Beiträge von Capt Chris M

The past couple weeks have brought some changes to the Mosquito Lagoon which include a sudden rise in the water level along with some long awaited clear water. Since the water has cleared, the sun has been in hiding which has made the sight fishing difficult but not impossible. On days when it has been too windy to fish the flats, the St. Johns River has been providing some excellent fishing for American Shad on light tackle and fly. Shad are the freshwater version of a mini tarpon. They fight hard and jump high. In addition to the shad, the bluegill, sunfish, bass, and crappie also help keep the rod consistently bent.

It was one of those cloudy and windy days last week that I took John to the St. Johns after we decided fly fishing for redfish would be futile. John proceeded to catch dozens of fish hroughout the day on a variety of flies in sizes 10-12.A few days later, another client named John was faced with the same situation. He wanted to fly fish the flats but the weather was going to make it difficult. Again we hit the river and, armed with my new 3wt flyrod, John enjoyed some spectacular catch and release action on both shad and panfish.Most of the day he used lightly weighted flies tied on barbless size 12 hooks in gold, chartreuse, or pink. When throwing into a feeding frenzy, color made no difference.

Karen joined me on the river for some shad fishing this week. She used an ultralight spinning rod and the DOA Tiny TerrorEyz to land an assortment of shad and panfish. I used both the fly and spin rods to catch a bunch of shad, bluegill, redbreast, and a nice bass.

The next day Paul and I fished the river. While the shad were not biting quite as fast as the day before, we still tallied over 20 with dozens more panfish mixed in. We saw lots of alligators, tons of birds, and even some swimming cows.

Returning to Mosquito Lagoon Thursday, I found the cold snap over the weekend had caused the water to clear up dramatically. Many areas had the cleanest water I have seen since last spring. The redfish were not tailing, however, and Todd and Steve had a difficult time spotting the few we came across. They managed to landed several trout and a flounder on a CAL bait.

Friday's trip with Roger and Annie brought more clouds. We encountered plenty of redfish, most of which were in schools of 25-100 fish. In addition to the reds, there were lots of large seatrout on the shallow flats. Both Roger and Annie landed trout and reds on the DOA shrimp in watermelon holographic, and the 5.5 inch CAL in golden bream with a Woodies Rattle.

With the water clear, the redfish schooled up, and the big trout up shallow, all we need is some sunny days and we will get some excellent sight fishing action on Mosquito Lagoon. Fly anglers should stick to crab and shrimp patterns for redfish and drum, and bendback or topwater sliders for big trout. The DOA shrimp will continue to work well for sight fishing both species and the CAL bait will cover lots of water if you need to blind cast. The Shad run should continue for several more weeks in the St. Johns River.

Capt. Chris Myers
Orlando Fishing Guide

The story so far this December has been one of weather and water. Neither one have been cooperating. The weather has been less than optimal for sight fishing. While there have been a few days with light winds and sun, there have been many more with one or both of those factors working against us. This time of year, the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River should be crystal clear. Unfortunately, that is not the case in most parts of the Lagoon system. The water temperatures are still hovering above 65 degrees and the bloom of exotic algae that plagued us most of the summer and fall is still lingering on. To see the fish, you need both sun and clean water, a combination that has been hard to get lately. The good news is that there are redfish around and they have been more than willing to eat well placed lures and flies.

To start the month off, I had fellow FFF Certified Casting Instructor Dan Boggs on board for what I was hoping would be one of the best fly fishing days of the year. The fish had been tailing well the week before and I was certain Dan would be able to hit the target. We arrived to find winds sustained at 19mph, chilly temperatures, and plenty of clouds. Not only do redfish not tail as much in the wind, it is more difficult to spot them when they do. Needless to say, the tailing fish were nowhere to be found. Dan's father reeled in the only redfish of the day.

A few days later, I was joined by fried Rick for a day of fun fishing. We spent the first part of the morning exploring miles of water that held very few fish. After much searching, we found some clean water and plenty of cruising redfish. The black redfish worm fly and the watermelon holographic DOA shrimp were pounced on by most of the fish that saw them. While many of the fish we saw were digging in the grass feeding, we saw very few tails break the surface.

The following morning, I returned to a slick calm flat to find schools of tailing redfish in every direction. The first cast of the day with my 5wt flyrod resulted in a redfish eating my brown and gold bendback fly but the fish broke off. I tied on a green and silver bendback and got 4 bites on the next 5 casts but no hookups. I inspected the fly and discovered the hook had broken just below the eye on the first bite. I grabbed my black redfish worm and quickly began hooking, and landing, fish. About 45 minutes later, the tails all went down, the fished moved off, and I never saw them again. I spent the remainder of the day scouting for some places to fish on what I knew was going to be a windy charter the following day.

