Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 8-30-10

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, September 2010

by Captain Tom Van Horn



 Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events

 Wednesday September 8th, Seminar on the "Fishing Fall Mullet Run" at the Backcountry Flyfishing Association meeting, 6:30 PM, Harmoni Market, 2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida 32804

 Saturday, September 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fishing the Fall Mullet Run" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

 Saturday October 2nd 10 AM - 5 PM, "Discover Fly Fishing Day" in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. Guides, Professionals and Factory representatives will be on hand all day to introduce new comers to fly fishing and discuss casting, destinations, tactics, and equipment.

 Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

 Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.


September Fishing Outlook

As the summer squalls build and move north through the Atlantic, shorter day and cooler nights are preludes to the season of the mullet. Soon waves of baitfish will begin working their way south through the lagoons and along the beach as the fall bait run commences.  On  their southerly migration in search of warmer waters, schools of black and silver mullet in the lagoons and close to the beach and Atlantic menhaden (pogies), thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) out in deeper water will begin pushing south.



Weather permitting, near-shore opportunities are the best you will see all year.  Along the beaches, target areas of concentrated bait schools for a mixed bag of snook, tarpon, kingfish, cobia, jack crevalle, oversized redfish, and sharks. Additionally, snook fishing in the surf will improve as the baitfish move south along the beach.  Also look for schools of glass minnows to begin showing up bringing larger Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and tarpon with them.



In and around the inlets of Ponce, Port Canaveral, and Sebastian look for flounder, snook, jack crevalle, and oversized redfish feeding on migrating baitfish along the jetties and just outside the inlets.  Easterly swells, falling tides, and aggressive anglers can make for dangerous angling conditions, so please pay attention, be patient, and enjoy the rewards.

 In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, Look for slot redfish in close to the grassy edges along the shoreline shadowing pods of finger mullet, and for the larger redfish staged in deeper water ambush sites where migrating mullet are forced to venture out from the safety of the shallow flats.  In deeper water areas, look for ladyfish, spotted sea trout, jacks, and tarpon feeding on schools of glass minnows.  These schools of fish are easily located by watching for bird and fish activity.  Once located, these schools will produce explosive action on small top water plugs like the Storm Chug Bug, or popping bug flies.  Also, if you locate a school of the larger black mullet, try fishing spoons or DOA Shrimp deep under the school.  Even though, mullet are vegetarians, redfish and sea trout will often mingle in feeding on shrimp and crabs kicked up from the bottom by feeding mullet.


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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.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.

Panhandle Fishing Report 8-27-10

Report for 08/27/2010

Salt Water

PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
Late summer weather and the volatile seas that accompany it haven’t slowed St Joe anglers down a bit. They simply fish harder during the breaks in high wind and seas. It’s paid off for them too, here’s how you can do the same…warm surface water temps have pushed the kings down further beneath the surface so the key is getting your baits into the strike zone. Simply adding a 6 to 8 ounce trolling lead ahead of your leader system will hook you up with plenty of Spanish mackerel and/or schoolie kings. Of course the Spanish have had nearly all summer to grow up from the fifteen to twenty inches we see in the spring, making them much more exciting to catch. For big kings …place your offerings of skirted cigar minnows in the neighborhood of twenty feet deep behind your downrigger or number two planer. Troll slowly!

ST. JOE BAY
Dawn and dusk remain the best times to tackle Trout and Redfish in St. Joe Bay. Top water plugs like Badonk-a-donks, Zara spooks and the like are all very effective lures. When the top water action slows try working Mirrolure’s Mirrodines. They are proving themselves with many of our local anglers and reports say they are excellent lures to work around edges of grass flats for fat summertime sea trout.

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
Now that we can fish Federal waters and the weather has given us a few days of lighter winds, there have been some good catches of grouper well offshore. Keep your eyes open, there are still some good sized Cobia hanging around our offshore wrecks. Have a pole rigged ready to drop them a live bait. If you are after King Mackerel, you should be able to get your limit trolling your bait of choice, and you may get surprised by one of the other pelagics. Going deep seems to be producing the best results with the water temps so high. If you come across a tide line or a matt of Sargasso weed, be sure to work that area well. If you spot something, it would be good to have something to chum with and turn the bite on (and hold them in the area), like some small live bait or cut up frozen bait. Sometimes the hot temps seem to give them “lock jaw”. Chumming works well for bottom fishing as well and there are several different chum delivery systems available to get your chum down where the fish are so you are not just creating a slick behind the boat and at the top of the water column. It can make the difference when they just don’t seem to want to bite and it can coax the big ones out of their holes. Stay tuned for an update on what looks like a mini Red snapper season in October/ November, we will know by September 15th.

ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Well we just had a full moon and generally the bite is a little off after it but a nice live LY or finger mullet offered up on the flats at dawn should get taken. There are still plenty of Blues and Spanish around. Trout and Reds are hitting best on an incoming tide and early or late in the day. In the middle of the day go deep like in the channels or around the bridges and you should find something to play tug of war with. If you are fishing the flats do something to keep your bait off the bottom because it will hide in the grass and if you are going deep, hook your bait in the nose to keep it from spinning in the current. You can find Mangrove snapper and Sheepshead around the jetties and other similar areas but you will have to have either live shrimp or small live baits to tempt them. This is the time of year we find Tarpon in the bay and if you want to target them you will need to have a larger pole rigged and ready to throw or you may miss an opportunity!

PANAMA CITY BEACH SURF & PIER
The King Mackerel bite is best real early at the pier and there are Blues and Spanish around to tear up your tackle. Flounder, Pompano and Sheepshead should be hanging around the pilings. Dig up some sand fleas or bring some live shrimp and do a little prospecting in and around the pier pilings and in the surf out along the sand bars. Tarpon are in the area and are definitely easier to target at the pier but, a live bait placed out as far as you can get it may very well get launched by the silver king. Hook your bait in the back behind the dorsal and let him swim. Just remember you are not allowed to handle Tarpon anymore without a stamp, just take a good picture and cut the line so you don’t get in any trouble.

NAVARRE

PIER
Anglers have had good success catching Spanish Mackerel on Gotcha plugs, small silver spoons and live Cigar Minnows. Bubble rigs with orange, green and striped straw materials have been doing well too. The King Mackerel bite has been steady all month and should stay that way. Best baits are live Hard Tails, Cigar Minnows and Threadfin Herring. The occasional Cobia is still being caught on the same live baits and of course jigs. Mangrove snapper have been on the end of the pier in pretty good numbers. You may want to try some 10# to 12# fluorocarbon leaders to get these fish to bite.

SURF
With light winds in the morning there should be some fishing opportunities. We should continue to see good numbers of Jack Crevalle in the 5# to 20# range. The Jacks are hitting best on top water poppers and Rapala Skitterwalks. The Pompano bite has remained spotty with most fish being landed on fresh dead shrimp and live sand fleas when you can find them. The Spanish Mackerel and Skipjack are all through the surf. Any bright shiny lure that is travelling very quickly will take their share. On calmer days Kayak fisherman can reach the King Mackerel just at the drop off in 20’ of water. There is also some Dolphin on the beach this time of year in the same areas. Look for the schools of threadfins and cigar minnows and troll with deep diving hard baits. Try trolling live baits around these baitfish schools as well.

