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Fishing Reports
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
September 20, 2006
Posted by Captain Tom Van Horn
Chuluota, FL 32766 USA
Email: captain@irl-fishing.com
Current Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast
Fishing Report, September
20, 2006
Mosquito Coast Fishing
Charters
Well, the love bug hatch is
in full swing, the
goldenrods are blooming, and
our first substantial cold
front has moved through
Central Florida dropping our
nighttime temperatures into
the sixties. All of these
are signs of fall on the
Indian River Lagoon Coast,
and they are all indications
that the fall mullet run is
in full swing. Silver
mullet are a tropical fish
species spending their
summers growing up in the
backwaters of the estuaries,
and then migrating south in
schools for the winter.
My angling opportunities
this past week were limited
to only two days on the
water, with three days of
fishing shows mixed in.
This report starts on the
Monday the 11th where I had
the pleasure to fish with Ed
Hadly and his friend Joey
from Orlando, and both are
avid Lagoon anglers. A weak
cool front was trying to
push in, so we were faced
with a brisk wind from the
south. We started our day
before daylight heading over
to the east shore of the
Mosquito Lagoon. Seeking
shelter from the wind, we
tucked behind an east-west
point and quickly located
some scattered slot size
redfish, catching three on
top-water plugs. When that
bite slowed, we moved over
to the Tiger Shoals Push
Pole Zone, and finished our
day sight fishing, catching
three more slot fish on Gulp
Shrimp and Bass Assassin
jerk baits. Throughout the
day, we located some nice
schools of red, but the chop
on the water made them
difficult to locate between
fish.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I
worked the Henrys Fishing
Tackle Show in Orlando in
support of Evolution Rods.
Several years back, I was
fortunate enough to join the
pro staff of Evolution, and
I can honestly say they are
the strongest and most
sensitive rods I have ever
used. Evolution Rods are
made of solid carbon fiber,
which gives them a small
diameter, extreme backbone,
and supper sensitive feel
(http://www.lippertools.com).
On Saturday, it was off to
West Palm Beach to attend
the Florida Sportsman
Fishing Show in support of
Freedom Hawk Kayaks
(www.freedomhawkkayaks.com).
The Freedom 14 is a new
kayak designed specifically
for fishing. The aft of the
kayak is divided into two
wings that spread out with
the flip of a handle to
create a stable platform for
standing and sight fishing.
Yesterday, I ventured into
the NMZ with my good friend
Larry Carter, and despite a
blustery south wind, we did
fairly well. We launch our
kayaks on the west shoreline
around 8am, and before long,
we located schools of mullet
getting hammered on the
outside edge of thickly
matted floating widgeon
grass. The grass was matted
up from the shoreline to
about a foot of water, and
the larger fish would jet
out from under the grass and
bust the mullet as they
passed by. We began working
small top water plugs alone
the edge of the floating
grass, and we were rewarded
by many explosive strikes.
When it was all said and
done, we ended the day with
three snook to 30 inches,
one slot redfish, several
nice sea trout, and a hefty
jack. At one point, I
switch to weedless soft
plastic bait, and as I would
reel it across the surface
of the grass, the larger
fish would knock holes in
the flotsam trying to get
the bait, but I never
managed to hook up.
Besides my adventures this
week, I have heard nothing
but good reports from other
anglers and guides, so if
you have been waiting for
the fishing action to heat
up, you need to break out
the tackle and hit the water.
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
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line
866-790-8081 toll free
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