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spring 2009
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Well spring is here, the finger mullet & pinfish are flooding onto the flats, water temps have risen and the fish are getting more and more aggressive every day. In the last week my anglers have gotten 3 slams, which in the lagoon is a redfish, black drum & trout.
Just like they have been for the last 3 months the redfish & black drum are still in schools of 100-300 fish throughout the lagoon. Great catches from many big schools are coming from the north, middle & south lagoon.
Early in the morning we have been greeted by redfish & black drum tailing while searching for breakfast. Once the sun gets up we are looking for fish in potholes and cruising shorelines and edges.
Best catches are from anglers quietly poling the flats (NOT USING A TROLLING MOTOR!) . The best lures have been small crab & shrimp flies or soft plastics.
Remember stealth is key!!
Fly anglers have had great shots redfish & black drum that have been tailing fish early, a well presented crab fly is instantly rewarded with a hookup. An 8wt is the standard outfit but with very calm conditions it’s best to downsize to a 6wt for a very subtle presentation. The 6wt is also best for the many 6-8lb trout we are seeing as they are very spooky. Sometimes with the trout we even go to a 11ft leader .
The best flies have been small crab flies and my personal favorite an olive seaducer (which has landed many big trout lately)
Spin anglers are also landing good numbers of fish using small soft plastics like the gulp shrimp & paddle tails. Best colors have depended on how bright it is. On cloudy days bright colors like white w/chartreuse tail or chartreuse/silver glitter got more bites but days when the sun was at it’s brightest darker colors like molting, avocado/red Glitter, black/olive , rootbeer/chartreuse tail are the colors of choice. I like rigging them on a 3/0 Daiichi Butt-Dragger w/ the 1/8th oz. DOA pinch weight. If needed I will cut the pinch weight in half so it’s only 1/16th oz. , usually that’s when I’m in water less than 8inches or am fishing 8-10lb trout which tend to be much spookier to things landing in the water.
In the last month our big bull reds have started to school up on the usual drop-offs. Most of these fish are now in the 18 to 30lb range and numbering about 80 in the school. As the weather warms look for these schools to increase in size numbers well over 200 fish and up to 45-50lb. The key to these fish is leading them enough to make sure your bait is on the bottom when the school arrives. Spin anglers will need to use more weight to get down while fly anglers would be best to switch to an intermediate line. An 8wt is ok for these fish now but as the water warms you definitely want to go up to a 9wt so you can land the fish in short time.
The bites only going to get better and in a month we’ll have schools of Bull Reds number in the hundreds grouped up. All of these fish will be in the 20+lb range and will crush flies, soft plastics and topwaters when presented right.
Look for snook and small tarpon on area docks aggressively taking artificial and flies. Remember to use a minimum of 30lb leader or bite tippet for these fish.
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Redbone Domination
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Every year the best of the best guides go against each other for 2 days in the Redbone Celebrity Charity Tournament. To me this is the most important tournament because it's not how good I fish; it's how good I can guide my anglers to the fish. Last year my angler captured the fly division champion.
This year I fished with long time clients Steve Leatherman & Chuck Pickover and we dominated the event taking 5 of the eight divisions.
Congrats to Steve & Chuck in winning the following awards
GRAND CHAMPION ANGLER
TEAM GRAND CHAMPIONS
ARTIFICIAL/LURE CHAMPION
LARGEST TROUT CHAMPION
MOST TROUT CHAMPION
WAY TO GO Steve & Chuck !!!
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Giant Red on Fly
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My good friend Capt. Adrian Mason scored with this 36lb. red on fly.
WAY TO GO ADRIAN!!  |
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Summer & Fall catches
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Fishing was great Throughout the summer & fall. So good I didnt have time to do reports. Heres a few of the catches
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Spring bite is on
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Warmer weather has arrived and the bite is on.
As usual for this time of year schools of large redfish 20-40lb are schooling up on area flats. Providing lots of action for anglers.
Weve also been getting lots of big trout in the skinny water. Fish up to 8lb have been landed recently.
It's been a good start to year and as spring turns to summer the bite will only get better.
GO FISH !! |
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December
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Sorry for the lack of reports lately I was very busy before my vacation and I just got back from spending the last 30 days in beautiful Australia. I’ve only been home a week but am glad to say the fish haven’t went anywhere.
The cooler weather has moved in & water levels have dropped bringing the normal winter time patterns into effect. Redfish in schools of hundreds are cruising the open flats of mosquito lagoon & Indian river as well as schools of trout over 6lbs. These fish can be very finicky requiring a stealthy approach & perfect presentations to hook up, BUT the smaller groups and singles found in the potholes have been chewing anything they see. In my first day back we had over 10 fish on fly and another 8 on plastics. As I write this I have had only had 4 days on the water since arriving back home and every day had double digit catches. For the next few months expect the water clarity & levels to give the best sight fishing opportunities possible. Even in windy conditions the fish were easy to locate and the bite was great.
Heres a few from the past week
 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY FISHING |
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August report
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I don’t know where to start but basically the bite has been nothing but outstanding past month. Redfish, Trout, Snook & Tarpon have all been chewing very aggressively and it’s been the norm lately to have double digit numbers by luchtime.
Redfish over 40lb have been landed every week. I’m not going to post many pics of these fish because it would give away the location, and the bird-dog wannabe guides & gilligan’s are just waiting for that because they cant find them on their own. But I’ll share this one I got on fly a while ago.
Tarpon in the 40-70lb range are thick in the Indian River, most of the fish weve landed have come on live baits but weve had a few on artificial and fly.
Snook season is open now and they are smashing topwaters around baitfish schools, docks & seawalls in the early hours. Numerous fish have been just short of the new 27inch limit but weve had quite a few brought in for the dinner table.
Trout are also shadowing baitfish schools. The bigger 5+lb trout have been in less then 1ft of water while the smaller fish are usually a little deeper holding near spoil islands, channel edges & dropoffs.
The best bait for all the species has been topwater, soft plastic jerkbaits & baitfish patterned flies.
Heres a few pics of some recent catches
I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new skiff that is being built by ECC. This 100% Kevlar skiff will be the new standard on which others are compared to. For the last few months I’ve been using the prototype with charters and even managed a few myself on the fly when I had a day off
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June/July report
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The past month has seen a lot of changes on the Indian river & mosquito lagoon. Water levels have risen along with the temperatures pushing many of the redfish into the extreme backcountry flats that were dry last month. Slot reds can be found in 5-8 inches of water tailing and cruising shorelines with there backs out of the water. Small flies and unweighted soft plastics have been the ticket for these foraging fish. Approaching them stealthily and perfect presentation is often required with theses spooky fish. In fact lately leading the fish a least 10-15ft has been the key in getting the bite.
Bright colors have been working best in the early morning hours .
The trout bite continues to be good around bait pods and edges of spoil islands. Trout up to 7lb have been landed on topwaters the last few weeks and the topwater bite remained strong until around 9am each morning. Walk the dog & popper style plugs have been the ticket early with jigs and plastics getting the job done later in the day.
Snook remain active around docks and seawall throughout the Indian river. Topwaters, spoons, soft plastics & live bait are all effective.
Look for tarpon up to 60lb around area bridges. Most of these fish will be shadowing pogie pods in 6-10ft of water. Live bait or swimming plugs are the best bet. Fly anglers should stick with intermediate or sinking lines to get the attention of these fish.
Large baitfish patterns are best choice.
Bull reds continue to school in the deeper water for the spawn. Most of these fish get a lot of pressure and live baits will definitely produce more hookups when multiple boats are fishing the same fish. If your lucky enough to get on some by yourself then topwaters, jigs and flies are all effective when presented properly such was the case for the Leatherman party.
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April- May report
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April & May was a strong bite on the Indian River & Mosquito lagoon.
The topwater bite for trout has been outstanding in the early morning hours; fish up to 7lb have been landed lately by working edges bait pods with noisy topwaters. Once the sun comes up switching to soft plastics like the RT Slug has resulted in more bites.
Slot redfish are tailing in the early morning on the skinny flats and aggressively chewing any artificial or fly that is presented to them. Small baitfish mullet or pinfish patterns have been producing well for fly anglers.
Schools of bull Redfish numbering in the hundreds are roaming the 3-4 ft depths of the river and lagoon getting ready to spawn. These fish are highly pressured as of late and getting them to eat an artificial can be tough, especially when other boats are fishing the same school of fish, which unfortunately has become the norm. Live baits are definitely resulting in more bites but don’t think a well placed fly wont work.
The snook bite has been awesome lately. The lack of rain has kept the water cleaner than normal for this time of year around residential docks allowing anglers to sight cast to snook in the 1-3ft depths.
This past week we fished several schools of snook in the river
landing several over 6lb on soft plastics and fly.
With these you can expect some small tarpon
The near-shore bite is in full swing out of Port Canaveral and will only get better as the summer progresses. Tarpon, Snook, Jacks, Tripletail and many others will be on the beach for light tackle and fly anglers to battle like this dolphin that fell for a EP baitfish pattern
For a welcome change of pace the bass and bream have been providing excellent action for fly anglers. I’ve been fishing small lakes and ponds that many ignore. Some of these waters are crystal clear allowing us to sight cast to the bass. This is a great way for beginning fly anglers to hone their skills before attempting more challenging species on the flats.
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BULL REDS ARE CHEWING
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"Hi Bryan, Wanted to tell you how much we both enjoyed our fishing trip with you. What a day 13 Reds from 34inches to 44 inches .How can it get any better? this is the second time that we have fished with you and it won't be the last. Foster and Dave"
Doesnt get any better than this!!! |
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Cobia on the fly
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Long time client and good friend Larry Littrell score with his first cobia ever on a beautiful day outside port canaveral.
The inshore bite for Cobia and Tripletail is heating up with fish over 60lb landed in the last week.
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March Fly Fishing
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A few photos from a great day with the Long rod
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Febuary & March report
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Sorry for the lack of reports lately but I’ve been very busy with charters and house renovations. The good news is the house is done and the fishing the going off!
Fishing on the spacecoast has been great the past 2 months. Late season cold fronts made fishing tough for a few days but in general the bite has been good for fly and light tackle anglers.
Inshore, redfish up to 40lb have been landed in 3-5ft of water the past few weeks on artificials and bait. Fly anglers have been scoring as well landing fish up to 26lb in the last week. Slot reds are being found schooled up in 1ft of water and they are chewing plastics all day, Exude darts in the mangrove red cant be beat.
The big news lately have been the cobia and tripletail that have flooded into our coastal waters. While usually targeted using jigs and spinning gear, Fly anglers have had great success the last few weeks landing cobia over 20lb and tripletail up to 10lb.
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Jan. 2006
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Fishing has remained good the past few weeks even with the cold fronts and windy conditions that have greeted anglers on Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. With dropping water levels slot redfish continue to school throughout the lagoon on the shallow grass flats. Approaching quietly by push pole will increase your success rate dramatically. Lately most of my charters have yielded double digit days using small soft plastics rigged weedless. Fly anglers are having good success with light colored shrimp patterns. Leading the fish so as not to spook them is key and can be the difference between landing 10 or 1.
Look for redfish in the 20+ pound range on the deeper drop offs when conditions allow. They have been tough to find lately and when we did find them our shots were few but the bite will only get better in the coming months.
Trout up to 9lb are still in the shallowest water you can find. Look for bait and you’ll find the gator trout. 1-3lb trout are plentiful in the 4-6ft depths. Bright colored flies & soft plastics are very effective.
Black Drum up to 50lb have been active in the afternoons in the south IRL. Black clousers, rattle rousers are good flies to try. Soft plastic crabs, live shrimp or cut blue crab will all draw strikes when put on a drums nose. Don’t expect them to chase a bait down you have to feed it to them.
