Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
September 29, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, October 2004
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, October, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Squally Weather Has Passed, Let Fishing Tales Prevail
Charley was gnarly, Frances was expansive, Ivan wasn’t jivin, and Jeanne was just plain mean; but together their destruction serves merely as a disruption, fish on!
Forty-nine summers of Florida living and the 2004 hurricane season have once again taught me to never underestimate the forces of nature and the patence, tolerance, and kindness of Floridians. It’s true these squalls changed the face of the entire state of Florida, and the lives of many of us, but nature has a way of taking care of herself, and we are only along for a short ride. Hopefully, our lives will soon be back in order, the angry seas will subside, the waters will clear, and we will not take our lives and time on the water for granted.
In the meantime, the squalls have damaged or destroyed much of the infrastructure supporting anglers, so you might consider focusing your attention on shore fishing in the areas of flowing drainage culverts and from the beach until the ramps reopen. Also, sight fishing will be tough due to deeper and dirtier water, so consider switching from artificial baits to live finger mullet until the bait shops reopen and the waters clear. Like us, these fish still have to eat, so a change in tactics may be required until some sense of normalcy is restored.
The love bug hatch, shorted days, and cooler nights are sure signs fall is in the air on the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Another sure sign is the waves of baitfish working their way south through the lagoon and along the beaches. We are currently in the middle of a heavy fall bait run consisting of schools black and silver mullet, greenies, and pogies. These tasty little baitfish create a smorgasbord for a large array of hungry predators looking to fatten up for the winter. October and November are notorious for blustery breezes and nasty weather, but they’re also one of the best times of year for anglering on the Lagoon coast, so pick your days on the water, and catch some fish.
Weather permitting, near-shore opportunities are the best you will see all year. Along the beaches, target areas of concentrated bait schools for a mixed bag of snook, tarpon, smoker kingfish, cobia, jack crevalle, oversized redfish, and sharks. Also look for schools of glass minnows to begin showing near the latter part of the month bringing larger Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and tarpon with them.
In and around the inlets of Ponce, Port Canaveral, and Sebastian look for flounder, snook, jack crevelle, and oversized redfish feeding on migrating baitfish along the jetties. Easterly swells and falling tides can make for sporty sea conditions when operating in these inlets, so pay attention, be patient, and enjoy the rewards. Currently, shore anglers working from the beach are catching some nice snook and redfish working live finger mullet along edge of the surf, even in the dirty water.
In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, higher water levels will allow anglers to venture into areas that were inaccessible during the summer. Look for slot redfish in close to grassy edges along the shoreline shadowing pods of finger mullet and the larger reds staging in deeper water ambush sites where migrating fingers are forced to venture out away from the safety of the shallow flats. In deeper water, look for ladyfish and trout feeding on schools of glass minnows. These schools are easily located by watching for bird and fish activity. When fishing conditions are favorable, these schools will produce explosive action on top water plugs and popping flies. Another productive method is to target these fish with Rip-tide’s Realistic Shrimp on a ¼ to ½ ounce jig with a Woodie’s Rattle in it.
In closing, I would like to inform everyone of Coastal Angler Magazine’s Second Annual Indian River Lagoon Fall Classic Catch-Photograph-Release Tournament to be held at Chowder’s Restaurant in Melbourne on the 22nd and 23rd of October. With an entry fee of only 35 dollars, this tournament is open to all anglers regardless of where and how you fish, and the angler’s bags presented to the first 200 anglers registered are worth at least that. Features eight different species of fish, this is a fun event intended to promote the use, not the abuse of the IRL, with proceeds donated to Port Canaveral’s Kids Fishing Day, and Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation. To register, pick up a copy of Coastal Angler Magazine or call CAM at 321-777-2773.
As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
[email protected]
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
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