Scottish angler, Brian, joined me for another one of the days of 20 mph winds we have had. To go along with the wind, we had morning temperatures in the 40's. The water temperature had dropped thirteen degrees overnight. It was the last day of his trip, however, and he wanted to give it a try. His preference was fly fishing but, due to the wind, he decided a spinning rod might give him a better chance. Unfortunately, none of the fish I had found the previous day were in wind protected areas. We were the only boat in sight when Brian began getting bites on his weedless rigged three inch DOA CAL. For some reason, the fish were not getting hooked so I switched him to a four inch CAL in golden bream color. We were fishing in about 2 feet of slightly cloudy water with both grass and sand patches. A Woodies Rattle in the baits seemed to be helping the fish locate the small lure. Brain caught redfish on the 3, 4, and 5 inch CAL baits. The bite was consistent and he even got out the flyrod and made some blind casts with a brown crab pattern. He landed his flyrod redfish and turned some poor weather into an excellent day of catching.

This week's weather was even less flats fishing friendly with gray skies dominating the days. Steve and Hank joined me on the Lagoon for some sight fishing. The winds were light for a change but the clouds were thick in the morning. Unable to find any tailing fish we tried some trout fishing while we waited for the clouds to clear. I tied on a couple DOA Deadly Combos and we began hitting islands, bars, and dropoffs. They caught a dozen or so and we suddenly had a break in the clouds. We raced off to the flats in search of redfish. We had just located a decent concentration when the clouds. Unable to see the fish until we ran into them, they were forced to change tactics to blind casting for the rest of the day. Both guys had several bites from redfish but failed to set the hook and they never managed to land one.

When the weather cooperates and the fish are tailing, the fishing is excellent. During periods of clouds and wind, finding the fish can be a challenge. Hopefully, as we move towards what is traditionally the coldest time of the year in Florida, the algae bloom will clear and more areas will be open to sight fishing. Clean water and blue skies are at the top of my Christmas wish list.

Capt. Chris Myers
Orlando Fishing Guide

We are almost halfway through what has been an unusual summer in Mosquito Lagoon. While the redfishing has remained consistently good, there are still no tarpon, and very few jacks, ladyfish, and other summer visitors. The only explanation seems to be the lack of glass minnow and pilchard schools. Why they are not here is anyone's guess. The trout fishing has dropped off a bit as well. Some of the spots that had been producing dozens of fish for great catch and release light tackle action have stopped producing. Many of the spots have been hit hard by the daily cooler filling boats and the commercial anglers and they are nearly wiped out. You can still get into some decent action if you put in the time to look for them but you often have to move several times to find them.

On a positive note, the redfish action has been very good. The water is quite cloudy in most places making them tougher to see. You can get much closer to them in these conditions, however, and having dozens of shots within 20-30 feet of the boat is the norm. Having the proper eyewear is essential for seeing these fish. Copper, vermilion, or amber lenses will make a huge difference. Try it with gray and you may miss most of the fish. The bite has been consistent even through this last full moon. The DOA Baitbuster, followed by the 3 and 5 inch CAL tails, have been our best lures. If you get to the right spot at the right time, you may even encounter a redfish blitz. Watching big schools of redfish acting like jack crevalle crashing mullet is not something you see every day in Mosquito Lagoon. If you do see it happening, drag a Baitbuster across the surface for some awesome surface bites.

This month started off with California angler Frank on board. Most of the morning was heavy clouds and even some rain and it was tough spotting the fish. We stuck it out and the clouds parted and Frank landed several nice fish on the five inch silver mullet colored CAL.

Robert and Walter had an excellent day with shots at tons of redfish and catching some quality fish.

The following day's trip did not work out quite as well. We encountered hundreds of redfish throughout the morning. Unfortunately, not one cast ever landed in front of a fish. While many of the shots were under 30 feet, it sound much easier than it is. Like most other things, they are easy if you practice them. My client did not hook up but he had fun trying and learned some new techniques.

Brain and Mark landed six redfish the next day before we had to race back to the ramp to avoid an early thunderstorm.

That Friday was the last space shuttle launch. With some horrible weather in the morning, we did not think the launch would go up. Seth spent the morning fly fishing but spotting them was nearly impossible. He did get one nice red but you will not see it here as I had forgotten to put the memory card in my camera. The clouds began to part and we set up to watch the launch.

The past week produced some great weather and plenty of shots at 10-15 pound redfish. The black redfish worm fly caught fish as did the DOA Baitbuster, the 3 inch CAL and the 5 inch CAL.

While the slick calm summer days are great for spotting fish activity, the fish are ultra sensitive to unnatural noises. Squeaky shoes, loud steps, and the plop of a lure or bait will get the attention of the fish but not in a good way. The calmer it is, the more stealth you need to use.This time of year, the redfish will eat a wide variety of baits. If you cast a several fish and do not get a bite, switch styles until you find what works.