The years off to a good start and the bite will only get better with rising water temps
This IRL red fell for a bendback shrimp
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December 2005
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The past few weeks on the Mosquito lagoon have been a major transition period with the normal winter patterns emerging. Dropping water levels have pushed many of the fish that were in the backcountry closer the edges of flats and depressions. Slot reds have started to school up, something they will do in great numbers as cooler temps continue.
Look for reds and trout to be sunning in the sandy potholes early in the morning, which is the major wintertime pattern in our area
Soft plastics rigged weedless continue to land the majority of the fish. These lagoon reds aggressively ate an Exude dart in the natural shrimp & mangrove red colors.
The normal pattern for the next few months will be a cold front pushing through every 3-5 days. When this happens the dropping temps and high winds will all but shut down the fishing for a day or 2. But the bite will quickly rebound and if you’re lucky enough to be on the water on a warmer day between the fronts the bite can be outstanding.
Such was the case for Capt. Pat Murphy & myself this week, fishing before an oncoming cold front we enjoyed a flat full of redfish tailing. These fish were very spooky and we had several refusals but with the right presentation they were happy to eat a shrimp fly I tied that morning.
Pat scored with this nice 15lb red before 20mph winds kicked up and forced us to ride through the saltwater firehose back to the ramp.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
&
MERRY FISHING
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November report
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Well fall is upon us, water levels continue to drop and thankfully we are seeing cleaner water every day. Flats that were filled with dirty water weeks ago are now clear which is allowing anglers to sight fish redfish and trout on shallow flats throughout the Indian River & Mosquito Lagoon.
Live bait is not needed as soft plastics rigged weedless on a Daiichi ‘buttdragger’ are producing double digit numbers of redfish and trout on most days. The best bait has been an exude rt-slug but look for the fish to soon be targeting smaller baits as winter sets in. At that time 3-4inch baits will draw more strikes.
Some schools of bull reds are still chewing when conditions are right
But lately we have mainly been targeting slot redfish.
We are soon arriving at the best time of the year for sightfishing the crystal clear waters of Mosquito Lagoon. As the temperatures cool look for these fish to be in schools numbering in the hundreds. |
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October Report
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High & dirty water remain in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River but despite horrible sight fishing conditions the bite has been great. Redfish catches in the double digits remain the norm; topwaters, spoons and soft plastics have all been effective.
Lately we’ve been greeted by beautiful sunrises and light winds
Upon reaching a bait filled flat giant redfish are crashing the mullet pods resulting in some awesome topwater strikes. It is very exciting to see a redfish over 20lb come completely out of the water to strike a topwater plug.
When that bite slows we go for skinny targeting slot redfish, gator trout, snook & small tarpon, which have been aggressively eating, exude soft plastics throughout the day.
Now every year about this time when the big redfish are crashing topwaters the same thing will happen. My clients will cast their topwater in front of the school bull reds and a little trout hits the plug instead. Out of the 100 or so times that might happen in a year every now and then while they are reeling in this little trout and giant redfish will eat the trout. Such was the case this past week as a 30+lb redfish came out of the water and skyrocketed as it inhaled this trout that had eaten the plug. We fought the fish for about 10 min. and then the plug/trout pulled out of the red’s mouth.
This is the results of a 30+lb redfish engulfing a trout
Hopefully the approaching hurricane will not affect us very much and the bite will continue to be hot |
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Sept. Report
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Fishing remains outstanding on the Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River. We’ve had awesome weather the past few weeks and the bite is on!! High water levels has many fish cruising the shorelines and targeting the areas with ‘nervous’ bait pods has resulted non-stop action on slot redfish and gator trout.
Topwaters remains an excellent way to start the morning. There’s nothing that gets you going like a 7-8lb trout exploding on a topwater as the sun rises! Redfish are also eager to pounce on that topwater and the noise the plug makes will get their attention from a distance.
Once the sun comes up tailing redfish have been everywhere. Yesterday while fishing solo I was surrounded by tailers in every direction. I had many missed opportunities because the fish were so spooky but approaching quietly and leading them 10-15ft was the key to success & I ended up landing 5 reds all on fly.
This lagoon red fell for a slider
Recently Bill & Dawn Devaney joined me for their first lagoon experience.
We started the morning off with a double but Dawns broke off and Bill landed his first on an exude
Soon after we were on the fish again, Dawn was throwing her own baitcasting reel like a pro and landed her biggest redfish ever on a topwater
Then she did it again, this 37lb fish came out of the water to eat her topwater
What a strike!!
We left this school of fish and went skinny to land several slot reds and trout. After a bit we went for another school of big fish and Dawn once again put her baitcaster to the test landing this red 42lb red. Again this fish ate a topwater
We went for a short run and were soon on another school this time Bill & Dawn doubled up landing 2 more very nice fish to end the day
The bite is going off right now, most days we are easily getting double digit redfish catches and gator trout up to 8lb have been consistent. Look for continued outstanding action along the river and lagoon system as we enjoy this stable weather pattern |
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August/Sept 2005
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August was a very active month on Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River and September is promising much of the same action. With so many species available sometimes the hardest thing was to pick your target. Redfish, Trout, Snook, Tarpon & Pompano have all been keeping anglers rod bent.
The topwater bite has been outstanding over the past few weeks with the abundance of bait in the river. Large poppers and walk-the-dog type plugs will draw aggressive strikes when worked around bait pods, spoil islands, depressions & points.
Jim Seoule landed this very healthy trout
Remember to pay attention to your hooks and split rings to avoid losing fish (and plugs). When targeting large redfish or snook I often switch to heavier wire hooks & split rings that wont bend or straighten when tested by one of these bruisers
Once the sun is up switching to soft plastics will draw more strikes. Best baits lately have been the Exude RT-Slug in the baby bass, gold flake & white/chartreuse colors. Rigged weedless on a Daiichi ‘Copperhead’ hook; it is deadly in skinniest of water. When targeting slightly deeper water or docks, switching to a Daiichi ‘Buttdragger” will get more strikes. Remember to use at least a 30lb. leader when targeting docks, which may hold snook & tarpon.
Mother nature got nasty the past 2 weeks first with Hurricane Katrina and now TS Ophelia is off the east coast. When these systems pass thru the winds make sight fishing impossible and will muddy the water for several days. But adjusting your strategy can save the day. Such was the case this past week, but by slowing down our drift with a sea-anchor so that we could work a productive area slowly we had a great topwater bite including this big red, one of several landed that morning in very windy conditions.
In fact snook fishing can be outstanding on some of the nastiest weather days. Despite 20 mph winds we had a great morning bite landing several snook over 7 lb on artificial including this 9lber that joined us for dinner
Look for sight-fishing conditions to improve as Ophelia moves away from our coast. But until then there are still plenty of fish to keep hooked up on for anglers on the Spacecoast.
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July 21, 2005
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The summer bite is on! Most mornings recently we have had outstanding topwater action for trout up 7lb. Fishing spoil islands & drop-offs that have large schools of finger mullet present are key to landing numbers of quality fish. Poppers and walk-the-dog type plugs are both deadly when worked aggressively around bait pods. Yesterday the fish seemed to prefer a popper while the previous days proved a walking plug more effective. So it’s a good idea to try both to find out what they are want that day.
Once the sun gets up we have been greeted by schools of 20+ pound redfish finning and tailing in the slick calm water. A well-presented topwater, soft plastic, or fly is a good choice for happy tailing fish in the morning. Unfortunately once other boats encroach upon you and start bombing the fish with live baits the artificial bite goes down hill fast.
This is why the artificial bite on these fish has not been the greatest the past week but giving the fish what they wanted provided lots of action.
Fly anglers are getting good numbers of shots at slot fish cruising shorelines which are eager to pounce on a well presented fly.
We are within a month of the heaviest spawning activity by our local breeder redfish. Soon we will have 3,4,500 and more fish schooled up on the deeper flats of the lagoon and river. This is your best chance of the year for that trophy bull redfish on light tackle or fly.
Tarpon up to 60lb are on Titusville flats ready to test you tackle. These fish can be very tough to get to eat but if you are patient you’ll be rewarded with a river silver king. Live mullet has been best for these fish.
Look for schools of jacks, ladyfish & the occasional bluefish on channel edges slashing through schools of glass minnows & pilchards. Small bright colored spoons, jigs & clousers are all effective.
Pompano have invaded the north end of the river, from the power plants to Scottsmore. Look for fish skipping in your wake or target them around area bridges. Small bright jigs are the ticket. Some like to tip the jig with a piece of shrimp or sand flea as an added attractant.
Look for the most action on the flats early in the morning and target deeper flats as the days heat increases and you should have a consistent bite on a variety of species.
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June 20, 2005
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The bite has been great the past few weeks on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. Redfish, Trout, Snook & Tarpon are all available to challenge light tackle and fly anglers.
Trout are shadowing bait pods in 2-4ft of water. The topwater bite in the early hours has been awesome. Most are in the 1-3lb range but trout up to 5lb have been landed on poppers. Once the sun gets up switching to soft plastics & flies will result in more strikes. The north end of the river had a great trout bite this weekend. Trying to stay away from the crowds we drifted in 4-6ft of water catching 15-20 trout on bright colored clousers.
Schools of jacks, ladyfish and even bluefish were on the channel edges slashing through glass minnow pods, which made for great action on the ultralight and fly rod. I also had chance to try Tyger leader as a shooting head and was very happy with the results. Connecting a short 15-18inch piece of 70lb. Tyger leader was perfect for getting the floating line down to the trout. This is ideal when all you have on board is a floating line and need to get deeper. Also a short bite tippet of 10-15lb will keep the toothy critters connected and it comes in a variety of colors. Check it out at www.tygerleader.com
Schools of bull redfish finning and tailing in the calm morning hours have been the norm lately. Quietly approaching these fish on the push pole and properly presenting your bait is a key to a hook up. Bonnie McIlrath of Virginia enjoyed battling these Mosquito Lagoon redfish landing several 20 pounders and finished with a monster that went about 43 pounds
If your looking for your shot a the trophy redfish of a lifetime the next 2 months will be your best chance |
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June 2005
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The past week has been great! I recently purchased a new skiff and have been putting her through the paces. I am happy to say she performed great!
Fishing has been outstanding the recently on Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River. Water temperatures continue to rise and bait is abundant throughout the river system. Numerous schools of bull redfish numbering in the hundreds have been challenging light tackle and fly anglers. A good cast & presentation will result in a hookup.
The Schambach party had an outstanding day sight casting to a hungry school of bull reds. The first fish went well over 20lb
After a quick pic she was released to continue making babies and we were back at it. Poling about 50yds we were back on the school and again had another fish hooked up, this one slightly smaller.
After releasing this fish we had a quick drink while watching the fish tail and fin at the surface. I hopped on the pole and soon we were hooked into a freight train that went screaming off. After a 20 minute fight we landed this 50inch pig that was easily 40lb. after a quick pic she was released
We decided the big redfish had been good to us and decided to leave and catch some trout. It was tough to pole away watching them tail but they will be there again another day to create a memory for another angler.
Look for trout around bait pods. Fish up to 6lb have been landed lately and we lost a huge 30inch trout right at the boat yesterday.
Snook are ambushing mullet around seawalls, docks & residential canals. Live baits or soft plastics skipped under the structure will both be effective.
The bite is awesome so get out there and GET 1
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May 2005
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The past few weeks bite has been great for light tackle & fly anglers on the Indian River & Mosquito Lagoon. Water temps have steadily climbed and the fish are chewing better everyday. If you look for the bait pods and you’ll find the fish.
