Indian River Lagoon

Indian River lagoon Coast Fishinf Report Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, December 26, 2003 Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters This past week prior to the passing cold front, fishing on the Indian River Lagoon Coast was good. The air temperature warmed up, winds and seas calmed down, and the bite was on. Then, in a wink of an eye, high pressure moves in bringing a blast of cooler air with it, and the bite shuts down. Such is the cycle of angling on the east Florida coast in December and January. On a positive note, we are truly blessed to have angling opportunities year-round, taking the good days with the bad. Before the front, calmer seas (3 to 5 feet) allowed anglers to venture out of Port Canaveral, where they found good concentrations of king fish and an occasional dolphin, wahoo, and cobia in the areas of north Pelican Flats and 8A reef. When targeting these speedsters, I typically slow troll with live bait, but with the bait run finished for the season, frozen Spanish sardines are the next best thing. The technique I like to utilize is slow troll the standard wire kingfish rig with the addition of a plastic skirt. Currently, Sunday and Monday look like the best opportunity for offshore angling with seas predicted to be in the 3 to 5 foot range. On the Lagoon, water conditions are excellent for site fishing redfish, with the exception of wind. Before the front, redfish encounters were numerous on just about ever skinny shoreline, but for the past three days, site fishing has been tough. Yesterday, I spent the day scouting fish on the north Mosquito Lagoon only to find one decent school, and a few scattered singles. I did manage to find the bottom on several occasions; due to the typical low water levels experienced this time of year, and getting out a pushing my Maverick is not my definition of fun. If you plan on targeting reds this week, wait for the high pressure to move out and fish in the afternoon. Further south in the area of Sebastian Inlet, Captain Rodney Smith experienced respectable results fishing the inlet in the afternoon. The inlet is currently loaded with bluefish, and the jumbo reds are back. Redfish up to 34 pounds were taken using a one-ounce Cootee jig. Again fishing in the afternoon was his key to success, so go ahead and sleep late and enjoy an afternoon on the water. As always, if you have questions or need further information, please contact me. Good luck and good fishing, Captain Tom Van Horn www.irl-fishing.com [email protected] 407-366-8085 407-416-1187 on the water 866-790-8081 toll free