Capt. Chris Myers
Orlando Fishing Guide

Both the weather and the fishing have been spectacular the past two weeks. The redfish continue to tail aggressively throughout the day and have been our main target. Fishing has been about as good as it gets and it has been a sight fisherman's paradise. Some areas are holding schools of up to several hundred fish while other locations have singles and small groups. The best part has been that nearly all the fish have been feeding when we find them. They are still targeting small crabs and shrimp. You can often see the shrimp skipping across the surface as they try to escape.

I have been on the water nearly every day for the past two weeks with clients using both fly and spinning tackle. While there have been an abundance of fish, the catching success has varied. For the fly anglers, they key to success is getting the fly to the fish quickly. Too many false casts, and the fish will spook before your fly hits the water. For the spin tackle anglers wanting to sight fish, casting accuracy will determine how many you will catch.

Last Friday, Kevin has shots at dozens of schools of redfish tailing on the flats at the beginning of the day. He landed one nice redfish and had several come unhooked.

Monday, I was on the water before dawn with Dan, his wife, and son to watch the launch of the space shuttle.

We began fishing shortly after liftoff. Both father and son landed a redfish.

After dropping off my clients, I called Capt. Drew to meet me at the ramp for a couple hours of fun fishing as the weather was perfect. I tried several lures on tailing redfish and found the clear DOA shrimp to be the most effective.

On Tuesday's fly fishing trip, Rich had shots at tailing redfish all day long but never quite got the fly to them and did not hook up.

Wednesday, I fished with Jason, Erin, and six year old Jake. After watching some dolphins and manatees, we hit the flats and were soon surrounded by schools of redfish. They all caught their first Mosquito lagoon redfish.

Yesterday, Rich returned with his son Mike for another attempt at catching a redfish on fly. Again, we encountered school after school of tailing redfish but the fly never quite got to the fish. As the day progressed, the wind began to pick up and both guys opted to switch to spinning gear. After several bites on the clear DOA shrimp, Rich finally landed a redfish.

Next week will start with some high winds but hopefully we will soon return to the perfect conditions we have been experiencing during the past two weeks. Most of the fish have been in extremely shallow water while feeding. Noise on the deck of the boat, trolling motors hitting the bottom, and too many boats in one area will quickly turn them off. Poling, drifting and wading will get you much closer to happy fish. Once you are in range, speed and accuracy are the number one keys to success. The longer you wait, the more time the fish have to sense your approach.

Capt. Chris Myers
Orlando Fishing Guide

It looks like the long cold winter may be coming to an end here in central Florida. The water temperature on the flats of Mosquito Lagoon broke the 70 degree mark yesterday and the manatee are beginning to return. Fishing for the past few weeks has been outstanding. We have been seeing hundreds of tailing redfish on each trip. Black drum have been plentiful as well. The baitfish schools will soon return and with them will come the trout, ladyfish and jack crevalle. April should be an excellent month if recent trips are any indication of what is to come.

With the fishing tailing aggressively, this is an excellent time for fly anglers to hook into a redfish. Tailing fish are usually feeding on small crabs that are easily imitated with flies. The number one challenge for my fly fishing clients this month was getting the fly to the fish before they became aware of our presence. Once this happens they usually will not eat. The ability to hit your target with one or two false casts will significantly increase your chance of getting a bite.

Earlier this month, I was joined by Bill, an angler visiting from Canada. We found an area holding some large trout and scattered redfish. Bill used a five inch DOA CAL in silver mullet to land several trout. As I poled down the shoreline, he had consistent shots at single redfish. By mid morning, the winds were pushing twenty knots. With most of the boats hugging the shoreline, we left the crowds and headed out to open water. Bill was rewarded with a 38 inch redfish.

Last Saturday brought some beautiful weather. While conditions were near perfect, it seemed like everyone who owned a boat was on the water by 8am. Lewis, my client for the day, had shots at hundreds of tailing redfish as the sun was rising. While he never quite got his bait to the reds, he did manage to hook into a nice black drum.

This week brought some of the best fishing of the year to Mosquito Lagoon. Redfish were tailing throughout the day on every trip. Wind can be a challenge on some days but as long as the sun is out, the fish have been easy to find. Tuesday, I spent a windy day fishing some of the less populated areas with Capt. Drew. The reds didn't mind the wind and were happy to eat the three inch DOA CAL in Arkansas Glow as well as a black crab fly.

The next two days, clients had encounters with various sized schools of redfish throughout the morning. Unfortunately, their casts did not quite hit their mark and they did not hook up. Yesterday, John landed several redfish on his first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. The fish were tailing when we arrived and were still doing so when we left at the end of the day. An excellent day on the water.

