Mosquito Lagoon Fishing report 4-29

[Fishing Report]

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast



May 2011



By Captain Tom Van Horn



Upcoming Seminars and Events



Saturday, May 21st Near-shore Tarpon Fishing



10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars", instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, and John Kumiski," Summer Tarpon and Beach Fishing Tactics Spin & Fly Fishing ", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, June 11th Summer Kingfish



10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars" instructed by Rapala Pro Staffer Rodney Sahr, "Summer Kingfish", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.



May's Fishing Outlook



As the days grow longer, angling enthusiasts along Florida's Space Coast take pleasure in spending their afternoons after work relaxing on the water. Warming coastal waters draw streams of baitfish north followed by warm water predators, as our prevailing easterly winds give way to summers genially shifting sea breezes.



Offshore, dolphin fishing will be the focus of blue water anglers this month. April and May are the time of year when the larger bulls are taken off the Florida Space Coast. The early season dolphin bite has already yielded fish in excess of 60 pounds. Also, as a bonus, the potential of taking a blue marlin or sailfish are good. Near-shore, the kingfish bite is starting to heat up on the near-shore reefs and wrecks and some cobia are still around. When seas settle down, the bait schools move in close to the beach, look for the kingfish action to move in also.

Spanish mackerel, snook, redfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, flounder, sheepshead and black drum are just some of the species available in the Lagoon inlets and beaches this month. As the baitfish migration moves north, this type of fishing will only get better.







Inshore, the bait pods, Atlantic menhaden (pogies), have shown up along the beach, and now is the best time to target the ocean predator shadowing these schools. It's not uncommon to catch large redfish, large jack crevalle, blacktip sharks, cobia, and tarpon from within these pods of bait. To locate bait pods, simply look for feeding birds, flipping and jumping bait, muddy water along the beach, and busting fish.







On the Lagoon flats, redfish and spotted sea trout will provide the majority of action for light tackle and fly anglers. The water has warmed up to the point where jack crevalle, ladyfish, snook, and tarpon are showing up in good numbers. I like to target redfish and sea trout at night and at first light or at dusk, with top water plugs like the, Rapala Skitterwalk or Storm Chug Bug. As the day heats up, change your focus to the deeper edges of the flats (2 to 3 feet deep) jigging with a DOA CAL Tail on a ¼ ounce DOA jig head.







As always, if you have any questions or need help, 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

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!







Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, April 26, 2011



By Captain Tom Van Horn



Upcoming Seminars and Events



Saturday April 30th Free Hook Kids on Fishing Program



10:00 - 12 Noon Hook Kids on Fishing Program



Mosquito Creek Outdoors and Anglers for Conservation presents a free fishing kids seminar. After completing five learning stations all kids will receive a free fishing rod and tackle box (limited to the first 100 kids registered. Located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, http://www.mosquitocreek.com



This Weeks Fishing Report


Summer is arriving on the heels of spring and the wings of the love bugs. As the weather heats up on Florida's Space Coast, so dose the fishing on all fronts, near-shore, inshore lagoons and the St John's River.



This past week I had opportunities to fish in the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River and here are the results:



My first charter was an early morning trip to the north Indian River Lagoon with Thrish and Bruce Reid from Orlando, and my plan was to work the flats throwing top-water Storm Chug Bugs and Rapala Skitterwalks, and Bruce was rewarded with two respectable fish. The first was a hansom 36-inch redfish followed by a 26-inch seatrout. Along with these two fish came an assortment of slot seatrout which Thrish and Bruce took home for dinner.


John Kumiski's Morning Monster





My next adventure was a night fishing trip with my good friends Scott and John. As summer heats up, I often fish at night to avoid the heat. I've learned over the years that fishing in the darkness of night often results in more quality fish and a more enjoyable experience as long as you can tolerate the mosquitos. The conditions are usually cool and quite, there are no boats on the flats to compete with, the fish are happy and hungry after being chased all day by impatient anglers, and the sky is full of constellation and shooting stars.



Other than fun and adventure, this mission's goal was to take some quality fish photos for and article Captain John has written on night fishing the lagoon for the June edition of Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando, and I would say we accomplished all of our goals, watched a beautiful sunrise and were off of the water at 7:30 am.


