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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
February 18, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River lagoon Coast Fishing Report, February 18, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
For the past few weeks my time on the water has been limited due to my obligation to support Coastal Angler Magazine’s Traveling Lagoon Booth and my sponsors at Outdoor World’s Spring Classic fishing show in Orlando. Although these shows take me off the water, I truly enjoy seeing old friends, making new ones, and learning about what’s new in the fishing industry. The range of anglers fishing the Lagoon coast is as diverse as the fishery itself, and these shows provide us with opportunities to teach those new to the sport about the importance of conservation, angling ethics, and becoming good stewards of the Lagoon and the fishery, and lets face it, angling is a perpetual learning experiences for all who truly love the sport.
Although I was land locked working shows, I did manage to hit the lagoon on several occasions, but each time I was limited to foul weather days, and the charter I fished yesterday was no different. I met my party, Doug Dupont from Oviedo and his father-in-law Joe from Buzzard’s Bay, at Parish Park in Titusville at first light and we faced chilly northwest winds of 10 to 15 knots accompanied by overcast drizzly skies.
Aware of the conditions facing us, I knew sight fishing would be tough, so my strategy was to launch at Haulover Canal and work protected flats with hopes of seeing some tails. We started poling the flats east of Turtlepen Point, and we promptly spotted both redfish and black drum tailing in the distance. Unfortunately, as I worked to enter the casting zone, the choppy conditions alerted the fish of our presents and they disappeared with us even getting a shot at them. As the winds increased and light rain began to fall, I decided it was time to move closer to the shelter of Haulover Canal. The remainder of the charter was spent targeting trout and reds in the vicinity of the canal, with the highlight of the trip being a 30-pound plus redfish caught by Joe on a blue crab soaked on the bottom.
Fishing the lagoon during adverse weather conditions is always tough, but as Joe reminded me, at least we are privilege to fish year round and spring is just around the bend. One other observation made during the trip was the abundance of sheepshead present in the canal. These fish are excellent table fare, and they are a blast to catch on light tackle.
As always, if you need information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
www.irl-fishing.com
[email protected]
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