Only a few weeks away from Christmas and the start of 2012. Cooler temperatures have taken a firm grip on our weather and the fish are in their winter transition mode. The beautiful thing about fishing in Florida is it’s always a good time to go; there’s always somewhere to fish and something to catch regardless of the weather. We have entered the time of year though that allows for the most catching per day. This month we can be catching anywhere from 10-40 fish per day. The colder the better. January is usually the top catching month of the year, with days of 50+ fish occuring on a regular basis. But for December, water clarity has cleared considerably lately allowing for excellent sight casting. It hasn’t gotten cold enough for massive winter schools of fish to form, but that usually happens during the later part of this month. Our top targets for December heading into January arer redfish, speckled trout, black drum, flounder and some occassional snook. Depending on the weather we could be catching anywhere from 5-30 or more of each per day.
Redfish fishing has been excellent as of late. It’s our number one opportunity in the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and creeks near Ponce Inlet. All our redfish are shadowing the big finger mullet schools. Find baitfish and you’ll find redfish in the mix too. Average days for catching has been 5-20+ reds. What we are used to catch them has varied widely. Most fish are coming on live mullet, while sight casters are doing fine with live shrimp. If we throw lures it’s been spoons, DOA shrimp or soft plastic jerkbaits. Fly fisherman have done really well on my cab fly or a Borski slider.
It’s no surprise the Speckled Trout are following the big finger mullet schools either. With the cleaner water we’re also finding a lot of big gator trout laid up in sand spots around cold snaps. This is perhaps one of the best times of year for sight casting 8-10lbr’s, a world class fish. Live shrimp, DOA shrimp, soft plastic jerkbaits are all great sight casting tools for big trout...but they are so wary it can ben tough. We’ll catch more trout free-lining mullet around the bait pods or right in beside schooling redfish. Trout season is still closed and won’t reopen until January, so it’s still catch and release. Fly anglers lucky enough to throw a fly to a laid up gator trout will have luck on seaducers and gurglers. Typically we aren’t going for numbers in terms of catching trout in the winter, it’s all about catching the trophies!
The Flounder bite continues to be good in all the backwaters around Ponce Inlet. These fish are migrating towards the Inlet itself so creek mouths, sand bars, docks and seawalls on the ICW, and bays adjacent to the ICW will hold the majority of the fish. Mullet and mud minnows are the preferred baits of choice. Free line them or peg them on a jighead when fishing deeper water. You can also drag a live shrimp pegged on a jig along the bottom. Black Drum are showing up in more brackish areas of the Lagoon and NIRL. Shrimp are blue crab equal guaranteed catching on a less than smart fish.
I have some dates remaining in December but the holidays are filling quickly. January dates are starting to fill and it’s probably the best catching month of the year. Give me a call now to check my availability and reserve/book a date. Short notice trips are accepted if I have a date available. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today. Read my fishing report archive to review write-ups from the past several years. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...
http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
November '11 - Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, Ponce Inlet Area
Fall has definitely arrived here in Florida. The cool weather has settled in making it almost a necessity for early morning jackets and sweatshirts. Daytime temperatures are consistently staying in the 70’s and water temperatures have cooled into the 65-75 degree range. Baitfish numbers are dwindling, but the fall shrimp runs are thick and numerous. November spells transition time and all of our inshore fish are hungy and stocking up on fat stores for the approaching winter months. Redfish, speckled trout and flounder are the main species we target during this time of year. We’ll also find jack crevalle, bluefish and scattered snook. As the cooler weather and water temperatures settle in, the water will soon be turning crystal clear, signaling epic sight fishing conditions and schooling fish. As I’ve noted many times, there’s no slow times for fishing in Florida, every month is good. So grab a rod and let’s go fishing.
The Redfish bite has been excellent as of late. Redfish are on the move towards their over-wintering areas. Water levels have dropped in the area concentraing fish in deeper sand sloughs, creeks, and channels. When the water is higher, or on an incoming tide patterns, we’re finding redfish staged on top or on the edges of sand bars and oyster bars. The water is also clearing up considerably allowing for great sight casting. Finger mullet, shrimp and crabs are preferred baits this time of year, so either use them or lures and flies that mimic or resemble them. Redfish activity and the overall bite increases considerably around the passing cold fronts. As far as an average day, it’s not uncommon this time of year for us to have days catching 5-10 redfish or days of 20-30+; it all depends on how cold it gets and how long the fish stay schooled up during the days afterwards.
The bite for Speckled Trout has also been excellent as of late; just remember the season is closed for the remainder of 2011 so it’s all catch and release. As soon as the water temperatures chill into the 70’s each fall, it’s common for the trout bite to turn on in a major way. Diminishing baitfish supplies trigger these fish to feed aggressively and that means great fishing and really good chances at catching trophy size trout in the 5-10lb range. As we start into November, that’s exactly the case in the Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River around Edgewater and New Smyrna. During the past few days we’ve caught a 3-4 trout each day in the 5-8lb range, in addition to several smaller fish in the 2-4lb range. We’re finding a majorty of our trout shadowing mullet schools around sand sloughs and sand spots. Live mullet is prized commodity for trout fishing this time of year, so again use it, or throw topwater plugs, swimbaits, and soft plastic shad style baits.
