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Fishing Reports
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
August 14, 2006
Posted by Captain Tom Van Horn
Chuluota, FL 32766 USA
Email: captain@irl-fishing.com
Current Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast
Fishing Report, August 13,
2006
Mosquito Coast Fishing
Charters
The dog days of summer have
settled in along the Indian
River Lagoon Coast of
Florida, and fishing is
still first rate as long as
you dont mind the heat.
Fish early in the day, late
in the evening, at night,
and drink lots of water. So
far, thank goodness, Doctor
Gray and all of the those
fine scientist who make a
living attempting to predict
Mother Natures fury have
missed the boat, and our
hurricane season is off to a
slow start.
Correspondingly, the lack of
tropical squalls has
extended the summer doldrums
creating ideal sea
conditions for fishing along
the beaches and further
offshore.
Fishing near-shore alone the
beach this week has been
exceptional, as long as can
find warmer water
temperatures and bait
concentrations. The
coldwater Labrador Current
has arrived dropping surface
water temperatures into the
70-degree range, so keep
moving until you find
fish. Several areas
reporting good catches this
week were along the beach
south of Patrick AFB, near
the shoals north of buoys 2
and 4 out of Port Canaveral,
and outside of Ponce De Leon
Inlet, and the primary
species taken have been
kingfish, cobia, large
jacks, sharks, and bonito.
Most anglers have been slow
trolling live pogies
(Atlantic menhaden),
greenies (tread fin
herring), and cigar minnows
(Spanish Sardines). To
catch live bait, look for
bait flipping and birds
diving in shallow water, and
use a cast net. In deeper
water and around the buoys,
try jigging with a sabiki
rig in visible bait pods.
It is also important to keep
your bait lively, so an
adequate bait storage system
will improve your results.
Although live bait is
preferred, paddlers trolling
swimming plugs just outside
the surf line have boated
some quality kingfish this
week, from a yak nonetheless!
Inside the Lagoon, water
levels are extremely low.
In many areas, heavy
floating weed mat has made a
top water presentation
frustrating, but thats not
to say that the top water
action is not good, it just
requires some patience.
The hot bite this week has
been the schools of ladyfish
and jacks pounding schools
of glass minnows (bay
anchovies) out in deeper
water. All you need to do
is look for birds diving and
dipping for bait, and target
those areas. Once youve
located the frenzy, throw
small top-water plugs like
the Storm Chug Bug or Rapala
Twitching Shad, and hold
on. If fly-fishing is your
gig, any top-water popping
bug will produce fast and
furious action.
Additionally, sea trout are
always present underneath
these schools of bait, so a
jig with a shrimp or mullet
imitation bait like the
RipTide Realistic Shrimp or
Swimmin Mullet with a
Woodies Rattle capsule
inserted will produce
results equally as well.
With the low water levels,
redfish have moved into the
deeper pockets on and around
the flats, and they are
super spooky, so your best
results will come in the
early morning and late
evening. Targeting them has
been similar to winter
pattern, where you find fish
in concentrated area.
Additionally, look for
schools along the deeper
edges of exposed shoals.
Last but not least, if you
would like to introduce a
child to fishing, or maybe
just improve their skills,
Coastal Angler Magazines
Hook Kids on Fishing program
will be conducting a free
kids fishing clinic, on
Saturday August 26th from 9
to 11am at Kelly Park on
Merritt Island. This
program is conducted with
the support of lagoon
volunteers, and sponsored by
Bass Pro Shops and the
Florida Guides Association.
All kids must be accompanied
by an adult, and if you need
more information, visit the
CAM website at
www.coastalanglermagazine.com
, or contact me and I will
hook you up.
As always, if you have any
questions or need
information, please contact
me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
866-790-8081 toll free
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