Archive for February 7th, 2008

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

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.

Capt. Tom landed a nice red and a black drum while Capt. John used a black redfish worm fly to land several black drum and had a huge redfish straighten the hook after a good fight.

Thursday, I had a last minute cancellation. The weather was perfect, so I loaded up my flyrod and headed to Mosquito Lagoon. I spent all morning casting to schools of big redfish and black drum. Despite trying about a dozen different flies, I could not get a single bite. I ended the day catching three trout on a black crab pattern.

Monday, my wife was finally able to join me in Mosquito Lagoon on a day when the wind was not blowing. The water was slick calm and we were easily able to see the fins of big redfish and black drum. Julie hooked up first with the best fish of the day on her second cast. Eleven minutes later, she had the 46 inch 33 pound fish at boatside where we snapped a few pictures before sending it back to its friends.

We finished up the day with 9 reds, a black drum and a trout. On the way home, we stopped at the St. John’s River to look for some shad. The bite was slow but I did catch two shad and a speckled perch to add to our total.

Tuesday, I fished with Tom and Rick, a couple of fishing buddies from Indiana making their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. They wanted to try some sight fishing and it was a perfect morning to do just that. With the calm water, we were able to see at least twenty different schools of redfish tailing and finning on the first flat we visited. Rick was at a serious disadvantage having never cast a spinning rod before. Although it sounds like easy fishing having schools of 10-100 fish in every direction, presenting a lure to these wary fish can be easier said than done. It took a bit of trial and error but we managed to get seven redfish to the boat by the end of the day. Rick had a battle with the biggest fish of the day right at the final bell a 32 inch fish around 15 pounds.

The redfish have been feeding heavily on small crabs which means flies and small soft plastics such as the DOA crab will get their attention. Accuracy and presenting the bait without spooking the fish is far more important than color.

Saturday, I will be at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka for a lady anglers seminar. This event is designed to teach women the basic skills needed to go fishing. We will cover casting both spinning and fly rods, knot tying, rigging, and tackle selection. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Contact the store at 407-464-2000 for more details.

Capt. Chris Myers

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters

To visit his site see our guide section at www.flyfishingfl.com

Posted in FL East Coast Fishing Reports | No Comments »

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, 02-06-08

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

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.

As Chris’s fish burned line off of his reel, the entire school pushed up in a giant wave charging in my direction.  I quickly began to back peddle because Chris’s hooked fish was sticking tight to the school, and I didn’t want to be the reason for the big fish that got away.  As hard as I tried evading them, the charging school of torpedo size redfish soon overran me, and my thrashing sent the entire school charging back at Chris.  As they charged Chris, he reeled as fast as he could to maintain a tight line as his hooked fish was still tight with the pack, and as they past him several large fish actually bumped into his legs almost knocking him over.  As the mayhem continued and the school moved off, Chris managed to gain control of his fish, and he successfully landed a nice 40-inch redfish caught on an unnamed green crab fly.

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 1st 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 3rd, 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

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