The Flounder bite continues to be good in all the backwaters around Ponce Inlet. These fish are migrating towards the Inlet itself so creek mouths, sand bars, docks and seawalls on the ICW, and bays adjacent to the ICW will hold the majority of the fish. Mullet and mud minnows are the preferred baits of choice. Free line them or peg them on a jighead when fishing deeper water. You can also drag a live shrimp pegged on a jig along the bottom.
With the strong finger mullet run around Ponce Inlet we are finding 5-10lb Jack Crevalle and 2-5lb Bluefish. Both are great fighters on light tackle and provide consistent catching while waiting between preferred tide patterns. We’re also entering a time of year when Snook begin to school up and migrate into the remote backwaters before winter settles in. Typically we catch great numbers of snook during the late fall and winter. Our numbers, however, are still drastically off what we had 3 years ago before the big freeze, but more are being spotted and caught, so it’s not out of the question to find willing participants.
Limited dates are available in November as my month is nearly 3/4’s booked. I have some scattered dates remaining. December dates are also filling quickly. Give me a call now to check my availability and reserve/book a date. Short notice trips are accepted if I have a date available. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
The Redfish bite has been excellent as of late. Redfish are on the move towards their over-wintering areas. Water levels have dropped in the area concentraing fish in deeper sand sloughs, creeks, and channels. When the water is higher, or on an incoming tide patterns, we’re finding redfish staged on top or on the edges of sand bars and oyster bars. The water is also clearing up considerably allowing for great sight casting. Finger mullet, shrimp and crabs are preferred baits this time of year, so either use them or lures and flies that mimic or resemble them. Redfish activity and the overall bite increases considerably around the passing cold fronts. As far as an average day, it’s not uncommon this time of year for us to have days catching 5-10 redfish or days of 20-30+; it all depends on how cold it gets and how long the fish stay schooled up during the days afterwards.
The bite for Speckled Trout has also been excellent as of late; just remember the season is closed for the remainder of 2011 so it’s all catch and release. As soon as the water temperatures chill into the 70’s each fall, it’s common for the trout bite to turn on in a major way. Diminishing baitfish supplies trigger these fish to feed aggressively and that means great fishing and really good chances at catching trophy size trout in the 5-10lb range. As we start into November, that’s exactly the case in the Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River around Edgewater and New Smyrna. During the past few days we’ve caught a 3-4 trout each day in the 5-8lb range, in addition to several smaller fish in the 2-4lb range. We’re finding a majorty of our trout shadowing mullet schools around sand sloughs and sand spots. Live mullet is prized commodity for trout fishing this time of year, so again use it, or throw topwater plugs, swimbaits, and soft plastic shad style baits.
The Flounder bite continues to be good in all the backwaters around Ponce Inlet. These fish are migrating towards the Inlet itself so creek mouths, sand bars, docks and seawalls on the ICW, and bays adjacent to the ICW will hold the majority of the fish. Mullet and mud minnows are the preferred baits of choice. Free line them or peg them on a jighead when fishing deeper water. You can also drag a live shrimp pegged on a jig along the bottom.
With the strong finger mullet run around Ponce Inlet we are finding 5-10lb Jack Crevalle and 2-5lb Bluefish. Both are great fighters on light tackle and provide consistent catching while waiting between preferred tide patterns. We’re also entering a time of year when Snook begin to school up and migrate into the remote backwaters before winter settles in. Typically we catch great numbers of snook during the late fall and winter. Our numbers, however, are still drastically off what we had 3 years ago before the big freeze, but more are being spotted and caught, so it’s not out of the question to find willing participants.
Limited dates are available in November as my month is nearly 3/4’s booked. I have some scattered dates remaining. December dates are also filling quickly. Give me a call now to check my availability and reserve/book a date. Short notice trips are accepted if I have a date available. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Monday, October 3, 2011
Oct '11 - New Smyrna, Ponce Inlet, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
It’s October on the Space Coast and that means transition time on the inshore waters. The fall bait run is in full swing, perhaps the best one is a few years. The backwaters surrounding the Ponce Inlet area are packed full of finger mullet. In hot pursuit are hungry redfish, speckled trout, flounder, jack crevalle, bluefish and scattered tarpon and snook. In addition to exceptional strong shrimp runs around the moon cycles, it’s safe to say that there is no shortage of food sources for fish to key on. In summary, it’s all about fish eating mullet, shrimp, or anything that resembles them these days. We’ve begun to experience the first cold fronts of the fall, chilling morning air temperatures, lowering water levels, and slightly cooling water temperatures. We can focus on just about any fish species this month, just depends on your interest level.
