July '13 - Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon, Ponce Inlet Are
Capt. Nathaniel Lemmon
July 6, 2013
New Smyrna Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Won't be long till summer vacations are over and kids go back to school. So what better time to jump on a boat for some fantastic inshore fishing. The bite has been red hot lately. Over the past two weeks we've been averaging 7-15 redfish and 15-20 speckled trout per day fishing with a mix of live bait and some lures. In the ICW and deeper channels and basins we are finding fair numbers of tarpon in the 20-100lb range. Water clarity has been much improved in Mosquito Lagoon over the past couple weeks, which has made for easier sight fishing in the shallows for tailing redfish on lures, flies, and live bait. The Indian and Banana Rivers around Titusville and Cocoa Beach have really clear water and we're finding schools of smaller redfish, some big bull redfish, and a few tarpon and snook around docks. Same holds true for areas of the Halifax River and Ponce Inlet where we are fishing docks for redfish, trout, snook, and some flounder. As you can see there is a variety of things to do and fish for on the coast of Volusia and Brevard County.
Redfish have been biting very well over the past two weeks. Smaller redfish in the 5-10lb range are in loose schools early on the edges of flats in Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River Lagoon before moving into shallow grassy areas later in the day. In New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, and Ponce Inlet we're finding redfish on mangrove shorelines and oyster beds in tidal creeks. Water clarity has improved allowing for sight casting again which is where we've had our best luck fishing with lures. Otherwise we've been using pigfish, mud minnows and shrimp for live bait. Recently we've been averaging 7-13 redfish per day. Bigger bull reds are on the move towards Ponce Inlet and the North Indian River Lagoon for their annual spawn cycle. Many of them run in the 15-25lb range, with the occasional giant redfish over 35lbs. Catching for big bull redfish will really take off over the next couple months as the spawning schools get bigger and bigger.
With the improved water clarity the Speckled Trout bite has been really good. We're using pigfish on a daily basis which always equals great trout catching. On an average day lately we're getting 12-20+ trout per day, with usually at least 1-2 over 4lbs. If throwing lures is a must, topwater plugs and soft plastics have worked well early around schools of mullet before switching over to jigs and crankbaits late in the day. We've been targeting drop offs, ledges, creek edges, docks, oyster bars and grass lines on a variety of tides and wind directions.
Two weeks ago there were Tarpon everywhere around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna, Edgewater, and down into Mosquito Lagoon. Three days later you could hardly find any. Right now there are decent numbers of them on the beach shadowing pods of mullet and menhaden, having said that winds and seas over the past week have prevented us from even looking or trying. With all of that in mind, bigger adult tarpon are definitely in the area, fish upwards of 120-150lbs. There are also good numbers of smaller juveniles in the 20-50lb range. All we need now is some decent weather to relocate them again and start fishing for them.
Only 10 days left open for July and August bookings are starting to go quick. If you want to take advantage of red hot summer fishing don't wait till the last minute to set something up. Short notice trips are available if I have the date open. Call or email to secure a reservation. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
Pictures from the past month can be found on my website...http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Target Species:
Redfish, Speckled Trout, Tarpon
More Fishing Reports:
