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Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, July 19, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
Never before have so many anglers been located in the desert at one time. Such was the case last week when hundreds of tackle industry manufactures, representatives and thousands of anglers assembled for the American Sports Fishing Association’s 50th ICAST Fishing Trade Show in Las Vegas. ICAST is the premier event where fishing tackle manufactures break out their new products for the year, and there is something to be said for an industry where innovation matches one’s desire to catch fish. Sandi and I arrived in Vegas on Tuesday, and we spent the next three days checking out all of the new stuff destine for the shelves of tackle shops, meeting with industry experts, and visiting with old friends. Besides having fun in Vegas, I did manage a few adventures on the water this week where the catching was almost as hot as the afternoon sun.
My first adventure consisted of a memorable day with my good friend Jeff Shapiro and his 10-year-old son Matt. Our day started when we located a school of ladyfish working over bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper water, and ended with Matt beating his dad by catching 14 fish to 2, including 5 different species and 2 redfish up to 33 inches.
Father and son team Jeff and Matt Shapiro prepare to release Matt’s 33-inch redfish.
Currently, the open waters of the Indian River Lagoon are loaded with schools of glass minnows with ladyfish and gaff top sail catfish feeding on the surface and both spotted and silver trout underneath. To locate the schools, simply watch for terns, pelicans, and seagulls diving, and use top water plugs like the Rip-Roller or Chug Bug on the surface, and RipTide Screw Jigs and 3 inch Mullet underneath. Also, these fish are great fun on a fly rod using surface poppers.
Matt Shapiro and Captain Tom, photo by Jeff Shapiro
On my second charter, Keith and Rob Lozott joined me, and we began by targeting sea trout with top water plugs. After only catching a few small trout, we shifted gears and moved into the deeper edge of the flat and quickly located tailing redfish. The redfish were tailing in 2 to 3 feet of water, and they refused all artificial offerings. Determined to get Rob on his first redfish, we returned to the deeper open water and caught a ladyfish for bait. By the time we returned, the wind began to build and the tail dissipated, but Rob did manage catching his first redfish. We ended our day catching sea trout on RipTide Screw Jigs with a six inch Flats Chub.
Keith and Rob Lozott display Rob’s (angler on the left) 40-inch redfish. Another observation worth mentioning was a small number of pompano have started to show up on the flats, and with all of the small baitfish around, it won’t be long until the large tarpon show up in greater numbers. Today I had the pleasure to fish with Bill Mease and his good friend Steve, both Florida natives, and we started out looking for the big redfish in the same area as the day before. A steady south wind kicked up the chop on the water, and the big fish were nowhere to be found, so we decided to take advantage of the low light conditions and target sea trout on top water. After catching several nice trout, the wind lay down and we returned to the redfish flat for another shot, and we were rewarded with some handsome tails. As bad luck would have it, Bill was the first to get a strike, and the fish pulled free. Soon, Bill hooked up with a real pig, only to break off after a ten-minute battle where the leader and main line are attached, and on his third and final fight, the redfish managed to wrap under the stern on the boat and broke the line. For the next several hours we chased tails until the heat drove us off of the water, and as we returned to the dock, the skies let lose with a heavy downpour, soaking us to the bone.
All in all it was a good week of fishing, and on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I will be representing Coastal Angler Magazine at the DOA Outdoor Writers Conference at the River Palms Cottages in Stuart, Florida with details to follow.
As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, July 6, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, Florida
Our typical summer weather patterns have settled in on the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida, and the only certainty is skeeters in the morning, skeeters at night, and storms in the afternoon, and this theme best portrays my fishing adventures this past week.
My week started out last Saturday where I had the privilege to once again volunteer to work at the Tenth Annual Port Canaveral Kids Fishing Clinic, where over 600 kids and their parents were treated to a day of fishing by the Florida Sport Fishing Association, Port Captains Association, Port Canaveral Authority, Florida Wildlife Commission, Citizens for Florida Waterways, Coastal Angler Magazine, and a number of other sponsors and volunteers.
Kids Pose for RipTide Photo
The event was a tremendous success, and every kid who completed the program left with a clear knowledge of the value of our delicate fishing resources, and a new fishing pole and tackle box.