The Redfish bite has been good as of late. The water is still a bit elevated, dirty, and the fish are scattered. We’re targeting redfish on shorelines around New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill searching for crabs, shrimp, and finger mullet; tailing on wide open grass flats in the Lagoons for shrimp; or on creek, channel, and oyster bar edges around the region chasing finger mullet schools. In the ICW around Ponce Inlet and in the North Indian River Lagoon we’re targeting trophy bull redfish that are schooled up for their annual fall spawn cycle. We’re catching all these redfish in a variety of ways, including live baiting, lures, and fly fishing. When throwing lures we’ve been using topwater plugs, spoons, DOA shrimp, Slayer spinnerbaits and jigs. Good fly choices have included shrimp, kwans, and crab patterns as well as dark colored bunny patterns. Look no further than shrimp or mullet for live bait choices.
The bite for Speckled Trout has also been good as of late as these fish fill their belly’s on the available mullet and shrimp before it thins out as the colder weather settles in next month. Catching gator trout lately has been a tough task, but we’ve been catching good numbers of smaller 15-25” trout instead. We’ve been targeting most of our trout bite on the falling and incoming tides in the New Smyrna, Edgewater, and Oak Hill areas around. We’re freeling mullet and pigfish around mullet schools for most catching success, however, topwater plugs and soft plastics on jigs will take fish too.
The Flounder bite continues to be good in all backwaters around Ponce Inlet and will get even better over the next two months as the cold fronts become more regular and trigger these fish to migrate towards the Inlet itself. Sand sloughs, mud flats, docks and seawalls along the ICW are preferred fish spots. Pigfish have been a reliable bait, as well as a finger mullet pegged to a jighead sand bars, and creek/channel edges are preferred fishing spots. We’re primarily catching them on pigfish, croakers, and live mullet.
There are some scattered Tarpon in the ICW around the Inlet, but it’s yet to get cold enough to trigger a strong run of them migrating out of the area...more like a slow trickle. Fishing for tarpon the remainder of the year won’t be a concentrated effort, instead it will be something we do if the opportunity presents itself. With the strong finger mullet run around Ponce Inlet we are finding strong numbers of 5-10lb Jack Crevalle and 2-5lb Bluefish. Both are great fighters on light tackle and will provide consistent catching while we're waiting to fish other species between preferred tide patterns.
October is about half way booked at this point, which means there are good scattered openings still on my calendar. Same goes for November. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...
http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
The Redfish bite has been good as of late. The water is still a bit elevated, dirty, and the fish are scattered. We’re targeting redfish on shorelines around New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill searching for crabs, shrimp, and finger mullet; tailing on wide open grass flats in the Lagoons for shrimp; or on creek, channel, and oyster bar edges around the region chasing finger mullet schools. In the ICW around Ponce Inlet and in the North Indian River Lagoon we’re targeting trophy bull redfish that are schooled up for their annual fall spawn cycle. We’re catching all these redfish in a variety of ways, including live baiting, lures, and fly fishing. When throwing lures we’ve been using topwater plugs, spoons, DOA shrimp, Slayer spinnerbaits and jigs. Good fly choices have included shrimp, kwans, and crab patterns as well as dark colored bunny patterns. Look no further than shrimp or mullet for live bait choices.
The bite for Speckled Trout has also been good as of late as these fish fill their belly’s on the available mullet and shrimp before it thins out as the colder weather settles in next month. Catching gator trout lately has been a tough task, but we’ve been catching good numbers of smaller 15-25” trout instead. We’ve been targeting most of our trout bite on the falling and incoming tides in the New Smyrna, Edgewater, and Oak Hill areas around. We’re freeling mullet and pigfish around mullet schools for most catching success, however, topwater plugs and soft plastics on jigs will take fish too.
The Flounder bite continues to be good in all backwaters around Ponce Inlet and will get even better over the next two months as the cold fronts become more regular and trigger these fish to migrate towards the Inlet itself. Sand sloughs, mud flats, docks and seawalls along the ICW are preferred fish spots. Pigfish have been a reliable bait, as well as a finger mullet pegged to a jighead sand bars, and creek/channel edges are preferred fishing spots. We’re primarily catching them on pigfish, croakers, and live mullet.
There are some scattered Tarpon in the ICW around the Inlet, but it’s yet to get cold enough to trigger a strong run of them migrating out of the area...more like a slow trickle. Fishing for tarpon the remainder of the year won’t be a concentrated effort, instead it will be something we do if the opportunity presents itself. With the strong finger mullet run around Ponce Inlet we are finding strong numbers of 5-10lb Jack Crevalle and 2-5lb Bluefish. Both are great fighters on light tackle and will provide consistent catching while we're waiting to fish other species between preferred tide patterns.
October is about half way booked at this point, which means there are good scattered openings still on my calendar. Same goes for November. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...
http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Friday, September 2, 2011
August '11 - Mosquito Lagoon, New Smyrna, Ponce Inlet Area
Half the year is already over and before you know it fall will be here. The heat really doesn’t affect the fishing much, it’s more uncomfortable to fisherman than anything else. We’ll still be catching fish during the mid-day hours, just like the early mornings. This is the time of year you can pick just about anything to fish for; opportunties are abundant for redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, flounder, sharks and more. The annual fall bait run will be kicking off later this month, signaling all gamefish to eat hardily now before things thin out next month in advance of the first cold fronts of the year. Charters have been having great catching lately with the average day being a few redfish, a dozen speckled trout, and a flounder or two. I spent nearly every day on the water in July and also fished another Xtreme Redfish tournament, capturing 4th place with after we caught a 13lb bag. On a press note, check out the August issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. I was the featured guide in an article about fishing tarpon out of Ponce Inlet along our beaches. It’s on page 34.
