DOA Snook
Capt. Tom Van Horn
August 22, 2009
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 22, 2009
By Captain Tom Van Horn
As hurricane season progresses, conditions on the Lagoon Coast of Florida begin to shift which was the case last week. For the past month the summer doldrums have dominated our near-shore waters and the consistent southerly fetch combined with Coriolis Effect pulled the warm surface water off of the ocean and the lagoon out to sea creating an upwelling of cold water near-shore and extremely low water levels inside. Now that Hurricane Bill is progressing north in the open Atlantic, our winds picked up and shifted easterly and the seas have acquired a long period swell. These changing conditions will most likely warm the near-shore waters and allow ocean water to return to the lagoons which has already seen a 10-inch water level increase this week. Combined, these changed will set the stage for the development of the mullet run, just in time for snook season along the beach and in the inlets. It will be interesting to see how these shifting conditions effect fishing this coming week.
My adventures this past week combined involved fishing in the Banana River No-Motor Zone and in the Stuart area as well as the privilege to once again attend the DOA Lures Outdoor Writers Conference.
My first adventure was with Bill Petree from Sanford as we ventured out into the Banana River No-Motor Zone in my new Indian River Canoe rigged out with a new Kay-noe Stabilizer system. My plan was to first target snook along the shoreline, but the extremely low water conditions made the shoreline unfishable even in my canoe. We then shifted our attention to the deeper edge of the bar on the west shoreline, but again I made a bad decision by misjudging the wind direction and speed. The easterly winds had just begun to develop and increase and our position on the windward shoreline made fishing conditions tougher as well as pushed rafts of floating wagon grass in our direction. My primary goal of the trip was to help Bill learn how to spot and fish for redfish, which we accomplished despite the low water levels and changing conditions.
On Saturday I participated in what I hope to be the First Annual Merritt Island Derelict Crab Pot Cleanup. Over 50 volunteers met at the Haulover Canal ramp, and together we remover 79 abandoned crab traps from the Lagoon. After the tally was complete, Lois Reed collected the most traps at eleven, and she was awarded a fully stocked tackle box and a new fishing rod and reel donated to the event by Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida.
Next it was off to Jensen Beach, Florida to attend the DOA Writers Conference. One of the great perks about being a fishing guide and an outdoor writer is getting invited to event such as this and I have to tell you, my good friend Captain Mark Nichols and his dedicated staff of employees and guides know how to host an event. The setting for the three day show was the River Palms Cottages in Jensen Beach, which was just like stepping into a tropical paradise. The low-key resort presents the feel of a far away tropical island and the exotic flora and lagoon beach draws all of the life's tension from your bones as soon as you step foot on the premises. There is no need to travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars to escape to a tropical paradise, simply book a few days at the River Palms instead.
Although my escape was quite and enjoyable, strong easterly winds made fishing conditions tough, but with the support of the DOA Pro Staff Guides and some hardcore anglers, we still managed to catch several snook over 30 pounds.
As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line
For all of your outdoor needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.
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