Follow Bait Schools To Find Fish

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Fishing Report, October 10, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

First and foremost, for those of you who live outside the sunshine state, you haven't missed anything this past week as a frontal boundary has stalled out over Central Florida. Over the past week windy and cloudy conditions have been the rule. Yesterday we received over 4-inches of rain, and it's thundering outside as we speak. Once this weather system moves off and conditions clear, the bite will comply with Mother Nature's plan, and we can all enjoy the mullet run together.


Along the beaches, the baits schools are pushing south, and good reports of snook, flounder, redfish, ladyfish, blues, jacks, Spanish mackerel, sharks and tarpon have been coming in from anglers from Playlinda to Sebastian. Remember, as the baits schools move down the beaches and through the lagoons they travel in waves influenced by the wind and tides, so if you do not see any baitfish, keep moving until you do. Once you've located baitfish, try throwing top water plugs like Chug Bug or Skitter Walk, or sub-surface baits like the DOA Bait Buster in close along the edge of the surf. Remember to concentrate your efforts in areas of bait pods, and if the artificial bait fails to produce, net yourself some finger mullet, and fish them in close to the surf's edge.

In the Lagoon, focus on areas where baits schools are passing close to shorelines and alone the causeways, and again work top water plugs like the Storm Chug-Bug or the Rapala Skitterwalk. If conditions are not suitable for the top-water bite, chunking live finger mullet or ladyfish chunks is effective.

In closing, we are all facing tremendous stress over conditions we have very little control over, so way not take a break from reality this weekend and go for a total mine flush on the water.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line