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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
April 9, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, April 9, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Fishing on the Indian River Lagoon Coast has shown significant improvement since my last report. For the past several weeks, windy conditions have frustrated anglers both offshore and inshore, providing only a few intermittent periods of decent weather and catches mixed in. With the full moon behind us and the seas showing some signs of settling down, it’s time to take advantage of what the IRL coast has to offer.
Considering the sea conditions we experienced in March, the cobia run was one of the best we’ve had in years with many quality catches reported, and the run isn’t quite over yet. If the seas allow it, there is still a decent shot of finding cobia shadowing rays in deeper water to the north of the cape as these fish continue their northerly migration. Additionally, good catches of tripletail have been experienced off of flotsam in 40 to 50 feet of water, so it’s prudent to keep a smaller rod and some hand picked shrimp ready when site fishing cobia. Further off shore, kingfish in the twenty-pound range were abundant on the north end of Pelican Flats this past week, but in early April this bite is typically hit or miss until consistent schools move in near the end of the month.
Offshore, the snapper bite has been heavy. Captain Mully of Mully Charters reported heavy concentrations of smaller fish on every piece of bottom he checked from about 80 feet of water on out. Also, some good reports of dolphin have been filtering in, especially from Sebastian south with a few big fish reported.
On the inside, solid schools of both redfish and sea trout have been forming up on the edges of the flats in two to three feet of water. To target these fish, work the deeper edges using soft plastic jigs like the Riptide Realistic Shrimp with a Woodie’s Rattle Insert or Woodie’s Rattling Hook. These fish are aggregated for the spawn, and they should be handled and released with extreme care to help maintain future populations. A positive sign for the fishery is the number of rat reds being caught and released in the Mosquito Lagoon this year. With a rapid growth rate, redfish reach the minimum slot size in just two years (18 inches), and the maximum slot size (27 inches) at three years when they become sexually mature. With this in mind, we should see a banner year for redfish in 2005.
In closing, I would like to wish everyone a happy Easter, and I hope to see you on the water soon. As always, if you have any questions on need further information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
[email protected]
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
If you would like to be added to Captain Tom’s mailing list, please reply to [email protected].
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