There is no better time for sight fishing than when the fish are tailing. If you can see their tails coming up, you know for certain they are eating. The DOA crab, shrimp, and three inch CAL are your best bet when casting to these fish. Getting the lure in front of them quickly is the key. Often times, missing your mark by only a foot can mean the difference between getting a bite and the fish never seeing your lure. Stealth is also important when targeting these shallow water fish. Trolling motor blades hitting the bottom or breaking the surface as well as any noise on the deck of the boat will alert them to your approach.

Capt. Chris Myers
Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide

The weather here in central Florida has been mostly cold and unpredictable but the flats fishing has been consistently good. Redfish and black drum have been abundant with most of the fish being found in schools of 25-200 fish. They have been willing to eat a variety of well placed small soft plastics and flies. Both the reds and drum have been feeding in very shallow water and have been extremely spooky. The fish must be approached slowly and quietly with your casts landing at least ten feet away from them.

On trips during the latter part of February, clients had shots at hundreds of redfish and drum per day. The catching usually depended on the number of accurate casts that were made.

Minnesota residents Jamie and Mike fished Mosquito Lagoon on a cold but sunny day last week. They had shots at schools of redfish throughout the day from 5-30 pounds. A three inch DOA CAL in golden bream color on a 1/8 ounce jighead was the most effective bait and was responsible for at least one double hookup.

The following day, the weather took a turn for the worse due to an approaching cold front. Tim and his son Alex decided to give it a try anyway, hoping to beat the worst of the weather. With solid cloud cover, spotting the fish was the biggest challenge and we ran over many of them before we saw them. Eleven year old Alex did catch his first redfish before we elected to get out of the cold and rain.

Monday was the only day of good weather this week. The redfish were still plentiful and the three inch CAL was eaten on the first cast of the day. I got to try several new crab flies I had tied and found the reds happy to eat them as well.

If the forecast holds true, next week will bring temperatures above 70 every day. If the winds cooperate as well, it should be an excellent week of sight fishing the flats. Small baits like the DOA shrimp and CAL along with crab and shrimp flies will continue to work well.

Capt. Chris Myers
Orlando Fishing Guide

Last week, I was forced to cancel three trips due to bad weather. I did manage to get in one charter and one day of fun fishing.

On Wednesday, I went to the Banana River no motor zone with my friend Paul. We were in the canoe less than ten minutes when we spotted some gigantic tails belonging to black drum waving in the distance. I was able to get off two casts with my crab fly before they vanished. We only saw a few more drum the rest of the day. They were all large but they were also all moving at a rapid pace when we spotted them. We also saw some big redfish which were all singles and all in the muddiest water around, making them difficult to see until we were too close. I managed to catch the smallest redfish I saw all day, about 26 inches, along with a nice trout, both on a 3 inch CAL tail.

Thursday, I took out Dennis and Jamie from northern Canada. We had great weather but the fishing was a bit slower than the action they experienced last year. The brothers had quite a few shots at redfish throughout the day. Only one redfish and one big trout made it to the boat.

This Wednesday, New Jersey residents Pam and Bob joined me for the second year in a row. Bob started the day off with a black drum.By the end of the day, the couple had landed nine redfish during a great day on the Mosquito Lagoon.

The following day, Virginia residents James and Sue made their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. We started the day off fishing some large schools of shallow water redfish. The fish were very spooky, but James broke the ice by catching a redfish on a 4 inch DOA CAL in Morning Glory color. We spent the next couple hours playing hide and seek with a several schools of big redfish. We would see them for a short time, get off a couple casts, and then they would disappear. We finally gave up on them and moved on to look for more cooperative fish. Our final stop produced five more redfish. All were caught on a 3 inch CAL tail in the new watermelon seed color.

With the water levels still extremely low in the Mosquito Lagoon, the sight fishing will continue to be outstanding. Large seatrout are on the flats holding in the sand holes in anticipation of the spawn next month. Stealth is crucial when targeting big trout. If you can get to them while they are still lying in the sand holes, they will readily eat soft plastics. Once they begin to move, however, they almost never stop to eat.

Mark your calendars for the annual Coastal Angler Magazine Fishing and Boating Expo to be help April 18-20 in Melbourne. Capt. Tom Van Horn and I will be at the Mosquito Creek Outdoors booth holding hands-on workshops which will offer instruction on rigging, knots, lines, and tactics. There will also be seminars by local and celebrity guides on a variety of topics.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

The fishing and catching in the Mosquito Lagoon have varied with the weather during the past week. Last Monday, I fished on a breezy day with Scott, Tom, and Smitty from Maryland. We found a school of big redfish at our first stop but, with the sun still low, the guys had a
tough time seeing them and could not quite get a cast in front of the school before they vanished. At our second stop, we had two bites from black drum but the fish shook free before they landed them. This was followed up by a couple of redfish that Scott landed. The third flat produced two progressively bigger redfish, one for Smitty and the biggest one for Tom.

