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Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
June 22, 2007
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 22, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, Florida
When the course of the sun reaches its ecliptic in the northern hemisphere, (summer solstice), it marks the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. More daylight and shorter nights set the stage for an early morning start, usually on the water by 5am, and some great fishing opportunities in the afternoon when our work is done and the skies have settled.
More daylight also equates to warmer water temperatures and when combined with nutrient rich lawn runoff, more algae and less dissolved oxygen in the water. These factors greatly increase the mortality of catch and release species, so its important to shorten you battle by stepping up your line and tackle size, keeping your fish in the water as much as possible, and taking some extra time to revive them completely before releasing.
Over the years, I’ve admired both the excitement and enthusiasm Captain Mark Nichols, (inventor and owner of DOA Lures), displays towards angling and his baits, and this past week I have pleasure of spending a day fishing in the No-Motor Zone with Captain Mark, Captain Rodney Smith, Captain Chris Myers, Paul Macinnis, and Kevin Brotz.
We launched our expedition shortly after sunrise, and Chris landed a quality sea trout before he stepped foot in the boat. Our bait of choice was a 6-inch peril DOA CAL tail combined with a red DOA Chug Head rigged weed less with a 5/0 long neck custom worm hook. As the summer progresses and the water heats up, widgeon grass will grow completely up to the water’s surface fouling traditional top water plugs. The Combination CAL tail and Chug Head allows you to fish top water with a weed less soft plastic bait. The technique we used was a long cast, and with the rod tip high reel the bait across the surface with short twitches of the rod tip slowly chugging the lure across the top of the water like a wounded baitfish.
The winds at first were very light from the south, and although the bite wasn’t on fire we all managed to catch some quality fish. My first fish was a hefty 5-pound spotted sea trout that pushed a wake behind my bait for a good ten feet before exploding on the lure and charging at the boat. As the trout lunged forward, I reeled as hard as I could to achieve a tight line, and when it finally became taut, the feisty fish had already passed the boat before receiving a taste of the hook. From that point the fight was on and after several strong runs and laps around the boat, she joined me for a quick photo, before her release.
As the day grew longer and the wind picked up, I switched from the top-water bait to blind casting a green soft plastic 6-inch DOA CAL Tail rigged on a 4/0 Daiichi Bleeding Bait Butt Dragger Hook, and I managed to catch my second substantial fish of the day, a handsome redfish in the 15-pound range.
All in all, it was another exceptional adventure on the Zone involving quality fish and great friends, and countless memories.
As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line
886-790-8081 toll free
Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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