July 22nd, 2011 Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Fishing Reports

Well here we go again. Summer time is most definitely here in the central Florida area. The weather has been outstanding here the past weeks with a great outlook for the future as well. HOT! Very hot days by any definition can be the best way to describe it. With afternoon thunderstorms coming most every day this leads to a normal pattern for Florida with great charters in the mornings and a good afternoon to get ready for another day of fishing come the following morning. The fishing here in the New Smyrna Beach area as well as the Edgewater, Oak Hill, Mims, Scottsmoore and Titusville waters has been the focus of attention for inshore flats fisherman. Redfish, trout and black drum are the main attraction. There is no better place to be saltwater fishing than that of the inshore grass flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. Known as the redfish capital of the world, this is a sight fishing paradise.

Redfish and trout have been the main focus here with a few black drum scattered about the waters of the Canaveral National Seashore and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Searching the grass flats for baitfish will be your key here this time of year. Finding the mullet, pinfish and other baits you will find the predators that follow them. Redfish will be feeding early and throughout the morning in extremely shallow waters near the bait pods. The key is stealth when approaching these fish. You may have to work your way towards these fish from large distances so be prepared to take your time. If the fish are tailing be sure to have a soft presentation when making a cast to them as not to scare everything around them. Throw past them and in front of them far enough for this to happen. The flock of bird theory will take place if you make a mistake. You see ten thousand birds in the air and one turns left; they all turn left. As this will happen learn from it. The D.O.A. Shallow Runner Bait Buster, live small blue crabs, cut lady fish or cut mullet/pinfish will work. As another great choice of baits I do like to use every now and then is a live hand caught mud minnow on a 3/0 circle hook. Redfish and trout cannot resist this. Along with the redfish you will come across a stray trout or two as well. Of course you will catch a lady fish or two with this tactic. As always please be sure to handle the fish you land with extreme care as to get them back in the water very quickly for a higher survival rate. Catch and release does improve the quality and ensures a better sport fishing experience here on the Mosquito Lagoon.

As the first key to a successful inshore sight fishing experience here on the Mosquito Lagoon and the flats of the Indian River it is of the utmost importance for a few things to take place. First is an early start time. You want to beat the heat mainly and get that golden moment as the sunrise breaches the morning sky. This is in a way like a hunting trip with the only difference is you are not killing anything but stalking them with patience and stealth. Getting there on time is very important. So give yourself plenty of time here to make good decisions and allowing for changes in the game plan. Second thing is to be sure to give your fellow anglers a very wide gap between you and them. I cannot stress this enough. If you arrive to an area that you want to fish and within "reason" there is another boat there just look elsewhere. What is within reason? Stay 800-1200 feet away. On the water this is really not much at all. This is so simple. What happens is too many people are seeing other anglers hooking up and just moving right in on top of them. These anglers usually have worked hard in getting on the fish and into a good position just to have someone else make a "noisy" mistake. Now I realize that quite a bit of these scenarios are not done on purpose but by not knowing. Treat these waters like I said as a hunting ground and they are turkey or deer everywhere. You cannot put two hunters 100 feet within each other and expect to have a good experience. Basically apply the first come first serve theory or the early bird gets the worm. There are thousands of acres of fishable waters out here so there is space. Respect others. They will respect you.

Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Cell/352-223-7897
Email: drcfishmaster@cfl.rr.com
Visit us- http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Oak Hill/New Smyrna Beach - Florida

Tags: new smyrna beach fishing florida redfish mosquito lagoon 

October 16th, 2011 New Smyrna Beach Fishing Report

    Well several weeks of weather changes have come and gone leaving us with optimal conditions for flats fishing. The temperatures have dropped and then come back up and are leveling off comfortably now. The water levels were high and now, after the massive rain storms we just had, are even higher. Not long before it drops for winter. The water clarity should start to improve with the fresh water added and a mixture of conditions happening stirring things to say. This has the fishing going up and then coming down, then going back up again. However now that we are back in a steady weather pattern I see the fishing improving tremendously and eventually we should be in a sight fishing paradise once again throughout all of the flats here in the east central Florida area. The weather will start to cool down as well. Making for a typical Florida fall/winter day on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River, perfect! Next thing you know we are in the winter months of Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River fishing. This means world class sight fishing on the crystal clear grass flats. This is why the lagoon is known as the redfish capital of the world.

