New Smyrna Beach - Ponce Inlet- Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report July 2024

 Hot summer days of July are here! Summer standard days are redfish and speckled trout, and sometimes a snook or tarpon! Been a great bite the last couple of months. Redfish in New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon have been the hot ticket. We’ve caught over 100 redfish over 40 inches this summer! Smaller redfish are schooled on grass flats to sight fish in the lagoons. That time of year to catch bunches of speckled trout in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon. Got one big trout over 30” this summer and a few others around 27”, but plenty of 15-25” trout eating bait right now. Good numbers of tarpon getting active around New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet and big ones making their way into the channels and creeks. We caught a few over 50 pounds in the past week. Pretty much full calendar for July but do have 1 day open later this month. Have 8 days left open for August. Also filling up for Labor Day holiday. Don’t wait till the last minute! 

Recently I have been creating videos about the past month of fishing…talking about the bite and sharing some recent photos of client catches. You can find these videos on my Youtube Channel. Be sure to check them out and if you like the video’s give them a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. 

Dynamite redfish bite this summer. Catching several giants over 40 inches pretty much every day for nearly 3 months! We’ve sight casted bunch on bait, flies, and lures with a few approaching 40 pounds. Not gonna slow down for these big redfish until we get out towards Halloween when they all gather near Ponce Inlet to spawn. When the time, tide or conditions aren’t right for the big reds we’ve been fishing schools of redfish on the shallow grass flats in Mosquito Lagoon. These fish are usually in the 25-30 inch range. Some are tailing really good and in big schools. The catch and release requirement for the area the last 2 years is really paying off with increasing numbers of redfish! 

The other primary option this time of year is fishing for speckled trout in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon. Haven’t had much trouble any day catching a bunch in the 15-25 inch range fishing with live bait like pigfish, croakers, or finger mullet. Only caught a handful of really big ones this summer, with one over 30 inches. Grass flats rebounding in the Lagoons means trout have habitat again so expect to see increasing numbers each year. 

When we have been fishing closer to New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet we’re finding more active tarpon in the channels and creeks. Resident juveniles up to 40 pounds and and some big ones approaching 100 pounds moving in from the ocean are what one can expect. Bite must be picking up because we caught three 50-80 pound tarpon this week fishing for redfish! The hotter the better for these fish…they’ll be around in decent numbers until Oct-Nov time frame. 

Catching some snook here and there in Mosquito Lagoon when we’ve been fishing for redfish and trout in the shallow water. Most of the big snook in the area are out in Ponce Inlet spawning this time of year. Smaller ones are widely scattered in the backwaters around New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange. Will start fishing for snook a lot more next month as the big ones make their way back inshore. 

Pretty much fully booked for July with only the 22nd still open as of today. Have 8 days still left open for August. Labor day holiday week is filling up. Don’t wait till the last minute as the summer is our peak busiest time of year! Text me or call me at 386-212-4931 or even send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Pictures can be found on my website… http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

New Smyrna Beach - Ponce Inlet - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report November 2023

What a fall fishing season…Best we’ve seen here in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon in several years! Clients that joined me for a day of flats fishing this in November had no problems catching lots of redfish! Colder weather has arrived over the past couple weeks which is now moving the big speckled trout up shallow. Snook and black drum are starting to school up in some holes which will add to our target lists for the remainder of the year. We are about to have an epic winter with big schools of fish and lots of catching. Don’t miss out!

Recently I have been creating videos about the past month of fishing…talking about the bite and sharing some recent photos of client catches. You can find these videos on my Youtube Channel. Be sure to check them out and if you like the video’s give them a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel.

If you’re read my reports or seen my videos you know that I’ve been talking about the best fishing in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon in several years! There are loads of redfish around this fall and catching has been phenomenal. Even the slowest of days have seen us land almost double digits. The best days have seen us catch 25+ redfish. Water levels in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon will continue to drop over the next two months and we are going to see some big schools and epic sight fishing! Live bait, lures and flies have all been producing. Giant redfish are largely done for the year as they scatter and move off. The ones that stick around are pretty lethargic and it’s a slow bite, so won’t be spending any time on them till later spring of 2024 as we focus on the shallow flats fishing.