The Redfish bite has been very good. We can target redfish of all sizes, all day long in the shallows and deeper water from Daytona to Titusville. If we spend the entire day fishing for redfish we will average 10-15 bites on a combination or live bait and lures. If we mix it up with a combination of trout and flounder, expect an average of 3-6 redfish bites during the day. The Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River Lagoon have good numbers of fish on the grass flats perfect for those seeking sight fishing opportunities. In the tidal waters from Daytona to Edgewater we’re powerfishing oyster bars and mangrove edges on both incoming and outgoing tides. Pinfish, pigfish, croakers, and a variety of cut baits have been the live bait of choice. Topwater plugs, suspending plugs, Aqua Dream spoons, and a variety of swimbaits rigged on Slayer jigheads have been the top lures. This is also the peak time of year to target schools of trophy sized GIANT bull redfish over 20lbs in the North Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon. Calm weather will reveal massive schools on the surface in deeper water. Early in the morning these fish will eat a variety of lures or fly, but as the boat pressure picks up through the day you’ll have better luck with a live baitfish or crab.
The other main staple of our inshore fishery is Speckled Trout. We’re catching good numbers in deeper water from Daytona to Edgewater and on the edges of the flats in the Lagoons. Find active schools of mullet on top of oyster bars, creek mudflats, or on the grass flats and you’ll find speckled trout. Pigfish, croakers, and a live finger mullet are top trout producers in the summer. If you’re set on throwing lures, topwater plugs get the surface bite excitement but the big ones will be caught on suspending plugs and soft plastics rigged on 1/4oz jigs. Most days lately we’ve averaged 10-15 trout in the 16-25” range. We caught a few trophy fish last month in the 26-30” range.
Tarpon numbers are strong in the ICW and main channels with some scattered fish in both Lagoons. Continual cold water upwellings along the coast are keeping these fish inshore instead of out along the beach. This is the peak time of year to try your hand catching a tarpon. But you have to do it now as they will be mostly gone by the end of September. There are good numbers of fish of all sizes, from 20lb resident juveniles to 80-120lb migratory adults. Pinfish, live mullet and menhaden are preferred live baits of choice in Central Florida. Swimbaits, DOA baitbusters, and Hogy’s are the top lure producers. With a little luck we’ll get a couple bites each day. We only fished for them twice last month but we jumped a couple fish in the 60-80lb range. If you want some tips and strategies for fishing tarpon along our beaches, check out the August issue of Florida Sportsman. I was the featured guide in the article.
The Flounder bite continues to be strong in all areas of the Halifax, Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. It’s been the best action I’ve ever seen. There are thousands of them anywhere there’s lots of sand and baitfish. We’re catching one or two nearly every trip. We’re primarily catching them on pigfish, croakers, and live mullet, but we’ve also gotten some on jigs and spoons lately too.
While the next two months can be hot, so is the fishing. I’ve only got limited dates remaining during the last half of August, and September is over 1/3 booked. Give me a call now to check my availability and reserve/book a date. Short notice trips are accepted if I have a date available. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Check my website to see photos from the past month...http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
The Redfish bite has been very good. We can target redfish of all sizes, all day long in the shallows and deeper water from Daytona to Titusville. If we spend the entire day fishing for redfish we will average 10-15 bites on a combination or live bait and lures. If we mix it up with a combination of trout and flounder, expect an average of 3-6 redfish bites during the day. The Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River Lagoon have good numbers of fish on the grass flats perfect for those seeking sight fishing opportunities. In the tidal waters from Daytona to Edgewater we’re powerfishing oyster bars and mangrove edges on both incoming and outgoing tides. Pinfish, pigfish, croakers, and a variety of cut baits have been the live bait of choice. Topwater plugs, suspending plugs, Aqua Dream spoons, and a variety of swimbaits rigged on Slayer jigheads have been the top lures. This is also the peak time of year to target schools of trophy sized GIANT bull redfish over 20lbs in the North Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon. Calm weather will reveal massive schools on the surface in deeper water. Early in the morning these fish will eat a variety of lures or fly, but as the boat pressure picks up through the day you’ll have better luck with a live baitfish or crab.
The other main staple of our inshore fishery is Speckled Trout. We’re catching good numbers in deeper water from Daytona to Edgewater and on the edges of the flats in the Lagoons. Find active schools of mullet on top of oyster bars, creek mudflats, or on the grass flats and you’ll find speckled trout. Pigfish, croakers, and a live finger mullet are top trout producers in the summer. If you’re set on throwing lures, topwater plugs get the surface bite excitement but the big ones will be caught on suspending plugs and soft plastics rigged on 1/4oz jigs. Most days lately we’ve averaged 10-15 trout in the 16-25” range. We caught a few trophy fish last month in the 26-30” range.