After a brief holiday break it was back to fishing, hey somebody’s got to do it, where Mark Allen from Miami and his father-in-law Don Thompson from Port Orange joined me in a paddle charter up into the No-Motor Zone. Our adventure started out with a dance with the sketters, and ended with a paddle through a monsoon, but before noon, we boated 3 slot redfish, and one monster redfish. This was Don’s first attempt at saltwater angling, and his first two redfish were in the slot, and his third was two inches shy of four foot.
Don (angler on the right) and Mark share a Lagoon Moment Together
We launched before daylight, and our first encounter was with a small school of tarpon and big ladyfish working over a pod of glass minnows, and Mark struck first catching a large lady on a silver and blue Chug Bug. As we worked our way north into the Zone we quickly located a school of slot reds catching three, and than the larger one on a chunk of cut bait. Shortly after that, a pod of porpoises moved in and scattered the fish and shutting down the bite, so we spent the remainder of the morning looking for more fish before the deluge set in. When the storm hit, we were about ten minutes from our launch site, and by the time we reached the safety of the truck, we had at least three inches of rainwater in the canoe.
I have charters on both Saturday and Sunday, but I will off of the water the remainder of the week attending the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST Convention in Las Vegas, so I will fill you in on the details when I return.
As always, if you have any questions or need further information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Land line
407-416-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report and Outlook, July 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
Although, conditions were a bit on the windy side this past week, we still managed some decent days on the water along with some tough ones.
My adventure started out last weekend when I had the pleasure of fishing with Don Miller and Gill Camblor from Jam-up Boat Repair in Sanford, Florida. For those of you who have seen and fished on my boat, Don and Gill are the behind the scene team that keeps her ship shape and looking good. Both Don and Gill had planned to fish with me back in May, but blustery winds forced a postponement. We pushed away from the dock at 5am, and we ended our six hour charter with 6 redfish and 5 nice sea trout. All fish were taken on Salt and Pepper/Chartreuse Tail Flats Chubs rigged on a #4 Daiichi Bleeding Bait Butt Dragger Hook.
Next, I spent two days fly fishing with Peter Casper from Arizona and our goal was redfish on fly. On day one we paddled up into the Banana River NMZ where gusty winds made sight casting and paddling tough, but nonetheless Peter still managed three reds and four sea trout on a green and black Clouser Minnow.
One of Peter Casper’s Redfish on a Green and Black Clouser Fly
On our second day, we opted to fish from the skiff in the Mosquito Lagoon/North Indian River Lagoon area, and it turned out to be a long boat ride and fish show. At our first stop, Peter worked over a large pod of small tarpon, and although they appeared to be aggressively feeding, they would not touch a fly.Our next stop was a school of large redfish, but our shots were limited, and the bruisers showed no interest in a fly.
July Fishing Forecast
Summertime has officially arrived on the Space Coast of Florida, and the mid summer doldrums are currently amongst us. It’s also the time of year when tropical weather systems and offshore water temperatures are as predictable as Mother Nature herself. Just when you think you’ve got the fishing figured out, a summer squall (tropical system) will blow in and kick up the seas, or the cold water Labrador Current will chill bottom water temperatures and shut down the seaward bite. Setting all these possibilities aside, many opportunities for angling adventures exist for us both inside and outside on the lagoon coast in July.
Near-shore, kingfish will be the staple on the reefs and wrecks in 70 to 90 feet of water, with a mixed bag of three, wahoo, dolphin, and an occasional sailfish, thrown in. My preferred method for targeting these species is slow trolling live bait (pogies) on steel stinger rigs in the areas of the Chris Benson, 8A, and Pelican Flats reefs.
On the Port Canaveral buoy line and along the beaches when the water is clean, an assorted beach bag is available with smoker kings (large king mackerel), silver kings (tarpon), sharks, and colossal jacks (school buses) all available at any given time. To target these species, focus your attention in areas of bait concentrations. This past week, pods of large tarpon and sharks were located between Patrick AFB and Satellite Beach. As the month progresses, these fish should begin moving north along the beach to their favorite summertime haunt in the forbidden zone off the bight of the Kennedy Space Center.