SOUND AND BAYS
Nothing has changed much here. Anglers can expect to see great Trout fishing around the grass flats from Tiger Point to the grass flats just east of the bridge. Redfish and Flounder are also in the same waters with most of the fish caught on live shrimp under a popping cork. Also try using a 1/4oz jig tipped with a GULP! shrimp or jerk shad under the same popping cork. There have also been plenty of Trout and Redfish landed in East Bay from the Garcon Point Bridge up to the power lines crossing the entrance to the East River. There have been some reports of Spanish Mackerel being caught around the Navarre Beach Bridge. Use the same tactics as in the Gulf. Bright spoons and Gotcha plugs traveling very fast will get it done. With the heat of August, early morning and late afternoon forays will be the best times to fish for all species. Don’t overlook the summertime night fishing around the lighted docks. There are some nice fish right in the light, but don’t overlook the darker edges of the light either. Live shrimp is a great bait to use if you can get it. If not, the Berkley GULP! baits do well fished with a split shot or under a small popping cork.

NEAR SHORE – GULF
King Mackerel are still the hot bite near shore and continue to bite strong in and around the passes and inshore reefs in 60 to 80 feet of water. Trolling or fly lining live cigar minnows when anchored up has been the top producer. Dolphin continue to show up in increasing numbers especially around anglers fishing for bottom species. Just remember to have a rod ready and rigged with a pitch bait when they do show up. The near shore reefs and wrecks are also producing good numbers of Amberjack, Grouper, Red Snapper, Black Snapper, Lane Snapper and Triggerfish. The Grouper are being caught on large pinfish, threadfins or hardtails with their tail clipped to make it easier for the grouper to catch them. The Snappers will nail a live cigar minnow fished on the very bottom. Keep in mind that the Red Snapper season is closed.

OFFSHORE – GULF
Amberjack are almost on every wreck from 80’ on out with the largest fish being caught in deeper water of 100’ or more. Look for Grouper to remain on the near shore reefs and wrecks. Fish in the 10# to 15# range will hit pinfish, threadfins and hardtails. You will have to remove the tails from the Hardtails; otherwise they are next to impossible to get to the bottom on a light weight. Dolphin and Triple Tail can still be found on just about any floating structure. A jig tipped squid or shrimp will take the Triple Tail. A cut or live Cigar minnow or live Pinfish will get you your Dolphin. King mackerel are being caught daily over this same structure by fisherman fly lining live baits while anchored up. If you can get out the blue water bite is still smoking hot. Yellow Fin, Black Fin and Wahoo are being caught around most of the deep water oil rigs. Poppers, jigs and slow trolled ballyhoo continue to be the go to bait. The bigger fish are coming off the bridled Bonito or large Blue Runners bump trolled around the rigs. . Some reports have the cleaner water holding on the edge, but blue water remains around 100 miles out.

Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, FL 32408
www.halfhitch.com

Fishing Report prepared by Half Hitch Tackle Staff.

The Captains Corner Fishing Report is provided by local charter captains and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Half Hitch Tackle.

This report is dedicated to the memory of Al Hubbard.
Al Hubbard was a field editor for Florida Sportsman magazine, an outdoor writer for the News Herald and a board member of the Florida Outdoor Writer's Association.
Mr. Hubbard was also the owner of Al's Outdoors Outfitting Services.

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 8-26-10

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 24, 2010
By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events

Wednesday September 8th, Seminar on the "Fishing Fall Mullet Run" at the Backcountry Flyfishing Association meeting, 6:30 PM, Harmoni Market, 2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida 32804

Saturday, September 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fishing the Fall Mullet Run" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Saturday October 2nd 10 AM - 5 PM, "Discover Fly Fishing Day" in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. Guides, Professionals and Factory representatives will be on hand all day to introduce new comers to fly fishing and discuss casting, destinations, tactics, and equipment.

Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

This Week's Report
My outdoor adventures this past week led me away from the waters of Central Florida to the Florida Outdoor Writers Association conference in Tallassee, Florida.  One might think why would you have an outdoor writer's conference in Tallassee?  Well, to my surprise it turns out that between legislative sessions and Florida State football games, Tallassee is the sportsman capital of Florida.

We arrived in Tallassee on Wednesday afternoon and checked into the newly renovated Hotel Duval just three blocks from the State Capital building. Hotel Duval is both elegant and beautiful indeed, and it's wonderful and friendly staff made our four day conference very enjoyable and memorable.

Although the FOWA conferences are about networking with industry leaders and professional outdoor communicators, we still manage to get in a fun CPR fishing tournament out of the Shell Island Fish Camp in St. Marks, for which I took third place, I'm not bragging! And a traditional FOWA casting contest which was conducted on the steps of the State Capital Building, drawing a group of curious on lookers.



Stormy Sunrise in St. Marks, photo by Kathy Barker



Captain Gary Schnake with a St. Marks Sea Trout, photo by Kathy Barker



Shell Island Skiff, photo by Kathy Barker

On the fishing side, Tallassee is blessed with both great freshwater and saltwater opportunities.  Both Lake Talquin and Lake Jackson Lake Jackson are world renowned crappie, striper and largemouth bass fisheries accessible to the public.  On the saltwater side, St. Marks and the Apalachee Bay are only 30 miles to the south.

Tallahassee also has many diverse natural assets providing outdoor enthusiasts with countless outdoor activities and hunting. This area is unique in that it provides sportsmen opportunities to hunt a wide array of quarry: from big game like deer and hogs, coyotes and bobcat; to ducks, dove, quail and wild turkey; as well as small game like squirrels and rabbit.

This area is also fortunate to have many public land options for hunting and fishing, including the Apalachicola National Forest, Florida's largest national forest, protecting more than 571,088 acres and the Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is one of the few places in the state where only primitive weapons like bows and muzzleloaders are permitted for hunting.

All in all, it was a great week of adventure, and I'm already looking forward to our 2011 FOWA convention in Naples.
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
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line
Visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Florida Keys Fishing Report 8-25-10

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Holiday Isle Marina, Islamorada Florida

The last couple of days have been hot but the fishing has been hotter. We had the Gold Reserve going out with an awesome group of guys from North Carolina... the boys brought back over two dozen tuna. They had a great time..



We also had Dee Cee with anglers Kristen, Matt, Chris, the Murphy's, and Kalvin on his 80th birthday has never been out deep sea fishing, and boy did he have a wonderful time. Kristen also caught a sailfish. They brought home well over a three dozen tuna...way to go ...



If you would like to join us here in the sportsfish capital of the U.S.A. call us at 305-433-9942.. we would love to hook you up to a perfect day deep sea or backcountry fishing...

Nikki Holiday Isle Offshore 800-327-7070 Etc 642

Holiday Isle Resort and Marina
84001 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
305-664-2321 ext. 642
Direct: 305-433-9942
www.holidayisle.com
kharper@holidayisle.com 

Posted by Let's Fish at 8:09 AM

Key West Fishing Report 8-2010

Fishing Report For Key West August 2010
By: Capt Steven Lamp

Summer is Hot.. Especially in August.. Everywhere in the country except here in Key West. THe water and weather are fine..

Now that there is NO threat of the oil reaching Key West from the disaster in the Gulf there is absolutely no reason not to book with us a great flats fishing adventure.