Topwater action for trout has been outstanding in the early morning hours. Most have been in the 2-3lb range but recently we’ve landed trout up to 6lb and lost one giant easily over 10lb. right at the boat.
Snook are very plentiful at their normal haunts waiting to ambush a baitfish that is foolish enough to get in range. Upsizing your leader is a must to keep from getting broken off. Yesterday morning fishing mangroves and docks my anglers had an awesome bite on live mullet. Unfortunately the snook got the better of us and they didn’t land any these hard fighting gamefish. But even if you don’t land him it’s awesome to sightcast to a 10-12lb snook under a dock or mangrove and watch him explode on your bait.
Slot reds have been prowling the shorelines as singles or small groups eager to eat a well-presented fly or soft plastics.
Once the sun has come up bull redfish tailing away in 3-4ft of water has greeted us.
Approaching them quietly and a good cast well in front of the school so you don’t spook them is almost always a guaranteed hookup.
These fish are getting ready to spawn in the next few months and soon we’ll be fishing schools numbering in the hundreds. The hotter the temperatures the more active these big fish will be and come August they will be smashing topwaters. The Friedman party enjoyed a morning of sight casting to big redfish despite 15 mph winds. Hooking 6 fish and landing 4. The smallest was 18lb. the biggest was approximately 35lb.
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April 2005
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Well spring is here, the finger mullet & pinfish are flooding onto the flats from their winter haunts and right behind them are the Trout, Redfish, Snook & Tarpon.
The trout and redfish bite remained great throughout the winter as it usually does. The north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon have been yielding excellent catches for anglers quietly poling the flats using small soft plastics like the DOA Cal’s & shrimp. Best colors have depended on how bright it is. On cloudy days Pearl w/chartreuse tail or chartreuse/silver glitter got more bites but days when the sun was at it’s brightest darker colors like Avocado/Red Glitter, Silver Mullet, Rootbeer/Chartreuse Tail are the colors of choice. I like rigging them on a 4/0 Daiichi Butt-Dragger w/ the 1/8th oz. DOA pinch weight. If needed I will cut the pinch weight in half so it’s only 1/16th oz. , usually that’s when I’m in water less than 8inches or am fishing 8-10lb trout which tend to be much spookier to things landing in the water.
Wind has dictated where we could fish a lot of last month, sometimes we were limited to hugging the shoreline to find a lee and pick off single fish in the potholes.
While other days were glass calm and we could fish schools of redfish in the 20-40lb range in the 3-6ft depths.
Regardless of the weather we still put bends in the rods
The bites only going to get better and in a month we’ll have schools of Bull Reds number in the hundreds grouped up. All of these fish will be in the 20+lb range and will crush soft plastics and topwaters when presented right.
Look for snook and small tarpon on area docks aggressively taking artificials and livies. Remember to use a minimum of 30lb leader for these fish.
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March 2005
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As the sun comes over the dunes and burns through the morning fog nervous water can be seen ahead as hundreds of redfish slowly mill about tipping the surface with their tales. I quietly poled in range ahead of the school and we fired 2 soft plastics 20ft ahead of them and waited while they approached. When they were 5 feet from the lure my client twitched it off the bottom and the lead fish charged the bait and crushed it. After a few minutes a nice 11lb red came to the boat
After a quick photo we were back at it, again getting ahead of the fish so we could lead them with the bait. When the cast and presentation was right it was a guaranteed hook-up and another nice redfish
After several fish from that school we poled away and left them biting to look for some bigger fish. A quick run and we found a school of 60-80 bull reds in 3-5ft of water. We had several shots that were refused because of casting to close to fish. Once I got my client to lead the fish enough and let his bait get to the bottom it was on.
After a 20 minute fight we landed a 38lb pig
This has been the norm the past week in the Indian River & Mosquito Lagoon. We’ve been blessed with stable weather and the fish have been chewing. Quietly approaching with the push pole is a must and it is essential that you lead the fish at least 10ft.
Casting to close will only result in spooking the fish and a missed opportunity.
I had great results this week with the CAL shad tail by DOA, rigged on a Daiichi buttdragger hook. We had the best results with bright colors like gold flake early in the morning and once the sun got high switching to darker colors like rootbeer/chartreuse tail and Avacodo/red glitter produced more bites.
The bite should continue to be great this coming week for light tackle and fly anglers and if the weather continues to warm it won’t be long before we see some snook showing up on the flats and then the small tarpon. The bites hot so pick to target and go GET 1
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Febuary 2005
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Well I hope you got on the water the past several days because it’s been awesome. Hopefully you have a gps because the fogs been like pea soup, which requires caution to safely navigate in the early morning hours. Not only to keep yourself from finding a sand bar but to avoid other anglers already on the water.
Trout up to 10lb are holding in sandy potholes in 6-10inches of water, with the best areas being shorelines that are protected from the wind and holding lots of small mullet and pinfish. The best bait is a lively finger mullet in the 4-6inch range with a 3/0 hook behind the dorsal fin. Hooked this way the mullet can be cast very far & made to flutter on top which big trout find irresistible. The best artificial would be soft plastics rigged weedless. Topwaters are also productive if there is enough water to work them without hanging up in the grass.
If redfish are your target your in luck; Mosquito Lagoon if full of schools of redfish numbering in the hundreds. These fish are getting a lot of pressure so it’s best to be first on the flats and use stealth to approach these weary fish. Presentation is key to repeated hookups; leading these fish by 10-15feet is a must. DOA shrimp & CAL jerk baits get the thumbs up for producing numbers of lagoon reds this week. Best colors were rootbeer w/ chartreuse tail, near clear & chartreuse w/ red flake.
Fly fisherman have had very good success with bright colored mullet patterns. Hillary joined me for 2 days of fly-fishing in the goon recently landing numbers redfish on the fly.
Yesterday I spent the day with Capt. Blair Wiggins sightfishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish for an upcoming episode of Addictive Fishing. The original plan was to get one of the 10-12lb trout I’ve been on. But that didn’t happen for us so we switched gears and went for redfish. We fished a school of 2-300 hundred fish in the north end . Then after they got wise we went south to finish the day with the standard winter time pattern of fishing the sandy potholes. It was a foggy start but a great day with fish up to 14lb landed.
I’d like to give a big thanks to Capt. Pat Murphy for running the camera boat for the show.
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January 2005
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You can’t ask for a better time to be on the water.
Take your pick of species Redfish, Trout, Black Drum, Snook, Tripletail, Cobia!! In January!!!!
I can’t remember when we’ve had such an incredible bite in January. The past week Mother Nature has blessed us with spring like temperatures, calm winds and fish chewing the gel-coat off the boat.
The redfish bite continues to be strong in the north Indian River and the Goon. Fish up to 21lb have been caught the past week and a typical day has yielded numbers in the double digits. The best baits have been small plastic baits in the 3-4 inch range. The best colors were pumpkin seed/chartreuse tail & salt & pepper. Live shrimp will get the fussy fish that refuse the artificials but I’ve been coming back to the dock with almost all my shrimp everyday because we never needed them to catch fish.
Pay close attention to the sandy potholes as your likely to see redfish and trout up to 10+ lbs. lying in wait to ambush their next meal.
Look for black drum to be tailing early on the edges of sand bars and dredge holes. Live shrimp or black jig/fly is best for these fish.
The snook have made an early appearance south of the power plants. Some docks are holding 8-10 fish in the 5-7lb ranges that will readily take a live finger mullet. Remember to step up to at least a 30lb leader
The big bite has been on the beach, yes that’s right the beach. The run to Pelican will easily yield your limit on kingfish. Late last week the Cobia showed up in force and the big boats have been catching numbers of 30-50lb fish everyday. The seas have been calm and allowed light tackle crowd in on the action. Yesterday Capt. Pat brought 2 30lb Cobia to the boat and several Tripletail.
Today with Capt. Tom VanHorn we landed over 15 tripletail most being 8-10lb. the biggest being a 30lber, my personal best caught on 15lb line. All of these fish were sightcast to, half on shrimp half on artificials.
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December 2004
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The past week we have been graced with summer like weather. Light winds and warm sunny skies proved to be ideal conditions for anglers this week on the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon.
At dawn we were greeted by small groups of lagoon redfish tailing in the thick grass, most of the groups had 8-12 fish and were feeding very aggressively into the mid morning hours.
Small 3-4 inch plastics in darker colors were the most effective. Presenting the lure 8-10ft ahead of the fish so you don’t spook it and letting the fish come to the bait was the key to repeated hookups.
The next day fishing the Indian River my charter was thrilled to find redfish between 14-22lb schooled up and tailing in the 3ft depth range. It was even better that these fish had not been pressured and readily took flies and plastics throughout the day.
Security at the port remains the main obstacle for snook fisherman. But despite the ever-changing unpredictable rules we landed 1 30incher and broke 2 off during the early morning hours along with jacks, bluefish and a fat 3lb mangrove that ate a plug worked quickly around the pilings. Remember snook season closes Dec. 15th so get out there now before it’s too late.
Happy Holiday & Merry Fishing !!
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November 2004
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As the skiff glides over the mirror like water, and the sun peaks over the dunes and burns through the morning fog we are greeted by flashes of bronze & blue. First one…. then two..three…four, five……..and many more. You wait patiently as a tailer slowly works his way toward you. 40ft out and you present your lure ahead of the foraging fish, as it approaches you give it a slight twitch, It charges and inhales your bait and moments later your enjoying the first redfish of the day.
Mornings like these are why anglers from around the world come to the Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River. To sightfish redfish and trout in mere inches of water is the ultimate angling challenge.
Last weekends full moon slowed the bite down a bit as the fish were feeding all night long and weren’t the most aggressive come daylight. We had multiple shots at fish tailing early in the morning but many of these fish were very finicky. Proper presentation was the key to getting bit. Live shrimp was the bait of choice but even then your presentation had to be perfect. A few feet off and it would not be seen in the thick grass, land it too close to the fish and it would spook him. At times it can be frustrating to cast at fish after fish only to be refused but if you stick with it, you will be rewarded.
Remember - “persistence wears out resistance”
Jim was persistent and rewarded with a fat lagoon red
Once the sun comes up you should pay close attention for fish sunning themselves in the sandy potholes. Last week we saw schools of trout in the 10+lb range lying in and on the edges of sandy potholes. These fish are extremely spooky and must be quietly approached by poling or wading. Small topwaters and 3-4 inch soft plastics are effective.
This 6lber ate a pumpkin/chartreuse paddle tail rigged weedless on a Daichi butt dragger hook.
If big trout are your target then you best bet is to cast net some 3-4inch finger mullet, fished either under a popping cork or freelined around potholes and drop-offs a frisky finger mullet wont last long. If there are trout there they will eat it, just like this 30inch 10+lb gator trout that was fed a finger mullet and released after a quick photo.
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October 2004
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Light winds and bright blue skies have greeted anglers the past week on the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. It was the perfect conditions for anglers sightfishing redfish and trout on the shallow flats. Both flies and soft plastics were received well when properly presented.
Such was the case for Terry from west coast had a banner day sightcasting to one fish after another that pounced all over his baits
The fish are transitioning from their fall to wintertime pattern. While there are still plenty of fish cruising right on the shorelines, the rest have taken up station on the outside points and potholes Quietly approaching these fish by poling or wading is key and will only become more important as water levels continue to drop.
Keep a keen eye peeled as you pole the flat for trout in the 10-12lb range lying in the same holes as the reds. Such was the case this past week when a small cove that had been consistently been holding redfish for weeks seemed to be invaded by multiple trout over 6lb some of which were easily 33-35inch fish. The bigger fish were very spooky and would not eat in the bright conditions. So the next morning I started my anglers off before daylight throwing topwater. We had several blowups that missed the plugs and hooked an 8-9lb fish that was able to throw the hooks at boatside. As the sun began to rise the over the dunes we landed a nice 4lb trout.
