www.flyfishingfl.com

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

The bait run has kicked into full swing with masses of finger mullet streaming down the beach and through the lagoon, but the weather gods have foiled our prospects of a good run thus far, and it doesn’t appear they are ready to let us play anytime soon. Squally weather conditions have been the dominating factor this season, and the same pattern has set up again for this weekend with high winds and angry seas predicted.

Although the weather has been tough, I still made to managing to squeeze in a few days of fishing, making the best of a bad situation.  As a professional Captain I’m obligated to the safety of my clients, so conducting charters during small craft warnings isn’t the prudent thing to do, plus I want my client’s experience to be memorable for the catching, not the peril.

My escapades started last Friday with an attempt at fishing the Banana River No-Motor Zone with my good friend Larry Carter.  The primary focus of our trip was to give me a chance to check out a 16-foot square back Indian River Canoe Larry had for sale, and we figured we might as well tackle this task with a fishing pole in our hands.  We launched at KAR’s Park at sunrise, and we paddled out just in time to watch a Delta II rocket launch fire off Pad 17B into the sunrise. 

Larry’s Rip Rolling Redfish

Consistently high easterly winds and heavy rain combined with seasonal high water conditions have increased the turbidity and depth of the lagoon in most areas, and that’s what we experienced.  As I poled the canoe north from KARs, we immediately located happy sea trout and ladyfish willing to attack out top water offerings, but as swiftly as the bite started, it shut off.  As we moved off in search of a better fishing we continued moving north only to be chased off of the water by developing storms.  Larry did manage one respectable redfish that aggressive attacked a pink Rip Roller plug.

For those of you who haven’t heard the news, as of October 1st, KAR’s Park in accord with the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge has opened up a canoe and kayak launch accessible to the public.  The launch is located within the park at the end of Hall Road, and its limited to ten boats at a time with a fee of five dollars each. In addition to this agreement, the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station has reopened the east side of the NMZ to paddle fishing.  There are two areas still remaining closed, Fuel Storage Area #1, clearly marked by yellow warning cans, and a 500-yard zone around the NASA Booster Recovery Ships and Hanger AF.  This east side has been closed since 9-11 for security reasons, and it could be closed again at any time if anglers fail to abide by the rules, and as always, the zone will be closed three day prior to Shuttle launches. Fishing in these areas is a privilege, so please respect the rules and the resource.

Captain Chris Myers Instructs Ladies on Proper Casting Techniques

On Saturday the 29^th, I had the privilege of participating in the First Annual Mosquito Creek Outdoors’ Ladies Fishing Clinic, which I must say was a tremendous success.  The event was sponsored and conducted by Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Coastal Angler Magazine, and the Ladies in The Outdoors, many volunteers, and over ninety ladies pre registered for the clinic.  Five learning stations were established involving getting started, casting, knot tying, baits and lures, and conservation, and the ladies were the most attentive group I’ve ever taught.  It was great fun and a learning experience for all involved, including myself.

My next few charters were either postponed or canceled due to squally weather, leaving my Wednesday trip as my next adventure, and adventurous it was.  In the fall of 2006, I had the privilege of fishing with a gentleman from the Stuart area who purchased a charter I donated in an auction to raise funds for a Stuart area fishing guide who was battling cancer.  As Bill and I fished, he mentioned he wasn’t feeling well and he was schedule to see his doctor the following day.  Turned out Bill was also stricken with cancer, and he began his own battle.  While corresponding with Bill during his ordeal, I offered to take him fishing when he felt better at no charge, and I was honored to share Bill’s first fishing adventure since his illness was diagnosed. 

Considering the nasty weather we experienced most of last week, the weather gods smiled on us with a calm glassy morning, and our trip across the lagoon was like living in the reflection of a mirror.  Both north and south of us towering thunderstorms blocked the morning sun, reflected their ominous lightning on the water, but the storms moved on and we fished all day.   Our plan was to fish until the weather drove us off of the lagoon, or as long as Bill felt up to it, so we went for it. 

As I polled in on our very first flat I spotted a large group of tails flashing a thousand yards away as the sun peak over the clouds for the first time, and as I polled in, I thought the fish gods were certainly going to be as generous.  The closer we got to the school, the larger it grew, and when we reached casting range it consisted of at least one hundred fish in the 15 to 20-pound range.  Our first attempt was to put live jumbo shrimp on both sides of the school, for which we positioned properly, but school swam right over our baits without even a sniff.  As we reposition for our next shot the school lifted heading for deep water, and it never slowed down.

Bill Bobb Expresses His Evening Dinner Plans

After shadowing the school for about 30 minutes before giving up, and we spent the remainder of the day looking for redfish instead of catching them.  We did manage to catch over 100 pounds of fish, but they weren’t what we had hoped for.  In one location we found a school of large ladyfish, catching five fish over 4-pounds, and in another area we located a swarm of gaff top sail catfish, catching 7 in the 10 to 15 pound range.  In the end, our fishful adventure did yield 1 slot redfish and sea trout, which Bill invited home for dinner.

