It looks like Mother Nature is playing games with all of us in Central Florida. The weather temperature has been outstanding this past week with highs in the eighties. The fishing in New Smyrna Beach has been good with a steady redfish and trout bite. The water clarity in the New Smyrna Beach area has also continued to stay clean making for some good sight fishing; however, the increased winds have led to dirtier water conditions in certain regions of the Mosquito Lagoon. Even with less visibility, the bite remains pretty good with redfish, trout and black drum. If you’re looking for cleaner water for site fishing, I’ve found the best clarity to be on the leeward side of the islands throughout the lagoon.
Mosquito Lagoon
Mother Nature Throwing Curve Ballls
For some reason, Mother Nature has been throwing a lot of weather at us here in New Smyrna Beach. We have had a lot of wind, rain and cooler temperatures lately, bringing with it a strange bite pattern in the Mosquito Lagoon backwaters. The water has also become dirty from the wind and rain making it a little tough for sight fishing. The good news is it looks like the poor weather is moving out and the nice weather will be moving in just in time for the holidays. With the nicer weather upon us the bite will continue to get better. Look for redfish and trout holding on and around the bars in the backwaters of New Smyrna Beach. The sight fishing will continue to get good in Mosquito Lagoon as the water clears and wind recedes. Trout, redfish and black drum can be found holding along the shorelines and shoals. Good luck and be safe! Happy Holidays.
What Happened to Winter?
It seemed as though we were stepping into winter here in New Smyrna Beach, but I believe Mother Nature had a change of plans. We got a recent warming trend, which also changed wind direction bringing an influx of water back into the backwaters of the Halifax River and Mosquito Lagoon. The higher water levels make for a little bit more difficult of a time fishing because the game fish and bait tend to scatter over much greater areas. It seems as though with the shifting winds that the water clarity has also diminished a bit, making sight fishing a little harder then in the past weeks. As we have a cold front approaching this week, I expect the water to clean up and empty a bit in the Mosquito Lagoon along with the backwaters of New Smyrna Beach. When this happens, look for the redfish and trout to be holding around the oyster bars and in the sand holes throughout the lagoons.
Bite Warming After the Chill
The New Smyrna Beach area received some really cool weather this past week. Well, it was really cool, for us, at least. People up north reading this are probably laughing. This cold air also made for cooler water temperatures throughout the Mosquito Lagoon and the New Smyrna Beach backwaters. The first couple of days, the fish were in what I would call “survival mode,” just trying to stay warm.
Now that it has been a few days of warmer weather, the redfish, trout and black drum have made themselves comfortable in the potholes throughout the lagoons. They have also found warmth and comfort on the mud flats in the New Smyrna Beach backwaters. A slower presentation on artificial lures is a must, as they will not be overly aggressive. Live bait is also a good option as we still have a good number of mullet present. The water clarity remains outstanding, which means it’s an ideal time for sight fishing; whether it’s fly or if you prefer tossing live shrimp, it can easily be done.
Fantastic Fishing, Nice Weather
FINALLY, some nice weather and some fantastic fishing along with it! The building moon this week did little to stem the bite in the Mosquito Lagoon. However, we did experience a bit of weirdness early one morning while hiding from the last of the windstorm we’ve been dealing with lately.
Taking advantage of the very high water levels we fished the east wall of the Pole & Troll Zone. Arriving ahead of sun-up I handed one angler a Tsunami K-9 Walker and watched him expertly and seductively wiggle and waggle the plug along the shorelines and through pods of tiny finger mullet. Angler two tossed both a Z-Man Diezel Minnowz and Curly Tailz rigged weedless. Neither angler had so much as a nibble, though we repeatedly blew-out fish as I nearly poled over their backs.
There was little doubt we were in the thick of things and we did see the occasional snook and trout hammer an unfortunate mullet. We, however, went without for nearly two hours. Poling over a mile of normally productive shoreline left me perplexed and second guessing my fishing spot!
Eventually we relocated and the Mother Lode was found. The guys crushed the upper slot trout with four inch Diezel Minnowz. Only a few of these trout were on the small side though the two redfish they boated were in the Rat category. Still it was a strong finish to a slow starting day!
Saturday Andy and Jennifer truly whacked the fish in the Mosquito Lagoon. Their casting skills were not up to par (their words not mine) so I casted the live shrimp under popping floats for them. They both enjoyed the constant action; catching more slot trout than I could count along with seven redfish and a black drum!
Yes, fishing is pretty great right now!
Last Report from Titusville!
This will be my final report from Titusville on the Mosquito Lagoon. From now on I’ll be chartering and reporting from the Fort Pierce area. My new fishing grounds will extend roughly from Sebastian Inlet to Jensen Beach. I hope you’ll enjoy the reports from my new venue!
What a week we had as I wrapped up my Titusville schedule. Clients caught plenty of spotted seatrout; in fact we caught so many quality trout we lost count each trip. Topwater walking plugs were by far the best option for upper and over slot trout, some redfish and a few snook, too. For clients unable to “walk the dog,” we simply tossed three inch Z-Man Minnowz or four inch Diezel Minnowz. Experimenting with retrieval speeds kept us catching throughout the mornings and into the noon hour.
Most areas in the north Indian River have pretty clean water and basic colors all produced great catches. Finding areas riddled with fingerling mullet was a key element in staying busy, though we did catch a few fish where mullet numbers were relatively low.
One trip we managed to stay busy with a dozen pods of black drum. Dead shrimp out performed live shrimp by a wide margin on this day, and I have a feeling cut mullet might have caught even more, given the “Big Uglies” were terrorizing schools of mullet like they were redfish! Mark and Nilyn had a ball! Tony fished a couple of mornings with me and flat-out slayed the seatrout on his bone colored Skitterwalk. A few redfish also ate the walking plug and a dandy snook inhaled it as Tony worked the lure through a shoreline shadow!
