Window of weather July 10th was the first day I could go fishing that didn`t rain all day. It was clear skies and flat calm out in the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. I had a group from Chiefland with me, six members of the Joyann Rogers and Doug Cole families.
It was low tide when we left the dock at 11 a.m. Tide wasn`t going to be high until 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Our first stop was mostly to catch some pinfish for cut bait to use for redfish later on, when the water got high enough to approach the oyster bars around some of the keys. We caught a lot of bait fish we put in the cooler and a small speckled trout we released.
It was pretty slow fishing for the first half of our trip. All the rain had turned the water a chocolate brown color, plus it was still pretty low tide as well. Not the best conditions for trout or redfish. I must have released at least 15 catfish in the brackish low water.
We moved over to North Key and on the North side of it as well. There is an area of rolling sandy grass bottom where I had caught big speckled trout before, and we caught a few good trout there. There is a small cut in the shoreline of North Key there where I can slide my pontoon in and up alongside an oyster bar. We all put on a slice of cut bait and cast along the edge of the bar and waited for the big red to strike.
Doug had a strike right away and I netted a 17.5-inch redfish that I released back into the dark water cove. A few seconds later Joyann started tugging back on her rod and reeled in a fine 18-inch speckled trout. With a few more catfish caught, and shaken off, we slipped back out onto the grassy area.
We added a few more big speckled trout there, when I looked out and saw what I thought was a school of stingrays moving across the shallow water. Another glance at the motion and I could see more clearly it was a big school of lumbering bull reds. Great big redfish. Maybe two dozen of em`.
We were still looking at them amazed, when Joyann`s reel started singing as the line was peeled off real quick. It was a big red. He stopped running a few feet before taking all the line from her reel and she started retrieving some, bit by bit. He made another run and spit the hook out. 
Doug Cole with his monster red.
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Then it was Doug`s turn again. On one of my medium light spinning rods he had a hugh redfish on. That fish went around the boat and under the anchor line and zigged and zagged so much I snatched the anchor up and started the engine and started following the fish around. We zigged and zagged for a while until the fish got a little tired and Doug was able to bring it up alongside of us and I snatched him up in the dip net. Whheeeew. I laid him down real soft on the deck and got a quick measurement. 38 inches. A couple of fast snapshots and I slid him over the side and back into his world. He shot out of my arms like a rocket. It turned out the trip was a late Fathers` Day present for Doug. It turned out to be quite a memorable day. We headed back to the dock where I filleted six plump speckled trout. A nice pac-o-fish. And don`t you know, it started raining as my guests left. We`re in the stormy time of the year, but we get these windows of weather in between the rains, and I would like to take you and your family out on my pontoon boat during one of these rain-breaks and you can take home some fresh seafood you caught. thanks, Capt. Dan............e-mail me at shanadan50@hotmail.com.......website is www.inshorefloridafishing.com | 