Soft plastics rigged weedless in the 3-4 inch range have been most productive. Lighter colors like white/chartreuse, gold flake have worked best early in the morning with darker colors like rootbeer, mangrove red taking more fish later in the day.
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September 2004
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The past weeks have been an awesome bite with sightcasting to redfish being outstanding. The water has finally cleared up after the storms and quietly poling shorelines has yielded multiple shots at fish on a day-to-day basis. Most are ranging in size from 4 to 9lbs and have been crushing flies & soft plastics presented to them.
The Indian River remains tannin stained so throwing something that makes noise or puts out a vibration like a topwater or Qausi-jig has been drawing more strikes. The little flounder creek area produced several slot reds and trout were numerous on the outside of the bar this past week.
Moving to the lagoon the water is cleaner and fish were found from whales tail all the way to turtle pen tailing first thing in the morning.
The northern end of the lagoon was on fire this past week with numbers of redfish eating everything thrown at them. The farther north you get the better the water looks and areas around Georges bar were crystal clear and thick with redfish. Topwaters were very effective early in the morning and produced the biggest fish while the most numbers were caught on darker colored jerkbaits rigged weedless. Concentrating on shoreline areas holding 10-12 inch mullet has been the key to finding the most numbers of fish and this pattern has been yielding 10-14 fish days consistently.
Trout to 9lb will be found in the skinniest water waiting to ambush a meal. Again areas with big mullet are most productive and concentrating on the points of spoil islands has been the most effective technique. Moving to 3-5ft and finding the schools of bait will yield plenty of trout in the 1-3lb range. Floating a finger mullet or pigfish under a cork is most effective as are jigs & spoons worked beneath and on the edges of the bait pods.
Snook are still fattening up before it gets cold blasting finger mullet around docks and seawalls. Jerkbaits, swimming plugs, jigs are all effective when worked quickly around pilings and shadow lines. For live bait a 5-6inch finger mullet hooked through the nose and freelined around the same structure is deadly. Other effective baits are greenies, pinfish & croakers.
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August 2004
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Once again we are recovering from yet another hurricane on the Spacecoast. Water levels have again risen flooding many areas that are normally dry but luckily the water clarity hasn’t suffered as it did in the last 2 storms. The water is very tannin stained but the visibility is still good throughout the IRL.
Redfish have been very active roaming the flooded shorelines that are holding schools of finger mullet. Topwaters & spoons have been very effective for covering water and locating fish in the 1-3ft ranges that are ambushing bait pods. Tailing fish are best targeted with a soft plastic or fly that lands softly and can be presented on a fishes nose. The best baits have been white/chartreuse, gold flake & rainbow shad colored RT-Slugs rigged weedless.
Big Redfish to 40lb are still schooled up but have broken up into groups of 60-80fish instead 300-500. We should continue to have a great bite with them throughout this full moon period and the next. These fish have been crushing topwaters, jigs, spoons and anything else that is presented to them.
Trout up to 7lb have been smashing topwaters at first light. Edges of spoil islands; shoreline points and drop-offs that are holding mullet are prime big trout spots. Poppers and walk the dog type plugs like the she-dog or zara spook will all draw strikes.
Tarpon from 5 to 50lb are still abundant in the north IRL. The smaller fish are roaming the shorelines with the redfish. They respond well to soft plastics, topwaters & spoons. This morning we jumped 2 fish to 15lb on timber-doodle spoons. The big tarpon are on channel edges and drop-offs shadowing schools of greenies. Best results with these fish has been freelining a 3-4inch greenies or 6-7inch mullet behind the boat while keeping another rod at the ready to cast to rolling fish.
The snook bite has been good at dawn & dusk. Seawalls, docks, and outflows are prime ambush spots. A topwater or mullet-imitating plug is perfect for targeting these fish in the lower light conditions while a live finger mullet will draw the most strikes once the sun comes up. If snook over 15lb is your plan you need to be fishing Port Canaveral south to Sebastian. The mullet will be thick and the snook will be gorging themselves after the spawn trying to fatten up before the cooler months.
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July 2004
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This week has been awesome, redfish, trout, snook & poons all are on fire in the IRL.
The river system continues to have an enormous amount of bait. Mullet, pinfish, pogies & greenies are thick from Cocoa to Oak Hill and the predators are chewing on this finned smorgasbord.
This week the artificial bite was a little off this week, we landed a few fish on Exude RT-Slugs in the mangrove red, alewife & clear gold flake color but the fish were being finicky and we had much better results with livebait. Shrimp and cut ladyfish drew the most redfish strikes. With fish to 39lb landed this week.
The best bite recently has been the snook, we had some outstanding days sightfishing schools of snook in 1-2ft of water along residential docks and sea-walls in the south Indian River. A freelined 5 inch finger mullet is prime bait for any dock dweller looking for an easy meal. Beef up your tackle to stiffer rods, 15-20lb mono or braid tied to 40lb leader is a minimum if you want any chance of landing Mr. Snookum’s and even with the heavier gear you can still expect to lose a few from their lips sawing through the leader (yes it’s their LIPS that go through the leader & break you off, NOT THE GILL-PLATE).
The highlight of the week for me was watching an amazing battle between a snook and jack over a finger mullet; the jack was faster than the snook and darted around him and POP! POP! smacked the mullet, the snook comes up BOOSH, the jacks darts around the snook again POP!POP! the snook comes in BOOSH!BASH! In the end the snook won…well actually I guess we did!
Another 10 minutes and BASH! Another snook on, we battled her out of the structure and as she came closer to the boat we noticed about 8-10 other snook following her. She comes out of the water franticly shaking her head trying to throw the hook and sending the mullet flying off. When the mullet hit the water the rest of the snook following our hooked fish all attacked it POP! BASH! BOOSH!! It was an awesome sight!!
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June 2004
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Sweat was pouring down Mike Flayer’s face as we watched a school of Bull Reds slowly work our way. We had waited 45 minutes for the fish to show themselves after some Gilligan had run down the bank pushing them off the ledge; Mike had already landed 3 fish up to 26lb. on live bait, now we were going to go for one on artificial even though the fish had not been eating artificial very well lately due to the pressure. It was 1pm and 150yds away we were watching 20+lb Redfish finning and rolling on one another. I slowly closed on these fish not pushing hard so I wouldn’t make a pressure wake with the boat. At 70yds off we watched they one of them crash a mullet that was stupid enough to get to close. “You know they take a topwater best when it’s real hot, lets give it a try” I told Mike and he quickly grabbed the topwater rod ready on the deck, another few minutes and he fired a shot in front of the school…, unfortunately the wind caught it and with a big KAPLUNK! Landed directly in the middle of the school followed by a giant red eruption. Mike starts franticly reeling the plug in as the school is warp speed out to deeper water with me poling fast on a angled course to cut them off (never pole right behind the school after them). “Quick grab the EXUDE” I said “they won’t eat the topwater now” and Mike fired another shot at the school “ it’s short, cast 30ft in front of where you think they are”. The next shot was right on and as the school moved up to the bait Mike started twitching it giving it the ‘Dance of Death’ and one of the fish charged and crushed the alewife color RT-Slug. He set the hook it was on! After the initial 70 yd run we were able to get her out of the school and after a feisty 15 minute fish Mike landed a fat 47 inch 41 pound redfish.
Fishing has been awesome the past few weeks, trout up to 8lb, reds up to 37lb & snook to 7lb on topwater are the top recent catches. All the gamefish in the river are getting more active and the small tarpon have come out of their winter homes to play.
One thing to remember is to be versatile, we’ve had days where the slot reds didn’t want to eat but the big fish did. And days where the big fish wouldn’t but the trout and snook crushed everything you threw at them so being versatile in your target will make the difference between a good day or not so good day.
Exude RT-slug’s in the alewife, mangrove red & clear gold flake continue to put fish in the boat every day. Targeting fish in the sandy potholes & cruising the edges of grass lines is an every day reliable pattern. Look for flats with small mullet and pinfish and the fish will be nearby.
Line in the 8 lb class is ideal for slot reds and trout but when targeting the big redfish you should upscale to a minimum of 12lb. (I use 15lb. PowerPro) the hotter the water gets the less O2 and a 45minute fight will lead to a dead fish. The heavier line will also be needed for Mr. Snooky and you should also go to a 30-40lb leader.
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May 2004
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Fishing has been great the past few weeks, temperatures are steadily rising, schools of
finger mullet are abundant on area flats and the predators are right there with them.
Water levels continue to be lower than normal for this time of year making many flats
unfishable or the entry routes to these flats with no water to reach. But anglers who adjust
have no problem catching fish.
Mosquito Lagoon is loaded with slot reds right now; push poling is a must to reach these
very finicky fish. Exude rt-slugs in the clear gold, baby bass & watermelon color have
been deadly throughout the day when presented on light weight hooks. Also with the
clearer than normal water it is advisable to switch to a longer leader, last week switching
to a 4ft leader was the difference between getting a bite or refusal.
Such was the case this past Sat. I fished the Titusville Pro Redfish Tournament, with cameraman on board we landed 13 fish on day 1, only after lengthening our leaders and going to a watermelon rt-slug. The heartbreaker was an 8.5lb fish that was 16th an inch over and had to be released. Even though it was a legal redfish in the state of Florida, it was just barely to big for the tournament. If we could’ve weighed that fish we would’ve had a top 10 finish. You can see it first hand on Americana Outdoors in approx. 4 weeks.
Big Reds have been a constant for the past months and will continue till fall. Anglers on the ‘Willy Get 1’ have landed fish over 15lb each day with the a 44lb pig that recent high school grad Amber from Tampa landed last week while fishing with her Dad. I love seeing a parent enjoying the outdoors with the kid. I believe it’s something more parents should do.
Trout are happily blasting topwaters at daybreak, once the sun comes up working the 2-4ft
depth will produce more numbers. Look for numbers of fish to be shadowing bait pods,
particularly any pods of glass minnows. The schools of trout have been feeding on them
more than the finger mullet. But if a gator trout is you plan then look in less than 1 foot of
water. Last week trout up to 6lb were landed in 7-8inches of water and many bigger fish were
seen but not caught. These fish will be in areas with lots of small 3-4inch mullet.
Soft plastic are ideal, ale-wife & golden bream colors both produced hefty trout for my clients
this week.
Tarpon have not showed in numbers yet in the IRL. We’ve had a few 3-6lb around the snook docks but were not seeing the rollers in the morning yet. This is because many of them winter in the ponds back in the marsh & orange groves and the water levels are not high enough to flood the canals going back to them. Once the rains start look for outflows with flowing water and tarpon are almost always nearby.
Snook are getting more aggressive as the temps increase. The river snook are ambushing baits
under mangroves and docks. Most are in the 4-7lb range while a few snookzillas are pushing
14-16lb.
Leader of 30-40lb are a must if you want any chance of landing that linesider before their lips
go through it.
Jerkbaits are my #1 lure because of the ease they skip under the docks, often even when the
snook are not feeding actively you can still get a reaction bite by skipping it under the docks.
This technique has yielded fish, even when live bait has been refused.
Port Canaveral snook are biting with fish up to 15lb landed this month and a number of slot fish in the 6-10lb ranges. You must upscale your tackle to 20-50lb braid and leaders of 40-60lb with stiff rods. Unfortunately with the security it’s a gamble whether you can fish where they are biting. One night yes then next night no. It’s the difference between catching and fishing.
