in for emergency surgery and cancelled our trip. With network obligations to fulfill and our biggest filming trip of the year cancelled, it was time to use our network of friends to schedule a trip.

My first call was to our great friends in Orlando from Fishing Florida Radio. Ortego and Steve Chapman responded immediately with some ideas that could possibly save our season.

We re-booked flights and made plans to head to the sunshine state in a few short days. Ortego, owner of Tackle Webs, had a pro-staffer that was on the big Red Fish in Sebastian that he felt would be a great fit to the show. We confirmed the plans and made our way to beautiful Florida.

When we arrived in Sebastian to meet up with Capt. Glyn Austin, the sun was rising and the tide was outgoing, perfect for this type of fishing. Glyn painted a picture of giant Redfish feasting on crab floating out to sea on the outgoing tide and a plethora of top water action. It all seemed a little too good to be true but here we go.

As we approached the buoy line and manned the I pilot, Glyn ran through the pre-game drill.

“Watch for the explosions, cast 10 feet up current of them and twitch the top water bait,” he said. “Make sure you don’t over work them, just wiggle them. Otherwise they won’t hit it.”

John BooDreaux from Fishing Florida Radio made the first accurate cast with the Rapala Skitterwalk to an explosion and it was game on. Five minutes into the morning and we are chasing a giant Red toward the breakers, 10 minutes later a 45-inch behemoth is landed for the cameras. As the day progressed you could actually watch the crab come floating by your boat as if they were just waiting to get slammed.

We finished the day with 12 Redfish to the boat using Storm Chug Bug’s and Rapala Skitterwalk’s, 11 of them were 40-inches or longer. Austin has this fishery figured out to such intricate detail I swear he had the fish named.

This has to be one of the most incredible fisheries I have ever witnessed. A 40-inch Redfish seems like a once-in-a-lifetime fish for most anglers and to get 11 in one day just mind blowing. If you are ever looking to catch some great fish in the Sebastian area, get in touch with Austin. He is a world-class fisherman and one of the most enjoyable guides we have ever fished with.

Check him out at www.goingcoastalcharters.com.