Tag Poon

The word is out… By now, you’ve probably heard about fishing the Louisiana Marsh. If not, you’ve been living under a rock. If you want to sight fish big Redfish, then you need to be fishing the Louisiana Marsh during the Fall and Winter months.  Fishing the Louisiana Marsh, whether you are a Fly or Spin angler, should be on your bucket list. The Louisiana Marsh, for me as a Fly Fishing Guide, is pretty close to heaven. Why? Its pretty simple…. Big fish in skinny water that want to eat.

Corby, who resides in Central America, makes an annual trip to the Marsh to chase big Redfish with me.

Keep in mind… fishing is fishing, it can be unpredictable. It might be; the weather, the tide, the moon phase or some other factor we have zero control over. Don’t expect to show up and just because you’re in South East Louisiana, a big Redfish is just going to lay across your lap while you and your buddy snap a few pictures. You need to bring your “A game”. There are regularly clouds and wind, sometimes we have dirty water. You pair clouds, wind and dirty water together and you’ve got some tough conditions to manage. With that said, the Louisiana Marsh is a world class fishery and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

On his first trip to the Louisiana Marsh, Frankie from Orlando, with one of a few really nice Redfish.

I remember my first trip to Louisiana in the fall, many years ago. I had never experienced Redfish behavior quite like what areas of the marsh offered. That was something I never thought I would say. When I’m not a fly fishing guide in Louisiana, I guide on Mosquito Lagoon (once famed as the Redfish Capital of the World). I figured I’d seen a Redfish do just about everything. Boy, was I wrong. Louisiana Marsh Redfish are a different breed of Redfish.

Have you ever had a big Redfish bull doze your fly so hard he creates a wake so strong its pushing the fly away from his nose? Have you had 3 Redfish, around 30 lbs, competing over your fly? Fly fishing for Redfish in the Louisiana Marsh is world class and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Kenny, from Alabama, with a Louisiana Redfish “Pumpkin”. Sight fishing these fish when they are lit up is one of the coolest experiences as an angler.

Deciding to take a fishing trip, whether it be to the Louisiana Marsh or to some remote location, is a big decision with a lot of details. An angler has to figure out how to get to the destination, where to stay, are there places to eat, tackle shops, etc. Flyin’ High Charters tries to take the stress out of planning a trip like of that magnitude. When you fish the Louisiana Marsh with Flyin’ High Charters; the toughest decision you’ll have to make is when to come down to the bayou. There are numerous hotel options as well as some incredible local eateries around where we fish.

Scott M. from the Atlanta area with a 30+ pound Redfish caught in less than ideal conditions during a harsh winter cold front.

Your trip to the Louisiana Marsh is sure to be a good one!

Young Fly Angler Stone Sacco with an absolute PIG Redfish!

It is important to note, you are required to purchase a non-resident Louisiana fishing license. You can purchase the non-resident 3 day skiff license online by clicking here. If you’d prefer to purchase over the phone you can do so by calling 1-800-765-2602. You’ll be given an authorization number, write that down and bring it with you. The license is valid for 3 consecutive days.

On a day off in the Louisiana Marsh, Capt. Jesse gets to get on the bow of the boat and take a few shots at some big Redfish!

If you’d like more information on fishing the Louisiana Marsh or to book your dates call Capt. Jesse Register of Flyin’ High Charters at 407-448-2017.

Winter is definitely here! Like usual, when the fishing is hot, I’m playing catch up on fishing reports and editing images. Here is a short and sweet Winter Fishing Report from the Louisiana Marsh:

While a lot of the country is getting hit with harsh, blistery, cold air…. We’re still fishing hard and catching some really nice fish. As a saltwater angler, I definitely love my summer time, warm weather fishing but with that said the drop in temperature doesn’t seem to be affecting the fish at all. In fact, it seems to be improving things.