Tuesday and Wednesday brought a cold front with high winds and rain. Thursday was the coldest day of the week with the temperature still at 38 degrees when Blaine and Rick from Indiana stepped onto my boat at 8am. Despite having great visibility, we didn't see a lot of fish but the guys did have shots at small schools of redfish, a few large schools of drum, and singles and pairs of redfish from 5-20 pounds. Rick used a 3 inch DOA CAL in the new watermelon seed color to fool the only redfish we caught all day.

Friday was a bit warmer and I was joined by the father and son team of Pat and Matt from New York City. Matt started the day off on a good note landing an 18 pound black drum. Unfortunately, Matt forgot his polarized glasses and, as the sun got higher, he had a hard
time seeing the fish. Throughout the day, we encountered schools of redfish including one that was holding fish of 15-30 pounds, as well as numerous single redfish and large trout. The lures never quite seemed to get into the fish's strike zone, however and the drum turned out to be the only catch of the day.

Saturday, the weather was perfect. Calm, sunny, and near 80 degrees. I fished with Rich from Connecticut who was enjoying a break from the sub-freezing temperatures. His first cast to a school of fish resulted in a redfish around 17 pounds, his biggest ever.

He followed this up at our second stop by catching another redfish and a trout on a DOA CAL. Rich had some shots at some 30 pound reds but they were put on alert by a boat that drove up on us and would not eat. Rich spent the rest of the day casting to numerous redfish, black
drum, and trout, and managed to land three more reds before we reluctantly called it quits.

By Monday, the nice weather was gone. The winds ahead of an approaching cold front were topping 20 and the clouds were rolling in. Jeff and Vick were some hard core anglers who wanted to give it a try despite the tough conditions. Many of the spots we fished Saturday
were no muddied up by the wind. We did not see a lot of fish and many that we did see were only a few feet from the boat. The guys each caught one redfish and had a few bites before an approaching storm cell chased us back to the ramp.

As the winds calm down and the temperatures rise over the next few days, look for the fish to be back on the shallow flats searching for small crabs. If you are getting good presentations to fish but they will not eat, try using the smallest lure you can effectively cast. Fly fishermen will have good success throwing tiny crab patterns in olive, black or brown. If the water is calm, you may need a leader of 12 feet or more to keep from spooking the fish.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

The winter fishing here in east central Florida continues to be excellent. Redfish, black drum, and seatrout are our primary species this time of year and all three have been readily available. The water levels over the past two weeks have been low resulting in some great sight fishing opportunities.

On Sunday, January 27, I fished the second annual fly fishing tournament sponsored by The Fly Fisherman in Titusville. This event had been cancelled the previous two weeks due to poor weather. This day turned out to be a poor day for fly fishing but the tournament went on as planned. When I arrived at the ramp with my partner, Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch, it was raining and the winds were blowing around 20. Unable to see any fish in the low light, we spent the first couple hours blind casting and picked up one redfish. By late morning, the sun came out but the wind continued blowing. We had steady shots at redfish and big trout throughout the day. Casting was difficult but the hardest part was trying to stop the boat before the wind blew us on top of the fish. Capt. Keith and I each caught two more redfish by sight casting a small rattling crab type pattern. Our five reds were good enough for a second place finish in this catch, photo, release tournament with the winning team having caught six reds.

Tuesday, I joined captains Tom Van Horn and John Kumiski in the Banana River non motor zone. The weather had improved significantly and we came across a large school of big redfish tailing along the edge of a flat. I hooked a fish around 40 inches with a green crab fly using my 7wt.

Capt. Tom landed a nice red and a black drum while Capt. John used a black redfish worm fly to land several black drum and had a huge redfish straighten the hook after a good fight.

Thursday, I had a last minute cancellation. The weather was perfect, so I loaded up my flyrods and headed to Mosquito Lagoon. I spent all morning casting to schools of big redfish and black drum. Despite trying about a dozen different flies, I could not get a single bite. I ended the day catching three trout on a black crab pattern.

Monday, my wife was finally able to join me in Mosquito Lagoon on a day when the wind was not blowing. The water was slick calm and we were easily able to see the fins of big redfish and black drum. Julie hooked up first with the best fish of the day on her second cast. Eleven minutes later, she had the 46 inch 33 pound fish at boatside where we snapped a few pictures before sending it back to its friends.

We each caught one more redfish around 38 inches before leaving them to look elsewhere.

We continued to see both black drum and redfish throughout the day and caught them on various crab flies as well as 4 inch DOA CAL tails in golden bream color. This fifteen spot redfish certainly wasn't the biggest but it did take the prize for best looking.

We finished up the day with 9 reds, a black drum and a trout.On the way home, we stopped at the St. John's River to look for some shad. The bite was slow but I did catch two shad and a speckled perch to add to our total.