Dirty Backwater Bays
Well, I enjoyed the nice weather while it lasted… The wind of the past couple of days sure muddied-up most of the Mosquito Lagoon. Still, despite the dirty backwater bays and the wind-blown flats we managed a respectful catch today!
Michael treated his eight year old son, Ben, to a Mosquito Lagoon fishing charter. Our goal was to catch some trout and redfish and because they like using live shrimp for bait we expected to have to weed through the catfish.
The guys were certainly successful with the spotted seatrout. I quit counting at twenty fish; most of which were middle to upper slot. I was secretly thrilled as they decided to release their fish.
We started in the “clinkers” to shelter ourselves from the hard westerly wind we had at first light. After a handful of quality trout and a bonus flounder we packed up and crossed the ‘goon hoping to continue my streak of redfish catching along the east wall. This moved proved a very poor choice as the water looked like chocolate milk and only gave up a few catfish and a single trout.
Another move was certainly needed and I’m happy to report it payed off in spades! We fished through our remaining live shrimp in short order catching more quality seatrout, more nasty catfish and a chunky mangrove snapper!
Fall Means High Water on Mosquito Lagoon
We didn’t get a lot of fishing in this past week due to the relentless wind. However, if you’re like me, you’re happy Fall is in the air and enjoying the slightly cooler air temps!
Another trait of the Fall season is high water. Most Mosquito Lagoon anglers prefer low water levels as it tends to concentrate the redfish into schools. I’ve never been of this mindset and prefer the fish to spread out, which allows the boats to spread out, as well!
For the next couple of months, I’ll be poling the shorelines tight to the bank. Beating the trees is a favorite tactic of mine. Yep, we’ll be tossing Z-Man plastics rigged on Chinlockz or Snakelockz hooks. Four inch Curly Tailz, Diezel Minnowz and Jerk Shadz will get the most time on the lines and we’ll toss five inch Jerk Shadz and Diezel Minnowz when it’s appropriate. We’ll also be tossing EZ Shrimpz along the trees when baitfish lures are being ignored. No matter what the season, a shrimp is hard for the predators to overlook!
Don’t forget the top water plugs; my favorite being Tsunami’s K9 Walker will get the attention of some monster spotted seatrout as they target some of the remaining silver mullet.
Fall Means High Water on Mosquito Lagoon
We didn’t get a lot of fishing in this past week due to the relentless wind. However, if you’re like me, you’re happy Fall is in the air and enjoying the slightly cooler air temps!
Another trait of the Fall season is high water. Most Mosquito Lagoon anglers prefer low water levels as it tends to concentrate the redfish into schools. I’ve never been of this mindset and prefer the fish to spread out, which allows the boats to spread out, as well!
For the next couple of months, I’ll be poling the shorelines tight to the bank. Beating the trees is a favorite tactic of mine. Yep, we’ll be tossing Z-Man plastics rigged on Chinlockz or Snakelockz hooks. Four inch Curly Tailz, Diezel Minnowz and Jerk Shadz will get the most time on the lines and we’ll toss five inch Jerk Shadz and Diezel Minnowz when it’s appropriate. We’ll also be tossing EZ Shrimpz along the trees when baitfish lures are being ignored. No matter what the season, a shrimp is hard for the predators to overlook!
Don’t forget the top water plugs; my favorite being Tsunami’s K9 Walker will get the attention of some monster spotted seatrout as they target some of the remaining silver mullet.
Fly Fishing the Mosquito Lagoon
I’d have to honestly say I cannot remember the last time I have fished the famed “Mosquito Lagoon.” Looking for a little change from the mostly grassless flats and the low visibility that summer brings to the Indian River, my good friend and I decided to hit Mosquito to try our hand at some high pressured and sometimes very picky Redfish.
We launched at first light and after dodging what seemed to be a mine field of Manatees we made it to our first shoreline destination. The water was not as clear as I remembered in past years, but the shorelines were definitely sight-fishable. I quickly remembered why the Mosquito Lagoon is one of the most desired angling locations in the state of Florida. The beauty of the Mangrove-lined shorelines and diversity of wildlife is still abundant as it is beautiful.
Anyway, back to the fishing report. As we poled the shallow shorelines we pretty quickly were on some belly crawling and tailing redfish. We started out using crab patterns but the redfish either showed no interest or in some cases, even were spooked by the presentation. We switched up to a smaller profile shrimp pattern and that did the trick. We took turns at fish for a majority of the morning with both of us being fairly successful. My good friend and fellow Florida Fly Co. Charters Guide Capt. Noah Miller, as usual, put on a casting clinic and got some great eats I was privileged to watch from the casting platform. I scored a few great fish myself, however, with probably one of the coolest eats of the day coming from a redfish crawling across an exposed grass flat similar to a Salmon fighting to swim upstream. On about the third cast the fly landed in the grass within inches of the fishes nose and he crushed it. Nothing better!
Even with the sweltering heat of summer, the fishing can still be productive all day for those willing to change tactics and actually “hunt” for the fish. With the right presentation and patience the fish will usually cooperate. Just remember to stay hydrated and keep an eye on the skies for the typical summer storms.
Just a reminder, that I will be at the Rockledge Boaters Exchange on US Highway 1 on Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00pm for a “Summer Time on the Flats Tactics” fishing seminar. I’ll be discussing locating and getting fish to cooperate in the heat of Summer with spinning gear and fly. Hope to see some familiar faces and meet some new folks as well!
And as always, if you’re looking to experience sight fishing the shallows on fly and light tackle, contact us at Florida Fly Co. Charters to book a guided trip!