Tarpon numbers are strong in the ICW and main channels with some scattered fish in both Lagoons. Continual cold water upwellings along the coast are keeping these fish inshore instead of out along the beach. This is the peak time of year to try your hand catching a tarpon. But you have to do it now as they will be mostly gone by the end of September. There are good numbers of fish of all sizes, from 20lb resident juveniles to 80-120lb migratory adults. Pinfish, live mullet and menhaden are preferred live baits of choice in Central Florida. Swimbaits, DOA baitbusters, and Hogy’s are the top lure producers. With a little luck we’ll get a couple bites each day. We only fished for them twice last month but we jumped a couple fish in the 60-80lb range. If you want some tips and strategies for fishing tarpon along our beaches, check out the August issue of Florida Sportsman. I was the featured guide in the article.
The Flounder bite continues to be strong in all areas of the Halifax, Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. It’s been the best action I’ve ever seen. There are thousands of them anywhere there’s lots of sand and baitfish. We’re catching one or two nearly every trip. We’re primarily catching them on pigfish, croakers, and live mullet, but we’ve also gotten some on jigs and spoons lately too.
While the next two months can be hot, so is the fishing. I’ve only got limited dates remaining during the last half of August, and September is over 1/3 booked. Give me a call now to check my availability and reserve/book a date. Short notice trips are accepted if I have a date available. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Check my website to see photos from the past month...http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Florida Sportsman Article
I just had an article about me published in the August 2011 issue of Florida Sportsman. It's about fishing beach tarpon out of Ponce Inlet and I reveal strategies for locating and catching tarpon as well as how to navigate the Inlet in a small boat. It's page 34, titled "King of the Beach", check it out.
July '11 - New Smyrna, Ponce Inlet Area, Mosquito Lagoon
Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Half way through 2011 and the fishing is red hot. Any and everything is a potential fishing opportunity. Speckled trout, redfish and flounder have been the most abundant and consistent fishing. We're also finding numerous tarpon, bluefish, and jack crevalle. Water temperatures have been in the upper 80's and recently we've been getting a good dose of late afternoon thunderstorms that is helping stabalize water conditions. By far and away, live bait charters have been kicking butt; we've been averaging 5-10 redfish, 10-15 speckled trout, and a flounder or two on each live bait trip. On days we've throw lures, you can cut those numbers in half. We've been spending a lot of time in the Port Orange to Edgewater area fishing the creeks and channels that funnel towards Ponce Inlet. We've also been venturing into the Mosquito Lagoon and the North Indian River Lagoon when we want to sight cast the flats. During June I also fit in two more tournaments. We took 2nd place (for the 3rd month in a row) in the Xtreme Redfish Titusville event with a 12.71 bag. Then at the IFA Redfish Tour pro lure event out of Titusville, we narrowly missed taking home the title. We weighed a 6.5lb redfish but had our 7.25lb redfish get DQ'd for being 1/8" over the 27" mark...what a heartbreak!
The Speckled Trout bite continues to be the best bite and provide the most catching. This should continue right on through the summer months. We continue to primarily be live baiting with mullet, pigfish and croakers, with some sporadic action with plugs and jigs. Just like last month we caught dozens of big trout. We caught over a dozen trout in the 6-8lb range and at least 40-50 in the 4-5lb range. Most of our trout are ranging from 15-25", except for a dozen or so that were in the 25-30" range. We've been averaging 12-20 trout per day lately. As the sun continues to be high over head we're finding best bites very early in the morning in the shallows and then in deeper water later in the day around concentrations of bait fish.
The Redfish bite has also been good. One of the highlights in the late summer is chasing the schools of bull redfish in the 20-40lb range schooling in the deeper water and spawning around the full moon cycles. Ethical anglers will catch 1 or 2 before moving on. They'll eat just about anything you throw at them, literally. In the shallows we'll find small pods of smaller redfish in the 4-10lb range along deeper sand sloughs and creek edges and we'll find singles and doubles cruising shorelines, oyster bars, and tailing in the grass. These fish are a little more tricky but we'll catch them on live bait, plugs, spoons, jigs, and a variety of flies. On an average day we've caught 5-10 redfish and a trophy bull or two when I get someone interested in that.
We aren't limited to just redfish and trout, however. We're also catching a lot of Flounder this year. There are more of them that I have ever seen and it seems someone is getting 1 or 2 on almost every charter. Nearly all of them have been caught on some form of live bait, but we've also gotten some on spoons and jigs. With the recent upwelling in the ocean along the coast, Tarpon numbers have exploded inshore in the Lagoons, around Ponce Inlet and in the ICW and channels. We only targeted them two days recently and the bite was a bit slow compared to normal. We're finding good numbers of juveniles in the 20-40lb range as well as fairly good numbers of adult fish in the 50-100lb range. They'll be around the next 3 months before they start to migrate out of the area. Also around the tidal creeks and channels around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Port Orange we're finding a lot of Bluefish and Jack Crevalle. Most of these fish are in the 2-5lb range. They are more by catch when we are fishing for other species than anything else, but they still provide some hard fought battles and bites.
