Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

[Captain Tom Van Horn]

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, January 12, 2004

 

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

 

Although the majority of the states have been pounded by strong winter storms, we on the Lagoon Coast of Florida have been blessed with some of the nicest January weather and fishing I can remember. Thanks to a northerly swing in the jet stream, all of the adverse winter weather has stayed well away, leaving us with sunny, windless 80-degree days, cool 50-degree nights, water temperatures in the upper 60’s, and hungry and happy fish. So far, January has been loaded with outstanding fishing opportunities summarized within this long-winded report.

 

On Tuesday the forth, I was privileged to share a day on the Mosquito Lagoon with my good friend and veteran lagoon angler Scott Bradford. Under Scott’s guidance we headed out at first light in search of the large sea trout known to assemble in the skinny water potholes on warm sunny winter days, and we were thrilled by our findings. The Lagoon water levels are still on the low side, and the skinny water potholes were loaded with chubby sea trout. As usual, the fish were on the spooky side, and catching them required a stealthy approach and a skilful presentation, but our persistence was rewarded with some hefty trout and slot size reds. Another positive observation made during the day was a large number of schooling redfish fry scattered throughout the flats. Everywhere we looked, these schools 1 to 2 inch redfish were abundant, and if they can survive the wrath on the speckled sea trout, the lagoon should be full of rat reds by the end of summer.

 

My next adventure took me on a short road trip to the Greenville, South Carolina for the Henry’s Fishing Tackle and Outdoor Show. Captain Rodney Smith and I departed Central Florida Wednesday afternoon for a brief two-day look at what’s new in the tackle industry. It always nice to see first hand, all of the innovations new to the market, and to meet the tackle industry experts up front and personal.

 

On Sunday, I was privileged to join Captain Pat Murphy of Lucky Strike II Charters for a day of angling in the near-shore waters of Port Canaveral. Again, it was a beautiful day, and Captain Pat and I both scored 30-pound cobias just south of the port in about 40 feet of water. It seems that the warmer than normal water temperatures, 68 to 70 degrees, have drawn pods of pogies (Atlantic menhaden) from the deeper waters into the shallows bringing the cobia and other predators with them. Additionally, the kingfish are going off on the near-shore reef of Pelican Flats, with all who ventured out, scoring their limits. Most of the kingfish were snakes, but I did see some in the range of 20 to 30 pounds at the cleaning tables. Pat and I also sighted a number of tripletail hanging on flotsam, catching one in the 15-pound range. All fish were taken using 14 pound test tackle fishing with shrimp tipped jigs.

 

Monday was pay back time for me, as I was again honored by the presence of Captains Pat Murphy and Bryan Pahmeier aboard Three Quarter Time for another magnificent day out of Port Canaveral. Our plan was to start the day with a run out to 8A Reef for some kingfish action, and then return inshore for cobia and tripletail around noon. As we cut across the bight of the Cape, we spotted a really nice weed line with scattered tripletail, but the early morning light made them difficult to see and catch. After chasing them around for about 20 minutes, we decided to return to plan A, and revisit the weed line later when the sun was higher in the sky.

 

Shortly after passing “D” Can buoy, I spotted a small floating log off of to port, and we circled back for a closer look. As we idled into position, we witness a tripletail jump completely out of the water. Moving into casting range, you could clearly see a mass of large fish suspended below the log at about 8 to 10 feet. Bryan was the first to strike, and then Captain Pat chimed in with a double hook-up. Both anglers were connected to substantial fish, when Pat’s fish pulled hook. At this point, large trips were swimming all around the boat, and within seconds, Pat was hooked up to a second fish. When the battle waned, Pat landed a hefty tripletail in the 20-pound range, and that’s when we got a good look at Brian’s fish. Clearly, Brian’s fish was a monster as his battle continued for another 15 minutes, and once landed, we celebrated the capture of the largest tripletail ever landed from the deck of Three Quarter Time, maxing out my 30-pound Boga Grip. Once we safely stashed the fish and pulled ourselves together, we returned to the floating log scoring several more substantial fish before they moved off.

 

Again we reverted back to plan A, and headed east towards 8A Reef, only to find the place void of any immediate action. Impatience soon got the best of us, as the thought of more tripletail action compelled us to return inshore where we finished the day with at least 20 tripletail. All of the above fish were taken on 14-pound test tackle, and jigs tipped with live shrimp.

 

Today, I returned to the Mosquito Lagoon on a half-day charter with Jay and Ruth Barnhart and their grandson Ben. I decided to concentrate on the south end of the lagoon, and we were on actively tailing fish right off the bat. Although the calm conditions made locating fish easy, they were spooky and difficult to approach. After stocking then for an hour, Jay finally managed to get a nice 33” red to eat. Shortly after, the winds picked up out of the south, and we lost the school. The only other significant fish taken was a 25” black drum caught on a live shrimp by Ben.

 

On a final note, Jay and Ben caught a mess of American shad yesterday in the area of the Econ Creek, so the shad are in. So, let’s hope this approaching cold front doesn’t disrupt what’s been an outstanding two weeks of catching.

 

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

 

Good fishing,

 

Captain Tom Van Horn

www.irl-fishing.com

captain@irl-fishing.com

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