 

 

 

The past several weeks brought in numerous great days of fishing trips and produced some very nice catches along with it. Redfish have been the staple of most trips. Along with this a few sea trout, flounder, lady fish and black drum have been mixed into the days catch. A few tarpon have been spotted here and there but they have been hit or miss ever since the bad freezes we had the past two years. A few of my clients, Rob, Darryl, Mitchell, June, Tom and Aaron just to mention a few, had outstanding days on the water. The top baits and lures used have been the D.O.A. Shallow Runner Bait Buster, live finger mullet, mud minnows, D.O.A. Cals, D.O.A. BFL 5.5, black crab flies, mullet flies all on 8 weight fly rods and small live blue crabs. The blue crabs I have been using were all hand caught and are in the size range of a silver dollar and used in combination with a 3/0 circle hook. These are gold to redfish. All fished light tackle on Stradic & Sustain 2500's/4000's mounted on St. Croix Legend Elite rods. Line and leader go from 10 pound braid to 15 with roughly 20 inches of 15-20 pound fluorocarbon leader.

  

  

  

The waters we have been fishing have basically been the entire Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge areas. There were days we stayed in the New Smyrna, Edgewater and Oak Hill area and then days we fished the south end near Titusville in the lagoon and the river. On a few occasions we fished the west bank of Mims, the areas near the railroad bridge in Titusville, the north end of the Indian River there in Scottsmoor and the north bombing range in search of the big bulls that have been all over the area. The big bull reds have been in a spawning mode and are throughout the deeper waters here. When you find them try the D.O.A. Shallow Runner Bait Buster. Throw it in front and past the lead fish. A steady retrieve bringing it across them will entice a bite or ten. Do not slow it down or let it sink. It is not normal for a bait fish to stop for a predator. Hang on and have fun. Please be sure to handle these and all fish very carefully as to get them released safely and quickly for a higher survival rate. Also do not hold these fish vertically. Hold them horizontally if you have too. It is better for them this way. Practice catch and release, the future of this fishery depend on all anglers. Not just one.

  

  

  

The tactics and techniques are basically unchanged. Search the flats early and look for signs of bait and bird activity. Tailers should be found early and throughout the morning time in grass flats where mullet are present. Approach fish easy. Do not rush it. I have stressed this before and will stress it again. Take your time and be stealthy about it. Use your push pole as much as you can. Be sure not to cast on top of your fish as they will spook. Watch the noise levels in the boat too. Also please, give your fellow angler plenty of room. Do not crowd up on top or run your boat too close to others as it will scare fish away. There is plenty of water to fish out there.

  

  

Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters

 

Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.
Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.
Visit us at:www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com

 

Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast near New Smyrna Beach.

Tags: new smyrna beach fishing florida redfish mosquito lagoon fishing florida redfish bull mosquito lagoon 

December 1st, 2011 New Smyrna Beach & Oak Hill Fishing Report

Well the days of summer time are gone for now but will return in no time at all. The cooler days of winter are approaching and are here to stay for a few months. With this it brings clean, clear water and the water levels will begin to drop in depth taking feeding ground away from the fish. What does this mean? Excellent sight fishing days are amongst us. The redfish will begin to gather in large schools, the trout will show up on sand and grass flats and the bite will turn into magic.


As long as we do not get a harsh winter again this year it should turn out to be a great winter fishery here on the Mosquito Lagoon and north Indian River. The fishing here in east central Florida is prime on a year round basis.


The past several weeks have brought several days of great fishing and some really nice weather. Redfish and trout have been the main staple here along with a few by catches of drum and flounder. Sight fishing for redfish early and throughout the day has been extremely productive using a few different tactics and techniques. As always the main key here is to take your time and do not crowd your fellow angler on the water.

Watch the Youtube video here

 

Spin fishing methods using the D.O.A. Nite Glow Shrimp on light tackle have been the most successful of the artificial to make hits and strikes. Sight fishing red fish as they are feeding on the flats is the most successful tactic. Look for bait fish and a sign of activity. Approach fish with a stealth like method and be sure to cast past these fish with a soft presentation. Do not land on the fish as it will scare them and then in return it will scare all of them. Along with the soft plastics a well-placed live shrimp or small blue crab will work as well using a small 2/0 or so circle hook. Live mullet as always will bring in strikes as well. Several trout can be landed with this method too on the flats, however please be aware that these fish need to be released until the first of the year. Please be sure to handle all of the fish you land with extreme care for a higher survival rate upon their release.


Fly fishing for redfish and trout has begun to improve tremendously as the waters start to clear up making visibility much better. Using an 8 or 7 weight fly rod the past few weeks with a Green Seaducer fly has been very productive on the flats. Just as with using soft plastics or live baits, a stealthy approach along with a soft presentation is a major key to a successful hook up out here. Other flies that have been working well would be a shrimp pattern or a black crab fly pattern.


Captain Drew Cavanaugh

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Cell/352-223-7897
Email us at:
drcfishmaster@cfl.rr.com
Visit us at:
http:www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/

 

Tags: new smyrna beach fishing florida redfish mosquito lagoon fishing florida redfish bull mosquito lagoon mosquito lagoon fly fishing saltwater redfish