In the Port and inlets, Spanish mackerel, summer flounder and mangrove snapper number should remain steady. To target the flounder and snapper, try using RipTide’s Realistic Shrimp on a ¼ to ½ ounce jig head or a RipTide Mud Minnow Jig in the areas of structure and along sandy drop-offs. For flounder or snapper cast the jig as close to the structure as possible without getting snagged, and let it sink to the bottom. Once its reached the bottom, slowly drag it back letting it rest every foot or so. When jigging for Spanish mackerel or other toothy critters, use the same jigs, but retrieve it quickly to avoid getting cut off by not allowing the fish to strike the line.
Inshore, July is one of the best times of the year to catch redfish in shallow water. Schools have already started forming up, and the sight of a feeding school of redfish is incredible. Once you’ve finished drooling over redfish, look for snook, and top water snapper along mangrove edges, and juvenile tarpon in the creeks, canals and backwaters. In deeper water, look for ladyfish and small trout to be shadowing schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) under clouds of feeding terns. These feeding frenzies are great fun, especially when fly fishing using a top water popping bug. Additionally, Calm conditions are ideal for paddlers wishing to venture back into the No-Motor Zone, where tailing redfish make great targets for both fly and spin anglers.
Remember, as the water levels increase, dissolved oxygen levels decrease, so it is important to step up your tackle and line size to facilitate a shorter battle, and to revive your catch completely before release.
As always, if you have any questions or need information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Land line
407-416-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 22, 2007 Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, Florida When the course of the sun reaches its ecliptic in the northern hemisphere, (summer solstice), it marks the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. More daylight and shorter nights set the stage for an early morning start, usually on the water by 5am, and some great fishing opportunities in the afternoon when our work is done and the skies have settled. More daylight also equates to warmer water temperatures and when combined with nutrient rich lawn runoff, more algae and less dissolved oxygen in the water. These factors greatly increase the mortality of catch and release species, so its important to shorten you battle by stepping up your line and tackle size, keeping your fish in the water as much as possible, and taking some extra time to revive them completely before releasing.
Mark Nichols with a Respectable Sea Trout, Photo by Paul Macinnis Over the years, I’ve admired both the excitement and enthusiasm Captain Mark Nichols, (inventor and owner of DOA Lures), displays towards angling and his baits, and this past week I have pleasure of spending a day fishing in the No-Motor Zone with Captain Mark, Captain Rodney Smith, Captain Chris Myers, Paul Macinnis, and Kevin Brotz.
Photo by Paul Macinnis
We launched our expedition shortly after sunrise, and Chris landed a quality sea trout before he stepped foot in the boat. Our bait of choice was a 6-inch peril DOA CAL tail combined with a red DOA Chug Head rigged weed less with a 5/0 long neck custom worm hook. As the summer progresses and the water heats up, widgeon grass will grow completely up to the water’s surface fouling traditional top water plugs. The Combination CAL tail and Chug Head allows you to fish top water with a weed less soft plastic bait. The technique we used was a long cast, and with the rod tip high reel the bait across the surface with short twitches of the rod tip slowly chugging the lure across the top of the water like a wounded baitfish.
The winds at first were very light from the south, and although the bite wasn’t on fire we all managed to catch some quality fish. My first fish was a hefty 5-pound spotted sea trout that pushed a wake behind my bait for a good ten feet before exploding on the lure and charging at the boat. As the trout lunged forward, I reeled as hard as I could to achieve a tight line, and when it finally became taut, the feisty fish had already passed the boat before receiving a taste of the hook. From that point the fight was on and after several strong runs and laps around the boat, she joined me for a quick photo, before her release.
As the day grew longer and the wind picked up, I switched from the top-water bait to blind casting a green soft plastic 6-inch DOA CAL Tail rigged on a 4/0 Daiichi Bleeding Bait Butt Dragger Hook, and I managed to catch my second substantial fish of the day, a handsome redfish in the 15-pound range.
Paul Macinnis with a Handsome Sea Trout
All in all, it was another exceptional adventure on the Zone involving quality fish and great friends, and countless memories.
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.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line
886-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 13, 2007 Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
The wind has finally subsided and as the summer weather patterns heat up, so does the catching along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Calm mornings have provided for some great sight fishing and top-water plug action in the Lagoon, and the clean green water has pushed in close to the beach bringing the kingfish, jumbo jacks, bonito, sharks and tarpon action near-shore. These conditions have provided for some excellent catches this week, and if they hold, next week as well.