Larry Carter's Seeing Strips

Larry Carter's Top-water Sunshine

After postponing my near-shore charter due to windy conditions and high seas (3 to 6 feet) my next adventure was a bass and catfish trip with my good friend Larry Carter on the St Johns River. By the way, water levels on both the St Johns and the Lagoon are extremely low, so please operate your boat with caution. We launched the boat just as the sky was starting to grow light and soon located a school of busting sunshine and largemouth bass and wore them out on top-water plugs, ending the morning with eighteen bass altogether. The bass were schooled up feeding a

on shad and the bite was over once the sun cleared the horizon.



Lastly, we have the final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour scheduled for Friday afternoon, so all of the security zones are in place including the south end of Mosquito Lagoon. God's Speed Endeavour!



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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charterwww.irl-fishing.com

(407) 416-1187 on the water



Visit www.mosquitocreek.com for your outdoor adventure needs, it's where the adventure begins.






Volunteers Needed for Three Central Florida Kids Fishing Events

Okay folks, as anglers living in Central Florida, we are very fortunate to enjoy the vast resources available to us. Now is your turn to pay it forward by volunteering to assist Anglers for Conservation (AFC) and Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando with three Hook Kids on Fishing Programs. After completing five hands on learning stations each kid receives a new rod, reel and tackle box, and they catch a memory for life.

Saturday April 30thSponsored by Mosquito Creek Outdoors, AFC, and CAM Orlando.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 10am - 12 noon, 170 S. Washington Ave., Apopka, Florida 32703-4263. Registration is open for the first 80 kids, call 407-464-2000 to sign up.

If you would like to volunteer for any or all of these events, please contact me at mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com, 407-416-1187 cell.

Thank you,

Captain Tom Van Horn




Mosquito Creek Outdoors Angler Improvement Clinics



2011 Clinic Schedule











Become a better angler by learning from the pros.



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.



Saturday April 30th Free Hook Kids on Fishing Program



10:00 - 12:00 Hook Kids on Fishing Program



Mosquito Creek Outdoors and Anglers for Conservation presents a free fishing kids seminar. After completing five learning stations all kid will receive a free fishing rod and tackle box (limited to the first 100 kids registered. Located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, http://www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, May 21st Near-shore Tarpon Fishing


10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars", instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers," Summer Tarpon and Beach Fishing Tactics ", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, June 4th Summer Kingfish



10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars" instructed by Rapala Pro Staffer Rodney Sahr, "Summer Kingfish", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.





Saturday, June 11th Introduction to Fly Fishing



10:00 - 12 Noon, Free Introduction to Fly Fishing Class instructed by FFF Certified Instructor and veteran Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide Captain Chris Myers. Located in the Outback section of Mosquito Creek Outdoor, 170 South Washington Ave. Apopka Florida www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, July 2nd Summer Lagoon Tactics



10: 00 - 12:00 Summer Lagoon Fishing Tactics "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, "Summer Tactics for Redfish and Sea Trout", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.



Saturday, August 13th Introduction to Fly Fishing



10:00 - 12 Noon, Free Introduction to Fly Fishing Class instructed by FFF Certified Instructor and veteran Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide Captain Chris Myers. Located in the Outback section of Mosquito Creek Outdoor, 170 South Washington Ave. Apopka Florida www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, August 20th Snook Fishing



10: 00 - 12:00 Snook Fishing Tactics "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, "Snook Fishing Tactics ", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.


Saturday, September 3rd Fishing the Mullet Run



10: 00 - 12:00 "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, "Preparing for the Fall Mullet Run", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.



Saturday, September 10th Introduction to Fly Fishing



10:00 - 12 Noon, Free Introduction to Fly Fishing Class instructed by FFF Certified Instructor and veteran Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide Captain Chris Myers. Located in the Outback section of Mosquito Creek Outdoor, 170 South Washington Ave. Apopka Florida www.mosquitocreek.com



Saturday, October 22nd Fall Lagoon Tactics

10: 00 - 12:00 Fall Lagoon Fishing Tactics "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, "Fall Tactics for Redfish and Sea Trout", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.



Saturday, November 5th, Flounder and Pompano

10: 00 - 12:00 Flounder and Pompano "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, "Fall Tactics for Flounder and Pompano", located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.

Saturday, November 12th Introduction to Fly Fishing

10:00 - 12 Noon, Free Introduction to Fly Fishing Class instructed by FFF Certified Instructor and veteran Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide Captain Chris Myers. Located in the Outback section of Mosquito Creek Outdoor, 170 South Washington Ave. Apopka Florida www.mosquitocreek.com


Tight Lines and Let's Go Fishing,

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