Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Capt. Tom Van Horn
August 11, 2013
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
By Captain Tom Van Horn
August Events and Seminars:
Saturday August 17th, 10 am - Free Discover Fly Fishing clinic instructed by FFF Certified Captain Chris Myers. The event will be held in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 203 West First Street, Apopka, Florida 32703
Saturday, August 17th, 5 to 11 pm - National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet located at VFW Post 10147, 519 S Central Ave., Apopka, Florida 32703. The Wekiva Springs Strutters host the annual NWTF Banquet and Mosquito Creek Outdoors is proud to participate. This banquet has been the #1 NWTF Banquet is the entire United States for 7 straight years. Come join us for a fun filled evening as we raise funds for conservation and preservation of the Wild Turkey. Tickets must be purchased in advance, call 407-886-8010 Lou Haubner Realty.
Saturday, August 24th, 10 am - Summertime Bass Tactics The free event will be held in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 203 West First Street, Apopka, Florida 32703
Saturday September 7th, 9 am to 4 pm - The 1st annual Mosquito Creek Outdoors Open Turkey Calling Championship and Fall Sale sanctioned by the Wekiva Springs Strutters and the NWTF. 100% payback and guaranteed $1000 to the winner of the Southern Open and Florida Seniors divisions. Winners will advance to the NWTF national contest in 2014.
This Week's Fishing Report
The heat is on, but don't let that change your life too much. This past week we've been under extreme heat warnings with heat indexes averaging over 100 degrees by noon, but that doesn't mean the fishing hasn't been good. You just have to plan your outdoors activities accordingly.
This past week my adventures started out with several early morning inshore charters on the lagoon, and when I say early, I'm talking about being on the water casting to fish when the morning sky begins to grow light. I know it adds a certain degree of difficulty to the equation, launching your boat, traveling across the lagoon safely, and locating and catching fish in the predawn darkness, but don't knock it until you have tried it. The predawn hours during the summer are the most enjoyable and productive, and if properly planned out ahead of time, perfectly safe. Remember, life's there to live, and nobody gets out of it alive.
The top water trout bite was good last week with a number of handsome over slot fish devouring top-water plugs during low light periods. The floating and matted sea grass is a hindrance, but our patience paid off with some sea trout and redfish in the 5 to 6 pound range.
Additionally, we found some nice sea trout, redfish, and snook, holding under the floating mats of widgeon grass in close to the shoreline, and a fluke style bait like the DOA Airhead rigged weed less on a #4 Copper Head hook retrieved over the top of the grass resulted in some explosive strikes. On the other hand, the redfish were also located in very close to the shoreline harassing finger mullet, and well-placed plastic fluke style bait worked well as long as you get into a position to present the bait ahead of the fish.
Moving out near-shore just off of the beach, the kingfish bite is as good as it gets. The near-shore waters are crystal clear, and calm conditions have allowed anglers to pursue kingfish even in kayaks. Heavy concentrations of pre spawn smokers have settled in along the beach in depths ranging from 15 to 40 feet, with bonito, blacktip sharks, large yellow jacks and some cobia mixed in. The best action has resulted from slow trolling live pogies (Atlantic menhaden) on steel stinger rigs, but here's where the problem lies. Live bait has been a challenge to locate and catch, so many anglers are spending a lot of time and fuel running the beach looking for bait. What bait I found this past week was located in very close to the beach in 5 to 6 feet of water.
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
[email protected]
Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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