Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Repor

[Fishing Report]

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 9, 2010



By Captain Tom Van Horn



Upcomming Seminars and Events


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 Weeks Fishing Report



Fall has arrived on Florida's Indian River Lagoon Coast, and showing up right on cue with the cooler weather is the fall bait run. Finger mullet were as thick as love bugs on your bumper this week out of Port Canaveral, and the blustery breezes and heavy seas we experienced last week have settled down making fishing conditions the best I've seen since the beginning of hurricane season. In addition to the gorgeous weather, extreme new moon tides have elevated water levels in the lagoon, and increased tidal flow in and out of the inlets.







The breeder redfish are also in a heavy spawning mood with breeder schools showing up in all of the traditional locations of the inshore lagoons and the inlet passes. These schools are moving around a lot, but they are easy to locate during calm conditions, and they will aggressively strike most mullet imitation lures like the DOA Bait Buster or Rapala Skitter Walk when they are not pressured heavily. It is also important to let these fish do their thing, so if you find a school of large breeders, be respectful by stepping up your tackle size to reduce stress and catch one or two fish, revive them properly, and than move on and target another species. I know this is easier said then done, but if they are spending all of they energy running from a trolling motor instead of getting jiggie, we will have a smaller class of fish in the years to come.






Friday, I had the pleasure of fishing a magnificent day out of Port Canaveral with my good friends Keith and Chris, and we opted to target the mullet run along the beach, and man did we hit it just right. One of my favorite stiles of fishing the run is pitching live finger mullet from the boat up into the first trough along the beach, and with the winds out of the northwest, I could easily and safely maneuver Three Quarter Time within casting distance to the shore. As the mullet schools passed along the beach, they were consistently getting busted by a varied list of predators, and the action at first light was fast a furious. Although we caught a large number of species including flounder and a five pound redfish head the bite did slow down around 10 am, and we failed to connect with any snook. The rigs we were using were a simple one ounce slip sinker rig with a split shot crimped to the line about 12 inched from the # 3 circle hook, keeping the heaver weight off of the hook and giving us the extra weight to facilitate a longer cast as the majority of our fish were caught on the very edge of the shoreline.



In closing, now is the time to fish the mullet run, the fish are here and the weather is nice and our window of opportunity will not last long.

Good Luck and Good Fishing,



Captain Tom Van Horn

407-416-1187

http://www.irl-fishing.com



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






Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, September 30, 2010


by Captain Tom Van Horn




Hordes of black and s

ilver mullet, Atlantic menhaden (pogies), thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) have begun their southerly migration in search of warmer waters. This migration creates a smorgasbord of yummy little baitfish, shadowed by a large array of hungry predators looking to fatten up for the winter.




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.



As always, fishing 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 sporty angling conditions, so please pay attention, be patient, and enjoy the rewards.



In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, higher water levels will allow anglers to venture into areas normally inaccessible during the spring and summer months. 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, or popping bug flies. Also, if you locate a school of the larger black mullet, try fishing spoons of soft plastic baits 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.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Angler Improvement Clinics


Free Fishing Classes


To be successful, learn from the best.

Veteran lagoon fishing guides Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn will provide instruction on the skills and techniques necessary to become a more successful angler through free seminars, provided as a service to you by Mosquito Creek Outdoors and Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando. Would you like to learn what it takes to be a successful Angler? Here is your chance and all it will cost you is your time.





Captain Tom Van Horn: Captain Tom is a lifelong Central Florida native with over 45 years experience fishing Florida's waters and over 10 years experience guiding anglers to the catch of their lives on the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. His fishing experience covers all aspects of angling, including freshwater lakes and rivers, saltwater flats, and near-shore Atlantic coastal fishing. Captain Tom is also owner and publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando and an accomplished outdoor writer with over 100 articles published. Captain Tom currently serves on the pro staffs of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Evolution Rods, Daiwa, DOA Lures, TTI Blakemore and Daiichi Hooks, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Woodies Rattles, Frog Toggs, and Kaynoe Paddle Products.

Captain Chris Myers: Captain Chris Myers operates Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters. He specializes in sight fishing the flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River with light tackle and fly. Capt. Chris has twenty years of experience fishing Mosquito Lagoon. He is a pro staff member for DOA Lures, Woodies Rattles, Daiwa, and Temple Fork Flyrods.


Angler's Improvement Clinic Schedule:


Fall Lagoon Tactics October 23, 2010, 9:30 a.m. to Noon

Shad and Crappie Fishing November 20, 2010, 9:30 a.m. to Noon


For more information on the above scheduled classes, contact Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando at 407-416-1187 or online, mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com.




Tight Lines and Let's Go Fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
407-416-1187
http://www.irl-fishing.com