The flats fishing has been crazy this July with catches all in the tarpon permit and bonefish category. I love this time of the year especially if it is cool enough to breath.. The fish love it to and will reward the steady angler with some patience a shot at his trophy of the Key West Flats.

We have flats boats, and Yellowfin Yachts bay boats at your service to fish the shallows..

Give us a call 1-888-362-3474



Capt Steven Lamp

5555 College Road
Key West, FL 33040
http://www.fishingkeywest.com
www.dreamcatchercharters.com
captstevenlamp@bellsouth.net
888-362-3474

Sebastian Inlet Fishing Report 8-2010

Whiteys Fishing Report
August 2010
     
Sebastian Inlet & Offshore
    Summer time surf fishing will be slow with little wave action in the surf and cold water on the beaches.  If we get a small rolling swell and a little chop it can increase your odds.  The lack of sand fleas around does not help the shore bite, but look for a few  whiting and the occasional pompano. Most of the anglers are trading their pompano gear in for heavier rods and targeting the large schools of bait moving along the beaches and catching tarpon and snook.

      The massive bait pods full of pogies, greenies, glass minnows or mullet will gather along the beaches as far as the eye can see. Watch for baits exploding through the air as predators from below make their attack. Tarpon will roll in the bait pods or blast out of the water onto their backs when they are in a feeding frenzy. Look for jacks, redfish, blues, snook and bonito to be mixed into the action along the edges of the schools. Keep an eye on the surf later in the month, because an early run of mullet can march down the beach and you don’t want to miss out on that. Snagging some bait with your net or casting large shallow diving plugs, swim baits or top waters will let you cover more water and stay up with the moving fish. Several sharks might make a run through the schools, so keep extra plugs ready to go for cut offs and break offs.   Kayak fishing from the beaches can be the best this month as the action is right along the beach or just offshore within a mile.

      The offshore reefs are chilled to the bone.   The summer time cold water currents are here and who knows when the bottom will warm up.  Bottom temperatures have been reported in the low 50's.  Several snapper, moray eels and smaller fish are already laying dead on the bottom.  With all the changes in our fishing regulations, the best way to get any bottom action is to strap on a scuba tank and harvest some lobster.  You will want to layer up with a heavy 3-5 mil wet suit and a full hood.

     Lobster season begins August 6 and continues through March 31. Most of the inshore ledges and 50-60 ft. reefs have shown good numbers of lobster prior to the start of season.  With calm weather conditions, most divers should have a good chance of harvesting a few nice sized lobsters and shooting a few mangrove snapper for dinner.

      Remember the bag limit is 6 lobsters per person with a 3” carapace. Also take a good look at your catch, and make sure the females do not have any eggs. If you do catch one with eggs use great care in releasing her unharmed to help ensure we have good lobster stocks for the future.

      Scattered weed lines seem to be holding some flying fish and live bait around 120-180 ft.  Sailfish and Dolphin are residents there and a sure catch if you slow troll live baits or drag a few dead ones.  Don't overlook the 50-60 ft. range, there has been large schools of  flying fish inshore and they are sure to bring in some big pelagics. Several cobia have been lingering along the offshore bars and swimming right up to the boats.  Always keep a pitch bait or buck tail close by because Cobia are known to make a surprise visit and leave just as quick.

      Kingfish are scattered all over the offshore bars, with most fish in the 8-15 lb range, along with a few smokers 25-30 lbs mixed in. Live baits on the surface will attract an aggressive strike and with flat water conditions, look for the kings to rocket out of the water with the baits in their mouth. Large bait pods of greenies and a few pogies are several miles off the beach with a greater concentration south of the inlet for now. The bait pods will be moving and there could be fish hanging on the edges so cast a buck tail or a swim bait a few times into to the ball and see if you get any strikes.

      The bite at Sebastian has been fairly predictable recently and should remain so through August. Snook, reds, mangrove snapper and the occasional flounder have been coming over the rail fairly often. Outgoing tides seem to be producing a good number of reds, whereas the incoming has been producing the snook. Shrimp, mojarras and pinfish have been the baits of choice unless you can find any of the elusive croakers, which will surely draw a strike. Most of the snapper have been caught during the incoming tides or slack tides using shrimp and mojarras.

     River fishing has been good in the early mornings to midday. Good numbers of redfish have been seen laying around on the grass flats mixed up with a few snook. Get out and wade your favorite flats with top water plugs or live shrimp. Get out early before the heat of the day warms the shallow waters.

     Lots of fish to go after this month, you can save fuel and fish from land, or head offshore several miles and grab a few grouper and lobster!
As usual stop by Whitey’s to get the latest information or check us out on the web at www.whiteysonline.com.  Until next month…

Whitey's Bait & Tackle
321-724-14409030 S Highway A1a
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951
captstovall@whiteysonline.comwww.whiteysonline.com/  

Amelia Island Fishing Report 8-20-2010

Thursday, August 19, 2010
Slam Fishing
Mark Martin was visiting Amelia Island from St. Louis with his family and took in backcountry fishing trip this morning. We left the south end dock at 7am with the tide just starting out from a high. We ran up the Nassau River, stopping at oyster outcrops and tossing frisky live shrimp "hangling" under a Cajun Thunder float rig. We had a few bites at our first stop, but on the second and third stops Mark began to pick up feisty Redfish.
We lost a couple of nice fish then boated a few more Reds. At our last stop in Nassau Mark boated a couple of "poor mans Tarpon" - Ladyfish and another Redfish. We pulled up and ran through Jackstaff to its mouth then began a troll back along the oyster lined bank. Mark switched to the jig/shrimp combo and right off the bat hooked up with a fighter which he fought expertly to the boat and the waiting net - a nice Jack Crevalle. Mark was nailing his casts to the bank and caught a couple of Seatrout, another Red or two and a Catfish. With the sun getting hot, we decided to make a run for Broward Island, even though the tide was still ripping out, but we were rewarded with Mark catching another Redfish, then completing the "inshore slam", by catching a Flounder. With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Capt. Lawrence Piper
The Anglers Mark
Amelia Island, Florida
904-557-1027
lwpiper@comcast.net
theanglersmark.com

Posted by Cpt. Lawrence Piper at 6:57 PM

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

The summer fishing continues to be outstanding here in central Florida. Redfish have been providing the most consistent action with large schools being encountered on most days. These fish have been biting well and will chase down lures fished on the surface providing some explosive bites. There are a few tarpon around but they have yet to appear inshore in significant numbers.

During the first week of the month, I spent a couple days fishing with Capt. Blair Wiggins, host of the Addictive Fishing TV show. We spent the first day fishing without cameras and found some huge redfish willing to eat both Baitbusters and DOA shrimp. Nearly every spot we visited held hungry redfish. The next day the cameras arrived to film an episode of the show. Of course the giant reds were not in the mood to bite but we did find and catch plenty of other redfish. The episode should air in late September.

Sam and Wade had a good day redfishing in Mosquito Lagoon. The four inch Cal in silver mullet color accounted for multiple fish caught and released.





After dropping my clients off at the ramp, I went back out for an hour of fun fishing. Using the shallow running Baitbuster, I fooled four more redfish from 15-20 pounds.



Glen and his son Gabe had shots at hundreds of redfish throughout the day. We found fish in schools and small groups roaming the shallow flats. Gabe landed the largest fish of the day just before we headed in.