This year was my first winter guiding redfish in the Louisiana marsh. I’ve been fishing the winters out there for several years now, but it was always a vacation not work. This year, I had a lot of interest from clients of mine from Florida to fish Louisiana. So, right after the new year, I packed up the skiff, rods, cold water fly lines, the dog and drove up to Louisiana. If you’re an avid angler and enjoy sight fishing BIG redfish and black drum, then you owe it to yourself to fish the Louisiana marsh at least once in your life. The marsh is massive, it’s rich with life and the fish are big and hungry.

Here’s a few images from this winter. Enjoy!

A fine example of a Louisiana Marsh Redfish caught this winter.

Spin to Win!

Look at what we have here… Nice fish

Scott, from CT, with his biggest redfish to date. Way to go dude!

Scott with another nice redfish on fly.

Scott with another nice one!

So, now we are back in Florida, fishing around the Space Coast has been good. The fly fishing has been pretty fun right now. The key has been finding shallow clean water and working the flat slowly looking for laid up fish on the sand/grass edges. The water is really clear, so be stealthy.

Get out there and fish! As always, if you are interested in learning more about salt water fly fishing around Central Florida don’t hesitate to reach out.

Capt. Jesse

Capt.JesseRegister@live.com

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.

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….

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.

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 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.

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.

Bill, from TN with a Mosquito Lagoon Redfish!

If 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.

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

Here is the Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report for the Fall of 2015:

Nothing but fat bellies. With the high water, the fish were able to feed in areas they typically can’t access.

Fall is officially here… The North East winds have started to blow, I’m finding more and more areas of clean water and the water levels are receding from the incredibly high water we experienced at the end of summer. The dog days of summer are behind us. Now, as I’m getting ready to drop the boat in for a day of fishing, I’m grabbing a windbreaker for that first run to our spot. It’s a nice change, with this transition from Summer to Fall came an influx of finger mullet, this phenomenon is known as the “Mullet Run”. Definitely a great time to fish, whether you fly fish, sight fish on artificial or live bait!

The last few weeks have been tough in Mosquito Lagoon. Everywhere along the east coast seemed to have the same problem, WAY TOO MUCH WATER. This allowed the fish in the Lagoon to spread out and explore areas they may have never been able to get in to. There were many days where our best fishing came by exploring and pushing the limits. Mosquito Lagoon, especially the Northern boundaries of the Lagoon, has several islands. Well, with the influx of water we had, many of these islands were flooded, so flooded that I could push my skiff through the mangroves and get on top of the island with my skiff and have plenty of water to pole around and hunt fish. This proved to be a great tactic and resulted in some inedible shots at tailing redfish.

Scott, from PA, with a Mosquito Lagoon Redfish. This fish was tailing, feeding on small crabs.

Scott with another Redfish, caught on a small crab pattern.

Another perfect Mosquito Lagoon Fall Redfish.

If you are coming to visit the Orlando, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach or Space Coast area; you owe it to yourself to get out and fish. We’ve got some great guides in the region. Come book a trip with one of us and experience saltwater fishing at it’s finest!

A typical New Smyrna Beach sunrise over Mosquito Lagoon

Here is the Summer Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Fishing report. A short drive from Orlando, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and surrounding Space Coast areas.

Fishing this summer on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River has been great. Between throwing flies to cruising 100+ pound Tarpon and Redfish crushing baits on the shore lines, its been hard to find time to sit down and write a monthly fishing report.

Summer time means kids are out of school and that means vacation time for many. New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach and other Space Coast destinations are popular vacation spots…. But did you know these same vacation spots are excellent places to go fishing?

Early this summer, Mosquito Lagoon was fishing very well. There were many days where we started out looking for baby tarpon in the Indian River, around Titusville. Over the last few years, the baby Tarpon fishing in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River have been improving and becoming a staple for me as a guide. I know in the summer time, if the wind is light and the light level is low, I’m going baby Tarpon fishing. Baby Tarpon a great species to target for light tackle and fly anglers, it’s rare you only find one fish (typically, if you find one… you will find good numbers in that area). Baby Tarpon will eat a well placed fly or lure, but they can be very picky. I start with small flies and will go from there. If I’m not getting hits on small profiles, I’ll bump the size of my fly up a little (maybe something a little bulkier to move some water and help the fish find it). Many times you are fishing for these little poons in dirty water, so don’t be afraid to get aggressive with your presentation.

