Capt. Chris Myers
November 9, 2011
Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
Fishing is good on the Mosquito Lagoon! The past couple months have brought some tough fishing conditions to Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. A severe algae bloom clouded the water making sight fishing difficult, if not impossible, in most locations. Most of the fish retreated to deeper water. If you could see schools of fish along the edges of sandbars, they responded well to the DOA Baitbuster and the BFL 5.5 lures.
Some schools of big redfish were roaming around the Mosquito Lagoon and the northern Indian River Lagoon and they prepared for the spawning season.
Mid October brought two tropical systems to central Florida which dumped over 15 inches of rain. Water levels in the Lagoon system shot up over two feet. The water has since receded some but is still high.
Ranald was visiting from Sweden and wanted to experience some fly fishing for redfish. The only day he could go was on the tail end of the second storm front. With winds pushing 30mph, there was no fly fishing but he did catch 5 quality redfish.
On a positive note, the water temperatures are coming down and the algae is clearing up. This week, I saw quite a few areas with crystal clear water and many more that are getting better. Not all of them held fish but there were a lot of fish spotted. Most of the fish were digging in the grass and mud, a sure sign they are feeding. Indeed they were as some nice reds came to the boat for a quick photo.
One of the best things to present to tailing redfish is a fly. British fly angler Warren did just that. He used a black fly of his own creation similar to the black redfish worm .
Warren landed several redfish, had a few more bites, and made some excellent shots at fish throughout the morning. The only thing that brought and end to the catching were the clouds that moved in and stole our visibility.
Lee and Rose also got in on some of this week's redfish action as well.
As the water temperatures stay below 70, more areas of the Lagoon will continue to clear up. The water should begin dropping soon as we move into the winter pattern. Winter means schooling and tailing redfish and hopefully the return of the black drum. Fly anglers will continue to do well with small crab and shrimp patterns. The DOA shrimp should be the go to lure for those using conventional gear.
Upcoming Seminars and Events
November 17 - 6:30pm - Fly Fishing for Redfish
Capt. John Kumiski and I will be at Mosquito Creek Outdoors to discuss tactics for fly fishing redfish. The roundtable format will include how to make and select basic flies as well as presentation tactics.
December 17 - 6:30 - Shad and Crappie Tactics
With the 2012 Shad and Crappie Derby set to open on December 17, Captains Tom Van Horn and Charlie McCullough will be speaking about how to catch shad and crappie at Mosquito Creek Outdoors
Changes to Spotted Seatrout Rules
The FWC is scheduled to issue a final ruling on proposed changes to the spotted seatrout rules. For recreational anglers, the two month closed season would be eliminated. There are also proposed changes to the commercial rules including extending the season from 2 months to 5, allowing two anglers per boat to keep up to 150 fish to 24 inches per day, allowing those using seine nets in which trout are caught to sell trout as a bycatch and allow sale of trout year round.
While stocks around the state are generally healthy, the seatrout in the Lagoon system was severely damaged by the freezes of 2010 and 2011. there are few commercial trout fisherman now due to the lack of profitability. With the proposed changes, fishing for trout would be worth more money and more will do it. Can your favorit trout spot sustain commercil anglers taking out 150 breeding sized fish per day? None of mine can. Unless there is a public outcry, these changes will take effect and, once enacted, will be difficult to remove. Act now as time is short. Whether you live and fish here or like to catch trout when you visit, let the FWC know your opinion. Ask them to not change the current rules and to make seatrout a gamefish which would eliminate commercial sale. Here is a link to a form to contact the FWC Commissioners. The final rule is set to be made on Nov 16 so act now.
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