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

flyfishingfl.com 

The weather has been up and down here in east central Florida with some days sunny and warm and others cloudy, cool, and windy. We have been getting decent catches most days despite the weather and high water.

Last Wednesday, Chris, from Buffalo , left the snow behind and joined his friend Debra for a day of fishing Mosquito Lagoon. High winds limited our options but we did manage to catch a black drum around 20 pounds along with a few redfish.

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Winter clearly had a firm grip on most of America this past week, including Central Florida, and its influence has dominated our weather with snotty conditions all week. Although the weather was tough, I did manage one outing on Wednesday as part of a 15-boat group charter.  The morning greeted us with 50-degree temperatures and east winds of about 15 knots, not the best conditions by far.

We met our group at Parrish Park in Titusville around 7am, and as they unloaded from the buss I could immediately tell they weren’t from Florida.   My anglers, Keith and Sean were some of the first to department the buss, and Keith was wearing a short sleeve shirt. One of the great things about guiding anglers on the Indian River Lagoon is meeting folks from all walks of life and from distant locations, and the less they know about the our diversity of our fishery the more enjoyable the experience.  As it turned out, both Keith and Sean we from Minnesota, and they were fishing through a hole in the ice just a few weeks earlier.

 www.flyfishingfl.com

The weather conditions were not bad at first, and as I attempted to poll into our first spot we could see redfish tailing and pushing in the distance.  Currently water levels on the Lagoon are extremely low, and as hard as I tried, we couldn’t reach the fish.  Next, we departed the flat to fish in deeper water, and finally caught the two largest redfish in the group.

My good friend and lagoon mentor Captain Rodney Smith once said “as a fishing guide, on some days you are a hero, and on some days you a zero”, which sums up this weeks charters. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of fishing Catherine and Jim from Canada, and the weather was a bit windy but enjoyable.  The only problem was we couldn’t buy a bite, and after fishing hard for six hours, our net result was one redfish.

Seminars and Events

February 10^th, Gander Mountain, Meet Your Maker Event

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

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,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free

Book a charter, and let’s go fishing.

www.flyfishingfl.com

Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Although some nice fish were caught on every outing this past week, the catching was very slow for the most part.  Over the past 8 days, I had the pleasure to fish on the St. Johns River for American shad on three occasions, the east side of the Banana River No-Motor Zone, and a solo scouting trip to the Indian River Lagoon in Titusville.

For starters, I fished the St. Johns River in the area south of Lake Harney, and the American shad have arrived, but they are not in good numbers yet.  On both of these excursions we caught several nice shad each and a mix of some nice bass, speckled perch, and even catfish, but the catching wasn’t on fire.

Billy’s No-Motor Zone Redfish Caught on a Salt and Pepper RipTide Flats Chub

On Friday, I had a charter with three brothers Chris, Tom, and Billy on a quest for a large redfish, so we paddled in to the east shore of the No-Motor Zone.  Although it was a nice morning, with light winds from the south at about 5 knots and a marine forecast of 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon, I was a little concerned about this wind situation because paddling in would be a breeze; paddling out would be a challenge.  In the afternoon my apprehensions proved true as my experience with the marine forecast is a prediction of 5 to 10 knot winds means you add the two together, and in this case, as we faced at least 15 knots right down the teeth on our return trip.  Notwithstanding the wind situation, we did not see a single tail the whole day, and our final score was 6 puffers and one nice upper slot redfish caught by Billy on a RipTide Salt & Pepper/ Chartreuse Flats Chub.

Due to the windy conditions today, I returned to the St. Johns River with Captain Chris Myers.  I wish I could tell you the bite was on fire, but the truth be known, it was not.  We fished hard in the area of the old Marina Isles Fish Camp, and I caught on shad on a pink crazy Charlie, and between us we boated a half dozen speckled perch.  As my good friend Captain Chris stated, “It was a good day to be out of the offices”.

Seminar and Event Schedule:

January 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th, Central Florida Boat Show Orlando Convention Center.

            No Motors, No Problem Seminar Friday the 18^th at 700 PM.

January 22^nd, Orlando Kayak Club Meeting, Gander Mountain in Lake Mary 7 PM, Rigging Soft Plastic Baits for Redfish and Sea Trout.

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

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,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Contact US HERE

Last week, coldest weather of the season came through the area causing the water temperature to drop twenty degrees in twenty-four hours. High winds and cold made for unpleasant fishing conditions so I stayed off the water. This week, however, was the complete opposite. For the most part, it was sunny, warm, and calm. I spent four days on the water with some excellent results.

Monday, Capt. John Kumiski and I spent the day fly fishing the Mosquito Lagoon. We began the day targeting tailing redfish in very shallow water. After spooking the first few fish, I caught one around four pounds on an olive #2 crab pattern. Capt. John quickly followed up with a redfish of similar size on a black redfish worm fly. As we were looking for the redfish, we came upon numerous large trout lying in shallow sand holes. I switched to an unweighted bendback style fly and managed to convince one of them to eat. With both trout and redfish having been landed, we went looking for some black drum. We found a school of them and Capt. John made several casts with a brown Merkin style crab. The lone redfish among the black drum was the first fish to grab the fly. The drum moved off and we were unable to find them but I was able to get my crab in front of a 27 inch redfish which grabbed it as I let it fall. John got a nice trout and I followed with one more redfish before some rain arrived and we headed in.

Tuesday, I was joined by brothers Rob and Gray from South Africa . Rob wanted to fly fish and his brother stuck with spinning tackle. We came upon numerous redfish and big trout throughout the morning. Rob was used to fishing in more remote locations with fish that are much less wary than our shallow water redfish. Although he made a valiant effort, most of his casts didn’t quite get to the fish quick enough. I elected to give them a shot at some black drum and we found a school of about 50 fish. Rob cast an olive Merkin crab to them and hooked up with a drum around 20 pounds.

Read the rest of this entry »

www.flyfishingfl.com

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 18, 2007

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

As my good friend and lagoon mentor Captain Rodney Smith would say, ”the fishing this week was excellent, it was the catching that varied”.  High water and cooler temperatures have shifted fish patterns experienced on the lagoon last month, so more time was spent looking for fish then catching them.  The winds have settled down a bit and even switched from the south today, but the numbers of quality fish just weren’t there this week.

Corbin is an excellent angler, and he managed to catch all three fish on his own, excepting only limited assistance from his dad.

Several other points of interest this week effecting fishing are the red tide has once again returned in the Atlantic off of Flagler Beach, with some reports coming from as far south as New Smyrna Beach.  Additionally, the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge will be closed this weekend in support of Space Shuttle security measures, so the North end of Mosquito Lagoon will be closed as well as the No-Motor Zone.

Seminars and Events

 November 17^th 9am – 11am Hook Kids on Fishing program at the Volusia County Fair Grounds, Coastal Angler Magazine’s Boat Show & Fishing Expo.

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.  Hands on Angler Improvement Clinic presented by Mosquito Creek Outdoors, learn to rig soft plastic baits and utilized braided fishing line, knots, and leaders for inshore applications.

Call now to purchase your holiday charter gift certificate for the 2008 fishing season, and catch a memory with Captain Tom Van Horn.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Today I was joined by father and son team Corbin and David Koenig from Port St. John, in celebration of Corbin’s 10^th birthday.  Our mission was to put Corbin on his first redfish, and although the catching was again tough, he managed two slot redfish and an 18-pound black drum.

Jason Johnson and his friend George from Sanford, Florida joined me on Wednesday for a half-day on the Indian River Lagoon where we only managed two slot redfish and some ladyfish, but we didn’t get skunked and we didn’t get too wet.