Lindsay with her first baby Tarpon on Fly. On a 6 WT!

Example of a baby Tarpon fly. This one was chewed on a little.

Tim, from Colorado, with a perfect back country Tarpon on Fly

You never know what you’ll find around those pods of rolling baby tarpon.

The Tarpon bite is typically best early in the morning, during low light conditions. Once the sun creeps up in the sky, I switch gears and go look for Redfish. This works out great, because once the Tarpon stop rolling, the sun is typically high enough to go sight fishing for Redfish up in the shallows. When you are fishing for Redfish in the shallows, its important move slow. A skiff displaces water, that displacement of water is noticeable to fish, if they feel the presence of the boat odds are the fish will begin moving out. If you move slow and quietly your odds of a hookup are much higher.

Here are a few Redfish pictures from over the summer:

Long time fishing buddies celebrate a nice Redfish from Mosquito Lagoon.

Jake with his first sight fished Redfish. Not the biggest but you never forget your first.

Anglers love watching Redfish smash top water plugs.

Capt. Jesse releasing a Mosquito Lagoon Redfish.

Jake, from Montana Fly Co, and I release a Black Drum.

Lindsay and Mayon, in town for ICAST, enjoying a day off fishing for Mosquito Lagoon Redfish.

Steve, from Southern Culture on the Fly hooked up on an early morning tailing Redfish.

Do you fly fish? Is catching a Tarpon on fly high up on your “bucket list”? Or are you a seasoned “Poon” angler? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you know there is an unwritten bond between all of us. A brotherhood if you will.

Lindsay, with Simms Fishing, with her first Tarpon on fly.

This past summer I spent most of my time on the water chasing that magical, armor clad, silver king. Whether we were targeting juvenile fish in the back country or posted up ocean side for giant migratory fish, fishing and guiding for Tarpon is my absolute favorite. Everything about the pursuit of this fish is captivating to me. Whether I’m getting my skiff ready the night before, tying flies, rigging leaders or picking up clients for a day of fishing…. I’m pumped to see what the day has in store. Whats even better about all of this? It last for a few months.

For me, prime time for Tarpon fishing is mid April through early July, with May and June being my favorite months for the big migratory Tarpon. We are constantly learning more about Tarpon and their migration. More and more money and time are being spent to study this amazing species. As we learn more about their habits, we realize that there is a lot we can do to protect this fish for our children and grandchildren.

Ocean-side Tarpon Jumping

I’m lucky to call Mosquito Lagoon my home waters. Being that Mosquito Lagoon is so close in proximity to Orlando, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and Cocoa Beach you can have all the luxuries of city life and in less than 1 hour be on the pristine coastal estuary waters of Mosquito Lagoon. With that brings along some negative impact to the Mosquito Lagoon. Since it is so close to these bigger cities, with large populations, fishing on Mosquito Lagoon can be tough due to all the fishing pressure it receives. With that being said, you can still fish Mosquito Lagoon and experience some of the best redfish and trout fishing in the world.

Being a fishing guide, its not uncommon in a social setting when employment comes up as a topic of conversation, that you get asked about fishing. It only makes sense, right. Right. One of the most common questions I get asked is “So, hows the fishing?” or “What do you catch?”. The fishing on Mosquito Lagoon is really good. We are lucky in the fact that we don’t really have to deal with our redfish populations migrating to spawn. Our redfish, for the most part, are born here, live here and spawn here year round. As far as I know, Mosquito Lagoon is the only ecosystem that can boast that. In addition to having a resident redfish population, we also have some of the largest sea trout you can find anywhere. During the winter months, on any given day when you’re fishing Mosquito Lagoon, you are going to see a few 10 lb, maybe bigger, sea trout. For a flats fisherman, this is truly a sight to see. You’ve heard of gator trout, well Mosquito Lagoon has it’s fair share of gators.

