Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

[Captain Tom Van Horn]

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 21, 2005

 

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

 

Watching Wilma

 

As we spin around on our short ride through the universe, life’s hurdles repeatedly challenge us, and such was the case in the Van Horn household during the first two weeks of October. On October 4th, my loving wife Sandi underwent back surgery, requiring me to retreat from the water and exchange my fishing hat for that of a nurse and husband. For many years, she has supported my fishing infatuation with enthusiasm, and now it is my turn to support her needs. Her surgery went well, and now she is well on the road to recovery, and this past week was my first opportunity to return to the water.

 

My angling adventure started last Saturday where my good friends Mike Murray and Don Schrier joined me for a morning of scouting on the Banana River Lagoon in the Thousand Island area. Surprisingly, the heavy rains combined with an intense fall lunar draw had elevated lagoon water levels higher than I can remember, allowing us to effortlessly venture deep into the mangrove backwaters. The bite was slow, but we managed to locate some nice slot redfish right up against the cover of the shoreline, and large school of ladyfish in the deeper water on the west shore across from Patrick AFB.

 

On Sunday I had the pleasure of fishing the same area with Craig Schmauss and his two young sons Hunter and Gunter, both graduates of the Coastal Angler Kids Fishing Clinic. The wind was light from northeast, and soon we located a mixed bag of jacks and redfish right up against the shore grass on the west shoreline south of Poo Poo Island, and we ended up with five slot redfish, several spotted sea trout, and a dozen nice jacks, all caught on RipTide 4” chartreuse Swimming Mullet on a ¼ ounce jigs, and red and white Cottee jigs. One important observation worth noting besides the high water was the water in the central Banana River Lagoon was much cleaner than that observed in other areas fished last week.

 

For the next three days, Bruce Doud from up state New York joined me, and the plan was to fish in three different areas of the lagoon coast to experience the diversity of the fishery and the fall mullet run, but our plan was foiled by a difficult full moon bite.

 

On Monday we ventured into the No-Motor Zone blessed by mild temperatures and gentle northeast breezes and fish and bait were everywhere, but a tough bite yielded only three under slot snook, one upper slot redfish, and several small sea trout. Bruce did manage a slam, but it wasn’t much to speak of.

 

On Tuesday, Bruce’s brother Jim from Naples joined us, and we launched at the Port before sunrise. Again bait was easy to find and catch, but the bite again proved to be difficult. We fished live bait all around the south jetty, and the buoy line, and we only managed one nice flounder, a 10-pound tripletail, one upper slot sea trout, a hand full of hard heads, and one healthy snook that broke off after a short battle. Again bait was everywhere, there was loads of nice weed patches just south of the Port, but there where no fish to speak of.

 

We experienced the same type of day on Wednesday when we launched at Parish Park in Titusville, spending most of the day in search of clean water. We headed south from the ramp through Peacock’s Pocket, around the NASA Causeway and the Power Plants, and we only manage a few decent trout. All in all it was three days of tough catching, but the company and the fishing were exceptional.

 

Now it is time for us to keep a close eye on Wilma as she works her way thought the Gulf of Mexico, and to pray for those in her path. Hopefully, she will spare Florida of any major damage, and just bring us a little wind and rain.

 

As always, if you have any questions or need information, please contact me.

 

Good luck and good fishing,

 

Captain Tom Van Horn

www.irl-fishing.com

407-416-1187 on the water

407-366-8085 office