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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
December 20, 2002
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, December 20, 2002
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, December 20, 2002
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
It always seems like the days go by quicker as we approach the end of the year. This is especially true when the weather’s nice and your tossing baits. Tomorrow marks the first day of winter, and here in central Florida that means, we may have to break out our long-sleeved T-shirts, and our winter shorts. Fishing this week has been hot in some areas of the Lagoon and hopefully this report will provide useful in determining your fishing destination over the Holidays. Listed below are some of this week’s hotspots:
Sebastian: Captain Rodney Smith reports an unbelievable numbers of bluefish and Spanish mackerel both inside the inlet and along the beaches. Yesterday, they managed over eleven species of fish utilizing Cottee jigs with root beer colored plastic grub tails.
Every in-shore game fish swimming in lagoon waters will take this bait. For flounder, grouper, and snapper, I prefer to drift through productive areas bouncing the jig slowly across the bottom. For bluefish and Spanish mackerel, retrieve the jig quickly just below the surface of the water. This technique will help you avoid cut offs by toothy critters. For trout, redfish, ladyfish, pompano, and jacks, retriever this bait with an even steady speed, giving it a twitch every three to four seconds. It is also important to utilize the proper weight based on the depth of the water and the strike zone of the desired species. The weights I utilize most are 1/8 ounce in skinny water; ¼ is the most common, and ½ ounce in deeper situations. There have been excellent catches of pompano along the beaches south of Sebastian, and inside the Sebastian Inlet cut in the vicinity of the monument. The inshore pompano were taken on jigs, and the beach pompano have been hitting both clams and mole crabs.
Port Canaveral: Near-shore fishing in the Port is producing good numbers of tripletail, flounder, and redfish. The flounder bite has slowed, but fish are still being taken along the sand bars and drop-offs inside the Port. Good numbers of tripletail have begun to show up on the buoy line around structure. Catching this brim on steroids around the buoys requires a little luck and considerable skill in first getting them to bite, and then working them away from the structure.
Near-shore: The kingfish are hammering anglers on the near-shore reef and wrecks along the east Florida coast. Around Canaveral, slow troll Spanish sardines over 8A, Pelican Flats, or Chris Benson reefs. The kingfish have been running small, but there are a lot of them. Most anglers have been returning to Port with there limits of kings.
Inshore: Redfish and trout are still up in the flats located generally along the deeper edges, and shallow in the afternoon when the sun warms the water. Sight fishing has been difficult on cloudy days, but many anglers have experienced good luck using cut bait. Also larger redfish are still hanging around the discharge end of the Hualover Canal. These larger reds are best taken using live pinfish on the bottom.
In closing, I would like to thank all of those who have fished with me this year, my loyal readers, and my family and friends, for providing me with the opportunities I’ve experienced in 2003. God bless you, and have a happy and safe holiday. As always, if you have questions or need information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
[email protected]
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085
866-790-8081
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