Seeing more speckled trout up on the grass flats in Mosquito Lagoon every day now that the cold fronts are getting more regular. The trout we’ve caught recently have all been in the 18-26” range. The big gator trout the Lagoon is famous for just started showing more recently and I’ve seen a couple over 30” on the last charter. Live bait is the best way to go this time of year for the giant trout when the water is clear, cold and low. We catch some throwing lures too but not as big. If the numbers of speckled trout in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon this summer is any indication, it too is gonna be pretty epic this winter.

Black drum schools are showing more places in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon. Some giants over 25lbs are starting to show and will start really schooling up after Christmas. We can get huge schools of drum in the winter time, with some containing several hundred on average. Shrimp and crabs work best when I come across them on the flats. Less sought than redfish, they fight hard and we can catch a bunch of them when we try.

Snook are largely on the move back into backwaters of the Lagoons. Still have some big ones hanging around Ponce Inlet and the bridges in closest proximity to it as the ocean water stays warmer there later into the year. Big winter schools of smaller ones form though in backwater creeks and sloughs though with fish up to 32”. Some days over the next couple months we’ll catch 30+ snook per day. Live bait and lures both work.

Be sure to check out the latest video of me discussing this past month on Youtube. December and January calendars are filling fast. Have 10 days remaining open in December and 12 for January. Holidays are super busy!!! Snowbird busy season will also fill the first few months of the New Year. SO don’t wait till last minute! Text me or call me at 386-212-4931 or even send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Check out the latest photos on my website...http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

New Smyrna Beach Area - Indian River Lagoon - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report July 2023

July 1, 2023

Summer is flying by! The fishing this year in Mosquito Lagoon has been the best it’s been in 6+ years. Great numbers of everything! Catching lots of redfish, speckled trout and some ocassional tarpon and snook in the backwaters around New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. Don’t mind the heat…it’s the best time of year to catch trophy size fish! Limited availability remaining for July and August…Get on the calendar to go catching.

Redfish in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon have been the superstars the past month. Smaller redfish up shallow and bigger ones deeper, redfish have given us plenty of opportunities. Now that the grass is back finding some good tailing from schools and small groups of redfish in Mosquito Lagoon. There’s a good bite for big trophy redfish over 40 inches in deeper water. All my clients have been in on the action as we boated a bunch of big ones over 20 pounds. It only gets better peaking in August and September but and we can catch the those giant reds through October.

Spent a lot of time lately fishing for speckled trout in Mosquito Lagoon and the backwaters closer to New Smyrna Beach. Caught loads of 18-22” trout with some bigger ones in the 27-28” range. Can usually boat 10-20 trout in a couple hrs fishing time. Getting little late in the summer for catching the giant trout, but still finding 24-25” on a regular basis. Mosquito Lagoon has been trending very well with a good increase in trout numbers on the new grass flats. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for the increasing trout population and bigger fish now that the grass flats are back.

Lot of tarpon in the backwaters around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. Variety of sizes ranging from 10-80lbs, although most are in the 25-50lb range. We’ve done pretty well this year, jumping quite a few mostly fishing artificial and some live bait. They will be here all summer and depart when the cold fronts show up in November.

Peak busy summer season…Slammed for July but have 6 days open. Have 10 days still open in August. Don’t wait till last minute! Text me or call me at 386-212-4931 or even send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

See pictures from the past month on my website...

http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

New Smyrna Beach Area - Indian River Lagoon - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report August 30, 2022

We’re winding down summer and been getting after the big redfish and big snook every day lately around New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. We’re also still catching some solid trout in the shallow water of Mosquito Lagoon and finding lot of tarpon moving around all the backwaters. Assuming we don’t have any tropical storms move through…things should remain pretty consistent through late October. So you still have time to get in on the big trophy size fish for another couple months before the colder weather arrives. My calendar is pretty much full for September. I do have some dates available still for October or November. Call, email or text to find out dates and how to get on my calendar!

Monster redfish are still top target of most of my trips lately. All the big redfish in the region are headed to Ponce Inlet to spawn over the next 2-3 months. It’s been a consistent bite around the tide cycles. Everyone on my boat has had success landing redfish over 40 inches this summer…some days we get a few, other days we get 10+ landed. We’ve also been catching smaller redfish under 30 inches in the shallow water of Mosquito Lagoon. Sea grass has made a great comeback this year and we’re able to sight cast redfish tailing on the grass flats and others working shorelines and oyster beds like the days of old. Some trout and snook usually find their way to the boat in the process.

