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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
August 12, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 12, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Summer rains have dampened catching along the Indian River Lagoon coast, which is nothing new for hurricane season in central Florida. These passed few weeks; moderate rains have elevated water levels in the lagoon, and they’ve stirred up water conditions both inside and outside, making sight fishing difficult. As we speak, two different summer squalls, Bonnie and Charley, are blowing in from the west and south, which well pretty much shut down any fishing opportunities this weekend.
All of this talk of bad weather sounds ominous, but these squalls are simply a force of nature designed to facilitate the changing seasons to come. As mentioned in my last fishing forecast, these light to moderate storms are just the ticket for pushing the cold water Labrador currents away from the coast, and the elevated water levels in the lagoon will simplify the migration of finger mullet out of the backwater creeks and impoundments in preparation for their fall bait migration.
This passed week, we had some incredible fishing adventures, but the catching side of the equation was limited. Yesterday for example, I stared my day on the water at 5am, and I happened into an unbelievable star shower at dawns first light. I usually keep tabs on celestial activity, but the magnitude of shooting stars was an unexpected pleasure. At one point, I forgot about fishing and pulled my boat up onto a sandbar, and I simply laid back on the deck and watch the stars shoot across the sky, complemented by the presents of a sliver lit moon just before new. I was actually disappointed when dawn’s light robbed the sky of its darkness.
Once the light show was no longer visible, I returned to my original intentions, and I began to hammer the smaller sea trout on top-water plugs. The sea trout bite has always been the staple for summertime anglers on the lagoon. After working the trout over, I returned to the dock to pick up a good friend, and our focus was diverted by the presents of busting fish and showers of fleeing finger mullet off in the distance along the deeper edges of the flat. As we moved in to investigate, the presents of large rolling tarpon, sixty to one hundred pound, captured our attention. For the remainder of the morning, we chased these feeding fish, but every time we would move into the area of activity, you guessed it, the activity would move to a distant place, and we never jumped a single fish. We also found a combination of jacks and ladyfish working schooling finger mullet in the deeper water and some decent redfish chasseing bait on the flats, but these fish were in hot pursuit of a mullet breakfast, making them difficult to corner. We ended the day with one really nice twenty-two pound redfish taken by Mully while fishing for black drum under a bridge.
Out of Port Canaveral this last week, again there were good and bad days. On one day, the bait pods were concentrated on the beach between the pier and the steeple, and some large kingfish, tarpon, and sharks were taken just offshore of the bait, but the very next day, the bait and larger fish were gone. Also, some good reports of schooly size kings came from the near-shore reefs of 8A and Pelican Flats, but again the catching was hit and miss. On a positive note, flounder catches have improver inside the Port, fishing live finger mullet on the bottom around structure.
In closing. I would like to remind everyone of the public meeting concerning the draft permit for the Florida Power and Light’s Cape Canaveral Power Plant is scheduled for August 18th, 4pm at the Brevard Public Library in Titusville. The discharge of heated effluent from this power plant applies tremendous presser on the estuary, and now we have an opportunity to voice our concerns and desire for change.
As always, if you need information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Office
407-416-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 Toll Free
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