Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 7, 2009
By Captain Tom Van Horn
Events and Seminar Schedule:
August 8, 2009 Hook Kid on Fishing event at Kelly Park in Merritt Island off of Banana River Drive. The event runs from 9 am - 11 am. For more details call 321-777-2773.
August 11, 2009 "Free Fishing Classes" Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing Series, Class 5 of 8, "Natural Baits" 7 pm-9 pm at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S Washington Avenue in Apopka. Instructors are Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. For more details or directions, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464-2000 or visit their website www.mosquitocreek.com
August 15, 2009 Crab Pot Clean-up. The event starts at 8 am at the Haulover Canal ramp in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Please join us in the removal of derelict crap traps. Call me for more details on how you can help at 407-416-1187.
This past week my adventures started out with several early morning inshore charters on the lagoon, and when I say early, I'm talking about being on the water casting to fish before the morning sky begins to light up. I know this adds a certain degree of difficulty to the equation, launching your boat, traveling across the lagoon safely, and locating and catching fish in the predawn darkness, but don't knock it until you have tried it. The predawn hours during the summer are one of the most enjoyable and productive times to fish, and if properly planned out ahead of time, perfectly safe. Life is there to live, how we live our lives is up to us, and remember nobody gets out of it alive.
The top water trout bite was good last week with a number of handsome over slot fish devouring Rapala Skitter Walks during low light periods. The floating and matted sea grass is a hindrance, but our patience paid off with some specks in the 5 to 6 pound range.
In addition, we found some nice sea trout, redfish, and snook, holding under the floating mats of widgeon grass in close to the shoreline, and a fluke style bait like the DOA CAL rigged weed less on a #4 Copper Head hook, retrieved over the top of the grass resulted in some explosive strikes. Many of the redfish were also located in very close to the shoreline harassing finger mullet, and a well-placed plastic fluke style bait worked well as long as you get into a position to present the bait ahead of the fish.
Moving out near-shore, the kingfish bite is as good as it gets. The near-shore water is clean and clear with heavy concentrations of pre spawn smokers settling in along the beach in depths ranging from 15 to 40 feet, and on the reefs of 8A and Pelican Flats with bonito, blacktip sharks, large yellow jacks and cobia mixed in. The best action has resulted from slow trolling live pogies (Atlantic menhaden) on steel stinger rigs, but here's where the problem lies. The bait schools have been located south of the Cocoa Beach Steeple , so many anglers are spending a lot of time and fuel running the beach looking for bait. What bait I found this past week was located in very close to the beach, so I would suggest bringing some large diving plugs and spoons, or purchasing some frozen Spanish sardines before you leave the dock, so you are not left empty handed.
Lastly, the cold water has moved in a bit pushing the manta ray in on the shoals off of the Cape bringing the cobia in with them. Finding the rays has been tough, but for those angler who found them last week, they were rewarded with limits of cobia.
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
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water
Book a charter, and let's go fishing.
If you would like to be added to my mailing list, reply to captain@irl-fishing.com.
Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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