Captain Tom Holding Dale Little’s Handsome Sea Trout
My week started on Friday June 8th, where I had the pleasure of fishing with Dale and Damon Little and their friend Jason for a day of redfish and sea trout on the north IRL. Our first location was a culvert flushing runoff into the Lagoon, and the swift water quickly yielded 3 redfish and several nice sea trout caught on a combination of RipTide Flats Chubs, and Storm Chug Bugs. Our next location was on a deeper flat, (3 to 5 feet), where we located a school of ladyfish feeding on glass minnows and the fast and furious action netted us a half dozen ladies, and some small trout, caught on Al’s Goldfish spoons, Chug Bugs, and RipTide 4” White/Red Mullet on an 1/8 ounce Screw Jig. From there we targeted several different flats looking for redfish, ending the day with several upper slot redfish and a 6-pound sea trout caught by Dale.
John Scibilio’s Respectable Redfish
My next adventure was on Sunday where Vic Hall, and his friends Phil and John joined me for another redfish and sea trout excursion again on the north IRL. We launched early to avoid the weekend crowd, and we followed the same routine as the previous trip, which yielded us 5 upper slot redfish and a half dozen sea trout.
Today, I was honored to facilitate three brothers, Randy, Dale, and Ben Schwartz on a near-shore charter out of Port Canaveral where we found a solid kingfish bite. As we cleared the south jetty, we located a large ball of pogies, and I floated the net with one cast. After the bait was secured, we started trolling, and we ended the day with five kingfish up to 20-pounds, missing a good number of strikes, and pulling hook on two quality fish. The bite was steady, and most of the fish were taken in about 40 feet of water.
Dale Schwartz with Two Nice Beach Kingfish
In closing, I would like to invite everyone to join me at the Mosquito Creek Outdoors Father’s Day Celebration scheduled for Saturday June 16th in Apopka, Florida. Besides having great sales, gift ideas for Dad, and activities for the entire family, free fishing and outdoor seminars will be conducted by Mosquito Creek’s Pro Staff. Also, be sure to check out their new indoor fly-casting pond, and demo a new kayak while you are at it.
Seminar Schedule:
12pm to 2pm, Fishing basics for the entire family
Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn
2pm to 3pm Fly Casting with Captain Chris Myers
3pm to 4 pm Kayak Fishing with Captain Tom Van Horn
As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 7, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, Florida
Like the majority of May, fishing for the most part this past week was once again dominated by windy conditions, but the summer doldrums are just around the corner. Currently water conditions are dirty offshore, but once they clean up, look out.
My angling adventures this past week started on Friday June 1, before the arrival of tropical storm Barry, where I had the privilege of fishing two days with Steve Gamble from Bozeman, Montana. Steve is not only an avid fly angler, but also the owner and innkeeper of the Gallatin River Lodge (www.grlodge.com) in Bozeman, Montana. My original plan was to introduce Steve to some sight fishing for redfish in the No-Motor Zone, and then fish near-shore along the beach for tarpon, but as stated above, windy conditions frustrated our efforts.
On Friday, Steve and I paddled into the No-Motor Zone facing a steady state east wind of 15 knots, and our shots at redfish were limited. It was a very frustrating day on the water and our only catch for the day was a free-swimming hardhead catfish cruising around with a Cajun Thunder popping cork dragging behind.
Both Saturday and Sunday were blow out by Tropical Storm Barry as it quickly moved out of the Gulf of Mexico across the state.
On Monday Steve joined me for our second attempt at catching something, but instead of facing a 15 to 20 knot east wind, we were challenged by a 15 to 20 knot west wind. This time, we opted to fish from the deck of Three Quarter Time, and Steve did manage to jump a nice tarpon on an olive and white clouser, and missed several other fish, but again the end result was squat.
Currently, weather and sea condition have shown significant improvements, so this weekends weather should not be a challenge, but several other factors will require some flexibility and tolerance on the water. First, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 7:38 pm Friday afternoon, with a ten-minute launch window, and if it should scrub, a 24-hour turn around will move the launch to Saturday afternoon. This launch activity will close the southern access route to though the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, and close the southern end of the Mosquito Lagoon, Playlinda Beach, Black Point and the east shore of the IRL in Titusville. Additionally, the offshore launch safety zone will go into effect 4 hours before launch, and it extends 60-miles offshore from the Volusia County line south to Port Canaveral, monitor channel 16 for launch security updates. The second situation is the FSFA tournament is once again scheduled out of Port Canaveral on Saturday, and the SKA King Busters tournament out of St. Augustine is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. You may wonder why I mention the SKA event, but as usual, a good number of these go fast kingfish teams will be racing south into our waters.
