 |
Central Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Ron Bielefeld
March 15, 2001
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sorry it has been awhile since my last report, I have been very busy. This past week on the Indian River was another dynamic week. One day we had no trouble finding fish and the next the action could best be described as fair at best. Today (Thursday, March, 15th) started out with a lot of promise. I had Mr. Ken Walter on board the Tight-Lines and we headed out early to beat the wind that was supposed to kick up by late morning (by the way, it did). We arrived just as it was getting light at the flat and the wind and water temperature was just right for some top-water action. The action started almost immediately with Ken boating a couple small trout and getting some additional smacks by small to medium size fish. A few moments later, Ken’s spook jr. was engulfed with a low, loud pop by a nice 27 inch trout. Ken did a great job fighting this fish in the shallow grass and we landed the fish a few minutes later. Action was pretty steady for the next couple of hours. Ken boated, among other fish, another nice 19 inch trout and a large ladyfish. A jack or two also cooperated. A few reds also were active on the flat and two fish showed interest but did not eat the plug. The action was still pretty good when the wind, as predicted, came up in an instant from 5 mph to 20mph. This ended our top-water flats action for the morning. Good job Ken, you made the most of what was offered. We ventured over to the Inlet to get out of the wind and try to cash in on some of the nice-sized jacks that have been hanging out there. We boated one 5 lb. fish on a glitter shad and decided to call it a morning after the number of boats and the wind became a bit too much.
In general, the water temps are great for flat fishing right now, but the wind is the maker or breaker. Jacks, ladyfish, trout and redfish are hanging around the larger point flats and the smaller island flats. Some snook also are around the islands. When there is a nice chop on the water, top-water plugs have been attracting the attention of some larger fish. You don’t get the number of fish, but they tend to be larger. The Inlet has been attracting jacks especially on the incoming tide. Live bait is working best, but you can pick up some fish on jigs and soft plastics.
Lets hope the wind will begin to stay down more. If we can get some calmer days for an extended period and the water temps stay where they are trout and redfish action should steadily improve.
I am not one to complain. In fact, this is the first time I have included something like this in my report. However, it is happening with increasing frequency, even on week days, so I thought I would write something. I am sorry to say, but there are too many boaters on the Lagoon, many of them fishermen, that have no regard for other anglers and their fishing activities, or the resource in general. Today was another great example. I was drifting a flat and having decent success on the top for trout and redfish. Then here comes another flats boat. Now there was a lot of space on the flat, but this person had to cross no more than 100 ft. in front of me (why not in back?). There were some nice reds in the area. At least the guy was poling, but still! People, we need to respect other fisherman’s territory and stay a good distance away from each other when possible. Fish on the flats are inherently spooky. This goes for people up on plane, transitioning from one area to another as well. I have seen so many anglers and boaters cut across a flat to reduce their travel distance by a very small amount instead of going around. I don’t care if they are not ripping up the flat (i.e., the water is deep enough to run and not dredge up grass). Just running across these areas that are only 3 or so feet deep shuts down feeding activity and moves fish out of the area. I mean, how much longer would it take to go around than across when traveling at over 30 mph, a couple of seconds! People, you are ruining your own resource by running in areas where you should not. Just because you have a boat that can run in a foot of water does not mean you should! Stick to deep water when you run and use a trolling motor, pole, or drift across the shallow to moderately shallow areas. I know I will be grateful, and I am sure many others will be as well, including the fish. By the way, the happier the fish are, the more of them you will catch. Many people might say that I need to run a long way to get to the back areas were the fish are, so I need to cut corners. I say, if you did not cut corners, ( this includes all boaters) you would not have to run as far. Lets work together out there. Sorry for my rambling on.
Tight-Lines to all.
Sincerely,
Capt. Ron
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
