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Central Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Ron Bielefeld
March 10, 2003
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Ron Bielefeld's Indian River Lagoon Report - Sebastian Area
We just went through a real taste of the summer to come over the past week. We had temps in the upper 80s to 90 degrees, a little early for it to be that warm if you ask me. However, during the past day and a half the temps have returned to where they should be this time of year (the lower 80s) and the wind is up and down. Wait an hour and things are sure to change.
Despite all the changeable weather, the larger trout are active on the shallow flats. Hooray for that! This scenario favors my favorite way to fish. Top-water! It is hard to beat a large trout smashing a top-water plug. We have had several trout do complete flips over the top of the bait. If a 5 or better pound fish flying through the air over a foot of water does not get your blood pumping, then nothing will. I know what you off shore guys and gals are thinking, but hey, we can fish when the wind is blowing 20 and it is really hard to get sea sick in a foot of water. To produce the most strikes when using top-water plugs you need to work the plug so it produces the correct action. If you are using a spook, make sure you are getting the plug to zig-zag through the water. No straight retrieves allowed. If you are using a popper, make sure you are getting a good pop and splash nearly every time you move the plug. When you work these types of plugs think “jerky” not “smooth”. You want an erratic action. If you are not getting any strikes on the top, then switch plug types. I have had times when the fish want nothing but a popper, and other times, the spook action is the ticket. So change it up.
Reds are scattered around the same flats the trout are using, but, as always, they are far less numerous. The reds appear to prefer small jerk baits at the present time. The best producer for me has been the Rip Tide weedless shrimp. I put a little extra weight up front to make sure it spends most of its time on the bottom. Again, work the bait with an erratic action. Think like a shrimp. Personally, I have never seen a shrimp move using anything but a jerky motion, at least not when it is fleeing for its life from a 9 lb trout. Generally, they come flying out of the water with quite a jerk.
The action has been fairly consistent throughout the day, but over the past few days, the best time has been between 9 am and 12 pm.
Tip of the week – think jerky. Work your baits with an erratic action elicit the most strikes.
Until next time, Tight-Lines to all
Sincerely,
Capt. Ron
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