Last but not least, Fathers Day is just around the corner, and Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka has planned a Fathers Day event on Saturday June 16th, which includes free fishing seminars by Captain Chris Myers and myself.
Seminar Schedule: 12pm to 2pm, Fishing basics for the entire family Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn 2pm to 3pm Fly Casting with Captain Chris Myers 3pm to 4 pm Kayak Fishing with Captain Tom Van Horn
As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, June 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors - Apopka Florida
Yep, the heat and humidity are rising, and so are fishing prospects along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Hot summer days can be brutal, so the wise angler and the fish will take advantage of the cooler nights and early morning and late evening hours to feed and stock their prey, and then they snooze in the shade and deeper areas once the heat turns up. So adjust your routine in June, July, and August, by fishing at night, during the predawn hours, and in the late afternoon after work and reap the rewards of the summertime fishing bonanza.
Look for the tarpon and shark numbers to increase along the beach, and let’s not forget about the schools of large jack carvalle and the tripletail as both of these fisheries are cranking up. Remember, snook season closes this week, so lets give them a chance to relax and get jiggie. Try not to target them, and if you do happen to catch one, please handle it gently and release it with extreme care.
When the summer doldrums set in, the waters clear, and the seas flatten out, the window of opportunity opens for smaller boats, so near-shore opportunities are typically the best you’ll see all year along the beach. June is the time of year when the kingfish move in close shadowing schools of Atlantic menhaden (pogies) along the beach and in the Port Canaveral buoy line, and slow trolling live pogies can result in some outstanding catches.
Offshore, look for the dolphin bite to slow as the schools begin to spread out. The kingfish concentration will remain good along the inshore reefs and wrecks of 8A Reef and Pelican Flats, so again slow trolling with live pogies will produce the best action. Additionally, bottom fishing will remain good for snapper and grouper until the first summer squall (hurricane) blows in and muddies up the water.
On the flats, focus your efforts between 5am and 9am, and in the late afternoon after the thunderstorms dissipate. Night fishing will also produce descent catches of redfish, snook, and trout. When fishing the flats at night, I prefer fishing real slow with glow in the dark shrimp imitation baits like the RipTide Realistic Shrimp with a Woodie’s Rattle Capsule inserted. If you can only fish during the heat of the day, target the docks with deepwater access. In the early morning look for trout and redfish up in the skinny water around concentration of bait, and toss them your favorite top water plug. Also look for schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper waters. These schools can be located by watching for small terns and other sea birds working, and they usually are shadowed by concentrations of small trout and ladyfish. These fast moving schools produce fast and furious action for fly anglers casting small top-water popping bugs.
Remember as the days heat up, long battles will kill the fish, so if you plan on targeting large fish, you may want to step up your tackle to shorten the battle. Also, dissolved oxygen levels are low, so leave them in the water as much as possible, and revive them completely before releasing them.
In closing, I would like to inform everyone about the Mosquito Creek Outdoors Father’s Day Celebration scheduled for Saturday June 16th in Apopka, Florida. Besides having great sales and gift ideas for Dad, activities for the entire family and free fishing and outdoor seminars are planned.
Seminar Schedule:
12pm to 2pm, Fishing basics for the entire family Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn
2pm to 3pm Fly Casting with Captain Chris Myers
3pm to 4 pm Kayak Fishing with Captain Tom Van Horn
As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, May 23, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida.
Well I was hoping to publish this report on Friday, but after two quality days on the water, the east beast started howling again and 20-knot winds forced cancellations of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday charters. Hopefully, this weather pattern will shift by Saturday, allowing us fishable conditions, at least inshore, for the holiday weekend.
My week starter on Sunday when repeat clients Craig Welch and his son Max and his grandfather graced the deck of Three Quarter Time for a day of fishing on the Indian River Lagoon. Although the east wind of 15 plus knots was challenging, it was the nicest day we had all week, and my goal was to put Max on some serious fish like the trip before. We starter out working the FPL discharge in hopes of a snook, but Max was pleasantly surprised when his line tightened, and his first tarpon tail walked next to the boat.