Seminars and EventsOctober 13th, Braided Line Applications, Andy Thornal Company Fly Fishing Expo located under the Water Tower in Winter Haven, Florida. Call 863-299-9999 for more details.

October 23rd, Orlando Kayak Club meets at 7pm Gander Mountain in Lake Mary, and Captain Rodney Smith is the guest speaker.

November 16th, 17th, and 18th, Coastal Angler Magazines Boating and Fishing Expo at the Volusia County Fairgrounds with a full program of speakers and seminars.

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

 www.flyfishingfl.com

 For the past several weeks, Florida has failed to live up to its nickname of, “The Sunshine State”. We have been experiencing one tropical system after another. Fortunately, none of them have been hurricanes but we have had more than our fair share of high winds and rain. The Lagoons are higher than they have been all year and many of the flats are cloudy. The dirty water, combined with the high winds and lack of sun have made sight fishing next to impossible.

 While the redfish action has been less than stellar, some snook and tarpon have been cooperative. While many of the fish are on the small side, they offer some great variety. On one day, I scored a triple grand slam of three tarpon, three snook, three redfish and three trout. All but two of the reds and one of the tarpon were caught on the fly. The next day, I fished with Dave Haddock who got a tarpon, snook, redfish, trout slam. The tarpon have been showing up most anywhere from canals and culverts to the flats. The DOA Holographic shrimp has been effective for both the snook and the tarpon. When tarpon fishing, try removing the standard hook from the shrimp and pinning it on a circle hook for more hookups, The circle hook also keeps the leader away from the abrasive mouth of the tarpon and snook.

With the high water, the fish have been able to spread out into areas not normally accessible. Look for reds and snook crashing small mullet tight to the shore line. The four inch DOA CAL in Stark Naked has been working well as it resembles the mullet in both size and color. An EP fiber baitfish pattern or a small streamer with lots of flash has been effective on all the fish, as of late. When conditions have not allowed for sight fishing, add a Woodies Rattle to your large jerkbaits. The sound will help the fish find your bait in dirty water and low light conditions.

For a change of pace, look for flowing water at the many drainage culverts along the shore. Hit the right one and you can catch a wide variety of fish including redfish, trout, snook, tarpon, ladyfish, and jacks. Also, watch for diving pelicans to signal the presence of feeding schools of jacks and ladyfish along the deeper edges of flats.

When conditions allow, fishing the mullet run along the beach can be excellent. On a trip out of Port Canaveral last week, we caught snook, bluefish, spanish mackerel, jacks, pompano, whiting, ladyfish, two large sharks, and jumped a tarpon over 100 pounds. All the fish were caught from a boat but we were never more than 100 yards from shore. Wire leaders are essential to prevent losing your rig to toothy fish. For the past week, the seas have been much too rough and that will continue through the weekend.

Thanks to all the ladies who helped make the womens fishing seminar at Mosquito Creek Outdoors a huge success. Mark your calendars now for the Coastal Angler Magazine Fishing and Boating Expo to be held November 16-18 at the Volusia County Fairgrounds. Capt. Tom Van Horn and I will be conducting hands-on angler improvement clinics each day.

Capt. Chris Myers

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, July 29, 2007

Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, Florida

Working as a professional fishing guide and as associate editor of Coastal Angler Magazine has been a blessing to me, and earlier in this week I was grateful for the invitation to attend my first D.O.A. Outdoor Writers Conference at the River Palms Cottages in Jensen Beach.  Captain Mark Nichols and the D.O.A. staff hosted the three-day event involving two days of fishing with D.O.A. pro staff guides, and socializing with tackle industry experts and outdoor media legends.  I had a great time, and I even managed to catch a few of those line sided soap fish to boot.

Sue Cocking of the Miami Herald and our Guide Captain John Young

If you are ever looking for a great place to stay close to the St. Lucie Inlet with deep-water access, the River Palms Cottages sets the stage for a tropical paradise on the shore on the Indian River Lagoon, and it’s only two hours south of Orlando.

River Palms Cottages http://www.riverpalmcottages.com

With the summer heat upon us, an early morning or late evening start has been an essential requirement for catching fish.  This past week we’ve experienced exceptional mornings in regards to wind and seas, but the scorching summer sun and afternoon thunder storms have shut down the bite early, and produced dangerous conditions when the squalls blow in.