Rusty and John had a tough start to the day as many of the redfish that had been present the previous two days had spread out with the rising water levels. It took us a while to find them but we located some large schools of black drum and redfish. Rusty got a black drum around 15 pounds and John landed a similar sized redfish.



Sunday, I took a break from the flats fishing to fish along the beach with Capt. Ron Presley. We encountered tarpon and large jack crevalle along with schools of little tunny. I had one bite from a large tarpon but missed the hookset. The tunnys and a barracuda gave us some great light tackle action on Baitbusters and the 5.5 inch BFL.





Yesterday, Dan and his father George had a great day on the Lagoon. The redfish were chasing down the Baitbuster all day long.





I look forward to continued topwater action for the next couple months. As the fall mullet run gets under way, the fish will get more and more aggressive as they fatten up for the winter. With lots of grass floating on the surface, treble hooked plugs can be difficult to use. The DOA Chughead rigged on a weedless jerkbait and the Baitbuster are effective despite the grass.


Upcoming Seminars

Saturday, September 18 - 9:30-11:30 - Fishing The Fall Mullet Run
  Mosquito Creek Outdoors Apopka. Instructors - Capt. Tom Van Horn and Capt. Chris Myers

Saturday, October 2nd - 10am - 5pm - Discover Fly Fishing - Come out to Mosquito Creek Outdoors and see casting demos, try the latest fly fishing rods, and learn about the sport of fly fishing. Possible special guest by well known pros. Stay tuned for more details.

Saturday, October 23rd - 9:30-11:30 - Fall Flats Fishing Tactics
  Mosquito Creek Outdoors Apopka. Instructors - Capt. Tom Van Horn and Capt. Chris Myers
Fishing the DOA Baitbuster
You often hear me talk about using the Baitbuster to catch a variety of fish. It is one of the best lures for summer fishing that I use. Throughout the summer and fall, redfish off all sizes are eager to eat this mullet imitation. With its single hook on top design, the Baitbuster can be used in areas where treble hook plugs are useless. For some exciting topwater action. Reel the shallow runner on the surface just fast enough to keep it on top. The key to keeping it weed free is no not let it sink down when it first lands in the water. Redfish will charge the lure pushing a big wake. They will often strike several times before getting hold of the lure. Do not set the hook until you feel the fish. Slow it down and they will usually turn away. If you have not tried this lure for redfish, you are missing an awesome bite. It equally is effective on redfish, trout, snook, and tarpon.
 
For larger tarpon and snook, I use the trolling model Baitbuster. The heavy head and strong hook allow for casting distance with bigger tackle and can quickly land huge fish.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
321-229-2848

Indian River Fishing Is Solid

3 Days of Solid Fishing!

The fishing has been really consistent and good the past 3 days. Friday George and Ken boated 16 redfish and a nice black drum. It was an awesome day. I would also like to Thank George for using his truck as a rolling billboard for my guide service. He lives in Tampa and that is really awesome! See the photo! Saturday proved to be another solid day as Robert and Ronette landed 10 slot reds, 2 big black drum and 4 reds that went over 30 pounds. Sunday was father and son day as Greg and Collin got some nice slot redfish and 2 very large reds. The pictures tell the story! I am booking for September and October. I do have 3 open days in August so call to see if they work for you. September is filling fast with 13 days already booked so call 407-405-0819 and let's have some fun!
PLEASE CHECK OUT SEVERAL PAGES OF PHOTOS! Tons of big fish! Thanks!

15 Aug 2010 by Captain David Roger

Captain David Rogers
AAA Hawgwild Saltwater Charters LLC
Host The 'Hawgwild Fishing Show'
WAMT 1190 Saturdays 8-10 am (407-273-1190) Live call-in
ESPN WHOO 1080 Sunday 7-9 am/ replay - www.hawgwildradio.com
407-405-0819 Book Charters
www.aaahawgwildcharters.com

Sarasota Fishing Report 8-14-10

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/18 through 8/16/2010

Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released tarpon, snook, reds, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel during the past several weeks. I traveled to Stuart during week of 7/18 to fish the 11th annual DOA Outdoor Writers Festival. It is a fun filled event that matches guides with outdoor writers from around the country. The area is known for its big snook and trout and this year was no exception.

Snook to 44” were caught and released in the St. Lucie Inlet on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz. There were also a pair of trout in the 10-lb class caught and released on DOA baits in the Indian River near Ft. Pierce. Anglers fishing with me waded a couple of flats close to the inlet one day and fished the inlet another day. We caught and released several snook to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails and rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz in the St. Lucie Inlet.

Back in Sarasota, Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL, jumped his first tarpon on a fly and had another bite on a trip in the coastal gulf. Dean Hannemann, from Sarasota, FL, had good action jumping several tarpon and landing one on flies on another trip. Joe and Mitchell White, from Tallahassee, FL, fished a pre dawn/flats trip in Sarasota Bay with me and landed several snook around Siesta Key docks and more than 30 trout to 4-pounds, bluefish and ladyfish near Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. David Hilton, from the UK, also fished a pre dawn/flats trip with me recently and caught and released several snook to 24”, trout to 18”, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on flies near Bishop Point. Anglers on another trip in the coastal gulf had only a few shots at tarpon but jumped 2 and had another bite on flies.

 I was gone again for a family vacation to NC but returned in time to take Vic Cook, from Columbus, OH, out for a morning of fishing on Sunday. We fished a couple docks before dawn on Siesta Key where Vic caught and released several snook, trout and ladyfish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishop Point at dawn and found the action slow. We caught only a few ladyfish and trout on a fly popper/Clouser Combo before moving on. With a flood high tide that was dropping fast, we hunted for reds in skinny water near Long Bar. It wasn’t long before we found them and Vic was hooked up to a big red on an Enrico Puglisi Everglades Special fly. He landed the 28” red and hooked another, to complete his Sarasota Bay slam (red, snook and trout) with a fly!

Tarpon are thinning out in the coastal gulf but they are aggressive and are still worth taking a look. They are moving into Sarasota Bay around bridges and on deep grass flats in many of the same areas where we find trout, blues and mackerel. With the water temperature at 89 degrees in now in Sarasota Bay, there is a narrow window for a few hours in the morning when action is best. Predators have been herding glass minnows into “bait balls” and feeding heavily in them. The action usually starts with ladyfish and the longer it lasts, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and tarpon will join the frenzy. This happens shortly after the sun rises and only lasts for a couple of hours before the bait and predators go deep.

This time of year I often snook fish for a couple of hours before dawn, which is the coolest time of day, and then move to the flats for fast action with trout, blues, mackerel, tarpon and more.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com



Mitchell White, from Tallahassee, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught and released this 4-pound trout on a DOA Deadly Combo.

Dave Hilton, from the UK, fished Siesta Key docks with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught and released this snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 8-14-10

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report,
August 14, 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn


 Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events 

Wednesday September 8th, Seminar on the "Fishing Fall Mullet Run" at the Backcountry Flyfishing Association meeting, 6:30 PM, Harmoni Market, 2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida 32804

Saturday, September 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fishing the Fall Mullet Run" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Saturday October 2nd 10 AM - 5 PM, "Discover Fly Fishing Day" in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. Guides, Professionals and Factory representatives will be on hand all day to introduce new comers to fly fishing and discuss casting, destinations, tactics, and equipment.



Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.


This Week's Report
Windy conditions this past week generated by a passing tropical low pressure system moving north through the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a shift in plans from fishing the near-shore waters out of Port Canaveral to fishing inshore in the Indian River Lagoon.  One of the great attributes about living and fishing in Central Florida is the multitude of fishing options available year round.  If conditions are too rough offshore, lighten up your tackle and hit the lagoon or one of our many fresh water lakes or rivers.

This past week I fish the Indian River Lagoon on two occasions with mixed results.  On the first trip, I had the honor of fishing with the Dunkly party from Ohio, and the fishing was tough to say the least.  At our first stop, we located a nice school of black drum, and two nice drum made the boat within the first hour.  After drum school dissipated, we struggled to catch anything other than hardhead catfish for the remainder of the day with the exception of a huge 50-inch redfish brought to the boat by the tag team efforts of Casey and Mathew.

On my second charter I was privileged to once again fish with repeat clients Craig and Max Welch and their friend Ken from Texas.  Again, the fishing was great, but the catching was even tougher than the trip before.  Throughout the day we had shots at both redfish and black drum, and other than a mullet and a catfish taken on fly by Ken, we never put a single redfish or black drum in the boat.  During the first two hours of the trip, we found multiple schools of big redfish with no takers, and near the end of the day we found the mother lode of black drum schools, and we never even got a bite, very frustrating.  Without stretching the truth much, we must have had shots at a thousand fish, and if it wasn't for Ken's secret Texas mullet fly, we would have gotten skunked.

As of this writing, the seaward conditions have settled down, so look for Three Quarter Time to be busting out of Port Canaveral in the morning for some tarpon, snook and kingfish action along the beach, and I'll let you know how we did in my next report.



Mathew and Casey Double Teamed this Monster Redfish



Mathew's Black Drum on a Trigger X Crab



Trigger X Black DrumBlack .

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
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

Visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Florida 2010 Fishing Licenses Increase

On July 1 resident shoreline fishing license is free; other prices increase

News Release

June 22, 2010
Contact: Henry Cabbage, 850-488-8843

The license for Florida residents to catch saltwater fish from shore or a structure affixed to shore cost $9 last year, but beginning July 1, it's free. Other license and permit fees will increase on that date.

The Florida Legislature repealed the shoreline license fee during the past session. However, legislators retained the license requirement to prevent a more-costly federal registration fee from taking effect in Florida.

Resident anglers who order the shoreline license, or other licenses or permits, over the phone or Internet will still have to pay a processing fee to the vendor. The processing fee is $2.31 for Internet sales at www.fl.wildlifelicense.com or $3.33 for phone sales at 888-FISH FLORIDA (888-347-4356).

The Florida Legislature, during the 2009 session, increased permit fees effective July 1, 2010. The cost of a turkey permit will go up from $5 to $10 for Florida residents and from $100 to $125 for nonresidents. In addition, Florida waterfowl permits will increase from $3 to $5.

The cost of two saltwater fishing permits also will go up on July 1. The snook permit will increase from $2 to $10, and lobster permits will increase from $2 to $5.

Until July 1, however, sportsmen can still buy all of these permits at the current prices, and all permits are valid for one year from the specified start date.

There also is a new deer permit that will be required whenever hunting deer in Florida, beginning during the upcoming 2010-2011 hunting season.  The permit will cost $5 and will not be available for purchase until July 1.

Those with a sportsman's license, gold sportsman's license, 64 or older sportsman's license, military gold sportsman's license, lifetime hunting license or lifetime sportsman's license will not need to purchase the new deer permit because it has already been included in each of these licenses, even if they were purchased before July 1.

The deer permit, however, is not included with a hunting license, combination hunting/freshwater fishing license, combination hunting/freshwater/saltwater license or a five-year hunting license. Anyone hunting deer with any of those licenses must also buy the $5 deer permit to hunt deer legally.

All permits and related licenses are available for purchase online at www.fl.wildlifelicense.com, at county tax collectors' offices, many retail outlets that sell fishing and hunting supplies, or by calling toll-free 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356).

There are some exemptions for license requirements. More information is available at MyFWC.com/License.

Jensen Beach Fishing Report 8-13- 2010

FISHING 8/7/10



           Cold water, off shore usually after a strong west wind we will have a cold water upwelling but no wind and we still have cold water?  Every one that I talked to said something about the cold.  All that great Mutton and Yellow Tail Snapper came to an end, if the water was that cold on the surface who knows what the bottom temps were.  What to do in the cold look in the deeper water, 220’ plus that is where the surface temps warmed.  As anglers left the inlets they talked of the cooler temps and then getting warmer as they went deeper.  Black Fin Tuna from 200’ out on small feathers, small cedar plugs, and small tensile jigs the key was small.  The good part was that these fish put on some weight but then so did the Bonita.  Like it came it will leave, cold today and normal tomorrow, not sure how Mother Nature does that.

                Inlets on the out going tides had Spanish Mac’s eating what ever you put in the water, one or two fine but not my target.  Snook and Tarpon will be back as soon as the water warms.  Snook season is closed, have our fingers crossed for and opening day of September 16.

                Surf edge cold maybe that is the reason the bite was so good in the middle of the day.  Whiting and Croaker, one cast one fish, I guess I am not the only fan of the heat.  Casting to these fish and you were beyond them, they were a pitch away.  Good size fish, do not forget the ice.

                 River temps were normal, early anglers found fish in the flats on top water lures, late riser had to look for their fish.  Shaded water, deeper waters were the targeted areas.  Lots of Glass Minnow schools, fish the edges for the Reds and the Trout were in the midst of it all.  Pay attention for the rolling Tarpon, they love Glass Minnows.  Pompano at the bridges and some really nice fish, small jigs were preferred.

                  Well I know for sure Mother Nature has not read the chapter in my book on summer water temps and the Pompano the chapter on migration, so it is back to the books for me, ………………………………………………….HENRY

Snook Nook Bait & Tackle
3595 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, FL
(Just South of the Jensen Causeway)
(772)-334-2145
(Since 1949)
E-Mail: henry@snooknook.net
www.snooknook.net  

Indian River Fishing Report 8-5-2010

Fishing Report
Fort Pierce - Port St Lucie - Vero Beach - Jensen Beach
August 5, 2010


INSHORE REPORT:

As summer continues to bring the hot weather to our area, the fishing greatly improved this past week. We have enjoyed catching redfish, snook and trout out on the flats or around the docks. I managed to get out one day to do some scouting and another day fishing with Clint Walker of the Fishing Center. Getting out early gets you off the water before the heat of the day sets in. It was a good week fishing!

Top water has worked very well in the early mornings. It produced redfish, snook and trout this week for us. Fish the docks, glass minnow pods or along the channel edges to get your results. I did find some nice redfish up on the shallow flats in one to two feet of water at midday this week. A couple were even tailing for a change. DOA shrimp works best in shallow water for redfish. My largest was a healthy 29" this week. Try around the Moorings or north of Harbor Branch for redfish or the docks south of Fort Pierce.