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April 2004
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Well temps are rising and the fishing is heating right up as well. Redfish are happily waving their tails as the sun breaks the horizon. While trout can be heard blasting finger mullet pods on the edges of spoil islands and sand bars. Snook and Tarpon have left their winter homes and set up shop along drop offs & docks waiting to ambush the next meal.
Big Redfish are schooling; fish in the 20-40lb range have been cooperating nicely when quietly approached. A well-placed cast will result in a trophy fish. Most of the schools have been finicky requiring live or dead bait. While other have jumping all over artificials, fish up to 23lb where landed this week on clear gold flake EXUDE RT Slugs and Shrimp in the natural shrimp color. Extra weight is needed when targeting fish in the 3-5ft range 1/8 to ¼ should be fine as long as you work the lower part of the water column.
Trout have been pounding topwater early morning, then it’s better to switch to a soft plastic for more bites, but if you want a gator trout over 5 lb. don’t put that topwater away, with all the bait in the river right now it could be there your very next cast. A 7 1/4lb trout was landed this week at 2pm on a topwater, so you can throw the ‘topwater at low light only theory out the window’.
Look for schools of finger mullet, glass minnows or pilchards in 2-5ft if your looking for numbers of trout. If quality not quantity is more you’re game then get skinny. The above-mentioned trout came from 9inches of water.
Snook & Tarpon are happy and will pounce on a well-placed mullet floated down their dock line. As the temps get hotter the more aggressive they will get, but now is the best time to sight fish them. In another 3 months the rains will have dirtied the water, and it’ll be next to impossible.
Snook in the port are chewing and the security guards are yelling. One night you can fish a spot and catch 7 legal fish. The next you cant. It’s very frustrating.
Best bait has been a 5-inch finger mullet. I’m using 20lb power-pro tied to 40lb fluorocarbon & lip hooking them on a 2/0 hook. Mullet imitation plugs & jigs worked tight around the structure will also produce. Don’t be surprised if a 3-5lb mangrove snapper happens to be along side those pilings as well. They are a quite common bi-catch (although a very tasty one) when snookin at Port Canaveral.
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March 2004
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Well the year is off too a good start Larry Litrell of Orlando tied my boat record with a fat red that went 47lb. this week
Later that week a nearby school yielded a 21,18,29 all in one morning.
Dick Seuve (one of my all time favorite clients) and his friend John joined me on the “Willy Get1” earlier this month. Dick just moved to nearby Edgewater and wanted to learn the water he was now living next too. As I poled into out first stop his friend John commented how he had fished this spot numerous times with no luck, “That’s funny” I said “I’ve only been here once when we didn’t catch fish” I hesitated before adding “& it was the last time I was here”,….. Well luck was one our side as we released redfish after redfish for the next two hours. I Love my office!!
Later that week the Sparrow party enjoyed an awesome morning of big redfish action landing fish up to 37lb., then bad luck struck and my motor took a dump. A big thanks to Capt. Wright for helping me out on the water.
The Witkens proved to be die-hard anglers when in 15-25mph winds they chose to fish. It wasn’t pretty but persistence paid off and we landed 4 fish on EXUDE RT-Slugs the biggest was 12lb.
The past 4 days have given us relentless 20+mph winds, which left every ethical guide at the dock (I’m sure a few tourist scammers took people out in that slop) but they should subside and the good fishing will return quickly.
Temps are warming and baitfish are becoming more abundant in the IRL, 30+lb reds can be seen crashing mullet in the hot late afternoons, schools of ladyfish will be ravaging glass minnows pods in 4-7ft of water (look for diving birds), Trout will crush a topwater worked on the outside of bait pods or edges of spoil islands and snook are just waiting for a well placed bait or lure and they will happily test your knots and tackle
We are entering the best time of the year for getting your inshore slam & grand slam. Trout, Redfish, Snook & Tarpon are all available in the IRL right now.
So get out there and GET 1!!
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Febuary 2004
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Weather conditions have been the major obstacle facing anglers the last month, passing cold fronts bring cold and blustery conditions making the fish sluggish. They seek refuge in the warmest water they can find. Once the front passes, and the sun the quickly warms the shallows they will flood into the skinniest water they can, taking advantage of the sandy spots were they will lay and sun themselves. A ¼-1/2 degree water temp can make all the difference and while we would ideally prefer a bright sun to help see the fish, anglers who work the area fish should be holding can succeed. Such was the case this week with the Teke’s this week, we where faced with overcast, windy conditions as a front approached which hurt sightfishing but thoroughly working Exudes around sandy potholes & funny water produced half dozen fish before the rain forced us off the water.
Best artificial recently are the Exude crab in chartreuse or bullfrog & the RT-Slug in clear gold flake, mangrove red & baby bass. Topwaters has a good bite this week also (surprisingly??) we landed 4 redfish on a zara puppy Sunday and had twice as many follow the bait but wouldn’t come up.
This is a prime wintertime pattern for fly and light tackle anglers; bright sunny days are producing shots at well over 20 fish a day. And while they require accurate casts & presentations in the clear water only a few inches deep. Anglers who have prepared by practicing their casts before getting on the flats are landing double-digit numbers each day.
Perfect example was the Heartling party, The 2 brothers John & James joined me for a day in the IRL. Morning started out with overcast skies and light winds, I poled into the first flat and 200 yds ahead redfish tails waved good morning as they slowly searched the bottom for breakfast. James stood ready with fly in hand until we were in position then let his fly land into the pothole the red was approaching and settled to the bottom. One short strip and the 9lb fish inhaled his offering and screamed down the flat taking 60 yds of fly line with him. After a spirited battled the bronze beauty came aboard for a pic and was released with instructions to “send us your Mommy”.
Next it was John’s turn on deck, I poled into position on another tailing fish approx. 60ft away, Johns first cast slaps hard on the water alerting the fish and sending him fleeing. Again we position on a tailing fish, first cast 10 ft short, second cast behind him, third cast landed right on his head again sending the redfish down the flat at warp speed. This seen was repeated time and time again. After about a ½ dozen missed opportunities James being the good little brother he was, was happy to show his older sibling that his angling skills were up to the task landing the next 3 fish he cast at including a 14lb. Brute that was in 8 inches of water with his back out of the water. Later in the day John’s casting improved and he was able to get a fish to eat his fly only to miss the hookset and his best opportunity. While we were eating lunch, John stated that he hadn’t been fishing in 3months. His brother James said that he has been practicing his casting several days a week over the last month (even took a lesson). James (who is a pilot) said “I’m taking a week off work, flying across the country, hiring a guide for 3 days to do fishing I’ve never done before. Not preparing myself would be like taking off before making sure the propeller is tight.”
This is a perfect example of how preparing can be the difference between catching and fishing.
The next few days yielded reds up to 23lb on Exudes & cut bait and quite a few slots on spinning gear and fly. I’m also glad to say John did eventually get his first redfish on fly (on the 3rd day), followed by a 6lb trout.
Snook have been cooperative during the warmer days for those diehards willing to put in the time. One night recently yielded 4 legal fish to 11lbs. Followed the next night by 3 legal and 1 15lb. that was released. Pins have worked the best freelined on 20lb outfits with a 40lb fluorocarbon leader.
Cobia up to 22lb were landed around buoy 2 outside Port Canaveral this week and it should be any day when they arrive in numbers the waters close to the beach. Fish over 40lb are landed within miles of the beach each year.
We are approaching one of the best bites of the year, as the last of the cold fronts fade and temperatures become warmer and more stable. Water levels will remain low and the clarity will be excellent. This is one of my favorite times of year for sight fishing the schools of river snook that will be coming out of their winter holes looking to fatten up after a long cold winter. Topwaters, spoons, crankbaits & jigs are ideal for the open water fish while an Exude jerkbait rigged weedless is the ticket for skipping docks, mangroves & other structure. Remember to upsize to a 12-15lb. outfit and 30-40lb. leader if you want to stand a chance of landing Mr. Linesider.
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January 2004
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Well the holidays are gone and another year has past us by. Although the weather wasn’t the best this past year, with rainy & windy conditions being relentless at times, anglers on the Get 1 had their persistence rewarded with bent rods and screaming drags throughout even the toughest conditions.
This year was one of the best trophy Redfish years I’ve had since I’ve been guiding. Those of you who saw the video we shot of 500+ Bull Reds tailing know what I mean. A tally of this years charters puts the number of Redfish landed over 15lb at a whopping 221. With 53 of those being over 30lb..
17yr old Steven from Titusville set a new boat record landing this 53inch, 47lb. monster
One of the most memorable days was with the Ballards, we started out catching some trout and slot reds. About 8am we went looking for a school of 100 or so bulls I’d been tracking. Well they were where they should’ve been, only they must’ve been having a party, because as I poled in we were greeted by over 500+, BIG Reds, tailing, finning and the best part, EATING EVERYTHING WE THRU AT THEM!!
It’s great to see a 30lb red crush a topwater, in fact we didn’t see just 1 do it, we saw 33 do it. I went thru 13 plugs that day, being broken in half, and hooks/split rings pulling straight. In 2 hours we landed 17 fish up to 32lb.
And so ended the summer & fall. Now winter has arrived bringing with it low water, cooler temps & perfect sight fishing conditions.
Several weeks ago a typical morning yielded shots at well over 20 fish. They were holding in slightly deeper water at night then moving up to the flats as the sun warmed throughout the day. The southern end of Mosquito Lagoon & north Indian River had good numbers of hungry fish in 8inches to 2 ft. of water. While most of these are slot fish, don’t be surprised to find an oversize red in 1 ft. of water. Such was the case for the Heffield party who enjoyed a morning a catching Lagoon reds including this 12lb. that fell for an Exude DART in a foot of water.
So now the wintertime patterns have set in, or have they??
In the last week we’ve had temps to 80 degrees, with water temps up to 73. In fact yesterday I found a school of Bulls in a summertime spot, although shallower than normal, despite a 15mph wind it’s hard to miss a 14lb red in less than a foot sticking 7 inches of her tail out of the water ‘waiving the Flag’ at you. That was the invitation I needed to pole Vicki from Ft. Pierce within casting range of that tailing bronze beauty. Vicki is a regular client of mine and a super angler. She put that bubblegum ice EXUDE right on that fish which slurped it up & went screaming down the flat. After a feisty battle and several long runs we landed this fat Indian River Red.
That started me thinking, so on a hunch I made a long run and boy did it pay off. My anglers were in awe as we watched 40-50 fish in the 25-40lb range mill around in 4ft of water. In fact we watched & photographed them for a good 45minutes before I poled within casting range. A lucky Skeeter lagoons shrimp placed ahead of the school produced 2 bites on the first 2 casts and yielded a 18 & 23lb Red.
While we were fighting these 2 fish a part-time wanna-be guide who was running by saw my clients hooked up (despite trying to hide the bent rods), cut us off and started motoring around on his troller looking for the fish. I staked out (power-pole) and after a quick photo released the fish. It was time for lunch, so we sat and ate while watching Gilligan-guide zig-zag around on his troller looking for the fish.
About 20 minutes later my client asks me “Well he hasn’t hooked anything so I guess those fish took off?”.
Little did he know the school was less than 100ft. from us.
I wish I had a photo of his expression as I told him to turn around and cast 70ft. out; his shrimp wasn’t in the water more than 10 seconds and a 30+lb. inhaled it and dumped 100yds of line in the first minute. After about 15min she broke off. The line & knots were good, but somehow she managed to rub the hook out of her mouth.
While this occurred our friend in the other boat ran on plane back and forth down the shoreline looking for the fish.
It should be common sense that it does you no good to run around and trying ‘bump’ up fish’, if you don’t know what they look like.
I guess some just have their streams crossed.