Inshore, the hot ticket has been the early morning trout bite, 5am to sunrise on most of the major flats on the north Indian River, Banana River, and Mosquito Lagoons.  Last week I fished the north IRL on the flat north of the ICW spoil islands west of Haulover Canal, and we boated over 20 sea trout up to 5 pounds throwing High Roller’s Rip Roller, Storm’s Chug Bug, and Rapala’s Skitterwalk plugs.  Once the sun grew bright, the bite shut down, we fish the deeper edges of the flat with soft plastic baits like the RipTide Flats Chub on a ¼ ounce Screw Jig with a Woodies Rattle inserted.

 Another hotspot has been the nighttime redfish and black drum bites around the Haulover Canal and the railroad bridge.  Doug from Skeeter Lagoon’s Bait and Tackle in Titusville reported that a good number of large redfish and black drum have been caught in the discharge end of the Haulover canal fishing with live blue crab on the bottom.  When targeting these larger fish, use a one-ounce slip sinker rig or greater if the currents running hard, and step up the size of your tackle and line to lessen the battle.  Warm water holds less oxygen, so please avoid long battles and revive your catch completely before releasing it.

Near-shore along the beach, the bait pods have completely disappeared, along with all of our other scaly friends; so if your looking for baits this week, focus your attention inside the Port.  I’m not sure if it’s cold water moving in, of just the full moon phase, but many hours and gallons of fuel were wasted last week running the beach in search of fish.  There was some bait located south in the Melbourne Beach area, and some nice kingfish too, but it’s a long run with storms looming.  Also, several nice kingfish were taken on the buoy line, but the better bite has been north of Canaveral around the Chris Benson Reef in 70 to 80 feet of water.  In addition, the cooler bottom temperatures have pushed some cobia inshore. So keep a sharp eye out and a cobia jig rigged at all times.

Another interesting tidbit is reports of nice pompano in the surf along Playlinda Beach, and yes I didn’t stutter, some permit in the 10 to 20pound range, with a bunch of whiting and some small black drum mixed in.  Also, remember we have a Delta Rocket Launch scheduled for August 3^rd, and a Space Shuttle Launch scheduled for August 7^th, so be cognizant of our standard security closures.

Last but not least, I would like to inform all of the ladies about the Mosquito Creek Outdoor Ladies Social Angler Seminar and Wine Tasting scheduled for September 29^th from 10am to 3pm. This free event is designed to teach the ladies the basic fundamental needed to enjoy fishing with their family and friends.  Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Woman in The Outdoors, and Coastal Angler Magazine, sponsors the event and it features speakers like Robin, Fish Girl, Folsom and Captain Rodney Smith of Coastal Angler Magazine, Captain Chris Myers D.O.A. Pro Staff, and Captain Tom Van Horn RipTide Pro Staff. For more details, check out the attached PFD.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

www.irl-fishing.com

captain@irl-fishing.com

407-366-8085 landline

407-416-1187 on the water

866-790-8081 toll free

If you are planning on fishing near Ft. Desoto, FL this time of year below are several tips.  

The water is warm, almost 90 degrees, which means the fish do not want to work hard for food.  It is best to avoid fishing during the middle of the day at Ft. Desoto.  Toss your fly near some type of structure where many fish will not only be avoiding predators, but also the hot sun.  Fishing near Ft. Desoto, FL on a low tide provides a great opportunity for wade fishing.  Look for pockets and wholes where the fish build up.

The saltwater flats fishing in Tampa Florida has picked up with the warm weather.  Pick a moving tide and you should have no problem catching trout on the flats throughout the Tampa area.  While flats fishing in Tampa Florida it is best to drift with the tide, until you get that first strike.  Once the first fish hits drop the anchor and fish that area of the flats. 

As always, Good luck and get out their and catch some fish!

Over the past few weeks the red and snook fishing at Weedon Island has improved greatly.  Cast along the mangrove shoreline all around Weedon Island and you should end up with some nice red fish and snook.  Another great fishing spot near Weedon Island are the grass flats.  Hungry trout are scattered throughout these flats and you will have decent luck with almost any saltwater fly.  Good luck and get out there and go fly fishing!

The fishing near Sanibel Island has picked up with the recent warm weather.  Snook and reds are starting to be more active and a few Tarpon have been landed.

Tarpon fishing near Sanibel and Captiva islands is some of the best in the world.  In fact, Boca Grande Pass is known as the World Capital for Tarpon Fishing. If it is the mighty Tarpon you are after with your fly rod, this is the place to do it.  Tarpon begin migrating in April and can be caught throughout the spring and summer months. The first tarpon was caught in 1885 by W.H. Wood on Sanibel Island so you know the fishing has to be good. 

The fishing has picked up lately.  Saltwater trout are moving out on the flats and feeding.  Spanish mackerel at Ft. Desoto are best during an incoming tide.  Good luck and get out there and catch some fish

Well lady fish after lady fish seems to be the the theme when fishing around the upper Tampa Bay area lately.  They sure do put up a good fight and perform some arials as well.  Catching a lady fish can be very challenging, especially on a five weight fly rod.