Monday, May 10, 2010

St. Johns River Catfish Run 2010


Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, April 16, 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Catfish Run Wild on the St. John's River

Every spring, big blue and channel catfish invade the upper reaches of the St. Johns River on their annual spawning run right here in Central Florida. Rising water levels and fast currents provided for some of the best catfish fishing experienced all year, which was evident during the recent filming of the Ultimate Catch fishing show hosted by Captain Eric Ciocher. During the filming of the show, Captains Eric Ciocher and I caught a good number of 10 pound plus catfish. The action was non stop all day, and should make for another exciting and informative adventure caught on film.

The show will be featured on the Sportsman Channel. Here are the air-times and dates for Ultimate Catch on Sportsman Channel Network: Tuesday June 15 1:00 AM, Wednesday June 16 9:00 AM, Saturday June 19 7:00 PM, Sunday June 20 3:30 AM. Past episodes can also be viewed at any time online at http://www.ultimatecatch.tv.

As the days grow hotter, so dose the bite in all areas, fresh water, inshore, near-shore and offshore. On the St. Johns River, the catfish fishing will remain consistent through May, which was the case last week while fishing with Melvin from Apopka and while filming with Captain Eric Ciocher, host of Ultimate Catch. Most of our fish were taken fishing the deeper bends of the river in areas of fast current using fresh peeled shrimp for bait.

Melvin and Captain Tom

Melvin and Captain Tom

Redfish on DOA

Redfish on DOA

Captain Chris Myers

Captain Chris Myers

Although we experienced strong southeast winds last weekend, calmer conditions have allowed the water to clear up in the lagoons, which was the case Thursday as I ventured into the Banana River Lagoon No-motor Zone with my good friends Captain Chris Myers and Doug Olander, editor of Sports Fishing Magazine. Light southwest winds made for excellent sight fishing conditions and a very enjoyable morning. Our goal was big redfish on lures and Chris was the first to hook up using a DOA Shrimp. When it was my turn on the deck, Chris polled me into a sizable school of big redfish. At first, I had several very good shots at fish, but could get one to eat. Then I made a bad cast which spooked the school and the chase was on, and we never got a taker. Another note worthy observation was the finger mullet and the ladyfish have returned, and there was a considerable amount of top water action in the early morning.

Near-shore along the beach, the pogie (Atlantic menhaden) pods have arrived and the tarpon and big yellow jacks are starting to show up, and there are still some manta rays and cobia around. I also received good reports on tripletail and Spanish mackerel.

Also, be sure to check out the May addition of Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water


For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

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