Trout were biting top water, live pigfish and DOA CAL jerk baits. I even landed one on a BFL lure among the many glass minnows. Try the deeper edges of the flats or around the docks. Some big trout are out there feeding. Our largest topped 26" this week. Snook fishing remains good at the jetties for those anglers using feather jigs, TerrorEyz or live baits. I did land two this week while fishing the drop offs around the glass minnows. There are plenty more out there. Utilize the bait schools to help in your success. Lots of snapper are being taken along the channel edges and again.....around the glass minnows. Live shrimp always works best for them. Lots of ladyfish and jacks have been cruising the river to give you even more action out there. It's been a great week!

Tip of the Week:

Finally...it looks like snook season will open on September 17th. I am sure there are lots of eager anglers waiting to catch that slot snook for dinner. Sometime this month do a simple check of your license to make sure both your license and snook permit are current. You know that the FWC will be out there checking, so save yourself a headache and fine now. I think the first few days of snook season will be pretty hectic this year, so make your plans now and insure that you won't have any problem should you be checked for licenses or safety equipment. Good luck out there!

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!

Captain Charlie Conner
http://www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Some of this weeks catches!








(Captain Charlie Conner has been fishing the Indian River Lagoon for over twenty-five years. Specializing in light tackle fishing in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, Stuart and Port St Lucie, Florida. His weekly South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report gives you the latest inshore fishing information for the Treasure Coast area on the Indian River Lagoon.}

Amelia Island Fishing Report 8-10-10

Monday, August 9, 2010
First Fish, Biggest Fish, Most Fish
Joe Segraves was in town, visiting from Kennesaw, Georgia, and treated his grandson, Gavin, to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip. The guys were raring to go at 7am as we left the Atlantic Seafood dock with a live well full of frisky shrimp. We headed up to the Tiger Island inlet, shut the big engine down, and trolled in to the flooded marsh grass, with a high tide expected at 9:30am. We saw a few Manatee flippers but they were out deeper so we eased in and lowered over the river anchor.






Gavin and Joe had a little competition going with a challenge to see who caught the first fish, the biggest fish, and the most fish and it wasn't long before the competition began! Joe got on the board with the "first fish" by catching a nice Seatrout but Gavin soon followed. After that it was tough to keep count as the anglers boated Trout after Trout after Trout, with a few feisty Redfish thrown in. Then Joe hooked up with a fish that had some weight to its fight; he played the fish perfectly and soon netted a 19" Trout! After each angler caught more Trout, a few Croakers, a few Blues, and even a Ladyfish, Gavin's cork disappeared and he had a battle on his hands; he cranked the beast in and we soon netted a 19" Trout that trumped his Grandfathers! When it seemed the Croaker and Blues were getting more prevalent than the Trout and Reds, we eased out of the area, cranked up, and went to the docks at Lanceford Creek. We had a number of nibbles, then Gavin had a hookup that ripped drag and had him going from stern to bow, under the anchor rope and back, with rod bent almost double. After many minutes of a battle, Gavin subdued a monster of a Stingray, which we photographed and released. We tried a few more docks, adding another Trout, then called it day, with Grandfather Joe getting the "first fish" category, but Gavin taking the "most fish" and "largest fish" to take the competition, but we were all winners, counting it as a great day to be out on the water!

Capt. Lawrence Piper
The Anglers Mark
Amelia Island, Florida
904-557-1027
lwpiper@comcast.net
theanglersmark.com

Jacksonville Florida Fishing Report 8-2010

August 2010

Ahoy there Anglers,
 
The fishing has been good even though it's been hot. The water temperature has heated up but there are certainly some strange things happening anyway. How about the sheepshead biting at the jetties and in the river? Can you believe the sheepshead are fired up? Now "fired up" during the summer time months isn't like the fall, winter and spring firing up but we've been catching anywhere from 10 to 20 sheepshead in the past couple of weeks. I certainly call that "fired up" for this time of the year. the black drum are another species that fires up during the cooler water temperatures in the fall, winter and spring but we're still catching them right in the middle of summer. Tarpon have been all up and down the rocks at the jetties when the tide slacks off. It doesn't seem to matter if it's high slack or low slack but they're out there before and after each change of tides.

The oil in the Gulf has finally been stopped. I sure hope they keep it stopped so many of the fishermen and women can enjoy their sport as well as make a living over there. I see that NOAA has re-opened some of the previously-closed areas to fishing. That's a relief to a lot of people over there.
CREEKS:
Big redfish in the creeks still. We've been catching them up to 33" this year. They're a blast! Nice slot-sized reds are biting too. The flounder are just starting to pick up now. We're catching a couple here and there when we really concentrate on them but the numbers are just not there. Everyone has been talking about the same thing, flounder and spotted sea trout. There is a few larger spotted trout in the creeks on the higher tides during the early mornings but after that people are catching small ones. Try slip-float fishing deeper down for more action on the trout.
Black drum and sheepshead are being caught in the creeks also. We've caught some good sheepshead in the creeks to about 1 to 4 pounds. The reason we're catching some sheepshead and black drum while redfish fishing is we've been using cut blue crabs in certain areas and that seems to be the ticket. A few mangrove snapper are in the creeks too. Mud minnows or live shrimp are the baits of choice for this species. Tarpon are moving into the creeks now also. Starting to see more and more of them.
Schools of jacks from 2 to 8 pounds will start splashing when they've got the bait schooled up. I love casting top waters to these guys. Check the ICW for some good action on the jacks too.

JETTIES:
Huge redfish, a few slot-sized redfish, black drum, sharks, jacks, tarpon, sea bass and loads of tiny croakers are what's happening mostly out at the rocks now. Redfish from 5 to 45 pounds are being caught along with 4 to 15 pound drum.
Whiting in the sandier areas along with some yellow mouth trout and there are a few legal-sized black sea bass at the stones too it's just most of them, hundreds, are too small to harvest.
Check out the tarpon mostly at the turn of the tides when the current slows enough to cast a live pogie or a big live mullet out in front of one. Most of the tarpon I've seen so far are along the inside of the South rocks. In looking for the jacks I like to be out there on the last of the incoming, high and first of the outgoing tides. They'll be splashing water 3' high and the birds will be all over them inside and outside the rocks. Catching and releasing large sharks are such a blast! Pound for pound you won't find a stronger fish to fight. A live pogie or small croaker either soaked on the bottom on the outgoing tide or suspended about 5' under a float during slack water is exciting. You can also freeline a pogie out if you're outside the rocks where there isn't as much current.

RIVER:
About the same as last month's report with one exception, sheepshead. The sheepshead are biting better than normal for this time of the year. Some real good-sized ones too. Whiting, yellow mouth trout, black drum and big bull redfish are the ticket in the river to bend a rod right now. A cut blue crab will get you a black drum or bull redfish. A dead shrimp can get you some nice dinner-sized whiting and yellow mouth trout and live shrimp or live mud minnows fished around the dock pilings can get you some nice mangrove snapper. I like fiddler crabs for the sheepshead. I haven't seen any tarpon in the river but they've got to go through there somewhere to get to the creeks. I haven't seen the schools of jacks I usually see in the river yet.

MILL COVE:
A few spotted sea trout, yellow mouth trout, whiting and redfish in the Cove. I like to check out the reds in the flooded grass during the higher tides and while doing so you can find an occasional sheepshead or two in the grass. The tarpon are moving in the Cove now also but most of them are still at the jetties. A couple flounder here and there but looking for them being concentrated is tough. I sure hope the fall flounder run is better this year than last.

