Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, February 21, 2008

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Typically, the reports I write are about catching trophy redfish, black drum, and sea trout on the Indian River Lagoon system, but in this case, this is truly a fishing report.  You see, out of the three charter opportunities I had last week, all were scheduled on days with unfavorable weather condition, two were canceled, and the third should have been. 

Day before yesterday, I had the pleasure on fishing with Kristy and her father John from southern Illinois, and they wanted to fish regardless of the weather. I knew we were in for a tough day when at 7am there were only three boat trailers in the Parish Park lot. As I launched my skiff a steady north wind had already kicked up a solid two-foot swell, and as the day progressed, conditions only worsened. 

Kristy and John were great clients, and thankfully they were just as excited about being on the water together as they were catching fish, because after five hours of hard fishing, our score was 6 hardhead catfish and two buck tooth toadies.  Again the porpoises and manatees saved the day and there wasn’t an ounce of snow to be found anywhere.

This morning I tried it again, meeting my good friend Captain John Kumiski at around 7am, and then he and I ventured into the Banana River No-Motor Zone on a scouting mission.  Again our expectations were low due to overcast skies, blustery northeast winds of 15 plus knots, and the full moon.  Altogether we spent about 3 hours looking, and called the day early with very few shots at fish and rain squalls approaching from the west.  We did see a few decent redfish and black drum, but we were unsuccessful in making the connection.

On a side note, I did catch a fat pompano and a few whiting off of the beach on sand fleas while fishing with a group of friends.

Altogether it was an extremely tough week of catching, and as the moon wanes, the bite can only improve.

Seminars and Events

March 1^st, 2^nd, and 8^th 9^th Bass Pro Shop Spring Fling, Orlando Florida

March 8^th Woman in the Outdoors presents a Kids Fishing Day.  Event includes a full day of activities and lunch, and the cost is $25 per child. To register, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464-2000.

April 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, Coastal Angler Magazine Boating and Fishing Expo, Melbourne, Florida.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

For contact info visit our Fishing Guide section at www.flyfishingfl.com

The winter fishing here in east central Florida continues to be excellent. Redfish, black drum, and seatrout are our primary species this time of year and all three have been readily available. The water levels over the past two weeks have been low resulting in some great sight fishing opportunities.

On Sunday, January 27, I fished the second annual fly fishing tournament sponsored by The Fly Fisherman in Titusville . This event had been cancelled the previous two weeks due to poor weather. This day turned out to be a poor day for fly fishing but the tournament went on as planned. When I arrived at the ramp with my partner, Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch, it was raining and the winds were blowing around 20. Unable to see any fish in the low light, we spent the first couple hours blind casting and picked up one redfish. By late morning, the sun came out but the wind continued blowing. We had steady shots at redfish and big trout throughout the day. Casting was difficult but the hardest part was trying to stop the boat before the wind blew us on top of the fish. Capt. Keith and I each caught two more redfish by sight casting a small rattling crab type pattern. Our five reds were good enough for a second place finish in this catch, photo, and release tournament with the winning team having caught six reds.

Tuesday, I joined captains Tom Van Horn and John Kumiski in the Banana River non motor zone. The weather had improved significantly and we came across a large school of big redfish tailing along the edge of a flat. I hooked a fish around 40 inches with a green crab fly using my 7wt.

www.flyfishingfl.com

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Remember in my last report, when I suggested calling in sick during the winter and going fishing on the really nice days.  Well such was the case last week when my good friend Captain Chris Myers suggested we dump all responsibilities and go fishing in the Banana River Lagoon No-Motor Zone.  The weather forecast looked great, so I eagerly agreed, and we invited along another good friend of ours, Captain John Kumiski.

On Florida terms it was cold out (morning temperatures in the in low 50’s), so we launched around 8:30am giving the flats a chance to warm up.  The weatherman hit it right for a change, and the lagoon welcomed us with slick calm conditions.  As we worked our way into the Zone, we soon located multiple schools of slot size redfish, but the glassy conditions made them super spooky, and we could not get within casting distance before they would bump up and move.  It is extremely frustrating when the redfish in the NMZ are spooky as those in the Mosquito Lagoon, so we pushed on in search of sweeter waters and happier fish.

Continuing on, Captain Chris soon spotted a group of huge tails casually bobbing up and down in deeper water, so we staked out the canoe and waded in with our fly rods.  Soon, we were at the edge of what we thought was a small school of monster redfish with their massive tails glimmering in the sun’s reflection.  Being very careful not to spook the school we quietly took up our positions about 100 feet apart.  Very few things in life get your blood pumping like a school of giant tails waving at you within casting range. Chris was the first to line a fish, which bumped  them up revealing the true size of the school, and it was huge!  As the fish pushed away we were unsure of how they would behave, but to my luck, they settled down right in front of me.  Within a few casts, I lined one and the school pushed up again only to move about fifty feet before settling down once more, and that’s when Chris made a solid strip set and the real entertainment began.

