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Fishing Reports
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast
July 31, 2006
Posted by Captain Tom Van Horn
Chuluota, FL 32766 USA
Email: captain@irl-fishing.com
Current Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast
Fishing Forecast, August 2006
Mosquito Coast Fishing
Charters
The heat is on, as fishing
opportunities kick in along
the Indian River Lagoon
Coast of Florida. So far,
the summer squalls have
stayed away, and as long as
they do, fishing along the
beaches and in the inlets
will remain equally as hot.
Along the beach, look for
the silver kings (tarpon),
smoker kings, blacktip
sharks, jumbo jack crevalle,
and redfish to be shadowing
pods of Atlantic menhaden
(pogies), threadfin herring
(greenies), Spanish
sardines, and bay anchovy
(glass minnows) in close to
the beach. Also look for
snook fishing in the surf to
improve, as we get closer to
the commencement of the fall
bait run. Remember snook
are out of season, so if you
target them, handle and
release them with care. In
and around the inlets, look
for Spanish mackerel,
tarpon, jack cervalle, and
bonita to be working schools
of glass minnows on the
outside, and snook, redfish,
mangrove snapper, and
flounder in the area of
jetties and other
structure. If snook are of
interest, Sebastian Inlet is
the place to be.
The Labrador currents have
pushed in on queue, cooling
down bottom temperatures and
the bottom fishing to a
lesser degree than normal in
some areas along Floridas
east coast. With average
bottom water temperatures in
the mid sixties, finding
warmer water is the key to
locating fish. Look for the
blue water bite to improve
along the inshore reefs and
wrecks of Chris Benson, 8A
Reef, and Pelican Flats,
with kingfish, dolphin,
black fin tuna, and cobia
serving as the primary
species, along with an
occasional wahoo or
sailfish. This is also the
time of year when cooler
waters sometimes push the
giant manta rays in close to
the shoals off the Cape,
bringing cobia with them.
Further off shore, the Gulf
Stream typically moves in
closer making tuna a
possibility for smaller
boats working in the areas
of anchored shrimp boats and
thermals, and as long as the
summer squalls stay away,
running to the other side of
the stream isnt out of the
question.
Angling on the in-shore
lagoons will continue to
show improvement, with
fishing in the predawn and
late evening hours being
most productive. Look for
schools of redfish in the
skinny water holding in the
vicinity of bait
concentration, and target
them utilizing smaller top-
water plugs. Once the sun
starts to grow hot, the top-
water bite will shut down,
and bait becomes your better
option. For larger trout,
fish live pigfish in close
to docks and other structure
adjacent to deeper water.
In deeper water, look for
large schools of ladyfish,
small trout, and tarpon
pushing schools of glass
minnows near the surface.
These schools are easy to
locate by watching for
concentrations of birds,
terns and cormorants,
joining in on the frenzy,
and they are perfect for fly
anglers who are interested
in the continuous fast and
furious action provided by
these speedsters. Last but
not least, look for pompano
schools holding in the
shadows of the causeway
bridges. Fish jigs tipped
with shrimp or sand fleas
(mole crabs) along the
deeper edges and drop-offs.
Lagoon water levels are
extremely low, so please use
caution when accessing
skinny water.
In closing, I would like to
thank all of you who enjoy
angling on Floridas east
central coast for your
courteous and respectful
treatment of the resource,
other anglers, and the
sport, and 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
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
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