Trout up to 8lb. are in sandy potholes less than a foot deep and have been eating well if approached with stealth. All the trout over 4lb caught in the last week have come from over 60ft. away, so it pays to blind cast the sandy potholes. Soft plastic EXUDE RT-Slugs in bubblegum ice, white/chartreuse tail have produced well for the skinny water fish. While the trout out in 2+ft have preferred a darker color like mangrove red, ale-wife. Although trout season is open, I respectfully would urge all of you to release any trout over 4lb. and handle them as little as possible taking care not to remove their slime coat.
We are in the best sight fishing time of the year, from now until late April the water will remain clear. Cool mornings will have fish in potholes, sunning themselves before they get active, as the sun rises the water temp will increases throughout the day. Tailing redfish can be found all day, with some of the best bites occurring during late afternoon.
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December 2003
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The sun was finally starting to poke through the clouds & get high enough for Capt. Pat Murphy & myself to see the fish we had been spooking earlier in the morning. It was a cool December morning and the Indian River was like a perfect sheet of glass. The peaceful morning silence only to be broken as gator trout explode on their morning meal, while in the distance redfish tails break the surface shimmering in the rising sun. We had landed several fish earlier in the morning but the fact that we had spooked over three times that because of the limited visibility was frustrating to say the least.
After releasing another slot red Capt. Pat climbed on the platform and silently poled us through 8 inches of crystal clear water. I was on the bow scanning the depressions and sandy potholes close to the boat. As the sun emerged from behind a cloud I saw her & so did Pat “1oclock 25ft. facing left.”
With as little movement as possible I quickly made a underhand flip and quietly dropped the Exude crab at 12oclock before it settled I made several quick turns of the reel handled, bringing in just enough line so that the bait would be in the fishes line of sight and then stopped lowering my rod tip, letting the Exu-crab slowly flutter to the bottom 10ft in front of the fish.
As the crab settled on the bottom, Mr. Redfish slowly inched his way straight to the bait then stopped inches from it just sniffing & looking at it. After about 5 seconds the fishes mouth and gills flare as he slurps my bait off the bottom and swims off. I reeled tight and set the hook and drag started screaming. After a short but spirited battle I landed one of the most beautiful 11 spot redfish I’ve seen all year.
We finished the morning sight-casting to a fish every 50ft.. a great way to spend the day off.
Sight fishing has been excellent the past weeks. The water clarity is getting better every day it seems; we have visibility of 5-6ft in most areas of the river. As long as we had good sunlight, we were easily getting shots at 30 to 50 fish a morning.
The fish have been spooky the past few days, especially early and become more cooperative about 10 when the sun has warmed the water a degree or two and get more active as the water warms. At sunset they’re chewing the bottom off the boat.
Quietly poling, good sunlight, accurate casts & proper presentation are a must. Having your bait land on the head of your target isn’t going to cut it. I’ve seen a lot of fish just sunning themselves not showing themselves till their 10 ft. from boat and spook. To get those fish it’s a major advantage that the sun is up, the higher the better and behind you.
The lagoon was hot 3-4 weeks ago but recently has been so-so, the south end has good numbers of fish which are eating well…. if you can somehow keep one of the gilligans from blowing you fish out.
I have been targeting the Indian River the past few weeks with great results. Slot Reds & big Trout have been plentiful in the Mims area.
We’ve had shots at a few Big Reds from 12-40+lb. in the N. Indian River landing fish up to 19lb.. These fish were in 1 ½-3ft. ft of water. You’re not going to see a tightly grouped school of 500 fish like in summer, these schools or pods had 8-30 fish each. Also with the big fish be on the lookout for black drum, I expect them to show on the IRL flats anytime now.
These fish have been feeding well for anglers free-ling live shrimp & cut bait. The artificial crowd is best to stick with small lightweight baits that land softly and can be presented slowly. Best baits recently have been the Exude 4inch DART in the natural shrimp & starlite colors & the new Exude Crab in the bullfrog color. I’ve been rigging them on the new Mustad Ultra Point 4/0 & 2/0, with the slidable weight. I would suggest trying these if your not already using them, if your not sure which ones these are ask Rich at Skeeter Lagoons he’ll take care of you on them and everything else on your fishy Christmas list.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is be on the flat 3 hours before dark. Grab your warm jacket & your drink of choice. Put the skiff in a foot of water and kick back, have a drink and wait. The typical wintertime pattern is that the wind will die down about 2 hours before dark. Leaving the river like a sheet of glass, and then as if someone flicked a switch; a tail breaks the water, then another, another. I’ve sat in one place on winter afternoons and had no less than 100-150 fish tail by the boat and never un-staked. Many years ago fishing this pattern in my gheenoe. A young lady (my little girl) on board caught (or maybe I should say reeled in) 15 redfish on 12 shrimp, not bad for 7 year old, huh?
You can find this scenario on most bridges/Canals in Brevard County.
One of the best places for this on the space coast is a short section of flat, which many years ago in high school we nicknamed the ‘redhole’.
It is the flat that runs from Barge Canal up the west bank to the NMZ. Those fish move into the deeper water of the canal on the cold nights and then as the sun warms the flats the next morning go back onto the flat. Since all the fish are not going to move up all at once, they’ll be spaced out. So by the time sunset comes, you have a nice line of fish all headed back to the canal. Giving you a shot a fish about every 5 minutes, that’s not bad. If the first one doesn’t eat, take a shot the 2nd. What makes this even better is if you make a bad cast and spook a fish his buddy tailing your way 100ft down the bank is no more wary of your presence. Artificial baits will work but shrimp is a guaranteed hook up.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU AND YOU FAMILIES &
MERRY FISHING!!
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November 2003
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The last few weeks of the mullet run have been outstanding; reds, trout & snook are all feasting at the buffet of silver morsels migrating down the coast. The warmer temps we had the past few weeks, kept the big bull reds grouped up. Schools numbering in the hundreds could be seen finning, tailing & crashing baits throughout the day if not pressured. FS member Flat Cat was one board on one such day landing a FAT 21 red on a Hakala spoon.
The past 4 trips at the port have yielded 6 legal snook between 8-12lb.. One night last week we got into the bruisers, breaking off 5 in an hour, and we were using 50lb braid on heavy spinning outfits. Finally after getting our butts kicked we landed 1 that was 18 on the boga.
Anglers to the south should be hitting the creeks & rivers. Specifically the Sebastian river, right now snook are moving back to their winter haunts and this river will hold exceptional numbers of snook until spring. And snook aren’t the only gamester waiting to play, Tarpon from 15-40 lb will be available until late Dec..
A party from Melbourne & New York recently tangled with these mini-silver kings, landing several 10-12 lb. fish one livies & artificial.
This was the biggest of the day; we hooked it right at sunset on a live mullet with 15lb. power-pro.
My client fought it like a pro, especially considering 5 minutes into the fight it was pitch black dark and we were getting feasted on by skeeters & no-see-ums for the next 30 minutes. And of course Mr. Poon couldn’t play nice, he had to soak us, which made for quite a chilly ride back
Winter is coming soon, mornings have been down right chilly! Especially at first light when your running across the river at 40…..BBRRRrrrrrr
Besides the temperature the other major change has been the water clarity. It has cleaned up a lot in the last week; some areas have visibility of 4+ft. And while some areas continue to be dirty, the majority of the N. IRL is getting prime for sight fishing. Put a nice bright sun at your back and you should have plenty of shots even on breezy days.
Right now the fish are still active, they are still feeding on the last of the mullet run and have no problem chasing down a quick moving jerk-baits or spoon. But that time is short…soon they get slower and turn to more of a crustacean pattern. Shrimp & small crabs will make up the majority of the reds & trout’s diet.
Redfish can get down right frustrating this time of year, especially if you have not downsized your offerings and present them slower. Put the 5-inch RT-Slug away and go down to a 4” DART. When Jan. comes it’s time to go smaller, the EXUDE shrimp, 4” pock it-dad or the new crab are DEADLY on winter time reds.
One note on the crab; I have worked with Exude for several years on this bait, I have landed IRL reds up to 34lb & trout up to 8.5lb (yes, trout eat crabs)
If presented properly I have NEVER seen a red refuse this bait.
I rarely have to go smaller, BUT when I do, I throw a Exude TWISTER MITE, also is DEADLY on finicky skinny water reds.
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October 2003
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Cooler temps are upon us, the mullet run is winding down and soon we will be in our wintertime pattern so you better get out there now while you can and enjoy some of the great fishing going on right now.
Trout are shadowing mullet pods in 2-5 ft of water, there are still a lot of mullet pods so you might have to work 5 or more to find the one holding the most fish but persistence will be rewarded.
Slot reds have been doing the same but moving a lot more, one day an area is holding numbers of fish the next they are a mile or more away which has made it a little difficult to locate them unless you employ the “burn the shoreline” strategy, which is a philosophy I do not follow. To many people do that day in and day out with no regard for habitat and fishery much less the other anglers who’s fishing they are ruining… but I digress.
Topwaters are still effective early in the morning then once the sun gets up switch to jerkbaits, spoons or jigs. I’ve been using Exude RT-Slugs on the Mustad needle-lock hook with the weight in the belly section, and also the Exude shrimp (natural shrimp color) either rigged weedless or on a jig-head. Best results have been with real bright colors early like silkreuse/white and bubblegum ice (deadly on trout) then darker more natural colors later in the day, alewife, mangrove red, red shad & golden bream have all produced trout and reds the last week. Capt. Mike’s spoons in the pink, white & brown colors have also been effective.
Start throwing something with some decent weight you can cast a mile so you can cover a lot of water quickly to locate the fish. A topwater is great for that all day long, it might not be best for hookups but is great for locating them and then switch to a bait with a slower presentation and work the area much more thoroughly.
Alright now for the snooksters, Sat. in the CAM “Fall Classic-8 species” tournament we had a decent snook bite on artificials despite howling wind, landing the only legal snook in the field. Sunday I fished the same area, my charter wanted tarpon, I knew the tarpon would be finicky and might not eat so we opted to target snook as well. We met well before first light, the wind was kickin’, we started at a very productive dock. The bait was not there like it should’ve been, we were early for the bite. We worked around a spoil island, few ladyfish & trout were willing to play, I netted some mullet and we went back to the dock as the sun was just breaking, first bait lasted about 1 minute and ZZZZZZING..POW! Snook 1 Anglers 0. We worked the dock with freelined mullet casting up current then swimming the bait around the corner of the dock (perfect snook ambush spot), had some bites that missed the hook, got a big blue that went through the 40lb at the boat. Then a 23 inch Spanish mackerel (where was that yesterday when the tourney was on??) that did warp3 down the dock line somehow the leader was between 2 of his teeth and couldn’t cut the leader, he went on ice for sushi that night. I thought we needed to try the tarpon before it got to late so went to leave and of course as I’m about to unstake my clients rod doubles over, WOOHOO he yelled as a snook cartwheeled out of the water, after a short battle we swung Mr. Snookster into the net, 25 inches; too short to keep but a great catch, a quick photo and we sent her on her way with instructions to “send us your Mommy”. Unfortunately we forgot to say “Send her now” and another 30 minutes produced no more bites so we picked up in search of Mr. Poondaddy.
A short ride and a long idle up the Sebastian River and we were surrounded by poons ranging from 15 to 70 lbs.. Now we had to get one to eat, 2 young guys that were already up there flyfishing hadn’t had any luck yet, and I spoke to someone who said they ate between 9-10 the day before so I figured it would happen soon. We tried mullet (live, cut, dead), topwater, jigs, swimming plugs, jerkbaits, shrimps, spoons, chumming with some cut mullet, I even had a fly trailer on some artificials a few jacks bent the rod & we saw a few 20+ pound snook sunning on the surface but despite all my tricks the poons would not eat. There were now at least 10 other boats fishing them and we didn’t see anyone hooked up. Well after a couple hours of having Tarpon rolling so close we could’ve cast netted them we decided to give in.
