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Central Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Ron Bielefeld
April 22, 2001
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Report
Sorry for the long period between reports. Fishing on the Indian River between Grant and Vero has been good up until the latest cold front which kicked up the winds and cooled off the water temps about 6 degrees to around 70. Fishing is still productive, but the fish have not been quite as active. Trout and reds had been very consistent around the islands and on the flats. Trout early and late and reds in the afternoon. Trout have been available throughout the day, but the best feeding periods definitely have been around the 7:00 am and 7:00 pm periods.
I and my clients have been enjoying my favorite technique for catching trout and red fish, and that is top-water plugs. Several mornings have produced great action on the surface. For example, one morning last week we boated 5 fish over 25 inches in just under an hour with several other smaller fish. Of course, not all days are quite so productive. Today, the winds were up all night and the morning provided a challenge to stay on the fish as we drifted fast over the flats. I had Capt. Rob Gagliardi of Southern Coastal Angler on board the Tight-Lines and we hit the flats early trying to beat the Sunday crowds. We had fairly consistent action on the surface, but all the fish were small. I am sure we would have done better if we could have stayed on the small groups of fish longer with a slower drift. Rob and I used top-dog and super spook jrs. Other baits that have been productive include crystal minnows, SOF spoons, and jigs and glitter shads. Most of the fish we have been targeting have been holding in 10-12 in of water. I like to target the shallower water for the larger fish. The amount of bait has steadily increased throughout the area and the fish have been associated with the forage. Look for feeding bird and bait activity and concentrate your efforts in these areas. By all means, be quite in your approach to prime areas. Again today, we had other boaters motor on plane within a couple hundred feet of the boat. Disturbance such as this does not increase your chances of catching the larger fish, so if you motor on to a flat, you decrease your own chances of catching more and bigger fish. Use a trolling motor, or better yet, pole into the area. When you are in position, drift if the winds will allow. If not, pole to cover ground. Remember, the larger fish tend to be scattered and they move around as well. So, cover ground to catch the big ones.
Until next week, Tight-Lines to all
Sincerely, Capt. Ron
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