 |
Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
October 26, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 25, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Tattered and torn best describes the emotional state of many Floridians as we recover from the torrent of summer squalls nature delivered this past season. As the adage goes, “if it doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger”, and although frayed, I’ve truly enjoyed the chamber of commerce weather we’ve experienced these past few weeks, combined with some memorable fishing adventures.
As fishing adventures go, this account marks my third year of writing and posting fishing reports and fishing forecast on the Internet, and the dividends were evident this past week as I was honored to served on the rules committee for the Second Annual Indian River Lagoon Fall Classic Fishing Tournament. The Fall Classic is a CPR, (catch, photograph, and release) event hosted and promoted by Coastal Angler Magazine and Chowders Restaurant, with the goal of promoting the use, not the abuse of the IRL through education and conservation. During the event, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with many anglers and their families, who not only read my reports, but also share my profound attachment to the natural side of Florida and my fondness and passion for angling. I was also highly impressed by the abundance of enthusiastic anglers and their kids, many of which, caught exceptional fish and walked away with some really nice prizes and fantastic memories.
In regards to angling, these past couple weeks have hosted both extraordinary and ordinary fishing excursion.
On the ordinary side, I ventured into the Banana River “No Motor Zone”, accompanied by veteran lagoon guide, Captain John Kumiski with hopes of encountering some tailing black drum which normally begin to show up on the flats this time of year. The weather conditions were favorable with a slight northwest breeze, but someone must have forewarned the fish of our plan, because we didn’t sight a single red or black tail or significant push during our fourteen-mile canoe odyssey. We did manage to stretch line on some healthy sea trout using chug-bugs, but that was it. Although the water level has fallen some, it is still higher than normal, and the turbidity left over from the storms and cloudy skies made sight fishing arduous.
On the extraordinary side, I enjoyed some exceptional trips shared by both clients and friends. The first was a trip to the north end of the Indian River Lagoon where we managed some nice trout up to five pounds working chug-bugs on top in areas large schooling black mullet. We also managed several upper slot redfish, and straightened the hook on one monster tailing redfish. All fish were taken using the chug-bug on top.
The remainder of my outstanding adventures consisted of targeting the concentrations of black drum, which gather together in the shadows of all of the lagoon bridges this time of year. On several trips, quality fish up to 38 inches were taken using live shrimp. The technique I like to use is to fish with heavy tackle, (20 pound class). Start by attaching about 30 inches of 40-pound test leader to the tag end of the line. Next, I slide a ¾ ounce barrel sinker onto the leader and attach a #5 circle hook. Once this is accomplished, I crimp two split-shot sinkers to the leader with the first located about 18 inches from the hook. The second shot is attached about 8 inches above the first, with the barrel sinker between the two. The purpose of the split-shot is two fold. First, it keeps the barrel sinker from sliding up the line when you cast. Second, when the fish picks up the bait, the weight of the sinker stopped by the split-shot helps pull the circle hook to the corner of the mouth before the hook is set.
Another tip is to fish with live crab or the largest live shrimp you can find. Anchor up away from the bridge and cast your bait up close to the bridge fenders or supports, and then close your bail. It’s important to keep a tight drag and limit the slack in you line. These fish are brutes, so once your feel the strike, lift the rod and reel hard to turn the fish away from structure. If you allow the fish to turn and pull drag, there is a good chance you will be cut off.
Now for the good part, if you like to eat fresh fish, black drum makes excellent table fare, and you are allowed to keep one over the slot of 14 to 24 inches. So far this month, with the exception of a few slot fish taken off the north jetty of Port Canaveral, all drum taken on Three Quarter Time have been over the slot, but we’ve still managed to put at least one over slot fish on the table each day.
In closing, this type of angling is what I refer to as full contact as most fish are concentrated near the fenders of the bridges, so it’s prudent to allow other anglers to squeeze into the better spots to share in the thrill, plus watching other anglers battle monster fish is almost as exciting as catching them yourself, so be courteous to other anglers, and kind enough to share your spot with others.
As always, if you have any questions or need information, please contact me.
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
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