August was ridiculous good for big snook in New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. There were hundreds of big snook schooled up to spawn and now that it’s over they are scattering into the Indian River Lagoon backwaters again. We had multiple epic days with 20-30 hook ups on big snook in the 32-40 inch range. Amazing considering just over 10 yrs ago you could barely find a single snook living around here. We are also finding good numbers of smaller snook in the backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon. Snook fishing will remain pretty good out into mid November as they transition to their fall and winter hangouts.

In the backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon we are still catching some decent spotted sea trout. Majority of the speckled trout are in the 17-25 inch range with some scattered bigger ones. We really don’t spend a lot of time fishing for trout this time of year as it’s really the time to target other things. But we are having some good action catching them when they are mixed in with redfish and snook on the shallow flats.

A lot of tarpon are in the Central Florida region currently. Strong numbers moving around the backwaters of the Lagoon and some big ones cruising the beach in the ocean. Variety of sizes from 20-100+ pounds. They’ll around until the first cold fronts start to arrive then they’ll keep working their way south. Can target them on a variety of live baits and lures.  Willing to sit on the all day if you want, I find it's better to give them 30 minutes and move on if they aren't cooperating.

September is pretty much full on my calendar. I have dates available in October and November. Text message or call me at 386-212-4931 or send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...

http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

New Smyrna Beach Area - Indian River Lagoon - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report July 2022

July 13, 2022

It’s been another epic summer! The better news, you’ve still got about 2.5 months to get in on the action because it won’t slow down till the first cold fronts arrive in October! Want to catch that trophy redfish of a lifetime? Want to catch a grand slam of redfish, snook and speckled trout in the backwaters of the Mosquito Lagoon? Want to try for a tarpon around Ponce Inlet and Daytona Beach? All those are on the menu right now and quite probable to catch for the next couple months. Only a few dates left open for July. Limited availability for August and September. Call, email or text to find out dates and how to get on my calendar!

Giant trophy redfish continue to be the best thing to fish for around New Smyrna Beach, Ponce Inlet and down into Mosquito Lagoon. We’ve had an outstanding spring and summer…not one charter since early April have we tried and not caught at least one redfish over 40”. Quite a few days lately have seen us put a hook in 8-10 giant bull reds. It’s only getting better as more of these trophy size redfish show up to get in the spawning schools. Catching usually gets insane as we get into August and September. Some years we catch them all the way into mid November. Smaller redfish under 30 inches are around in pretty decent numbers in the shallow water of Mosquito Lagoon. Most recently we’ve done well sight casting with live bait and fly tackle as we have some good water clarity for picking off fish cruising shorelines. We often can pick up snook and speckled trout in the process.

In the backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon there’s been good fishing for speckled trout. More recently we’ve started to get some really big ones in the 25-30 inch range. Many of the speckled trout we catch right now are in the 18-24 inch range. Most trips are seeing 10-15 speckled trout landed. Bite should stay consistent for another month or two. For speckled trout, we are fishing live bait exclusively.

Snook fishing is really picking up steam in the backwaters around Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach, and the north end of Mosquito Lagoon. Most of the time we are finding them schooled up with redfish and big trout which means you have excellent above odds chance at catching a grand slam every day (redfish, snook and trout). There are some trophy size giant snook around Ponce Inlet and the usual bridges and structure areas in deep water. We routinely catch the biggest snook of the year in August and September. Snook season is catch and release until September 1.

Tarpon are here in the deeper waters around New Smyrna Beach and down into Mosquito Lagoon. Variety of sizes from 20-100+ pounds. Can target them on a variety of live baits and lures.

Have just a few dates open for July. August and September have about 12-15 dates still available in each. Text message or call me at 386-212-4931 or send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...

http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

New Smyrna Beach - Ponce Inlet - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report June 2022

Big redfish near Ponce Inlet has been where it’s at! Good speckled trout fishing in the shallows of Mosquito lagoon - 18-28” trout. Snook playing on shorelines in backwaters Edgewater and Oak Hill. Tarpon starting to move into the channels around New Smyrna Beach and deep bays to the south. Summer is gonna be slammed busy as usual. June is fully booked, no openings. Limited remaining availability in July, August and September. Don’t wait till last minute to schedule!!!

