Archives November 2015

November 2015 Mosquito Lagoon / Indian River Fishing Report

Here is the November 2015 Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River fishing report. The fishing has been consistently good throughout the month. Lots of Redfish on the flats of the Indian River Lagoon system and plenty of Redfish up shallow on the shorelines.

If you’re around Central Florida right now or coming to visit the Orlando, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach or Space Coast you need to make some time to get out on the water. We are definitely into our Fall fishing pattern. The weather has cooled down, we’ve experienced our first few pushes of cool air from the North (bringing with it some strong winds) and the fish are happy. Everyone is reporting large amounts of bait in Mosquito Lagoon, Ponce Inlet and Indian River Lagoon.

Fishing around bait pods early in the morning with plugs can be very productive this time of year for a mixed bag, expect to find trout and redfish by casting to areas with good bait activity. If you don’t get into a bite fairly quickly either move along the flat or pick up and go look for another area holding bait. As the light levels get higher throughout the day, expect for the bait activity to taper. As this happens, I typically change gears and start sight fishing for Redfish, Trout and Black Drum (believe it or not still finding some baby Tarpon around but I expect that to Taper as the water temps drop lower).

The water levels in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River are beginning to drop, along with the air and water temps. This should only improve conditions and fishing. The fishing has been a little off due to the the high water and there are days where you are struggling to find fish and other days finding good numbers hasn’t been a problem.

Recently, I guided Chris, a fly angler from Germany, on his first flats fishing experience. Chris had booked 2 days with me, our first day together incredible…. It was the day before a cold front moved through and we had one of those really good days were the fish were actively feeding on the shorelines way in the back country of Indian River. Chris does a lot of fly fishing in Germany for Trout. While I’ve never fished for Trout, I’ve guided lots of anglers that have. There is a big difference between the saltwater flats of Florida and the rivers of Germany. We were dealing with some brisk Northerly winds and some pretty heavy cloud cover but Chris was able to get it done towards the end of our day with a healthy slot Redfish. This ended up being Chris only fish of the trip as our 2nd day together cancelled due to weather. Chris has already told me he’ll be back for more this year, as he frequents the Central Florida area for business.

German Fly Angler, Chris, admiring his first Redfish. For those of you who have experienced this, you can understand that moment and feeling of putting your hands on that first caught species. Its an intense moment and I love getting to share it with clients over and over.

German Fly Angler, Chris, admiring his first Redfish. For those of you who have experienced this, you can understand that moment and feeling of putting your hands on that first caught species. Its an intense moment and I love getting to share it with clients over and over.

Here are a few images from a cloudy, windy November morning on the Mosquito Lagoon. Stone is a young angler and also my nephew, who is hungry to learn about fly fishing. He’s been working on his cast and having some good luck fishing in some ponds around the Orlando area. He’s been dying to get a redfish on fly, so we made that happen for him. He fed 7 redfish and we landed 3. It was a blast guiding him and watching it all come together…. Congrats Buddy! Here’s to many more….

Mosquito Lagoon Redfish on Fly

Local fly angler, Stone from the Orlando area, proudly shows off his first redfish on fly.

Stone, from Orlando, showing off his largest redfish to date. I can guarantee you, Stone will never forget watching this fish absolutely crush a hand tied shrimp fly in a foot of water.

Stone, from Orlando, showing off his largest redfish to date. I can guarantee you, Stone will never forget watching this fish absolutely crush a hand tied shrimp fly in a foot of water.

A young fly angler, Stone from Orlando, releasing a healthy Mosquito Lagoon redfish. It's great to see young anglers embracing conservation.... A critical fundamental of our sport!

A young fly angler, Stone from Orlando, releasing a healthy Mosquito Lagoon redfish. It’s great to see young anglers embracing conservation…. A critical fundamental of our sport!

As always, if you’re coming to the Orlando area, do yourself a favor and stop by Orlando Outfitters. Its an awesome fly shop, run by a great group of knowledgeable fly anglers. Stop in check out the shop, they have an awesome selection of materials, tackle, flies, apparel and more!

Check back for future Indian River Fishing Reports!

October 2015 Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Fishing Report

October 2015 Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Here is the Fall 2015 Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report.

October was a tough month for fishing around the east central region of Florida. Many anglers struggled to find a consistent bite due to the tough environmental conditions. Fishing reports from all over our region are reporting high and dirty water, making the fishing tough. From Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Orlando, Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon were all affected by extremely high water conditions. The high water levels brought with it some off colored water making sight fishing for redfish very tough. When the water levels are low, the fish have less areas to roam and feed. So, when we have high water, the fish can spread out and explore areas they normally don’t travel. Read below for an up to date fishing report for the month of October as well as a fishing forecast for the coming months.

Even with the tough water conditions and the transition to a Fall weather pattern, we had days where we found fish. Whether that meant fishing up around New Smyrna one day and then down in Mosquito Lagoon the next…. The key has been following better conditions. Mosquito Lagoon hasn’t really settled into that Fall fishing pattern just yet. While there is an abundance of bait around, the weather has been all over the place. We are still having days that are creeping in to the 90’s. Here are some photos of recent charters from October.

"<yoastmark

"<yoastmark

"<yoastmark

3 generations of the Damm Family came out to enjoy some of Mosquito Lagoon's healthy redfsih population.

3 generations of the Damm Family came out to enjoy some of Mosquito Lagoon’s healthy redfsih population.

Josie, from GA, came down to catch some Redfish with her family in Mosquito Lagoon.

Josie, from GA, came down to catch some Redfish with her family in Mosquito Lagoon.

Bill, from TN with a Mosquito Lagoon Redfish

Bill, from TN with a Mosquito Lagoon Redfish!

October Feature ImageIf you’re visiting Florida, especially the Central Florida area, you owe it to yourself to get outside and experience Florida’s natural beauty and fun!  The fishing will continue to improve into the winter. As the temperature cools, look for fish up shallow and in groups feeding in the sea grass. Work slowly and methodically and you should find fish!

As always, if you’re in the Central Florida area, check out Orlando Outfitters for all your fly fishing needs.

Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide

Feel free to contact me with any questions or for an updated Fishing Report.