Tuesday, I fished with Tom and Rick, a couple of fishing buddies from Indiana making their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. They wanted to try some sight fishing and it was a perfect morning to do just that. With the calm water, we were able to see at least twenty different schools of redfish tailing and finning on the first flat we visited. Rick was at a serious disadvantage having never cast a spinning rod before. Although it sounds like easy fishing having schools of 10-100 fish in every direction, presenting a lure to these wary fish can be easier said than done. It took a bit of trial and error but we managed to get seven redfish to the boat by the end of the day. Rick had a battle with the biggest fish of the day right at the final bell a 32 inch fish around 15 pounds.

The redfish have been feeding heavily on small crabs which means flies and small soft plastics such as the DOA crab will get their attention. Accuracy and presenting the bait without spooking the fish is far more important than color.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Last week an offshore storm brought some high winds. That, coupled with a sudden rise in the water level made for some tough fishing the first few days of the week. The catching was less than spectacular but redfish, some large trout, and a couple tarpon came to the boat. By Friday, the wind was still blowing when Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch and I arrived in Mosquito Lagoon. We spent the day fishing areas we had been unable to access when the water was low. The day started off slow but we ended up with five redfish and jumped six tarpon.

This week, the water was still high but the weather was back to normal. The good weather brought with it some great catching. Monday's charter resulted in numerous trout and a few redfish. Tuesday, Capt. John Kumiski and I headed out of Port Canaveral to assess the mullet run. We only saw one large school of mullet that was being bombarded by large ladyfish. We headed down the beach looking for tarpon. We saw only a few scattered fish and stopped to toss out some plugs. After catching a few nice spanish mackerel, several blacktip sharks started chasing my plug. We tossed out a couple mullet and were soon connected with two big sharks. A storm chased us back in to the Port and we decided to head over to the Indian River to look for tarpon. The tarpon were nowhere in sight but we did discover several schools of large redfish. I threw my gold Baitbuster in front of the school and was quickly hooked up.

Capt. John's flyrod was rigged with a Cousin It tarpon fly but the redfish found it to their liking and he landed a fish of about 35 pounds.

Wednesday, I was back in the Lagoon with my parents, Chuck and Lois. They threw a DOA Deadly Combo around the bait schools and caught over 50 fish. Most were trout but ladyfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, and snapper were caught and released. We moved on in search of bigger fish and Lois hooked up with a black drum followed by a 37" redfish.

Not to be outdone, Chuck caught a 36" red of his own.

Friday, the hot bite continued. After catching several trout on topwater, I threw a tan Merkin style crab with my 5wt flyrod and landed a 34" red. I then spotted a nice trout lying in a sand hole and he ate the crab as well.

Next, I threw a chartreuse EP Minnow to some baby tarpon getting three bites and landing one. Having completed my flyrod slam, I spent the rest of the afternoon fishing for redfish landing seven more on EP mullet flies and six on the gold Baitbuster.

The flats are alive with all types of baitfish and the predators will be gorging themselves as long as the food hangs around. Soft plastics skimmed along the surface have been providing some great top water bites.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Despite Tuesday's full moon, there was some excellent fishing this week, especially late in the day. Water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon have risen slightly over the past week but are still quite low. With the sea grasses at their seasonal high, this makes many areas tough to fish. The edges of flats with a mixture of sand holes and grass have been the most productive.

Monday, Mike from Orlando joined me in the Mosquito Lagoon. We spent the first hour hunting the deeper water for tarpon and only saw two. Our first fishing spot held lots of redfish that would not eat but we each caught a few nice trout on five inch DOA tails.

Our next spot held about ten schools of redfish. We tried a multitude of lures but could only manage to convince two fish to bit out of the hundreds we saw. Although you can usually find a lure that will convince redfish to bite, these fish frustrated us to the point that we decided to leave them in search of others. We moved only about a mile and discovered an area holding a steady supply of reds in groups of 2-10. These fish were much more aggressive and were eager to chase down a Baitbuster worked quickly across the surface. The fish were not all that big, but they were hungry and provided some great topwater strikes. We caught ten and had at least that many miss our lures or chase them up to the boat.

Tuesday, I headed south of Melbourne to fish for tarpon with Capt. Ron Presley. We arrived at daybreak and the fish were rolling and happy. It wasn't long before a fish in the 40-50 lb range struck a black and gold Baitbuster.By 7:30, however, the action had died. We stuck around for a few more hours seeing an occasional roll but never got another bite.

Wednesday, my friend Paul and I made an afternoon trip to Mosquito Lagoon. We began around 1pm and were less than pleased to find a 15 knot wind blowing from the northeast. The sun was out, however, and it wasn't long before we found our first school of redfish. We tossed out some gold Baitbusters and the fish were fighting each other to get to them. As we followed the edge of the flat, we encountered multiple schools of reds and all were eager to hit our lures on the surface providing some spectacular strikes. We boated ten fish in short order. Paul pointed out a large fin off in the distance. As we closed the gap, I saw that there were several large tarpon cruising the flat in water so shallow it did not cover their back. I quickly grabbed a heavier rod spooled with 20 pound braid. As a pair of tarpon crossed the front of the boat about 50 feet out, I fired out a black and gold Baitbuster. When the mullet imitation crossed paths with the tarpon, his entire head came out of the water as he engulfed the lure. Within a few seconds, half my line was gone as the 70 pound fish grey hounded and tail walked across the flat. I managed to get the fish up near the bait and was preparing to get into the water for a photo when the hook pulled out.

