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Fishing Reports
Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
November 15, 2006
Posted by Captain Tom Van Horn
Chuluota, FL 32766 USA
Email: captain@irl-fishing.com
Current Report
Indian River Lagoon Coast
Fishing Report, November 15,
2006
Captain Tom Van Horn,
Mosquito Coast Fishing
Charters
Have you ever heard the
adage, fishing is fishing,
catching is catching, and
they both are fun? Well,
that saying best sums up my
fishing adventures this past
week both on and off of the
water.
After losing my fourth
charter opportunity in a row
to windy conditions, I was
eager to begin a week of
what I thought would be
outstanding fishing. When my
Wednesday charter canceled
on me, I was determined to
go fishing nevertheless. So
I made a few calls and
assembled a crew consisting
of my good friends Don
Schrier and Captain Chris
Myers, and we were off to
Ponce Inlet on a tip
received from the Ponce
Inlet fishing master Captain
Fred Roberts. In the fall
the large redfish typically
school up in the inlet
passes of Ponce De Leon,
Port Canaveral, and
Sebastian, and they feed
heavily on baitfish as they
wash out of the inlet on the
falling tide. As reported
by Captain Fred, I knew the
redfish were there, and it
was just a matter of hitting
the tide right.
After meeting at the ramp
and launching, we tied on a
couple of Sabiki rigs tipped
with squid, loaded the bait
well with pigfish and
pinfish, and we headed to
the Inlet. On arrival, we
still had a couple of hours
of incoming tide, and our
efforts went unrewarded
until the tide turned
around. Shortly after the
tide change, the redfish
started chewing, and within
two hours, we had landed ten
big reds ranging from 15 to
27-pounds.
The technique we were using
was a simple slip sinker rig
consisting of a one-ounce
barrel sinker, a split shot,
and a large circle hook. I
like to slide the sinker
onto my line first, and then
tie on a short section of
40# test fluorocarbon
leader. Next, I tie on a
large circle hook, and then
I use the split shot to keep
the barrel sinker about a
foot above the hook. Once
the rig is complete, hook
the live bait through the
nose, and simply drift
through the inlet bouncing
the live bait off of the
bottom. This technique
works well in all three
inlets, the only difference
is in Port Canaveral where
the tidal flow is limited by
the locks. At the Port,
fish the area just outside
the inlet working the edges
of the shipping channel.
On Friday, I met with Bob
Wilson and his friend Jack
from Orlando, and we were
off to the Troll-Poll Zone
in the Mosquito Lagoon where
our goal was to put Jack on
his first redfish using
artificial. We launch around
6am, and we were on tailing
fish before the sun cleared
the horizon. The only
problem was the redfish
thumbed their noses at our
offerings, and we were off
of the water by 11am, with
only two fish caught. By the
way, Jack did manage his
first redfish caught on a
RipTide Gulf Chub, Space
Guppy color on a Woodies
Rattle Hook, so the trip was
still a successful one.
On Saturday and Sunday, I
manned the Coastal Anger
Magazine Traveling Lagoon
Booth at the Florida
Sportsman Show in Orlando.
I always love working that
show, and this years event
was no disappointment. The
seminar speakers were great,
the attendance was good, and
it was great seeing all of
my old friends and making
new ones at the show.
Now that Ive covered the
catching part mentioned in
my opening statement, I will
cover the fishing portion.
On Monday, I met Sam and
Judy Ferlita from the Tampa
area, who were celebrating
their 32nd wedding
anniversary at the Night
Swan Bed and Breakfast in
New Smyrna. I knew the tide
was wrong for the inlet, so
we opted to try the Mosquito
Lagoon. We launched around
7am, and fished in the south
end of the Lagoon for about
two hours with no success.
Sam was hoping to tangle
with one of our legendary
breeder redfish. The windy
conditions were a hindrance,
so after a couple of hours
we loaded the skiff and
headed off to the Inlet.
After acquiring bait, we
arrived at the Inlet just as
the tide started in and
although the weather was
gorgeous, we called it quits
around 4pm without ever
getting a decent bite. I
dislike reporting the tough
days like this one, but I
feel it is important to be
as honest as I can because
they do happen from time to
time, and although the day
was tough, we fished hard
and we had a great time...
In closing, the weather for
tomorrow looks ominous, but
the front is predicted to
pass through quickly with a
good stretch of favorable
conditions forecasted for
the weekend, just in time
for my 22nd annual week long
Sebastian Inlet escape. So
stay tuned for my next
episode, and if you are
fishing in Sebastian next
week, keep an eye out for
the Three Quarter Time and
swing by and say hello.
Also, for those of you who
are interested in holiday
gift certificates, I am
offering a $50.00 discount
for 2007 certificates paid
in advance.
As always, if you need
information or have any
questions, 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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