June was a full booked month and I spent 28 out of 30 days on the water. July was about the same. Call or email with any questions. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
The Speckled Trout bite continues to be the best bite and provide the most catching. This should continue right on through the summer months. We continue to primarily be live baiting with mullet, pigfish and croakers, with some sporadic action with plugs and jigs. Just like last month we caught dozens of big trout. We caught over a dozen trout in the 6-8lb range and at least 40-50 in the 4-5lb range. Most of our trout are ranging from 15-25", except for a dozen or so that were in the 25-30" range. We've been averaging 12-20 trout per day lately. As the sun continues to be high over head we're finding best bites very early in the morning in the shallows and then in deeper water later in the day around concentrations of bait fish.
The Redfish bite has also been good. One of the highlights in the late summer is chasing the schools of bull redfish in the 20-40lb range schooling in the deeper water and spawning around the full moon cycles. Ethical anglers will catch 1 or 2 before moving on. They'll eat just about anything you throw at them, literally. In the shallows we'll find small pods of smaller redfish in the 4-10lb range along deeper sand sloughs and creek edges and we'll find singles and doubles cruising shorelines, oyster bars, and tailing in the grass. These fish are a little more tricky but we'll catch them on live bait, plugs, spoons, jigs, and a variety of flies. On an average day we've caught 5-10 redfish and a trophy bull or two when I get someone interested in that.
We aren't limited to just redfish and trout, however. We're also catching a lot of Flounder this year. There are more of them that I have ever seen and it seems someone is getting 1 or 2 on almost every charter. Nearly all of them have been caught on some form of live bait, but we've also gotten some on spoons and jigs. With the recent upwelling in the ocean along the coast, Tarpon numbers have exploded inshore in the Lagoons, around Ponce Inlet and in the ICW and channels. We only targeted them two days recently and the bite was a bit slow compared to normal. We're finding good numbers of juveniles in the 20-40lb range as well as fairly good numbers of adult fish in the 50-100lb range. They'll be around the next 3 months before they start to migrate out of the area. Also around the tidal creeks and channels around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Port Orange we're finding a lot of Bluefish and Jack Crevalle. Most of these fish are in the 2-5lb range. They are more by catch when we are fishing for other species than anything else, but they still provide some hard fought battles and bites.
June was a full booked month and I spent 28 out of 30 days on the water. July was about the same. Call or email with any questions. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Feb 2011 - Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River Lagoon
Things are heating up in February...literally. January fishing was fantastic and many capitalized as I nearly had a full booked month. I also had a nice write up featuring me and out winter fishery appear last month in the Miami Herald; you can read it http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/06/2002475/chills-provide-sight-fishing-challenges.html. We seem to have shrugged off the cold weather and lately have been basking under the Florida sun and daytime highs in the 70’s. While we will still see some cold fronts dipping this way from time to time, they will be much more limited and short in length. Spring isn’t far off. Small pods of mullet are showing up on the flats and the shrimp runs around the moon cycles have been strong. The water in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon is crystal clear and we are sight fishing schools of redfish, black drum and speckled trout on fly, light tackle lures and bait. The fishing is excellent, so jump on the boat and let’s get to it.
Redfish have been a primary target in the Mosquito Lagoon, North Indian River Lagoon, and the creeks and tidal areas around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. There are lots of schools of 25-50 redfish in all areas and some scattered schools in the Lagoons that are holding 100-300 fish. Lower water levels have the smaller redfish pulled out of the extreme shallows and holding on adjacent deeper flats. Warm, calm weather and rising tides have them scattering up into the shallows. Out on the edges of the flats we’ve begun finding schools of GIANT redfish. Over the past week I’ve located several schools of these trophy size redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon and the North Indian River Lagoon. The schools are small in numbers, 20-50 fish, but most are in the 25-40lb range and they are biting. We caught a couple in the 20lb range and one approaching 40lbs. Gold spoons, Mirrolure mirrominnows, and DOA shrimp and Gulp baits have been especially productive for lure anglers. Live bait anglers have had most success using live shrimp or live mullet. Fly anglers have had success using clouser minnows, borski sliders, and spoon flies and my shrimp fly.
Black Drum have been the next best option in both the Mosquito Lagoon and the North Indian River Lagoon. A close cousin of the redfish, black drum have been schooled up by the hundreds and there are plenty of schools to find roaming the muddy/sand sections of the flats. These fish tend to receive far less fishing pressure than redfish. Several of the schools have fish in the 15-25lb range, while the average fish has been in the 4-12lb range. Live shrimp have been a must to have guaranteed success catching them. Lure anglers have had success using DOA shrimp crawled slowly along the bottom. Fly anglers have had as good as luck as those using live bait. Dark colored shrimp and crab patterns have been the ticket.
