Preston Hearn spotted movement in the water. Looking closely, he found an Alligator Gar, a fish that can grow up to six feet long, swimming along the Titusville river bank. After getting within catching distance, Hearn got his lure five feet in front of the fish and waited for it to swim over. With one swift move, Hearn shifted the rod toward the Gar which successfully hooked onto it.
“I was speechless. I was using a rod that was meant to be for smaller fish, so I had to be careful and take my time railing it in,” Hearn said.
Hearn started fishing when he was 4 years old, first introduced to it by his dad and grandpa. When he started, he would only fish bass in the pond near his great grandmother’s house. After learning how to properly angle the line and throw the hook accurately, Hearn moved to locations outside the pond, now taking on both freshwater and saltwater fishing as well.
“I like the thrill of watching the fish swimming in shallow water and slowly applying all the techniques to catch them,” Hearn said. “I throw the lure a good distance in front of the fish so it can cross the path of the lure and catch them.”
Some of his favorite spots to fish include Titusville and Merritt Island. His favorite types of fish to catch are Red Drum fish, Snook and Alligator Gar, while most of his fishing trips are successful, there can be days when the fish do not want to cooperate.
“Winter time is the hardest time of the year because of the constant temperature changes, fishes do not always come to the surface” Hearn said. “It’s really frustrating but that is something any fisherman deals with so you just have to work around it.”
Hearn typically goes fishing three times a week. When he turned 17, he had to get one license for recreational fishing for saltwater and another for freshwater. Costing $50 each, Hearn’s licenses have to be renewed every year to continue his hobby. However, that is not the only cost, everything from equipment, bait and maintenance cost for the boat, Hearn spends $100 in lures alone.
While Hearn doesn’t enjoy the pricey nature of his hobby, he hopes can get sponsors from making social media content to help pay for the cost.
“I just try as hard as I can, creating good content and stuff that people can see, that way I can continue fishing as I have,” Hearn said.
