Nov '10 - Mosquito Lagoon, Ponce Inlet Area, Indian River
Capt. Nathaniel Lemmon
November 7, 2010
New Smyrna Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fall is here, but you would barely notice by the weather. It was a very warm and very dry October. Having said that, by the end of this first week of November we are forecasted to see a series our first 45 degree mornings. The fall bait run got started last month and it's still going strong with millions of finger mullet in the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River and around Ponce Inlet. We have also had an unseasonable long pigfish season (a popular summer baitfish) and the fish have certainly been taking advantage of this preferred food source. Speckled trout dominated the action during the last month, however redfish certainly didn't disappoint. On an average day we caught 20-30 trout and anywhere from 5-20 redfish. The fall flounder run too is picking up steam with lots of fishing moving around the tidal areas of New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. While cooler weather is on the horizon, the beauty of fishing in Florida is there is no slow time, the bite is always strong for something.
Right now, it's the been the best Speckled Trout bite of the year. The trout season officially closed on November 1st, so it's catch and release fishing for them the remainder of 2010. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy a solid day of catching success though. The fall bait run coupled with an extra long pigfish season has us catching lots of trout; with several of them being gator trout. Live bait has been the ticket for guaranteed quantity catching, but lure anglers have scored on numerous trout on my boat throwing Mirrolure 7M, 17MR, and 20MR twitchbaits. On an average day we've landed anywhere from 20-30 trout, sometimes more, hardly less. Practically all of them have been in the 15-20" slot, but quite a few each day are over 20" and we've caught at least one "gator" every day in the 5-8lb range. A good sign heading into the winter has been us finding a fair number of trophy gator trout in the 10-14lb range creeping up into the shallows during mid-day on the grass flats in Mosquito Lagoon. This area in particular suffered a cold weather fish kill in January and many of these trophy size trout died off. But fair numbers are showing themselves and we are sight casting these fish with swimbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits, and DOA soft plastics or live bait.
It's also been fantastic action for us on Redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon and the tidal waters around New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet for juvenile redfish from 5-10lbs. Oyster bars were a particular hot spot during the last month on flood tides, but falling water levels now have these fish schooling in adjacent coves and bays. Falling water levels has the same thing happening on the grass flats in Mosquito Lagoon as these fish moving to deeper edges adjacent to flats that are now too shallow. On most days we are getting 10-25 redfish bites on a variety of lures and live bait. Redfish have also been aggressively eating the same Mirrolure's we've been throwing for trout. If they've been crawling on shorelines, however, a DOA shrimp has been the right choice. Fly fishing for redfish couldn't get any easier than it is right now. Dirtier water helps hide your approach and the ample supply of bait has these fish hungry for anything. Spoon flies, borski sliders, crabs, shrimp, deceivers, or clouser minnows have all worked well lately. Most of the shots are coming at 10-20' so even a roll cast will get the job done.
There are a lot of Flounder moving around the New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, and Ponce Inlet area. A good dose of cold weather and cooler water temps will really kick the bite into gear. It's time to grab some mud minnows or a jig and get to work. From now through early next year is the best time to score on a big doormat Flounder, with November perhaps being the best month of the year. Mud minnows or small finger mullet rigged on a jighead or fishfinder rig near creek entrances around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna will score on good numbers of flounder.
November bookings have been steady and December is one of the busier months of the year. Get in on some of the best fall fishing action in years. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.
A few pictures from the past month can be found on my website. http://www.floridasightfishing.com/report.htm
Target Species:
Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder
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