The other main target of our late winter fishing is Speckled Trout. In the Mosquito Lagoon, Oak Hill, Edgewater and New Smyrna area speckled trout have been schooled up on the edges of deep cuts, creeks, and channels. With the warmer conditions of late, we’ve found some large trophy trout from 6-10lbs laid up in deep sand spots. Soft plastic jigs and Mirrolure plugs like the 7m, 19m, and 52m around the bait schools is currently putting 10-20-30 or more trout in the boat a day. If they have been picky, cut mullet thrown into bait pods has managed to produce consistent bites and bigger fish. Clouser minnows, EP minnows, and seaducers are good flies for my fly anglers. With the improving bite, our average trout lately has been in the 12-20” slot range, with a few over 4lbs.
Some limited remaining dates in February and March has been filling fast. March and April are the two busiest months of the year, so don’t wait till the last minute to reserve a date. Having said that, short notice trips are accepted if I have the date open. Give me a call call now to reserve/book a date. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Redfish have been a primary target in the Mosquito Lagoon, North Indian River Lagoon, and the creeks and tidal areas around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. There are lots of schools of 25-50 redfish in all areas and some scattered schools in the Lagoons that are holding 100-300 fish. Lower water levels have the smaller redfish pulled out of the extreme shallows and holding on adjacent deeper flats. Warm, calm weather and rising tides have them scattering up into the shallows. Out on the edges of the flats we’ve begun finding schools of GIANT redfish. Over the past week I’ve located several schools of these trophy size redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon and the North Indian River Lagoon. The schools are small in numbers, 20-50 fish, but most are in the 25-40lb range and they are biting. We caught a couple in the 20lb range and one approaching 40lbs. Gold spoons, Mirrolure mirrominnows, and DOA shrimp and Gulp baits have been especially productive for lure anglers. Live bait anglers have had most success using live shrimp or live mullet. Fly anglers have had success using clouser minnows, borski sliders, and spoon flies and my shrimp fly.
Black Drum have been the next best option in both the Mosquito Lagoon and the North Indian River Lagoon. A close cousin of the redfish, black drum have been schooled up by the hundreds and there are plenty of schools to find roaming the muddy/sand sections of the flats. These fish tend to receive far less fishing pressure than redfish. Several of the schools have fish in the 15-25lb range, while the average fish has been in the 4-12lb range. Live shrimp have been a must to have guaranteed success catching them. Lure anglers have had success using DOA shrimp crawled slowly along the bottom. Fly anglers have had as good as luck as those using live bait. Dark colored shrimp and crab patterns have been the ticket.
The other main target of our late winter fishing is Speckled Trout. In the Mosquito Lagoon, Oak Hill, Edgewater and New Smyrna area speckled trout have been schooled up on the edges of deep cuts, creeks, and channels. With the warmer conditions of late, we’ve found some large trophy trout from 6-10lbs laid up in deep sand spots. Soft plastic jigs and Mirrolure plugs like the 7m, 19m, and 52m around the bait schools is currently putting 10-20-30 or more trout in the boat a day. If they have been picky, cut mullet thrown into bait pods has managed to produce consistent bites and bigger fish. Clouser minnows, EP minnows, and seaducers are good flies for my fly anglers. With the improving bite, our average trout lately has been in the 12-20” slot range, with a few over 4lbs.
Some limited remaining dates in February and March has been filling fast. March and April are the two busiest months of the year, so don’t wait till the last minute to reserve a date. Having said that, short notice trips are accepted if I have the date open. Give me a call call now to reserve/book a date. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Miami Herald Article
Recently I hosted a writer with the Miami Herald and she published an article in the paper about our time on the water together. It's about cold water fishing for redfish and speckled trout in the Mosquito Lagoon and New Smyrna Beach backwaters.
Check it out...
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/06/2002475/chills-provide-sight-fishing-challenges.html
Check it out...
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/06/2002475/chills-provide-sight-fishing-challenges.html
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
January 2011 - Ponce Inlet, Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
Happy New Year to everyone and welcome to a new decade! I’m eagerly looking forward to 2011 and continuing great fishing success in guiding, tournaments, and personal time on the water. While others have closed up business in a down economy, I’ve been blessed to thrive and maintain a busy charter schedule. In 2010, I spent just over 240 days on the water and racked up 140 charters with clients from across the United States and several foreign countries. In 2010 I won 2 redfish tournaments, had a couple top 5 finishes, and guided my son to a redfish tournament win. Besides catching thousands of redfish, we had an oustanding tarpon season, and caught over a hundred gator trout in a year coming off a major winter freeze that killed many fish. If I could take one thing back in 2010, it would be releasing a new junior world record jack crevalle my son caught because we were unaware of the accomplishment...dohh! So as we roll into the new decade, I can tell you that the fishing at the start of the year is about as good as good can possibly get. Another extreme series of cold fronts have chilled the water considerably and schooled up the redfish, trout, and black drum by the hundreds if not close to 1000. It’s the best time of the year to catch 20-30-40-50+ fish per day during the next two months. Throw in the fact that the water is crystal clear, it’s without a doubt the best time of the year for sight casting.