Our next stop included fast and furious action as we located a heard of ladyfish, sea trout and gaff top sail catfish working over a school of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper water. To locate these schools, simply watch for diving pelicans accompanied by small terns dipping into the water. If the pelicans hold their heads down into the water after they surface from their dive they are straining small baitfish from the water before swallowing, and you’re in the right spot. The action is fast, and small jigs and flies, spoons, and top water popping bugs work well.
Although the feeding frenzy was hot and heavy, the crew had big redfish on their minds, so we were off to leeward shoreline and the quest was on. I poled at least a two miles of shoreline loaded we thousands of finger mullet to no avail, and we ended the day with only one slot redfish, and a wet ride back to the dock.
On Monday, I was joined Frank King form Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka, and his lifelong hunting buddy Mike Mason from Orlando, with the same game plan as the day before but with much better results, sorry Craig, Max and Granddad. The weather was much nicer, but still windy. Mike had a little experience fishing for redfish on the west coast, but this was Franks first attempt at fishing for Florida’s coastal species, so the challenge was on.
I started the dual with some top water plug fishing on a lee shoreline with limited results, and we quickly shifted to jig fishing the glass minnow school, with the same results as the day before. As the wind gained and conditions deteriorated, I opted to chunking ladyfish on a lee shoreline, and we stumbled into a redfish chew fest. For the next two hours, the redfish bite was going off, and I spoiled both Frank and Mike with 21 redfish, 2 over slot sea trout, and believe it or not, a five pound bluefish. You know you are in a serious redfish feed when you are trying to land a hefty redfish, and several others follow it up to the boat trying to steal the bait. Out of the 21 fish landed, only two were upper slot fish, and the rest were over slot up to 36-inches.
In Closing, both myself and Captain Chris Myers, will be conducting free angling seminars on Saturday June 16th at the Mosquito Creek Outdoors Father’s Day Event in Apopka, Florida, so stop in and check out their newly renovated angling and outdoor adventure training facility and sign up for future classes. Stay tuned for more details, as we get closer to the event.
So, with that said, I leave you with hopes on calm seas, and for the next three to four days, it’s boat and equipment maintenance, and honey do’s for me.
As always, if you have any questions, or need any information, please contact me.
Good Luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Landline
407-416-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 Toll Free
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, June 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida
Yep, the heat and humidity are rising, and so are fishing prospects along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Hot summer days can be brutal, so the wise angler and the fish will take advantage of the cooler nights and early morning and late evening hours to feed and stock their prey, and then they snooze in the shade and deeper areas once the heat turns up. So adjust your routine in June, July, and August, by fishing at night, during the predawn hours, and in the late afternoon after work and reap the rewards of the summertime fishing bonanza.
Look for the tarpon and shark numbers to increase along the beach, and let’s not forget about the schools of large jack carvalle and the tripletail as both of these fisheries are cranking up. Remember, snook season closes this week, so lets give them a chance to relax and get jiggie. Try not to target them, and if you do happen to catch one, please handle it gently and release it with extreme care. When the summer doldrums set in, the waters clear, and the seas flatten out, the window of opportunity opens for smaller boats, so near-shore opportunities are typically the best you will see all year along the beach. June is the time of year when the kingfish move in close shadowing schools of Atlantic menhaden (pogies) along the beach and in the Port Canaveral buoy line, and slow trolling live pogies can result in some outstanding catches.
Offshore, look for the dolphin bite to slow as the schools begin to spread out. The kingfish concentration will remain good along the inshore reefs and wrecks of 8A Reef and Pelican Flats, so again slow trolling with live pogies will produce the best action. Additionally, bottom fishing will remain good for snapper and grouper until the first summer squall (hurricane) blows in and muddies up the water.
On the flats, focus your efforts between 5am and 9am, and in the late afternoon after the thunderstorms dissipate. Night fishing will also produce descent catches of redfish, snook, and trout. When fishing the flats at night, I prefer fishing real slow with glow in the dark shrimp imitation baits like the RipTide Realistic Shrimp with a Woodie’s Rattle Capsule inserted. If you can only fish during the heat of the day, target the docks with deepwater access. In the early morning look for trout and redfish up in the skinny water around concentration of bait, and toss them your favorite top water plug. Also look for schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper waters. These schools can be located by watching for small terns and other sea birds working, and they usually are shadowed by concentrations of small trout and ladyfish. These fast moving schools produce fast and furious action for fly anglers casting small top-water popping bugs.
