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Fishing Reports
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast
November 29, 2005
Posted by Captain Tom van Horn
Chuluota, FL 32766 USA
Email: captain@irl-fishing.com
Current Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast
Fishing Forecast, December
2005
Mosquito Coast Fishing
Charters
We are very fortunate to
live in Central Florida and
to fish on the waters along
Indian River Lagoon Coast,
for our angling adventures
carry on year round.
December on the lagoon coast
marks a transitional period
influenced greatly by
changing water temperatures
resulting from shorter days
and passing cold fronts.
The strength and duration of
passing fronts are
unpredictable, but both of
these factors determine
changes in water
temperature, the number of
fishable day between fronts,
and fishing tactics.
The comfort zones of many
species of fish shift as the
lagoon and coastal waters
cool, and understanding how
these changes influence
specific species will help
you locate and catch fish.
A good reference for the
temperature range for
saltwater fish species is
located on the Central
Florida East Coast Fishing
website and can be reviewed
at
http://home.cfl.rr.com/florid
afishing/temp.htm.
Many references suggest that
fish are a cold-blooded
animals, which is true to
some degree, but
realistically their body
temperature is the same as
the water surrounding them.
As the water temperature
nears the lower ranges of
their comfort zone they
become sluggish and require
a lesser degree of energy to
maintain their bodily
functions; as a result they
feed less. When this
happens, most pelagic
species will migrate to
warmer waters, others
species will seek warmer
depths, and some species
will succumb if extreme
thermal changes occur
quickly. Therefore, it is
important to consider the
temporal conditions when
developing your fishing plan
of attack.
Inlet Fishing
In and around the inlets of
Ponce De Leon and Sebastian,
I prefer to fish the
incoming tide because the
water in the ocean is
typically a degree or two
warmer than that of the
Lagoon. Remember, as the
water temperature increases,
the fish will become more
active and need more food.
Also, our prevailing seas in
the winter are from the
northeast, so on the rising
tide the seas are following
to the current, and they are
less threatening and safer.
In December all of the
inlets hold resident schools
of large breeder redfish,
and if the conditions are
right, bright warm sunny
afternoons and a slack to
incoming tide, they will
form up on the surface
outside the inlets and
actively feed on bait
schools or anything else
they can catch. When
targeting these breeders,
watch for heavy bird
activity, and remember these
are large brood redfish, so
use medium heavy tackle to
lessen the duration of the
battle, circle hooks to
reduce hook trauma, and
practice CPR (catch-photo-
release).
Additionally, December is a
prime month for snook
fishing in the Sebastian
Inlet as long as the water
temperatures stay warm. The
best snook action cranks up
after dark around the slack
periods of the tide, with
the warmer incoming tide
being the best. Also on the
first and third quarters of
the moon, the tidal flow is
less, providing a larger
window of slack currents to
fish. A lot of anglers fish
from the shoreline, jetties,
and catwalks with bucktail
jigs and large swimming hard
baits like Wind Cheaters and
Bombers. Others favor
fishing from boats and
drifting live pigfish or
pinfish through the bridge
channel. These styles of
angling can be quite
rewarding if your timing is
right, but they can also be
very challenging due to the
large numbers of anglers
competing for the same
action. Also, as a
reminder, snook season ends
on December 15th, so if you
enjoy those yummy linesider
filets, your time is limited.
Another notable species
passing through the inlet on
their way to deeper warmer
water are the flounder.
Good reports of flounder
have surfaced from all of
the inlets, but the current
bite has slowed down a bit.
As the water is cooled by
passing fronts, waves of
southern and gulf flounder
will continue to migrate
through the pass into deeper
coastal waters. Currently
the surf temperatures are in
the lower 70s, with 68
degrees being the key
indicator for the
migration. So, flounder
pounders get ready, because
the bulk of the flounder run
has yet to come.
Along the Beaches
As the waters cool, look for
the schools of inshore
pompano to begin to move off
of the shallow flats through
the passes into the deeper
warmer troughs along the
beach. Good numbers of
pompano have begun to show
up, and the bite will
improve as winter
progresses. Besides clean
water, pompano prefer deep
water with easy access to
sand fleas (mole crabs)
small crabs and other
crustaceans. Also, some
locations traditionally hold
greater numbers of fish due
to deeper troughs, and some
of these hotspots are:
beaches north and south of
the Sebastian Inlet,
Indialantic and Melbourne
Beach, Playalinda Beach, the
Canaveral National Seashore
south of New Smyrna Beach,
and beaches north of Ponce
Inlet. Pompano seem to feed
best on the warmer incoming
tide, but they often bite
well at first light and
dusk. To locate prime
pompano hotspots, simply
look for the hoards of local
surf fisherman, and squeeze
in.
