A strange phenomenon is taking place on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon. There are more ladies fishing the flats. 
It seems to be very popular and exciting for the ladies. I am not sure if it is the hunt for redfish, the drag screaming, and the sheer power of the fish or the opportunity to catch a fish of a lifetime. Whatever it is the ladies have some great fun pulling on the monster reds and the sea trout.
The ladies I have had on the boat are eager to learn about the redfish. I think the hunt is thrilling because they see sights they have never seen before. Witnessing first hand a school of 200 plus redfish tailing and fining above the water line is exciting and intriguing. The big redfish can be very picky at times and patience is required. That is one thing I see the ladies have over some of us guys.
I know once you are hooked up on a “SLOBBERKNOCKER” and the drag begins to scream it becomes very addictive. On a recent charter Falon Quast had a superb day as she boated three redfish and two of those fish were over thirty pounds. She said “I could do this everyday! This is awesome.”
She made that statement while she was fighting a 36 pound redfish. On that same trip her mother Marge and friend Lauren Gause also boated two big redfish. The smallest fish we landed was 22 pounds. We hooked nine reds that morning and boated seven. The ladies had a great day and were pretty tired at the end of the trip.
I have seen ladies fishing with many guides this year. It seems to be catching on more than ever before. Two other ladies who fished with me had been fishing several times on the Mosquito Lagoon, yet neither had ever caught a redfish. This time their day had arrived. Brenna Williams and Lynsee Vetter both caught some nice redfish. Brenna got things rolling with a nice 20 plus pound redfish. The smile on her face was awesome. It was not long after Brenna landed her fish when Lynsee hooked her first redfish. Moments later her big red was posing for photos. Lynsee hooked another one and by now a crowd had gathered when Lynsee said, “Hey guys us girls are out fishing all you guys.” Ouch! We left that area and found another school of redfish and the girls did a little tag team wrestling with this fish. Together they landed a 25 pound redfish. They had finally achieved their goal.
Another interesting thing I have noticed when a couple are fishing, the lady seems to always catch the largest fish. I have had several charters where the husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend, fish together, the lady land the big one. I don’t know what causes this phenomenon, but it never seems to fail. Of course, being a good captain I have to pick on the guys a little bit. We have a lot of fun and a few laughs during the trip.
I think the sheer power of the monster reds is thrilling for anyone who fishes. Most of the ladies have never caught a fish that large. Truthfully there are many people who have not landed fish this big. The size and power will challenge the best anglers. I hope to see more ladies each year taking up the sport of flats fishing. Take a lady fishing!
Tight Lines and Good Fishing
