Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, September 7, 2013
Capt. Tom Van Horn
September 8, 2013
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 7, 2013
by: Captain Tom Van Horn
Seminar and Event Schedule:
Saturday September 14th, 11 am - Shriners's Sportsman Expo, 2300 Pembrook Drive , Orlando , FL ,32810. Bahia Shriners of Orlando have partnered with Mosquito Creek Outdoors along with other local vendors for its first Sportsman's Expo. A family-friendly event on hunting, fishing, boating, shooting, camping and hiking or just enjoying the outdoors. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase all day. Representatives from the Florida Fresh Water Game Commission, All Outdoors Florida (an on-line magazine) along with other outdoor vendors will be available to answer questions. They will also be raffling 40 different firearms and other outdoor items, all for a great cause. Call 407-660-8811 or visit http://www.bahiasportsmansexpo.com
for more details.
Thursday, September 19th, 6:30 pm - Free Anglers Improvement Workshop, "Making the best of the fall mullet run and snook season" Instructed by Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. The event will be held in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave, Apopka, Florida. For more details visit http://www.mosquitocreek.com
Saturday September 21st, 10 am - Discover Fly Fishing. This free fly fishing workshop is instructed by FFF certified veteran lagoon Captain Chris Myers and is located at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka, Florida. For more details on this event visit htpp://www.mosquitocreek.com.
Saturday September 28th 9 to 10 am - "Hands Across the Lagoon" events are occurring in all five lagoon counties to call attention to the declining condition of our Indian River Lagoon and to ask our leaders to make the health of the lagoon a top priority. Come join me on the Max Brewer Causeway in Titusville, Florida on National Estuaries Day and show your support and stand up for our Indian River Lagoon system.
This Weeks's Report
What is orange and black, makes love for days at a time and its lover is the last thing that goes through its mind as it splats on your windshield? If you guessed the dreaded love bug, you are absolutely right. In angling we have all heard the proverb "match the hatch", but on the east coast of Florida the feared love bug hatch is not so good for the paint job on your car, but it's actually a good thing as it equates to fishing. No, we do not tying or using love bug flies to catch fish, but the hatch does signal the end of summer and the beginning of the fall fishing season. Shorter days, cooler nights, and prevailing easterly breezes all mark the beginning of the fall bait run as hordes of baitfish, primarily silver mullet, and predatory species begin their southerly migration along the beach and through the Indian River Lagoon system.
This past week, mullet have been forming up in the lagoon and good reports of redfish, sea trout, ladyfish, tarpon, and snook have been coming from all areas of the Lagoon. The heavy rainfall has started flushing both finger mullet and minnows out of the backwater creeks and impoundment into the lagoon, and the predators have pinned these baitfish up against the shoreline taking advantage of the deeper water. The deeper water also facilitates the drafts of our flats skiffs, allowing us easy access to areas we would not normally float, so push in as close to the shoreline as you can and watch for feeding activity in close and look minnows showering on the surface in an attempt to escape.
Although I did not fish much this past week, I did have the opportunity to attend the Big Rock Tackle Dealers Show in Kissimmee and to fish in the Banana River No-Motor Zone where we found good numbers of slot redfish and medium size tarpon (10 to 20 pounds) in shallow on the flats and in the creek mouths that were willing to feed on a well presented soft plastic like the DOA Airhead or CAL Shad Tail on a light jig head. We also found some large schools of ladyfish and jacks feeding on glass minnows there were great fun on a 5-WT fly rod with a top-water popper.
Along the beaches, there were good numbers of sharks in the 20 to 50 pound range as well as some nice bonito shadowing bait schools in close to the beach between Sebastian and Ponce De Leon inlets.
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
[email protected]
407-416-1187 on the water
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