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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
June 2, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 2, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Although angling opportunities are sizzling both near-shore along the beach and offshore of the Indian River Lagoon Coast, my angling adventures are dictated by my clients needs, desires, and expectations. It’s up to me as a guide to analyze their request, and to plan a charter best suited to facilitate their wished. This was the case last week when David Floyd of Sardis Mississippi and I set out with the goal of catching David his first bull redfish on fly, complicated by the holiday weekend pressure. Even with the odds against him, David was willing to face this challenging task, and we scheduled both Saturday and Sunday respectively.
With anticipation of a crowded Lagoon, our plan Saturday consisted of getting an early start, and hopefully having a few shots at some decent reds before the sun reached the horizon. We departed the ramp at 0530, and shot across the Lagoon in the dark, shutting down in our first spot in less than ten minutes. I knew from a scouting trip earlier in the week, a decent size school of jumbo reds were holding somewhere on this flat, and as I climbed to my roost on the platform, the water before us erupted with showers of finger mullet fleeing in all directions. In all my years on the Lagoon, I’ve never seen this magnitude of bait moving through the Lagoon during the spring bait run, which hopefully is a sign our conservation efforts are beginning to pay off.
As I poled in the direction of the shore, Dave managed a number of small sea trout on a dark topped deceiver, but no redfish were to be found. While the darkness waned, I pushed in close to the shoreline where we jumped a decent school of slot reds, but our efforts to get clean shot at them failed as they rapidly pushed off into deeper water. Shortly, several boats moved into our area, and I decided to try another spot, so I began to pole off of the flat. As I pushed into deeper water, our efforts were rewarded by a mass of red tails moving swiftly before us. Like many redfish schools on the Lagoon, angling pressure keeps these fish on edge, and catching them in an eating mood can be tough at times. This school consisted of big fish, and Dave had four or five good shots at them while I worked up a sweat on the platform. We stocked the school for a good hour, giving them a chances to settle down before moving into position, so Dave could get another shot at them. All of our efforts failed, as these fish refused our offerings. Before long, a Lagoonoramus motored in on top of us and spooked the school to high heavens, spoiling our hopes of meeting Dave’s goal. When working around other boats, it is proper to pole your boat a good distance (100 yards) away before starting you trolling motor or engine as not to disturb the flats for other anglers.
On Sunday, we decided to start out even earlier, leaving the ramp at 0500. Our plan was to hit the same spot, only this time; we would target the sea trout feeding frenzy in the dark.
As I pushed into the flat, again we found the surface alive with busting and fleeing fish. Dave worked his magic on the sea trout, and I decided to get stupid and drag plastic shrimp bait on a spinning rod from the rod holder on the platform. Within minutes, Dave was hooked up on a nice fish, and in the excitement of the moment, I forgot to clear the line I was dragging off the back. As the fish circled back around the boat, the two lines tangled, and we broke the fish off before getting a good look at it. After shaking this mindless blunder off, and refocusing our efforts, our disappointment was elapsed by the sight of a tight group of huge tails moving slowly toward the boat. These fish were hungrily working the bottom as I positoned the boat for Dave’s cast. Patiently we waited as the fish moved in, and Dave made the perfect cast, right into the heart of the school. Within seconds, a fish was on, but as the huge school scattered in all direction, a measly sea trout surfaced with Dave’s fly in its mouth, bummer.
Again we regrouped and began looking for the school, when, you guessed it, another Lagoonoramus moves in on us chaseing bait of all things, with his trolling motor, and he began casting a four foot bait net. Here we are out in the vastness of an extensive flat, me sweating my butt off on the platform, Dave blind casting from the front deck, and this guy decides he wants to catch the bait 50 feet in front of my boat. Needless to say, the school was blown and Dave and I left the flats in search of less occupied waters.
For the benefit of those who do not understand my Lagoon terminology, a Lagoonoramus is a Lagoon angler in the pupa stage. He has the desire and equipment necessary to catch fish, but is still ignorant in the technique and etiquette required to be successful. I have no problem working a school of fish with other boats, and I often call anglers in on fish, but this guy had no clue his actions had completely shattered our chances at getting these fish to eat. Hopefully, he will soon emerge from his cocoon, and learn the value of a push pole for moving in on fish and other anglers, and to catch his bait at the dock so not to disturb the flats.
For the rest of the day we searched to no avail, and decided to give the previous school another shot before calling the day, and to our surprise, the entire flat was vacant with the exception of a boatload of anglers wading along the edge. Up on the platform, I began poling the flat in search of tails as Dave cast from the front deck. Suddenly, a lone tail popped up in the distance. As we moved in on the fish, the one tail became twenty, and a huge school of at least 100 fish emerged in front of us. Again, Dave wore his arm out trying desperately to get one of these fish to eat; I followed them from one end of the flat to the other.
In our last attempt to grant Dave’s wish, I trailed the school in close to the shore, when the boat full of wading anglers turned it back towards our position. With the fish moving in fast, Dave administered the perfect cast, and as the fish past, Dave stripped his green and white clouser minnow fast through the school and finally had a taker. Within seconds, Dave cleared his line, and his spool screamed deep into the backing, as I jumped off the platform and struggled to get the engine back into the water and the motor started. With Dave’s line quickly diminishing, I finally managed to get the engine running, and under power we gained line on the fish. For the next 45 minutes, Dave worked the fish as I poled hard to keep up with it. Near the end of our battle, a pair of black tip sharks moved in on the struggling redfish, and it embedded itself in a mass of sea grass on the bottom and turned belly up. Using only ten-pound tippet, Dave’s effort to pull the fish from the grass would surely cost us the fish, so I grabbed my Boga Grip and into the chest deep water I went, emerging with Dave’s fat 19-pound redfish.
With Dave’s goal accomplished and photos taken, we quickly revived and released the fish, and together took a deep breath, before calling an end to another great fishing adventure.
On a side note, the State EPA has postponed the scheduled public meeting on Florida Power and Light Company’s draft permit and thermal variance for discharge into the Lagoon, and will reschedule the meeting once FPL provides adequate public notice. I will stay on top of this issue, and keep you posted.
As always, if you have any questions on need information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
[email protected]
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
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