SURF:
The surf report I get from Rick at Rick's Bait & Tackle saying the whiting are still doing good along with some nice black drum and redfish being caught in the surf. He mentioned people are catching flounder around the pilings of the Jax. Beach Pier. People are also float-fishing for spotted sea trout and catching quite a few at the Pier. Rick has said they've caught some real nice kingfish right off the end of the Pier this season.

That's about it for now. Please remember to bring a trash bag out with you and bring your trash back to the dock. There are trash cans at every ramp and at every park. Please help keep our waterways clean and trash-free.


You can say what you want about the South but,
you never hear of anyone retiring and moving up North,,,
><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>

Captain Vic Tison
Co-Host of WOKV's 'Just Fishing' Radio Show, Saturdays 6:00am to 8:00am
United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain
International Game Fish Assoc. Certified Captain
Regional Director for the Florida Guides Assoc.
Member of the National Assoc. of Charterboat Operators
Member of the American Professional Captain's Association
Sponsor of The Inshore Saltwater Anglers Club

Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc.
P O Box 28208
Jax., Fl. 32226
904-699-2285
Web Site http://vic2fish.com

Neither Captain Vic nor Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc. claims any responsibility for any injury or loss of property arising out of any party using these Fishing Reports.
If you no longer wish to receive Capt. Vic's Fishing Reports, please e-mail me to unsubscribe and I'll remove your address from the lists.

Catching Tarpon

Tarpon Ain't Easy to Catch from Reel Escape Films on Vimeo.

This is an awesome video that gives you a real sense about what tarpon fishing is all about!

Charlotte Harbor Fishing Excellent 8-2010

THIS MONTHS FISHING REPORT

Tarpon are here in mass and we are getting many good shots everyday.  The largest fish of the season goes to Penny Hornig who boated a 170lb giant.  Good work Penny. Backwater fishing is good with many reds moving around in the backcountry.  Taking them on Zara spooks and soft plastics.  Cobia are showing within a mile of the shore and are mixed with mackerel.  Night snook has been average as the snook are moving out of the backwwater and out to the beach. Fishing rates as excellent at present.

Tight lines,

Capt. Al White

Boca On The Fly
Captain Al White
(941) 697-0320 Cell (941) 830-1375
e-mail: BocaOnTheFly@yahoo.com

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 8-6-2010

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 5, 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events
Saturday August 7th  9 a. m. to noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S. Washington Ave. in Apopka Florida. Free seminar on "Snook Fishing Tactics" instructed by Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn.  Special guest instructor Steve Chapman from Fishing Florida Radio. Come learn the secrets to catching snook, and become a more successful angler.

First half hour is basic instruction and after the class is open forum.


This Week's Report

Like most of the country, the weather this week on the Indian River Lagoon Coast was extremely hot with heat indexes reaching the 110 degree mark by mid afternoon on most days.  Although it was hot at the mid day, fishing very early in the morning and late in the afternoon both produced good catches this week.

My first adventure was in the near-shore waters out of Port Canaveral with Bob and Mary Lynne from up-state New York.  I arrived at the dock at 5 a.m., early as usual, and I hooked a nice snook from the dock while waiting for my clients to arrive.  The water temperature in the Port was 81 degrees, and we opted to head south in search of live bait (pogies).  As we headed south, the water temperature kept dropping and by the time we reached Patrick AFB, it was 76 degrees.  The bait was spread out, so we kept heading south and finally located and caught bait south of Patrick.

With water temperatures in the 70's, I knew we would have to locate warmer water if we were going to catch fish, so I decided to make the 20 mile run to 8A reef.  During the mid summer on the Lagoon Coast of Florida, cold water upwelling's associated with the Coriolis Effect move into the shallow coastal waters shutting down the bite in a matter of days.  When this phenomenon occurs, finding warm water is the key to catching fish.  This same effect is also responsible for draining the lagoons and contributing to the extremely low water levels we are now experiencing.

I knew from what I was seeing, that we were going to have a tough day, but the fish gods were smiling on us as we located a heave concentration of nice kingfish, and in the last 45 minutes of the charter, Bob and Mary Lynne boated 8 kingfish, saving the day.

With the cold water moving in on the near-shore waters, I knew it was time to visit the lagoon and do some scouting for redfish, so on my next adventure I hooked up with my good friends Larry Carter and Jay Herrington.  As stated earlier, we found the lagoon water levels very low.  My goal was to locate schools of redfish, and maybe catch a few in the process, and as luck would have it, our first stop yielded three large redfish in the 30 pound range.  These fish are under tremendous stress during the summer due to low oxygen in the water, hot water and angling pressure, so we opted to leave the school after boating and reviving three large fish.

For the remainder of the morning, we ran from spot to spot, and found decent groups of big fish in several different locations.



Jay's Monster From the MorningJay's Monster Redfish



Jay's Mega RedfishJay's Mega Redfish



Jay and Larry's with Larry's early morning redfish.Jay and Lary Carter 1

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
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

Visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Florida Keys Fishing Report 8-5-10

Out on the Capt. J.R. anglers Mark and Donna caught dolphins, barricudas, and yellowtails.
But the big catch of the month has been off the Gotcha...David and Laura Wheeler, father and daughter bringing in this beast of a dolphin weighing in at 48 pounds on 20 pound spin tackle. We also had A Pirates Choice catching 140 pound blue marlin and dolphin with local angler Bob Moore from Tavernier. Killer White also coming back with a rackfull of dolphin...(no pic) and Yabba Dabba Doo hunting marlin with two successes (no pic). If you would like to come on out and fish now is the time...call us here at Holiday Isle Marina at 305-433-9942



Nikki Holiday Isle Offshore 800-327-7070 Etc 642

Holiday Isle Resort and Marina
84001 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
305-664-2321 ext. 642
Direct: 305-433-9942
www.holidayisle.com
kharper@holidayisle.com 

Fort Lauderdale Deep Sea Fishing 8-1-10

It has been an up and down week of fishing.  Before tropical storm Bonnie came through fishing was pretty good.  There were some sailfish around as well as kingfish, bonita, a few mahi-mahi, a couple of sharks, and a few other fish.  After Bonnie passed fishing was slow for a couple of days but then the fish started biting good again.  We caught a lot of kingfish, a few bonita,  some smaller blackfin tuna, and a couple of wahoo .  We are looking forward to another week of nice weather, hopefully fishing will stay good too.  Well that's all for now, hope to see you soon.

Reel Work
301 Seabreez Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-522-9399
1-877-524-9377
Email: lauderdalefishing@gmail.com
Website: lauderdalefishing.com
Fort Lauderdale Fishing Charters

Jensen Beach Fishing Report 8-1-2010

FISHING 8/1/10



                Lake Atlantic, that’s as conditions have been, one to two feet with a light wind, a great week for boating.  Lobster mini season was last week and the seas were perfect.  Heard and saw some nice catches, the largest we saw eight pounds taken on the first day but sure heard about a lot of bugs. Interesting was the next day every one was headed out for the Muttons, those lobster pieces make great chum for bottom fish and the Muttons have been high on the catch list.