Other significant species
along the beach in December
are bluefish and Spanish
mackerel. These two species
will be aggressively feeding
on schools of glass minnows,
so look for diving birds and
slicks on the water, and
through small jigs and
spoons with a fast retrieval
to avoid cutoffs.
Last but not least, lets
not forget the tasty
whiting. Whiting (southern
kingfish) love cold water,
and a freshly peeled shrimp
or piece of squid, fished on
a double dropper bottom rig
(pompano rig) and both will
do the trick. Whiting seem
to prefer a heavy rolling
surf, so they are a great
species to target during
rough days, if you are tough
enough.
Near-shore
If the water stays warm and
the seas permit it, look for
kingfish, tarpon, and sharks
to be cruising in the
shallow water along the
beaches working the
remaining bait schools
heading south. Also, solid
concentrations of kings will
be holding in 60 to 100 feet
of water on the near-shore
reefs and wrecks like 8A
reef, north Pelican Flats.
The kingfish bite should
remain steady as long as the
water temperatures stay
above 74 degrees. To target
kingfish, try slow trolling
live bait if you can find
them, or troll dead Spanish
sardines or cigar minnows
(spinning minnows) dressed
with skirts. When the near-
shore waters approach the 70-
degree mark, look for
tripletail and cobia to
begin showing up on the Port
Canaveral buoy line and the
near-shore waters off of the
beaches and the bight of the
Cape. These fish normally
hold on floating structure
and weeds, but on bright
sunny warm days you will
find them free swimming on
the surface searching for an
easy meal.
Offshore
December is one of the best
months to target grouper,
snapper, and amberjacks.
Again, if the seas allow it,
target live bottom in the 21
to 27 fathom range with
either live bait, dead bait,
or deep jigging.
Additionally, wahoo, dolphin
and an occasional sailfish
are still quality targets in
areas of color change, rips,
and weed lines.
Inshore Flats
Both redfish and sea trout
will remain in the skinny
water as long as the water
temperatures stay in the 70-
degree range. Fish in
protected areas on windy
days, sunny spots where the
water is warmer, and look
for fish to be holding in
sand pockets (potholes)
until the sun gets
overhead. In the fall the
water levels begin to drop
and clear up making winter
one of the best times to
sight fish, but when
venturing into the skinny
water, you better respect
the limits of your boat.
These extremely skinny
waters hold fish, but it is
best to hire a guide who
specializes in backwater
fishing, and save the wear
and tear on your boat and
the grass flats. If you
need a skinny water
backcountry guide, I can
recommend several, just give
me a call. Now, if the
water cools off, look for
the fish to find the warmest
water possible. In this
case, sea trout will move to
deeper areas with soft muddy
bottom, which hold heat,
like dredge canals and hard
structures, but Im hoping I
can save this information
until next months forecast.
Also, if it does get cold,
its not necessary to get an
early start, so stay in bed,
let the sun warm the water,
and fish in the afternoon.
Also, remember spotted sea
trout are out of season in
December on Floridas east
central coast, so please
handle them with care and
return them to the water as
quickly as possible.
Now is also the time of year
when the tailing black drum
to begin to show up on the
flats of the Banana River No-
Motor Zone. These fish will
eat live shrimp, clams, and
secret bait, and they are
also a favorite target fly
anglers flipping small black
clousers and other shrimp
imitations. If you have
never seen a 30-pound black
drum tailing, it is worth
the paddle, and the secret
bait, well you will have to
book me to learn the answer
to that question.
I understand this is an
extremely long winded
forecast, but in closing, I
would like to mention that I
have been selected to serve
as the senior editor of the
new Coastal Angler Magazine
website scheduled to go on
line soon, so stay tuned for
more details as the become
available. I will also be
speaking at the Daytona Boat
Show on the 13th and 14th of
January, and the Bass Pro
Shop Spring Classic on
February 11th and 12th.
Also, I would like to remind
everyone that the ultimate
holiday gift for the angler
close to your heart is a
relaxing guided day on the
water in his or her favorite
angling location, and
Florida Guidelines offers
gift certificates available
with any one of our 27
affiliated inshore, near-
shore and off shore charter
guides. For more
information on Florida
Guidelines, visit our
website at
www.flguidelines.com or
contact me.
As always, if you have any
questions or need more
information, please contact
me.
Happy Holidays, and good
luck and goof fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-355-8085 office
866-790-8081 toll free
If you would like to be
added to my mailing list,
please contact me at
captain@irl-fishing.com.
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