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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
January 12, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, January 12, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
This past week, I was drawn to the southern end of the Lagoon to work the Stuart Boat Show with Coastal Angler Magazine. Like many diehard anglers, I knew it to be unwise to travel to such a magnificent fishing location without arming oneself with at least a basic spinning outfit and a handful of tackle, and once again I was rewarded by my incite and the fact I forgot to bring one last year.
Early Saturday morning, I awoke at my normal time (4am) tucked deep within my blankets to the sound of a rooster crowing just outside my window. With reservation I was hesitant to depart the warmth of my cozy nest, but my anticipation of the early morning bite was drawing me to the water. Quickly and quietly I got dressed and slipped out the door of our cottage with my fishing rod in hand. As I walked to the water, the prefrontal morning was calm and damp and the darkness of the overcast sky and tropical surrounding gave me the feeling was walking through the environs of tropical rain forest. For a brief moment, I had the feeling I was still asleep and the entire splendor before me was just a dream.
As I silently stepped on to the dock, I observed through the haze someone leaning on the railing at the end, and I was not surprised to find my good friend Captain Rodney Smith with fishing rod in hand, slowly working his bait through the water. To the northwest, I could clearly see the rolling puffy clouds of the approaching cold front moving in, and I knew the fishing conditions would be favorable and our time on the dock would be brief. Rodney was tossing a DOA glow shrimp, and he had already caught and released three snook up to five pounds, and he missed one with some serious shoulders. As we conversed, I began tossing a Rip-Tide Realistic Shrimp on a ¼ ounce jig combined with a Woodie’s Rattle, and together we caught one nice trout after another until the rainsqualls and wind ran us off the dock. In a brief 30-minute time span, we caught too many fish to count, and with temperatures dropping, we knew the bite was over and my attention quickly shifted to a warm dry location and a hot cup of coffee.
You might think by my description, we were fishing and staying in some exotic South American lagoon, but the truth is, we were simply staying at the River Palms Cottages and Fish Camp in Jensen Beach on the shores of the southern Indian River Lagoon. Obviously, travel to some exotic country in not necessary when it comes to a great fishing location, we are privileged to have one in our own back yard.
Through the weekend, I conversed with many anglers who value and respect the IRL, and like their neighbors to the north, share the concerns of pressure applied by urban growth on the Lagoon. For them, it’s the problem of excess freshwater runoff flushed out of the central lakes into the St Lucie River diluting lagoon salinity, and up here it’s the need for desalination, with plans of removing up to 60 million gallons of lagoon water a day between the two Port St Johns power plants and replace it with 30 million gallons of dematerialized concentrate increasing salinity. Clearly, it’s time for us to focus on conservation before we consider new growth and the loss of the lagoon.
Sorry, I forgot this was a fishing report, so here’s what’s happening on the south end of the Lagoon. Last week, the effects of cold weather in our area have greatly benefited those in the Stuart area, which is only a two-hour drive south. First, pompano fishing is the best they’ve experienced in many years. The average catch has been between twenty and forty fish per day on the inside of the inlet. Second, the sailfish bite this past weekend is also going off, with conservative figures of 400 to 500 sails taken last weekend, and you know about the fish we caught standing on the dock. The only drawback, is that cooler weather could still bush these fish further south, so before I would head that way, I would call Henry at the Snook Nook, 772-334-2145 for information, and Rufus at River Palms Cottages, 800-305-0511, if you are looking for a place to stay.
Also, I’ll be working the Central Florida Boat Show in Orlando January 22, 23, 24,and 25th, so come by Coastal Angler Magazine’s Traveling Lagoon Booth and say hello.
As always, if you have questions or need 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
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