Remember as the days heat up, long battles will kill the fish, so if you plan on targeting large fish, you may want to step up your tackle to shorten the battle. Also, dissolved oxygen levels are low, so leave them in the water as much as possible, and revive them completely before releasing them.
In closing, I would like to inform everyone about the Mosquito Creek Outdoors Father’s Day Celebration scheduled for Saturday June 16th. Besides having great sales and gift ideas for Dad, activities for the entire family and free fishing and outdoor seminars are planned.
As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
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Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, May 14, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
Has anyone bothered to enlighten Mother Nature on the premise that we are approaching the middle of May, because she seems to be a little confused? Like April, blustery breezes have dominated the weather this past week, and by the looks of the long-range forecast, we haven’t seen the end of nasty weather conditions yet. First, we had sub-tropical storm Andrea settle in on us Monday, with gale force winds and seas offshore up to 16 feet, and now a back door front has delivered some well-needed rain followed up by east winds up to 30 knots. Although this report is starting off on an ominous note, I did manage a few nice days of fishing in between systems, and it looks like Wednesday might be fishable as well.
My week started out great on Sunday the May 6th with perfect conditions, and I was privileged to have Mark and his son Matt onboard Three Quarter Time for a day of inshore fishing on the Indian River Lagoon. Both Mark and Matt have fished freshwater, but this was their first experience on the saltwater flats of the IRL, and the thought of redfish occupied their minds.
Mark and son Matt share a Lagoon moment together with Mark’s 27-inch redfish.
As usual, I arrived early around 5:30am and launched in Titusville, and instead of hanging around and blocking a busy ramp, I eased out into the Lagoon and tossed out a Chug Bug. Well believe or not, the fish were busting baitfish on the surface in the darkness, and I ended up landed three spotted sea trout and a gafftopsail catfish before returning to the dock to pick up Mark and Matt. Once we returned the previous location, both Mark and Matt experienced numerous strikes, but neither managed a solid hook-up. The bite quickly shouts down once the Sunday morning boat traffic picked up, so we moved on.
Matt’s 34-inch redfish.
Our next stop was a flat on the east shore of the Lagoon, and again the ladyfish and sea trout were all over the Rip Roller and Chug Bug plugs. As we pushed deeper into the flat, I received a phone call from my good friend Mike Bridges, who was calling us in on several schools of nice redfish. Over the years, I have developed many great friendships with anglers on the Lagoon who are of the mind-set I refer to as the abundance mentality. We are all out there for the same reasons, and together we share information and catch more fish, which is what these fishing reports are all about, and in this case Mike made it easer for me to facilitate the desire of my clients, and yes Mike, we greatly appreciate your benevolence. As we poled up on Mike’s position, we started spotting tails, and both Mark and Matt scored handsome redfish with Matt catching the largest at 34-inches.
For the remainder of the week, dangerous conditions were experienced on the water, and I was forced to either postpone or cancel the remainder of my week’s charters.
Polling my Freedom Hawk Kayak in search of hungry redfish.
On Friday, I loaded up my pick-up with three Freedom Hawk Kayaks, and it was off to Jacksonville to attend the Forth Annual Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic Tournament. The Classic is a catch, photograph, and release paddle fishing event organized and promoted by the Internet forum www.jaxkayakfishing.com, with all proceeds benefit the Daniel Foundation. This event is the largest CPR kayak-fishing tournament in the world and it included 282 registered anglers and over 60,000 in prizes. Although I didn’t make the board or win one of the 17 kayaks awarded, I have to admit this was the most fun I have ever experienced at any tournament, and some of the friendliest anglers I’ve had the honor to fish with, and I would like to thank Mike and Michelle Kogan and all of the other outstanding volunteers and sponsors who made the event such a great success.
Nice flounder caught on a RipTide Mud Minnow Jig
John and Jeff Cameron from Freedom Hawk Kayaks in Michigan and I established Team Freedom Hawk, and although we have never fished in the Jacksonville area, the excellent weather and some great tips from other anglers set the stage for some assume fishing and a great angling experience.
As always, if you have any question or need more information, please contact me.
Good Luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Landline
407-416-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 Toll Free