Giant trophy redfish near Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach have been the main target for several weeks now. What’s a Giant? Anything over 40” in my book! Now is the time to do it if you’ve always wanted to catch a 40” red drum. Multiple fish caught every day, some days almost double digits. Schools are in pre-spawn mode and will keep growing in numbers through the fall roaming all around the backwaters near the Inlet. In other words it’s only gonna get better from here till November. Catching smaller redfish under 30” when fishing shorelines in Mosquito Lagoon. Generally mixed in with trout and occasional snook.

Fishing Mosquito Lagoon lately for speckled trout, with some redfish and occasional snook. Not lot of sight casting opportunities so primarily fishing live bait. Good fishing with quality size. Almost all the speckled trout are 18-28”. Definitely in the peak time of year for chance at a speckled trout over 30 inches!

Snook are widely scattered around the North Mosquito Lagoon up into New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach. Snook season is closed for the summer so all catch and release. Any structure can hold a snook here…docks, walls, mangroves, oysters, bridges, etc. We routinely find them around all the above. Super powerful fish that eat a variety of baits and lures but can be ultra picky sometimes. Gotta love them! Hint about summer in New Smyrna Beach…it’s when we catch the biggest snook of the year!

Tarpon are starting to show up in the deeper waters around New Smyrna Beach and down into Mosquito Lagoon. Variety of sizes from 20-100+ pounds. Haven’t landed any but have jumped a few on live bait the last couple weeks. Lures and flies can work as well. I usually give them a try for a bit and then move on to something else if it’s not looking likely.

June is fully booked. Limited dates remaining for July, August, and September. Text message or call me at 386-212-4931 or send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...

http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm

Indian River Lagoon - New Smyrna Beach - Mosquito Lagoon March 2022 Fishing Report

Spring has arrived in Central Florida! We are in peak busy season again with lots of travelers in town for spring break vacations and Central Florida special events. It’s been an awesome start of fishing to the year…lots of redfish, snook, black drum and some speckled trout. We are doing a mix of sight casting on the flats in Mosquito Lagoon, blind casting in the creeks around New Smyrna Beach, live baiting around the docks throughout the intracoastal waterway…all of which means there’s something for everyone of all skills or abilities.

Special Note…I have no availability for March. I have three days remaining open in April. I have 14 days remaining open in May. Book as far in advance as possible!!!

Redfish has been our main target over the past month in Mosquito Lagoon with better numbers of redfish this year than the last few. Things are changing up in the Lagoon heading into mid-March though as the bigger schools have broken apart into singles and small pods. Most of these redfish are ranging 20-30 inches. We are targeting them mainly on live bait. Giant trophy redfish over 20 pounds are starting to congregate in bigger groups on the flats in the Indian River Lagoon and holes in the intracoastal waterway closer to Ponce Inlet. The big redfish are getting more active, but it’s long waits for just a couple bites …other things are really heating up so not spending much time if at all until we get closer to summer and the big reds start really firing good.

Snook fishing around the tidal areas of New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet, even down into Mosquito Lagoon, is really ramping up over the past two weeks. Multiple trips lately with 10+ snook landed. Starting to see some better sizes as we get past winter and into the spring months. Most of the snook are 18-25 inches lately. We have a year round snook fishery now and it will be steady from now throughout the fall.

I’ve never seen so many black drum as we had the last couple months. Literally everywhere we went in Mosquito Lagoon had a big school of hundreds of 2 year old drum in the 18-22 inch range, which means they had a great spawn 2 yrs ago! As it’s warmed up most have moved off the flats and scattered into smaller pods. But we are still picking them up in the process of fishing for snook and redfish. Not much of a glamour species, but they pull hard on light tackle.

Not doing much to target speckled trout right now but they will change up once we get into late April, May and June. Those are historically the best times for a chance at a giant in the Mosquito Lagoon and upper end of the Indian River Lagoon. Those months are also the best time of year to catch a bunch of quality trout in the 18-24” range. Currently in Mosquito Lagoon most of the trout are up in the super shallow water chasing the early stages of the spring mullet run. Catching has been pretty limited to we’ll get back to them in a month or so.

Sorry, I have no dates remaining open in March. I have three open days available for April. I have 14 days left open in May. If you want to fish before the summer vacations start, you’re late on trying to book something, so don’t wait any longer! I take last second scheduling if time permits. Test me or call me at 386-212-4931 to even send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.

Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...

http://floridasightfishing.com/report.htm