Spent the rest of the day fishing some docks & an area I had located redfish the day before, landing snook up to 24 inches on Exude shrimps & RT slugs.
Monday I fished back home in the river, my client wanted a slam. We started at a snooky point with topwater, nada.
Moved to a long bar coming off a spoil island that was holding numbers of oversize redfish & trout. Bait was thick and getting slammed, the trout were feeding aggressively and exploded on our topwaters we had fish up to 3lb.. A few blowups that looked like redfish but they missed the hook. We worked a shallow flat as best we could in the wind & clouds; it produced more trout but the reds eluded us. Wind was now 10-15 so went back to hammering some docks, never completed the slam but we did land more trout and a fat 25.5 inch snook that made the day for my angler.
Tuesday morning I had a dawn patrol snook trip, 12:30 waiting at ramp #1, no client (and I didn’t have # with me). 1am went to port, waited till 1:30, still no client? The lot was empty no one was fishing; I figured I’m here so I put in and started fishing waiting for my cell to ring. The port was going off, mullet were showering everywhere, caught to many blues & ladyfish to count. Lost 2 big fish in the pilings (dang snook), popped 2 chicken snook. Then while slowly working a shadowline I see them, 1,2 4,5 snook just hanging out ambushing mullet as they would come by. 20 ft in front of me is a fish floating at a 45 degree angle about 2 ft below the surface, if she would’ve been in 2 ft of water instead of 20 she would’ve been tailing.
I pitched a mullet past her and swam it back to her, it was the classic snook strike, she sees it and quickly closes to a foot beneath it then track it, the mullet like “AAAAAhhhh! HE’S GOING TO EAT ME!!” and starts doing the dance of death on the surface which of course just drives the snook crazy and SSMMAASSHH she blasts it. I reeled tight and hit her hard, rod doubled and drag started ripping off my baitcaster. I could tell she was bigger than I had thought she was, I was having a hard time keeping her off the bottom. Luckily she was over 50ft. from a dock so as long as I could keep her out of the rocks on the bottom I was in good shape. She ran me around the boat a few times but a muscled her in the net. 32 inches 13lb into the well she goes. About 15 minutes later her little brother came to the boat. The next morning I called my client, we had our dates messed up I had scheduled Tues. morning, he thought it was Tues. night/Wed. morning.
You guys that want some snook, stock up on coffee and make an excuse to the other half why your gone all night and come home smelling fishy……the rewards will be well worth it!!
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Sept. 2003
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Well it’s official, the mullet run has started! and so begins one of the best times of year to be on the water on the Spacecoast. The river system is full of bait, seeing the bull reds thrashing a pod like porpoises is quite a site, especially when you put your topwater in the middle.
Earlier in the year the best bet for the big ones was bait, but now they will readily take artificials when presented properly. The past week the usual pattern was flip-flopped. First thing in the morning (which should be topwater time) they haven’t wanted to come up for the topwater but put a Exude soft plastic in front of them and it’s on! Once the sun comes up and it starts to get hot, they fight over the topwater. This past week has been perfect weather with glassy calm conditions. For some reason the real brutes didn’t want to play this week, we only landed the smaller/medium fish 13-21lb. , but the 40-50lb are right in their with them.
Remember to use at least 15lb gear on these fish, the water is hot and you need to land that fish quick so she can be released healthy. I saw 2 fish in the 20# range floating dead this week, so please take care of those bronze trophies.
The big reds haven’t wanted topwater first thing in the morning, but the slot reds and trout sure do. Fishing the edges of the smaller finger mullet pods will be a productive pattern for the remainder of the mullet run. And it’s a full on smorgasbord as to what you might catch. Jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, spanish mackerel have all been caught in the north irl in past seasons. A school of several thousand ladyfish have been in the north irl for several weeks, while a small spoon is best, these fish are so aggressive they will eat a bare jig. They are ideal for very young anglers, 1 cast 1 fish.
The port has been disappointing this past week, the mullet are on the beach and this should trigger the big bite, but as of yet it hasn’t happened, a few weeks ago we had a good bite but that slowed down. I feel as if any day that will change and am eagerly awaiting. Didn’t land any snook this week, the few that were hooked broke us off, including a real beauty that was sight casted too, we watched the fish eat the bait, had a good hookset then the fish swims at the boat and the hook just fall out. The snook swam right under the nose of the boat looking at us with that “thanks for meal, suckers” look; well you win some you lose some.
The jetty didn’t produce any snook but it did yield some reds, lady, blues , mangrove snapper and a few unkown zing-pows (probably sharks). Not the flavor we were hoping for but still a good bend in the rod.
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August 2003
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Put some good fresh line on the reels, check those leader knots and sharpen them hooks cause there’s some bigguns out there just waiting to play.
The river bite continues to be good. Early morning topwater is quite productive for trout and slot reds. One the sun gets up switch to a soft plastic or spoon.
Big Reds are still grouping up to spawn, if you can find an unmolested school approach quietly on the push pole and put a shrimp or chunk of cut-bait in front of them and it’s on! Remember to use a minimum of 12lb test for these big fish, anything less puts to much stress on them in this hot water. I have been using the 15lb. power pro with great results.
Loads of small Tarpon are in the river and will respond well to a small artificial or finger mullet. Snook will also be in the same area, but generally holding tighter to the structure.
The big thing this week has been the OUTSTANDING bite on the beach! Tarpon remain steady with fish in the 60-80lb range being the norm.
The big news this week is a school of approx. 1000 big bull reds are off our coast. The smallest fish in the group are 14lb with some monsters in the 40-50lb range. It doesn’t matter what you throw; they eat!! Fish were caught this week on a bare jig with nothing on it!! Now that’s a HOT BITE!!!
Snook are eating well in the port; fish in the 12-14lb range are becoming a nightly catch. The bigger fish are toward the ocean, fish live baits on the bottom. I have been seeing a lot of schools of snook; 50-60fish lying just outside the lights most are 6-10lb. But these fish readily take artificial & fly! Who said you can’t sight fish in the middle of the night?
Get out there and pull on a big one!!
CPR! Catch Photograph Release
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July 2003
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Well the afternoon temps are not the only thing ‘red hot’ right now. In fact one of the hardest decision anglers on the spacecoast must make is to choose the beach or the river?
If calm summer conditions continue the beach will be like a lake, Tarpon in the 100+lb range will continue to be a focus for light tackle anglers. Look for rolling or feeding fish, then get several hundred yards in front of them and wait for your shot. Pogies are usually easy to net close to shore and a few dozen wounded baits put out in your spread is sure to get some attention from these cruising silver kings. 20lb. tackle is a minimum for these big fish and a shock leader of 50-100lb should be used to prevent cut-offs. One of my favorite things to do is put 2 7-9inch pogies on the same 11-13/0 circle hook, hooked through the eyes they will fight one another on the surface, this will enrage the poons and usually results in one of the most spectacular surface strikes you will ever see!
Bring some wire along and be prepared to add a short trace of #3 wire if you find yourself thick in the sharks & kingfish. Both have been thick out there lately, and theres nothing wrong with a 3-4ft shark to steak out for the grill or nice king for the smoker.
The river bite has been improving, early mornings should be productive for those working a topwater. Trout up to 6lb have been blasting finger mullet on area spoil islands and sand bars where they trap the bait against the shore. If possible, you might want to wade (or at least pole) as the big trout are very wary to boat noise.
Slot reds are tight to the shore, sometimes in very thick grass making presenting a bait quite difficult. They are feeding on small mullet, mud-minnows. A 4 inch Exude DART in the gold flake color rigged weedless has been the ticket lately. This body style is more streamlines/aerodynamic, so it casts farther and pulls through the thick stuff with less hang-ups.
Big Reds continue to be constant, in fact in the past several weeks they have been more reliable than the slot fish. Biggest red this week was 27lbs caught on an Exude shrimp on a 3/8oz jig-head. We also had a 13lb. this week that blasted a skitter-walk in the ‘baby redfish’ pattern and a few on the DART’s. But the most reliable hookup for the big fish continues to be fresh cut bait. Ladyfish, pinfish, mullet….as long as it is fresh (not 2 week old frozen). Look for these big fish in 4 ft of water, many will run right over these fish because they think they need to get to the skinny water of less than 2 ft.. Take your time and pole into your fishing spot…you might be surprised what you were missing.
I stayed tight lipped for a few weeks, but I figure I’ll let you guys/gals in on the secret, the SNOOK ARE GOING OFF!!
Fished solo on Monday morning, landing several on artificial, biggest was 14lb.
I was happy to have a snook addict join me for the 2 following nights this week, I mean what would you rather do? push-pole in 90’ heat or run a trolling motor in the early morning hours??…nuf said
Dr. Lee of NY met me at the dock at midnight, 2 hours later we released the first fish of the night, his biggest snook ever a 26lb port FATTY!! (waiting to get pictures). The snook were fired up, they were feeding on small glass minnows/pilchards. We landed 6 fish all on the Storm curly tail minnow (I think that’s what it’s called)
The following night Dr. Lee brought his brother, who has never fished. So instead of trying to teach him how to skip under docks we opted to use live bait. I netted up pinfish, croakers, greenies and we were off. It was a little frustrating at first, we fished for 3 hours, never got a bite except for a jack and we think a shark. As I was switching baits I grabbed a 11 inch croaker (biggest we had) and pitched him up to the bulkhead, gave the rod to my client. I hadn’t turned around for more than 10 sec. And I hear this little Korean guy grunting and groaning. Then I hear Dr. Lee shouting instructions (I think, they were talking Korean), his brothers rod is doubled over against the gunnel, fish darts under boat and into anchor line……….I cleared the line somehow without breaking off. Then the fish goes to back of boat, line goes over the poling platform, catching my pushpole holder on top, then gets caught in my power pole. I don’t know how we did it, but somehow we again cleared the line and had the fish into the open, few minutes later and a 17lb. snook came to the net. Luckily Dr. Lee took it upon himself to explain to his brother why he could not keep it (it took a while). 30 minutes later and a 7 & 9lb snook came to play. Then a school of Snookzillas came through, for the next 45 minutes we got broke off 5 times. We were using 20-30lb spinning outfits with 50lb. braided line & 60lb Flourocarbon. These were big fish, even cranking the outboard and trying to drag them out didn’t help.
Summer hot and so is the fishing! Get out there and GET 1!!
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June 2003
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Glass calm mornings, baitfish dimpling the surface then showering as a Trout blasts a few breakfast morsels & redfish tails waiving good morning as the dawn breaks……….It’s a good day at the office.
Water levels have continued to rise, many areas inaccessible a few weeks ago now have 10 inches of water. Plenty for the small bait; and the big trout and slot reds that follow.
Topwaters are becoming an early morning tool to work around bait pods. Trout, Jacks, Ladyfish are common early morning catches around the bait pods. Slot redfish are also in the same vicinity but have not been very willing to take a topwater. Work an Exude around and they are more than willing to play. Best producer this week was a 4-inch Exude DART in the gold flake & starlight colors. I rigged these on a 3/32 oz. Capt. Mike’s flats candy hook. Pufferfish are thick, so if you go thru 10 bodies switch to a timber doodle or Capt. Mikes spoon. If the grass is not thick I like to throw a STORM sub-wart that’s been spray painted white. I also take off the hooks and put 1 strong #6 hook in the front (belly). That bait will run 6 inches deep and makes a heck of a commotion. (Also good for snook/poons)
This week we landed oversize reds everyday, on Monday the Bowman party had a good topwater trout bite. Once the sun came up I was able to locate a school that was laid up in 4 ft. of water. The first fish ate an Exude shrimp on jighead, it was about 20 lbs. , about 10 min. into the fight the hook ripped free. We are using 15-20 lb. power-pro on these big fish and putting a lot of pressure on them to land them quickly. Please, if you are targeting big redfish DO NOT use anything less than a 12lb outfit. The water is too hot right now to catch these fish on anything less. After the first one the school was wise and we went to shrimp and cut mullet landing a 14 & 16lb.
