Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

[Captain Tom Van Horn]

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 17, 2005

 

Mosquito Coast fishing Charters

 

Shorter days, westerly breezes , and cooler than normal nights were the weather theme this past week, and together they provided ideal conditions for venturing back into the pristine waters of the Banana River Lagoon No-Motor Zone. Combine this superlative situation with a heavy concentration of fleeing mullet and aggressively feeding fish, and you have the recipe for some of the best catching you will see all year.

 

This scenario proved accurate this past week as my angling adventures carried me into the zone on two occasions. On Tuesday, I was accompanied by my good friend Captain Pat Murphy, and our plan was to spend the day enjoying fishing instead of guiding for a change. We were on the fish by 0730, and the bite remained consistent into the afternoon. We started and ended the day working top-water plugs, and with the exception of several fish taken on fly, we never changed our tactics. When it was all said and done, we ended up catching 20 sea trout up to 30 inches, including 16 over slot fish, 12 snook up to 28 inched, one fat 25 inch redfish, and several 15 to 20-pound class jacks, and Pat also completed his slam with the 30 inch sea trout, 28 inch snook, and a fat 7.5 pound 25 inch redfish.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday, my focus was diverted away from the water to the Henry’s fishing tackle show in Orlando, and as usual, I was highly impressed by the many new and innovative products on the market, and happy to see many of my old friends. I was also fortunate to gain the support of Lipper Tools and Evolution GT Fishing Rods as a sponsor of Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters. The Evolution Rods features solid graphite construction, and they are specifically designed to meet the demands of serious saltwater anglers. They will be a great addition for my anglers.

 

On Friday, it was back to the Zone with my good friends Captain Pat and Lyle Roll. The weather was even nicer that Tuesday, but the bite had slowed a bit. There was still a ton of bait everywhere, and we still managed a good number of respectable fish, but not comparable to the frenzy experienced earlier in the week. Some of my highlights for the day were the completion of a baby grand slam, 3 slot redfish, 2 slot sea trout, 1 short snook, and 1 baby tarpon, and the extrication of the front set of hooks from my Chug Bug by a monster redfish. Most of the fish were taken on top-water Skitterwalks and Chug Bugs fished in areas of concentrated bait.

 

Currently, the long-term Atlantic forecast is lined up with summer squalls moving east, so now is the time to take advantage of our pleasant weather and sea conditions before they blow up again. Also, Captain John Kumiski is still in need of a few Captains and Anglers with boats willing to support the Tenth Annual Kids Fishing Day in Titusville on Saturday September 24th. So if you are available and would like to become involved in a great event, contact Captain John at 407-977-5207 or me.

 

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

 

Good luck and good fishing,

 

Captain Tom Van Horn

captain@irl-fishing.com

www.irl-fishing.com

407-366-8085 office

407-416-1187 on the water

866-790-8081