After practicing CPR, (catch, photograph, and release) on Chris’s fish, the large school moved off into deeper waters never to be seen again, so we continued our search.  Before long, the south wind picked up, and we ended the day with a score of: Chris, three redfish, John, two black drum and puller hooks on two large redfish, and I caught a 30-inch redfish and a small black drum, a good day by anyone’s terms.

The remainder of the week, my charters lead me to the Mosquito Lagoon and the St. Johns River with mixed results.  On the 1^st of February, I the pleasure of fishing with Randy Lewis, and even with a challenging south wind, he caught two redfish and a black drum, with the largest redfish estimated to be around 25-pounds. 

On the February 3^rd, it was great to fish with Michael Grant from my Freedom Hawk Kayaks on an early morning quest for American Shad on the St. Johns River.  The fog was so thick it was like paddling through the clouds.  The shad were there in good numbers, but we only managed one.  The reason I say they were there, numerous anglers were having a banner day as we watched with frustration.  You see, the shad were running deep and I only had floating fly line, I won’t make that mistake again.  All and all, it was a beautiful morning nonetheless.

Good luck, good fishing, and Happy New Year,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Visit his site under the guides section at www.flyfishingfl.com

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors Apopka, Florida

Well those Anglers not familiar to Florida may believe fishing opportunities in February are few but far between, but that thought could not be further from the truth.  In reality, angling during the winter on the Indian River Lagoon Coast produces outstanding catches if the right tactics and strategies are employed.

As always, understanding the cycle of passing cold fronts is essential selecting the proper weather day and having the flexibility to get out on the water while the getting is good will add to one’s success.  Passing cold fronts are notorious for delivering several days nasty windy conditions followed by a short window of gorgeous weather, and a prudent angler will focus there attention on boat and tackle maintenance and honey dos during periods on ugly weather and call in sick when conditions are right.

With sea trout, black drum, and redfish serving as the primary targets on the inshore flats, water temperature serves as the most critical element in locating and catching fish.  On colder days, sea trout will search out and congregate in the warmest water they can find, so focus your attention in deeper holes and pockets adjacent to shallow flats.  Another critical element is the fact fish are cold blooded, so during colder periods their metabolic rate slows way down and they eat less, so concentrate your efforts on dredge holes, troughs, depressions, and canals located next to expansive flats, and slow down your presentation to a crawl.   My preferred lure in this situation is a Nite Glow Riptide realistic Shrimp rigged on a 1/16 ounce Screw Lock Jig.  My tactic is to locate a deeper canal adjacent to an expanse of shallow flats and then cast to the edges and let the jig sink all the way to the bottom before retrieving it very slowly.  After the cold snap passes and the weather starts warming up, focus your attention on sandy potholes where both sea trout and redfish like basking in the warming sun.    Also, let us not forget the tailing black drum and redfish on the Banana River Lagoon No Motor Zone.  There are very few thing in life that get the heart pumping better than the sight of a huge black tail raising slowly out of the water within casting range, and one of those is the first long run of a big black drum in shallow water. Remember, an early start is not necessary if the weather gets cold, so sleep in and hit the water when sun has warmed the flats a bit.

Moving offshore, kingfish will still be consistent along the inshore reefs and wrecks, and they will remain there as long as the water temperature stays above 68 degrees.  When targeting kings, focus on bottom structure in the areas of 8A reef, Pelican Flats, and Bethel Shoals to the south. Live bait is often tough to find this time of year, so always carry a box of frozen Spanish sardines with you as backup.

Also look for cobia and amberjack to be present on the inshore wrecks like the Carol Lee, Dutch, and Sub Wreck out of Port Canaveral, and let us not forget the excellent grouper and snapper experienced in February as these fish have a tendency to move in on shallow bottom structure and wrecks.  Near-shore, look for tripletail concentrations to improve greatly along the Port Canaveral buoy line and under floating weeds and structure, and for cobia to move in shadowing manta rays if the surface water temperatures reach the upper sixties.

February is also a great time for shore anglers to target pompano, bluefish, weakfish, small black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and whiting in the surf and larger redfish and flounder around the inlets and jetties. As the water temperatures cool, the pompano should move out of the lagoon and gather in the troughs along the beach in search of mole crabs (sand fleas) their favorite winter food source.

Last but not least, February is a great time to check out those freshwater fishing holes on the St Johns River, and inshore lakes.  Currently some good catches of American shad, speckled perch, and largemouth bass are being reported.

February 9^th Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka, Woman in the Outdoors presents the Ladies Social Angler Seminar and Wine Tasting, from 9am-2pm.  Cost to attend is $40 per person and includes one-year membership and subscription to The Woman in the Outdoors. To register, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors (407) 464-2000.

March 1^st, 2^nd, and 8^th 9^th Bass Pro Shop Spring Fling, Orlando Florida

March 8^th Woman in the Outdoors presents a Kids Fishing Day.  Event includes a full day of activities and lunch, and the cost is $25 per child. To register, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464-2000.

April 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, Coastal Angler Magazine Boating and Fishing Expo, Melbourne, Florida.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.

Good luck, good fishing, and Happy New Year,

Captain Tom Van Horn

To visit Captain Tom Van Horn’s site go to our guide section at www.flyfishingfl.com