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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
February 25, 2006
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, 2/24/06
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
Life on the Lagoon Coast of Florida is outstanding. Spring is just around the corner, there are fishing and boating shows every weekend, and the weather and catching have been most excellent.
For starters, last Thursday I migrated south to Miami for a quick visit to the Boat Show, conducted seminars on Sunday at the Bass Pro Shop Spring Classic in Orlando, I’m attending the Bass Masters Classic in Orlando Friday and today, and I’m speaking on Spring Fishing Opportunities at the Florida Sports Fishing Association meeting on Tuesday the 28th at 7pm at the Veteran’s Center in Merritt Island. By the way, on Tuesday at the meeting, Evolution Rods has donated a solid graphite 7’medium action Evolution Rod to raffle off, and the FSFA has agreed to supply a new reel as well. Between the two, someone will walk out of the meeting with a first-rate cobia combination, and I also have some cobia jigs donated by Fairwaters Tackle, and Power Baits provided by Pure Fishing to give away.
One of the best parts of working as a fishing guide is when we are allowed to become part of the memories of those we serve, and those memories were facilitated by a quality fishing experience and service we provide. It is the part of guiding I love the most, and for me, it adds a new level to enjoying the sport of angling and life.
On Saturday the 18th, I was honored once again by the presents of Kent Roberts, his son Raymond (Sting Ray), and Kent’s son-in-law Anthony aboard the Three Quarter Time for a day of fishing on the north Indian River Lagoon. Our goal for the day was to put Sting Ray on his first monster redfish in celebration of his tenth birthday, and in spite being a holiday weekend on the lagoon, the fish gods smiled upon us. Yes the lagoon was a zoo, but the weather was perfect, the fish were plentiful, and with the cooperation and help of other anglers, thanks Kenny and Courtney, it was mission accomplished.
We were on the fish right a way, but the school was highly pressured and very spooky, so we opted to fish them with frozen crab, and we were rewarded with three respectable redfish. Sting Ray took top hook on the boat with an 18 and 34-pound redfish, and Anthony scored second with one of 28 pounds. Although Kent didn’t catch a fish, I think he had the most fun of all, helping his son Ray and Anthony catch their first redfish and a lifelong memory.
My next adventure was on Tuesday and Wednesday, when Len Holdorf of Spirit Lake Iowa, and his son Jeff from Minneapolis joined me for two days of fishing. Len is a senior scientist for Pure Fishing, and he provide some enlightening insight into development and production of fishing lines, other Pure Fishing Products, and a magnificent goody bag filled with Pure Fishing products to try out, thank you Len!
On Tuesday, we launched at Haulover around 6:30am, and like most of this week, the fog was so thick up could cut it with a knife. The lagoon water levels are extremely low, so most of me usual spots were inaccessible, and we only ended up with one 10 pound black drum and a small redfish. The weather was the strangest I’ve seen, with a 180 degree wind shift from due west to due east within a 30 minute period at 3pm. The cool air off of the ocean dropped temperatures by 10 degrees, causing fog to lift off of the warmer Lagoon.
On Wednesday, we shifted gears, and we broke out the paddles for a day on the NMZ, and perfect weather and happy fish blessed us. Both Len and Jeff were rewarded with 8 redfish, 5 of which were between 25 and 35 pounds, and a 30-pound black drum. The larger fish were caught soaking chunks of blue crab, and the remaining upper slot reds were taken of 4” white and new penny Gulp Shrimp. All in all, it was a crazy but rewarding week, but after all, didn’t I already mention the spring is just around the corner, and yes the fishing season is upon us.
As always, if you have any questions or need information, 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
Now booking cobia and tripletail charters for March, let’s catch some memories!
If you would like to be added to my mailing list, please contact me at [email protected]
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