This week was the complete opposite of lastwith mild temperatures, sunny skies and, for the most part, reasonable winds. The fishing was great and the catching was even better.
Tuesday, Tom from Massachusetts and I started on a slick calm morning by stalking a school of big redfish in crystal clear water. We fished them for a couple hours with only a couple bites but, with persistence, Tom was able to hook and land his first redfish that was around 39". I handed the fish to Tom and as I was pulling out my camera, it slipped out of his hands and back into the water. We left those fish to search for some that were more willing to eat. Our next stop produced plenty of hungry fish. Though they were not as large as his first one, Tom caught nine more reds on lures.
Wednesday was a fishing adventure with brothers Jamie and Dennis and their friend Jacques from Nova Scotia, Canada. They had several double hookups on redfish and got at least 15 fish to the boat. There was stiff competition between them but I have to proclaim Dennis the winner with his redfish, black drum and trout slam.
Thursday, I fished with Josh, a fly fisherman from Utah. The day began a bit breezy but Josh was determined to get his first red on a fly. He landed two reds from a school using a gold clauser minnow and a white and gold bendback. The winds died around mid morning and we moved to some shallow flats where we saw dozens of cruising and tailing reds in the 25-32" range. Josh made a perfect cast to the first fish he saw and watch it inhale a brown and gold #4 bendback.We had several more shots but no more hookups before Josh had to leave.
Friday, we had sun but a stiff wind of about 20 mph as Hugo, from Gainesville, and I headed out in the Mosquito Lagoon. We found a large school of black drum and had one bite before an inconsiderate boater ran over the school and sent them fleeing into deeper water. We saw redfish consistently throughout the day as well as some large trout sunning themselves in shallow sand holes. The high winds made sight casting to them quite difficult but we ended the day with three nice reds.
The water levels throughout the Lagoon remain extremely low but the mild temperatures forecast for the coming week will mean the fish will be eating well if you can get a lure in front of them. The 4" DOA CAL in Arkansas glow has been producing reds and trout in very shallow water. For fish in deeper or stained water, the Redfish Magic spinnerbait has been consistently been bringing both reds and trout to the boat. For the fly anglers, most any small minnow, crab, or shrimp pattern will catch fish provided it is out where they can see it. The more shallow the water, the more sensitive the fish become to sound, motion, and the shadow of the fly line.
Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com