The Redfish bite has been fantastic from New Smyna Beach south through the Mosquito Lagoon. A series of hard cold fronts have dropped water temperatures to an average of 50 degrees during much of the past few weeks. During that time we have found schools of redfish in the main portion of Mosquito Lagoon numbering anywhere from 300-500 fish. In the tidal creeks around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Edgewater we have found creeks and holes holding hundreds upon hundres of redfish. The bite has been incredible...we literally could catch 100 or more everyday if we wanted. Many days we’ve caught 20-40 and left to go spend time catching trout or bigger redfish. My light tackle anglers are connecting on DOA shrimp, Gulp shrimp, Mirrolure mirrodines and mirrominnows. If we want to use bait we’ve used live shrimp or small live finger mullet. Fly anglers have had the best success throwing small shrimp, slider, and seaducer patterns.
Speckled Trout fishing has also been nothing short of superb. During the last week of December I found a few areas that had anywhere from 500-1000 trout schooled up and many others holding a hundred scattered trout. Most of these fish were 10-20 inches with some bigger fish in the 20-30 inch range mixed in. Since the water has warmed slightly we are again finding giant gator trout from 8-12lbs laid up in shallow sand spots, perfect for sight casting. Mirrolures like the 7m, 17MR, and 19MR have been our best producers for catching speckled trout followed by a DOA or Gulp shrimp. Live bait anglers have had good luck with live shrimp or a small finger mulletFly anglers will find success with a seaducer or bendback pattern.
The cold weather and water temps have also brought out hundreds of Black Drum in the North Indian River Lagoon and a few areas in the Mosquito Lagoon and the ICW. Most of these fish will range from 3-15lbs and give a great tug of war on light tackle and/or fly. Live shrimp and cut crabs will get you on a good black drum bite and they can provide a neat change of pace sight fishing action. Bluefish are piled up by the hundreds around Ponce Inlet and fishing for blues will get better over the next couple months with bigger fish arriving in early February. They are like a saltwater pirahna...agressively eating lures, flies and live bait. Diving plugs, crankbaits, and jigs will score on blues you come across in the ICW. Finally there are lots of Flounder in the tidal creeks around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. With the clear water we are seeing many of them laying on the sand flats. Stick a gig in them or a live mud minnow or mullet on a jighead if you want to cast a line.
January looks to be a busy month with over half the month already booked. February and March are always the two busiest months of the year so book ASAP if you have a desire to fish anytime soon. As always short notice trips are accepted if I have the date open. Call or email to reserve a date. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
The Redfish bite has been fantastic from New Smyna Beach south through the Mosquito Lagoon. A series of hard cold fronts have dropped water temperatures to an average of 50 degrees during much of the past few weeks. During that time we have found schools of redfish in the main portion of Mosquito Lagoon numbering anywhere from 300-500 fish. In the tidal creeks around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Edgewater we have found creeks and holes holding hundreds upon hundres of redfish. The bite has been incredible...we literally could catch 100 or more everyday if we wanted. Many days we’ve caught 20-40 and left to go spend time catching trout or bigger redfish. My light tackle anglers are connecting on DOA shrimp, Gulp shrimp, Mirrolure mirrodines and mirrominnows. If we want to use bait we’ve used live shrimp or small live finger mullet. Fly anglers have had the best success throwing small shrimp, slider, and seaducer patterns.
Speckled Trout fishing has also been nothing short of superb. During the last week of December I found a few areas that had anywhere from 500-1000 trout schooled up and many others holding a hundred scattered trout. Most of these fish were 10-20 inches with some bigger fish in the 20-30 inch range mixed in. Since the water has warmed slightly we are again finding giant gator trout from 8-12lbs laid up in shallow sand spots, perfect for sight casting. Mirrolures like the 7m, 17MR, and 19MR have been our best producers for catching speckled trout followed by a DOA or Gulp shrimp. Live bait anglers have had good luck with live shrimp or a small finger mulletFly anglers will find success with a seaducer or bendback pattern.
The cold weather and water temps have also brought out hundreds of Black Drum in the North Indian River Lagoon and a few areas in the Mosquito Lagoon and the ICW. Most of these fish will range from 3-15lbs and give a great tug of war on light tackle and/or fly. Live shrimp and cut crabs will get you on a good black drum bite and they can provide a neat change of pace sight fishing action. Bluefish are piled up by the hundreds around Ponce Inlet and fishing for blues will get better over the next couple months with bigger fish arriving in early February. They are like a saltwater pirahna...agressively eating lures, flies and live bait. Diving plugs, crankbaits, and jigs will score on blues you come across in the ICW. Finally there are lots of Flounder in the tidal creeks around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. With the clear water we are seeing many of them laying on the sand flats. Stick a gig in them or a live mud minnow or mullet on a jighead if you want to cast a line.
January looks to be a busy month with over half the month already booked. February and March are always the two busiest months of the year so book ASAP if you have a desire to fish anytime soon. As always short notice trips are accepted if I have the date open. Call or email to reserve a date. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
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