Friday's charter was not as successful. We found hundreds of redfish, both schools and singles, cruising the shallow flats. The fish were both spooky and very uninterested in our offerings. A few trout were landed but not a single redfish came to the boat. I planned on sticking around after the trip to see if the afternoon bite would turn on but storms kept me at the ramp.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

I spent three days this week looking for tarpon with mixed results. Although there are a lot of places holding a few tarpon, there have been few places holding a lot of tarpon. The redfish and trout, however, continue to be plentiful.

Tuesday, I headed north to the Tomoka River near Daytona. Paul and I planned on catching a few tarpon and maybe some snook. During four hours of searching, we saw only a handful of tarpon. Most of them were too far away to reach and we left there without a bite. In an attempt to salvage the day, we drove down to Mosquito Lagoon. We tried two spots and found multiple schools of redfish at each location. I used a 5 inch DOA CAL in greene with a Woodies rattle to land the first two fish. I then switched to a gold Baitbuster and we landed ten redfish during the next couple hours. Working the lure right on the surface drew some spectacular strikes as the fish were quite aggressive.

Wednesday, I searched some of my favorite tarpon spots in the Indian River and did not see a single one. I threw the holographic shrimp for a while catching one redfish, one trout and several ladyfish before giving up.

Thursday, I headed south of Melbourne, again, looking for tarpon. This time, I found at least enough to cast to. The strong winds was keeping the fish from rolling as much as I had hoped but there were many more fish than I had seen the previous two days. I landed two tarpon of about 30 pounds on a black and gold Baitbuster and jumped a few more on the holographic DOA shrimp. A tiny TerrorEyz accounted for a few ladyfish and one snook that were feeding on schools of glass minnows.

Friday, I fished Tom and Bill in the Mosquito Lagoon. Unusually high boat traffic had us scrambling for a fishing spot. Bill landed a nice trout on his first cast with the gold Baitbuster and Tom followed with a ladyfish and trout. They had a few shots at some passing schools of reds but did not hook up. We moved on and found a school of bigger reds and Tom had one eat his Baitbuster but the hook did not stick. For the next couple hours, they had shots at both singles and schools of reds. Tom landed one red before we gave up and moved on to some trout fishing. Both guys caught some trout on three inch CAL tails in assorted colors.

Low water levels and high grass on the flats have made many areas difficult to fish. A lure that is rigged weedless is essential when fishing shallow. The edges of flats where the bottom transitions to a mixture of sand and grass has been the most productive for both reds and trout.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Fishing for redfish and trout in the Mosquito Lagoon and north Indian River remains consistent with fish willing to eat throughout the day despite the high water temperatures. A few large tarpon have made their way into the Lagoon but I have yet to see them in significant concentrations. It is the time of year when you may cross paths with a large tarpon almost anywhere. If you want to catch these fish, you will need to carry a stout rod rigged with a heavy leader. Smaller trout and ladyfish are continuing to feed on the schools of glass minnows and can provide some great action if your redfish plan does not work out.

Last Saturday, I joined Capt. Ron Presely on board his 22 Pathfinder out of Port Canaveral. We had hopes of finding some tarpon and were not disappointed. We never ventured more than 100 yards from the beach the entire day. I threw sinking DOA Baitbusters in black and silver and pearl/green back and had 13 bites, jumped 11, but only got one to the boat. The fish were from 30-100 pounds and were much more aggressive than usual despite the lack of baitfish schools in the area. We also caught a few jacks and ladyfish between tarpon bites for an outstanding day on the water.

On Sunday, I returned to the same area hoping to experience more of the same. Almost all the tarpon had vanished and we only had shots at two. Bluefish and jacks were plentiful but bluefish and sift plastics do not go well together.

Tuesday, I was joined by Diane and David, fly fishers from western Canada. Our plan was to start the day off catching some ladyfish and trout but it was tough finding the glass minnows in the morning chop. Diane managed to catch a trout, jack, and a catfish on a chartreuse clauser minnow. We spent the next couple hours throwing flies at some small tarpon that were rolling among several manatees. The closest thing to a bite we got was a manatee who tried chewing on my push pole. Next, it was off to look for some redfish. We saw quite a few, both tailing and cruising. The speed and accuracy of presentation required to catch these fish was not something my Canadian guests were used to doing. A bite from a redfish eluded us but we had fun trying.