If you are interested in fishing and learning to fish Mosquito Lagoon, it’s a good idea to hire a guide. While your guide most likely isn’t going to give away all of his best fishing spots to you, they will get you started down the right path in understanding this diverse ecosystem. Mosquito Lagoon receives a lot of fishing pressure, so the fish can be very weary. When you come up to a flat you are going to fish, shut your big motor down well in advance of getting to the spot and ease in with your trolling motor, or even better the push pole. This will give you a better opportunity at not disrupting the fish and hopefully increase your chances of catching a trophy redfish or gator sea trout. Plus, if any other anglers are working that area, you will not disrupt their fishing.

I hope this improves your time fishing in Mosquito Lagoon.

Capt. Jesse
www.FlyinHighCharters.com
(407) 448-2017

To find out more about Mosquito Lagoon or to book a fishing charter, give me a call!

What is sight fishing? Sight fishing is a tactic used by many anglers and guides where you see the fish swimming, laid up, tailing or pushing a wake and then make a presentation to that target with a lure or fly. Sight fishing is a preferred method of fishing for many anglers and guides. For a lot of anglers, they’ve never done this type of fishing before, let alone know what it means or how to do it… It’s more like hunting in the sense that you see your target versus fishing with live or dead bait waiting for a fish to come to your offering.

The first and most important element in sight fishing on Mosquito Lagoon, or any body of water, is to be able to see the fish. Your guide spends a lot of time on the water and their eyes are conditioned for spotting fish. Your eyes may not be and that is okay. After a little bit of time on the water and seeing a few examples of your target species doing their thing, you’ll quickly pick up on what to look for. There is one piece of equipment you must have in order to have a successful day of sight fishing, that is a quality pair of polarized sunglasses. There is a vast variety of options to chose from including lens colors, frames, lenses materials, etc. My personal choice of sunglasses for sight fishing on Mosquito Lagoon is Smith Optics, specifically their new line of lens, chromapop. The chromapop lenses is their newest technology featuring crisper color contrast and optical clarity. If you’re looking to upgrade your sunglasses for sight fishing, definitely check out the chromapop lens from Smith Optics.

Now that we’ve gone over the most important piece of equipment for sight fishing Mosquito Lagoon, let’s talk a little about what you are looking for. Sometimes sighting fish is really easy, they may stick out like a sore thumb. Below is a picture of a huge pod of tarpon pushing over a white sand bottom. There isn’t much for them to camouflage themselves therefore making it very easy to visually pick up on their presence.

It’s not always that easy to sight your target. Below is a picture of a redfish swimming away over a grassy bottom. As you can see, it can be much tougher to make out your target. There are some tips you can employ to better your odds of picking out a fish, visually, and increase your odds of making a good presentation that invokes an eat from a fish.

Tip number 1: Whenever you are sight fishing, you want to put the sun at your back. Having the sun at your back helps “light up” the flat and allows you to see through the water much better. If you are facing into the sun, there will be a glare on the water making it next to impossible to see through the water. Additionally, if the sun is at your back and you see a fish in front of you it means the fish is looking into the sun and it will be that much tougher for the fish to see you.

Tip number 2: When you are working a grass flat, focus on sand holes. Not only do fish tend to hang around the sand holes and use them as ambush points but as a fish swims over a sandy patch it will be much easier to visually pick up on the fish’s presence.

Tip number 3: Slow down. Sight fishing is a game of patience. You can’t force it. The slower you work an area, the better your odds get. Poling slowly across a flat will create a smaller footprint in the water, the fish will be less likely to feel your presence and you’ll give your eyes more time to dissect the flat.

I hope these tips help your sight fishing improve and result in more hook ups and more fish brought to the boat.

Capt. Jesse
www.FlyinHighCharters.com
(407) 448-2017

To find out more about Mosquito Lagoon or to book a fishing charter, give me a call!