Capt. Patrick Rood

With Bike Week starting in our area and Spring Break immediately after that, we are starting to see a major influx of visitors to the Daytona and New Smyrna Beach area. Fortunately, the weather has been great this past week and looks to great for this upcoming week, as well. Not only are the bikers going to enjoy the weather, but the fish are finding their groove, too.

The water clarity throughout Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon has been exceptional, making for some great sight fishing. We have been targeting a variety of species over the past week like snook, spotted seatrout, redfish, black drum and flounder. These fish have been chewing on everything from live finger mullet to shrimp — and a variety of artificial lures have produced great results, too. Slow presentations and stealthy tactics will increase your chances to catch a fish of a lifetime.

The weather has been a little warmer than usual for February on the East Coast of Florida, but it looks like that is about to change. With a cold front dropping down throughout the south this week, look for the overnight temperatures to be in the low forties. The front will bring a shift in wind direction which will certainly impact the fishing pattern.

With lowering water temperatures, the fish will be looking for warmth from the bottom. The redfish and trout like to gather warmth from the muddy bottoms around oyster beds mud flats in the north around the Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach backwaters. Further south, throughout the Mosquito Lagoon, they choose to gather warmth in the sandy potholes located in the shallows. When targeting these species in cooler water temps you need to down size your bait and slow down the presentation. Small baits like shrimp, finger mullet and small soft plastics are a good choice worked very slowly over the pot holes and mud flats. The water clarity is still great making for some really good sight fishing when the winds allow. Once again, even when sight casting these fish, a slow presentation is KEY to trigger a bite.

The weather has been abnormally warm for February, making the the fish a little confused on what pattern they should be in. With that said, it looks like there will be some great weather in the Daytona Beach area for race week fans. With the warm weather, the bait has started to split up and move throughout the creeks in and around New Smyrna Beach. You guessed it — with the bait splitting up, the game fish are following.

We are still seeing some smaller pods of fish in the Mosquito Lagoon, but if the warming trend continues they will also disperse as well. Throwing plugs and spoons on the shallow flats of the Mosquito Lagoon has been working well for both redfish and trout; where as live bait has been more productive up north around Daytona Beach and New Smyrna.

We still have a good number of Black Drum hanging around and these fish have been very receptive to live shrimp. It looks like we will be receiving another cool front later this week into the weekend. Hopefully this front will kick them back into a winter time pattern again.

This past week brought us a little colder temperatures and some breezy conditions Daytona Beach south through Mosquito Lagoon. It looks as though the weather will be pleasant until the latter part of the week; hopefully, making for some good fishing through the course of the week.

The water has emptied quite a bit pushing the redfish and trout into pods and even some schools. We have been boating some nice trout and even an occasional snook around the docks from Daytona Beach and south to New Smyrna Beach. We have been using live finger mullet and live select shrimp, but have also boated them on artificial baits, as well. Plugs and diving baits have been working well around the structure.

The redfish and black drum have been chewing well throughout Mosquito Lagoon. They have been eating a variety of baits from plugs, spoons, soft plastics and live bait as well. Look for the fishing to get even better after this next upcoming front. Good luck and be safe!

These last few days have been what New Smyrna Beach is known for with its beautiful weather. We have had some cooler nights with clear days in the 70’s. The water has been outstanding from New Smyrna Brach south through Mosquito Lagoon. It has finally emptied out as it should this time of year and is crystal clear make for great sight fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish and trout bite has been good the last few days on both live bait and artificials. We have also had a good number of black drum and sheepshead around the backwaters of New Smyrna Beach as well. They have been chewing good on fiddlers and small shrimp.

We have been getting some blast of colder weather here in New Smyrna Beach this past week. The weather has not affected the bite, though. In fact, it has actually helped it! With the shifting winds, the water has lowered a bit, forcing the trout and redfish into small pods throughout the backwaters of the Indian River Lagoon and Halifax River. The same goes for the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, as well, with small pods of fish finding their way into the pot holes for warmth. They can be taken on both live bait and artificial, but remember that a slow presentation will be key to soliciting a strike while temperatures remain cold.

This past week, we had a shift in winds changing to the south/southwest, causing an increase in water depth throughout the area. The higher water, coupled with warmer water temperatures, made for a little bit more difficult of a bite in the Mosquito Lagoon and Halifax River.

It seems as though Mother Nature likes to keep us on our toes here in Central Florida by sending us a little cold snap. We will be dealing with some windy conditions and cool temperatures the next few days. After this front moves through and the winds subside, the water levels should lower, allowing the fishing to get back to normal. Look for the redfish and trout to be holding in the sand holes throughout the lagoon. A slow presentations will be key, whether it’s artificial or natural baits.

Good luck and stay warm!

The cold front has came through the southeast and brought cooler weather to New Smyrna Beach. With that cold front brought changing winds causing for a drop in water level throughout Mosquito Lagoon. The cooler lower water conditions throughout the New Smyrna Beach area has grouped the fish up and made them a little frisky. Look for the trout, redfish and black drum holding on the mud flats and oyster edges throughout New Smyrna Beach backwaters. It will not be that much different in Mosquito Lagoon except they will hold more in the sandy pot holes or shell bottom. Shrimp, finger mullet and small soft plastics have been a good choice of bait both in the north and south Mosquito Lagoon.

We have had a lot of rain and wind this past week making for some dirtier water throughout Mosquito Lagoon. With the higher and dirtier water, I’ve shifted most of my focus on structure like oyster beds and shorelines. The couple of days that the wind did lay down made for some good top water and soft plastic mornings. It looks like we getting a small cold front this week lowering the air temps in New Smyrna Beach into the 40’s. The water temperatures in Mosquito Lagoon should drop as well, forcing the redfish and trout into the pot holes. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!