Tuesday was about a repeat of Monday except the big fish was 17lb.
I fished with Rich H. of Orlando on Wednesday his biggest fish was 29lb.
Thursday the Rainey party had a ball on the big ones. All 3 caught several between 14-19lb.
Friday I fished with Kenny & Vicki from the Stuart area. We started off the morning looking for the same school I fished on Wednesday. They didn’t show, but luckily the smaller reds were all fired up, we landed 7 (I think 7??) reds on the above-mentioned DARTS, between 16-25 inches & trout. Well it got to be about 8am so I ran south to Cocoa area for another school of big fish, about 30 min. into poling I found them. 60 or so. They refused all artificial, shrimp, cut dead mullet. I was about to go net a fresh bait when we caught a 12 inch ladyfish. Into the well, and on the hook it went. That did it, even though we had to track those fish for over a mile, landed 3 . 14, 14, 19 1/2lb.
I have noticed the big fish getting more active once the water warms a little. 10 am or so, It should be very soon that we see mullet showers up and down the flats. And a 30 lb. red on Topwater is a very good possibility.
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May 2003
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Well summer is in full swing, most mornings leave calm glass like conditions on the river and the afternoon thunderstorm can be counted on with regularity.
The main focus the past few weeks have been the big bull reds. These fish are schooling and getting ready to spawn. Most schools I’ve been fishing range from 20-150 fish ranging in size from 14-50+lbs..
On Monday with Dan Maynard, he & his friend landed 3 bulls and lost 2. The biggest about 30lb., then we finished the day with some snook.
On Tuesday Sam & his friend Jerry came on board, once again the school was in session, fish were tailing/finning in 3-4ft of water, but not as aggressively as previous day. Once the sun got bright we found the fish by looking for their ‘color’, 50 or so 30lb fish make a fairly big ‘orange spot’ on the bottom. Good presentation was key to landing fish well over 35lb.
On Wednesday the Boivin party joined me for what ended up being a blustery day. After about 1 ½ hour we were fishless the wind let up a little so I decided to try a school that might want to play. Of course when I got to the spot the wind changed and increased. Since we already made the run there we decided to try it, 45 min. later I was having my doubts. ‘Well lets go try somewhere out of the wind’ I told them, we stowed rods and prepared to move. I literally had my hand on the key about to crank up when 75ft in front of the boat, 15-20 tails popped up. I quickly yanked out a rod, put a shrimp on the jig-head and threw it out. Gave the rod to my client and went for another rod. Before I could bait the 2nd the drag on the other started screaming. We got a 2nd bait out but the school had vamoosed. After several dashes under the boat trying to cut us of a hefty 14lb red came to the boat. The wind was now 25 out of the south and we decided to call it a day . You know what they say, ‘sometimes nature can be a mother’
Thursday I fished with the Crawford party, we had an exceptional trout bite and could’ve easily kept our limit with fish up to 3lb. if we wanted to. We spotted some bait smashing going on, I poled in to investigate and we had a ball with 20 or so jacks & bluefish. Had one Blue that was pushing 4lb..
On Friday Tom and his son joined me. Since we did not get any reds the day before I decided to try a school I have not fished in 3 weeks. Well Tom and his son got to see big 40+lb tailing. And when the school was coming our way another angler cut us off and chased the school of fish 2 miles down the flat with his troller while throwing a mullet chunk on their heads. Do you think he caught one??
So Tom and his son also learned how delicate this fishery can be and how 1 bad angler can mess up everyone. That angler in the 16ft. Flats and Bay ruined everyones shot at catching those fish. And if that individual happens to read this…please contact me, I would like to teach you (at no expense) how to properly approach those fish, that way you can catch them and not ruin my clients chance at a trophy red.
We ended the day working sandy potholes that were holding Trout (up to 4-5lb) & slot reds.
Sunday after getting tossed around on the beach, we went to the river and sight casted to schools of snook holding in sandy potholes 3ft deep. Landing snook between 4 & 8lb |
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April 2003
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Water levels have been steadily rising in the Lagoon and River. Areas that were dry several weeks ago, now have 8-10 inches of water. And these newly flooded areas have been holding good numbers of slot reds and big trout. With the increased presence of bait in the river the fish have been responding well to topwater and jerk baits worked quick around bait pods are being hammered.
Yesterday, we found good numbers of reds and trout on the VAB flat. They weren’t showing much and with the overcast sky we spooked more than we got good shots at, including a huge trout that I think was a solid 30 inches. We landed 2 reds on Exudes.
We could’ve let those fish calm down and worked them more but I had a spot to try so we left those fish for later. Last week I found numbers of trout and some reds holding in a small cove. Last week this cove yielded a 7,4,5,3,2,lb trout as well as slot reds including a 5 spotter that I caught Sat.. Well the fish are still there we landed trout up to 5lb (that fish ate a gold DART), and several redfish even had a double going until someone pulled the hook. These fish are holding in this small area because of the bait coming out of a culvert. Look for culverts with flowing water and you should find a natural feeding station.
The grass is very thick in some areas making fishing a clean bait almost impossible, in this situation work the edges of the thick grass.
Snook in the river are eating artificial best in the early morning, once the late afternoon come your best with a finger mullet free-lined around the mangroves, docks and sea-walls. Those of you who attended my ‘slam’ seminar last month, those 3 spots are holding fish now!
Last week a night Port trip yielded 1 12lb in the boat 2 shorts and 2 lost. 2 nights later Adrian Mason joined me, we saw snook some good ones to, but they refused shrimp, pinfish, pigfish & greenies. Adrian landed a small snook and a flounder. We saw about 10 flounder that was nice but overall a very slow & long night. We’ll get’em next time.
Top baits lately have been the red-flash & smokin shad color EXUDE RT-Slug and the 4inch Dart in the gold flake color. I’m rigging both on a Capt. Mikes Flats Candy 2 hook with the 3/32 oz. weight. This is a great hook for all plastics. Been using the new 15lb power pro tied to 17-20lb leader, for snook go up to 30-40lb.
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Jan. 29 2003
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Well times ticking away, in less than 48 hours, every snook from Canaveral to the Keys will see a barrage of every plastic, plug & jig to ever go on the market. Some will spend $30 on bait while others will spend 3 hours catching their own. Reels will be re-spooled, leaders checked & hooks will be sharpened. The inlet crowd will be staking out there jetty spot early, while the inlet boaters will be putting out the fenders to deflect all the boats that will be bumping into them. The Port crowd on the other hand will be painting themselves and the skiff with camo, hoping to get a few extra casts before the security nazi runs him off ;)
It doesn’t matter if perfect storm were to hit that night nothing will keep a die-hard snooker from opening night.
And of course, like most years, precisely at 11:59pm, every snook in the State will get a case of lock-jaw. Well not all of them, but a good number. I’ve heard it said it’s because of the sudden influx of fisherman. Could be? I’m sure the number of boats at SI drifting the nighttime outgoing triple. Fish at the Port, which get accustomed to quiet nights, will have boats idling down on them.
So. what do you do to avoid the opening day skunk??
If your fishing the inlet from land, you are somewhat limited, because you are at the mercy of your surroundings. Boaters have a big advantage because they can move away from the crowd and target fish no-one else is. Edges of the spoil islands are prime, especially if you find a nice point that breaks current. Fish will stack up there to feed. Also the Seb. River is holding good numbers of fish. Many will move out to the bridge to feed at night. The lighted docks are prime, as are the oyster mounds along the shore.
Port anglers will be fishing bulkheads, shrimp boats, etc.
Again anywhere that will create an ambush point is prime, entrances to basins, corners of docks & shadow lines are the top producers.
For live baits try mullet, pinfish & large shrimp. The artificial crowd will do best with lures they can present slower, EXUDE shrimp on a jighead & mirolure 52m are 2 of the tops, my personal favorite is a EXUDE RT-slug, rigged on a Capt. Mikes flats candy 2 hook. In fact Mike has made 2 new sizes of this hook. The new 3/32oz & 3/16oz should be a killer for fishing deeper water docks, like at the port. While the original 1/8oz is the one for shallower depths.
Redfish are numerous in the north ‘goon. Georges bar has had a lot of fish on it. As do areas north, slippery, GR, Orange Is. Be extremely careful due to low water levels.
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Dec. 2002
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Well the cooler temps have come back and if your like me and hate the cold you’ll be warm and comfy at sunrise drinking coffee and rigging rods. The bite has been better in the afternoon so I’ve been starting around 9, if it’s not cloudy the sun has usually warmed the flats a degree or so and will be high enough so that you can see better.
The lagoon has been the place for numbers of fish. As usual the south end is loaded with fish. These fish have been feeding well for anglers throwing live shrimp & cut bait. The artificial crowd is best to stick with baits you can present slowly. Razor caught 17 reds one day on Exudes this week. Best baits were the new Dart & RT-Slug.
I’ve seen a lot of fish just sunning themselves not showing themselves till their 10 ft. from boat and spook. To get those fish it’s a major advantage that the sun is up, the higher the better and behind you.
I’ve seen numbers of Big Reds from 12-40+lb. in the Indian River. Bonnie McIlrath of Orlando landed a 16lb. this week and a fat 8lb. red on an RT-Slug. These fish were in 1 ½-3ft. ft of water. You’re not going to see a tightly grouped school, but more an area with a lot of fish and spread out. While some of these fish this week ate plastic aggressively. Most were finicky, which required perfect presentation. We had fish this week that passed by live shrimp 2ft. from their head. Also with the big fish be on the lookout for black drum, although we didn’t land one this week. I saw fish in the 20-35lb range this week.
Big trout can also be found with the best place to look being areas with good sandy potholes. Fish up to 7lb. were caught this week. These fish are extremely spooky, so super stealth mode is a must.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is be on a flat 3 hours before dark. Grab your warm jacket & your drink of choice. Put the skiff in a foot of water and kick back and have a drink. The typical wintertime pattern is that the wind will die down about 2 hours before dark. Leaving the river like a sheet of glass, and then as if someone flicked a switch; a tail breaks the water, then another, another. I’ve sat in one place on winter afternoons and had no less than 100-150 fish tail by the boat and never un-staked. About 5 years ago while in my gheenoe. A young lady on board caught 15 redfish on 12 shrimp, not bad for 7 year old, huh? That spot, which we nicknamed the ‘redhole’ is the flat that runs from Barge Canal up the west bank to the NMZ. Those fish move into the deeper water of the canal on the cold nights and then as the sun warms the flats the next morning go back onto the flat. Since all the fish are not going to move up all at once, they’ll be spaced out. So by the time sunset comes, you have a nice line of fish all headed back to the canal. Giving you a shot a fish about every 5-10 minutes, that’s not bad. If the first one doesn’t eat, take a shot the 2nd. What makes this even better is if you make a bad cast and spook a fish his buddy tailing your way 200ft down the bank is no more wary of your presence. Artificial baits will work but shrimp is a guaranteed hook up.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY FISHING!!
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Updated Fishing Reports Coming Soon
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Updated fishing reports and archeived soon. Please check back. Thanks. |
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