Indian River Lagoon
Capt. Tom Van Horn
February 24, 2004
Indian River Lagoon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, February 24, 2004
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
As spring thunderstorms roll through central Florida, I’m forced off of the Lagoon and into the comfort of my lazy-boy where in between dreamful naps, I composed this report. Clearly spring has arrived early here on the lagoon coast, and an early spring means angling opportunities will continue to heat up as we leap into our prime fishing season early.
On Friday, I had the privilege of fishing with Scott Bradford, a veteran Lagoon angler with many years of experience targeting redfish and sea trout in the backwaters of the IRL. The morning was cool, clear, and calm, with a slight fog lifting off the water as we motored out of the Haulover canal and headed north. As we shut down on the edge of our first flat, it was evident this would be a day to remember, as a large school of reds pushed up in front of us. Soon, the flats became alive with at least ten visible schools of fish pushing in all directions, and we ended up catching seven nice reds up to 27 inches before the wind picked up and the fish laid down.
On Saturday, I met my party, Anthony Tedeschi and his son Anthony from Hammonton, New Jersey, at the ramp at Front Street Park in Melbourne. Our plan was to run north into the Banana River Lagoon and work the west shore with hopes of locating a school of reds, but our search only netted us a few small trout, and a mess of hardhead catfish and blowfish. The water was dirty, and the boat traffic was heavy. Not a productive day, but a fun day, nonetheless.
Yesterday I returned to the Mosquito Lagoon to prefish a charter with veteran Lagoon guide John Lulay, and we were on the fish right off the bat. Again, it was a perfect day with glassy waters and sunny skies, and the schools were easy to find and willing to play. After locating a school of about 100 large reds, John and I took turns tossing Rip-tide Realistic Shrimp and Captain Mike’s Flats Candy tube baits with a Woodie’s Rattles in them, and again we hammering the big boys on ultra lite tackle. The highlight of the expedition was a 16 pound black drum taken by John while casting to the big reds in deeper water.
The rain has begun to fall harder now, and my eyelids are growing heavy once again, so it’s off to dream land with pleasant thoughts of spring days, tight lines, and screaming drags.
As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
[email protected]
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
If you would like to be added to Captain Tom’s mailing list, contact Tom at [email protected].
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