Indian River Lagoon May Fishing Outlook
Capt. Tom Van Horn
April 29, 2011
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast
May 2011
By Captain Tom Van Horn
Upcoming Seminars and Events
Saturday, May 21st Near-shore Tarpon Fishing
10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars", instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, and John Kumiski," Summer Tarpon and Beach Fishing Tactics Spin & Fly Fishing ", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com
Saturday, June 11th Summer Kingfish
10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars" instructed by Rapala Pro Staffer Rodney Sahr, "Summer Kingfish", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.
May's Fishing Outlook
As the days grow longer, angling enthusiasts along Florida's Space Coast take pleasure in spending their afternoons after work relaxing on the water. Warming coastal waters draw streams of baitfish north followed by warm water predators, as our prevailing easterly winds give way to summers genially shifting sea breezes.
Offshore, dolphin fishing will be the focus of blue water anglers this month. April and May are the time of year when the larger bulls are taken off the Florida Space Coast. The early season dolphin bite has already yielded fish in excess of 60 pounds. Also, as a bonus, the potential of taking a blue marlin or sailfish are good. Near-shore, the kingfish bite is starting to heat up on the near-shore reefs and wrecks and some cobia are still around. When seas settle down, the bait schools move in close to the beach, look for the kingfish action to move in also.
Spanish mackerel, snook, redfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, flounder, sheepshead and black drum are just some of the species available in the Lagoon inlets and beaches this month. As the baitfish migration moves north, this type of fishing will only get better.
Inshore, the bait pods, Atlantic menhaden (pogies), have shown up along the beach, and now is the best time to target the ocean predator shadowing these schools. It's not uncommon to catch large redfish, large jack crevalle, blacktip sharks, cobia, and tarpon from within these pods of bait. To locate bait pods, simply look for feeding birds, flipping and jumping bait, muddy water along the beach, and busting fish.
On the Lagoon flats, redfish and spotted sea trout will provide the majority of action for light tackle and fly anglers. The water has warmed up to the point where jack crevalle, ladyfish, snook, and tarpon are showing up in good numbers. I like to target redfish and sea trout at night and at first light or at dusk, with top water plugs like the, Rapala Skitterwalk or Storm Chug Bug. As the day heats up, change your focus to the deeper edges of the flats (2 to 3 feet deep) jigging with a DOA CAL Tail on a ¼ ounce DOA jig head.
As always, if you have any questions or need help, 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
Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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