                 Off shore the polite seas had anglers playing around Push Button Hill and east of the there, deep water is where the gaffer Dolphin were taken.  Interesting was not a sound of these fish on the radio, but did wee a few and talked to a few anglers who were privy to the info, saw to fish over twenty pounds.  Most at the Hill were playing with the Black Fins trolling small cedar plugs and feathers, fish in the ten to fifteen pound class. Action zone was the 140’, on the catch list were Sails, small Dolphin, Kings, Bonita and more Bonita.  So many Bonita you needed extra bait, Bonita will eat any thing or every thing.  Trolled or live the fish were hungry, live baits were there one day and a hard finds the next, did you look in front of the House of Refuge that should always be your first stop. Now about the Muttons, from the inlets on out, Mutton Snapper everywhere, if there is a rock on the bottom they are on it, a dead Sardine works great. Did I mention the African Pompano and Permit on the Sand Pile, small jigs will get their attention.

                 Surf anglers started the week with 36” Cobia, plenty of Whiting, Croaker and those pesky Snook mixed with some big Jacks.  Yes they will all eat shrimp but if it is Snook that Crystal Minnow and the deep running Bait Buster by DOA will find them. That being the targets please take the barbs off the hooks for a quick release. Big Whiting and Bigger Croaker make a real nice dinner; do not forget the ice and the Jacks are there to test you and your equipment.  It was an all day bite, so sleep in then come on down.

                  River anglers are limited to low light, which is the best bite time.  If you can see the fish they can see you.  Long cast those top water lures and as the sun gets higher long cast those soft rubber baits.  Lots of slot Trout and Reds mixed with pesky Snook and mean Jacks.  Watch the grass edges, and pot holes in the sand both make great ambush points.  When the sun is high just go for the shaded and deep water, the fish want out of the sun. Tarpon at the power plant, at the channels, at the Stuart causeway and the Cross Roads but it seems they have won not one angler has that them on the target list.

                  Till next week, lots of water, sun screen and where is the camera………………………………………………HENRY

Snook Nook Bait & Tackle
3595 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, FL
(Just South of the Jensen Causeway)
(772)-334-2145
(Since 1949)
E-Mail: henry@snooknook.net
www.snooknook.net       

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 8-2010

August Fishing Outlook


The summer doldrums have arrived along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida, and as long as the summer squalls stay away and the Labrador currents do not cool inshore waters too much, fishing along the beaches and in the inlets will remain good.

 
The Labrador currents should be pushing in soon, cooling down bottom temperatures and the bottom fishing in some areas along Florida's east coast. With average bottom water temperatures in the mid sixties, finding warmer water will be the key to locating fish.  Look for the blue water bite to improve along the inshore reefs and wrecks of Chris Benson, 8A Reef, and Pelican Flats, with kingfish, dolphin, black fin tuna, and cobia serving as the primary species, along with an occasional wahoo or sailfish.  This is also the time of year when cooler waters sometimes push the giant manta rays and cobia in close to the shoals off the Cape, which was the case last several weeks.



 Along the beach, look for the silver kings (tarpon), smoker kings, blacktip sharks, jack crevalle, and redfish to be shadowing pods of Atlantic menhaden (pogies), threadfin herring (greenies), Spanish sardines, and bay anchovy (glass minnows) in close to the beach.  Also look for snook fishing in the surf to improve, as we get closer to the commencement of the fall bait run.  Remember snook are out of season, so if you target them, handle and release them with care. In and around the inlets, look for Spanish mackerel, tarpon, jack cervalle, and bonita to be working schools of glass minnows on the outside, and snook, redfish, mangrove snapper, and flounder in the area of jetties and other structure.  If snook are of interest, Sebastian Inlet is the place to be.

Angling on the lagoons will continue to show improvement, with fishing in the predawn and late evening hours being most productive.  Look for schools of redfish in the skinny water holding in the vicinity of bait concentration, and target them utilizing smaller top-water plugs and soft swimbaits like the D.O.A. Bait Buster.  Once the sun starts to grow hot and the top-water bite slows down, bait becomes your better option.  For larger trout, fish live pigfish in close to docks and other structure adjacent to deeper water.  In deeper water, look for large schools of ladyfish, small trout, and tarpon pushing schools of glass minnows near the surface. These schools are easy to locate by watching for concentrations of birds, terns and cormorants, joining in on the frenzy, and they are perfect for fly anglers who are interested in the continuous fast and furious action provided by these speedsters.  Currently, the Lagoon water levels are extremely low, so be extra careful operating in skinny water. Last but not least, look for pompano schools holding in the shadows of the causeway bridges near the end of the month, and try fishing jigs tipped with shrimp or sand fleas (mole crabs) along the deeper edges and drop-offs.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.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.

Indian River Fishing Report

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
Capt. Chris Myers
July 31, 2010

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report


Low water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon have concentrated the redfish. They can be found in schools, singles, and small groups throughout the day. The best baits have been those imitating mullet or small fish with the DOA Baitbuster and four inch CAL in the silver mullet color. The tarpon that were present last month have been few and far between. The ladyfish schools have thinned out as well but some large schools of jack crevalle can be found crashing schools of mullet.
The fishing was excellent this week. Each day clients had consistent shots at redfish throughout the day. As always, casting accuracy was the determining factor. Good casts usually resulted in a hookup. Jim and his son James had the best day landing over a dozen redfish and losing a few more.

For some great light tackle action, watch for mullet being crashed by schools of jacks along the outside edges of the sand bars during midday. They are usually being shadowed by diving pelicans and can be seen from a long distance. These schools move quickly but will strike anything that moves when it is cast into the feeding frenzy.

As mentioned above, the water levels are extremely low right now. We witnessed multiple boats run aground during the week. Navigate with care and always wear your kill switch.


Stuart 2010
I made my annual trip to Stuart, Florida this month to attend the annual DOA Outdoor Writers Festival and do some fishing with my wife. While the tarpon fishing is usually red hot there, this was the worst season I have had. A combination of cold water on the beach the first week and strong winds the last week kept me inside fishing the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers. The tarpon normally found in the Indian River were virtually non-exsistant. With large discharges of polluted fresh water being pumped into the St. Lucie, they were not in there in good numbers either. Fortunatley the snook fishing was good around the inlet and bridges. The DOA TerrorEyz, Baitbuster, and BFL 5.5 accounted for numerous fish. I did manage to land an 80 pound tarpon on a Baitbuster that bit while targeting snook. As soon as I left town, the weather returned to normal and the tarpon are back on the beach. Hopefully, we we will have better luck next year.

During the Writers Festival, I had the plasure of fishing with photographer Sam Root on the first day. Sam took some great shots of the fish I caught on DOA Lures and they can be seen here - Stuart Snook Photos

The second day I fished with writer Pete Barrett and Ronnie Rainer. Poor weather limited our options but we did catch some snook and jacks and lost a few more.


The final day of my trip I fished Mogan Mania with my friend Capt. Ron Presley. I pulled out the "Sloppy Slam" trophy with snook, sheephead, and black drum as the species.


Upcoming Seminars
Saturday August 7 Capt. Tom Van Horn and I will be giving a free seminar at Mosquito Creek Outdoors on Snook Fishing Tactics. The class begins at 9am


October 2nd Mosquito Creek Outdoors will be holding a "Discover Fly Fishing" event. Stay tuned for more information on special guests.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
321-229-2848