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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
July 8, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, July 8, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
With the summer heat upon us, an early morning or late evening start has been an essential requirement for catching fish. This past week we’ve experienced exceptional conditions in regards to wind and seas, but the scorching summer sun has shut down the bite early, and it will put blister you shinny nose in a heartbeat.
Inshore, the hot ticket has been the early morning trout bite, 5am to sunrise on most of the major flats on the north Indian River, Banana River, and Mosquito Lagoons. Last week I fished the north IRL with my good friend Captain Billy Bright on the flat north of the ICW spoil islands west of Haulover, and we boated over 20 sea trout up to 5 pounds before 8am, throwing Mann’s new Tail Dragger, Storm’s Chug Bug, and Rapala’s Skitterwalk plugs. Once the sun grew bright, the bite shut down. Another hotspot has been the nighttime redfish and black drum bite around the Titusville Railroad and the NASA Causeway bridges. Rich from Skeeter Lagoon’s bait and tackle in Titusville reported one of his regular customers catching eight black drum in one day with the smallest being 30 pounds, on shrimp heads of all things.
Offshore, the cold-water upwelling produced by the Labrador Current has moved inshore and sent the bottom fish into a state of aestivation, shutting down the seaward bite. Additionally, offshore anglers are reporting the dolphin and wahoo bite to be sluggish.
Near-shore along the beach, the bait pods have completely disappeared, along with all of our other scaly friends; so if your looking for live baits this weekend, focus your attention inside the Port. I’m not sure if it’s cold water moving in, or just the full moon phase, but many hours and gallons of fuel were wasted last week running the beach in search of bait and fish. As far as the kingfish bite, several nice fish were taken on the buoy line, but the better bite has been north of Canaveral and outside Ponce Inlet in 70 to 80 feet of water.
In closing, the Haulover Canal Ramp closed July 6th for renovations, and it should remain closed through August; so alternate ramps must be utilized if you plan on fishing the Mosquito Lagoon. Also, I will be off the water and out of my office on a short family vacation up the eastern seaboard through July 16th, so please direct any charter request to Captain Rodney Smith at 321-777-2773.
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 office
407-416-1187 on the water
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