Friday, I fished with Debbie, from Orlando, who wanted to try some sight fishing. We started off with a school of big redfish but our attempts to catch them were thwarted by some inconsiderate anglers spooking them with their motor. We left that school to look for look for others and soon found a fair number of happy fish in about two feet of water. As we were approaching a group of 5-6 redfish, we nearly bumped into a 60 pound tarpon lying motionless on the flat far from any deep water. I'm not sure who scared who more but the tarpon left a huge hole in the water as he raced off the flat. The tarpon managed to spook off the redfish but they settled down soon enough. Debbie cast to a cruising red with a 4 inch DOA CAL in a new color called stark naked. This color mimics a small finger mullet and the redfish grabbed it the instant it touched the water.

We made a short move and found a school of bigger redfish and Debbie made short work of a 21 pound 38 inch fish.

Debbie sight cast to another nice redfish using a 5 inch CAL in greene for her third red of the day. She caught a few trout throwing 3 inch CAL tails and some Capt. Joe's Shredders on jig heads to finish the day.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Big seatrout were the most consistent this week with the black drum coming in a close second. The trout have been holding in sand holes in 1-2 feet of water and have been aggressively eating 5 inch jerkbaits. Schools of big redfish have been holding along the edges of sandbars and the black drum can be found on both the inside and outer edges of sand bars. Water temperatures have been holding above 85 degrees meaning fight times must be kept to a minimum to ensure a successful release.

Monday, Bruce and his son Matt, from Georgia, joined me for the first of two days fishing the Mosquito Lagoon. We saw some huge seatrout but only managed to hook up with a few smaller fish throughout the morning. When the sun came up, we went in search of some big redfish. We were able to find them but could not convince them to eat. We went back to trout fishing and caught a few more small fish and a surprise bluefish.

Tuesday, I checked a few areas I had not fished in a while hoping to find redfish, I did not see many reds but did come across plenty of big trout. Using a green 5 inch DOA CAL tail with and without a chug head, I caught five trout over 24 inches. One black drum and a redfish competed the slam and I left early before the storms arrived.

Wednesday, I fished Bruce and Matt for their second day. This time, we went straight to the big reds. Although the bite was less than spectacular, Matt landed a 38 inch fish for his first ever red.

We left the reds and found some black drum that were much easier to please. Matt and his dad each caught two drum including fish of 18 and 15 pounds.

Friday, Dennis and Dede from Orlando spent their 22nd anniversary fishing the Lagoon. We spent several hours in the morning trying to catch tarpon. We found plenty of 5-20 pound fish but they refused our offering of both live and artificial baits. Dede caught the first two fish of the day. A five pound black drum followed by an 18 pound drum a few minutes later.

The rest of the day was spent throwing 5 inch CAL tails to sand holes and resulted in one jack crevalle and about eight trout including a couple big fish that shook free.

This week I saw a few large tarpon roll in deeper waters of the Lagoon raising hopes that the fish will show up in greater numbers soon. To have a chance to catch the bigger fish, keep a heavy rod rigged with 20 pound braid and a 60 pound leader on board. A sinking DOA Baitbuster will give you a shot to hook one the hundred pound brutes.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Last Saturday, Jeremy and Mike from Minnesota, wanted to find out how our redfish compared to their walleye. The day started a bit slow and some nearby storms threatened to run us off the water. The guys finished strong, however, getting nine redfish to the boat with several of them over 30 inches.

Monday, Gary from West Virginia joined me for a fly fishing trip. We found a school of big redfish early and Gary tossed an EP mullet pattern to them and hooked up a 36” fish. Despite breaking the tip of his flyrod during the fight, we still landed the fish for a few photos.

I fixed Gary up with one of my flyrods and, during the next few hours, he had shots at multiple redfish but it just didn't work out like we had hoped. Gary had to leave early so I dropped him off and headed back out alone to test out a new crab fly I had tied. I found a few black drum and hooked one up on my second cast.

Shortly after landing that fish, I noticed some dark storms building near the ramp so I headed for shelter.

Tuesday, Capt. Ron Presley and I went scouting for big tarpon in the Indian River. We checked several spots and never saw one. They should be showing up any day now and will remain until the first cold front of fall.

Thursday, Fred and his son Foster joined me on Mosquito Lagoon. Despite some menacing clouds, we were able to fish long enough for Foster to land his biggest redfish to date, 33 inches. We saw quite a few fish but could not convince them to bite. Weather forced us to call it an early day.

Friday's weather was not much better with clouds, fog, and more wind. John and Mark Pretola had hopes of fly fishing for redfish. With poor visibility, we spent quite a while searching for some tailing fish. High water had many of the flats too deep to see tails or backs and we saw only a few fish flee from under the boat. Since we could not find any cooperative redfish, we went in search of black drum. We found them happy and tailing and both father and son caught their first two drum.

The sun finally came out and we had some shots at a group of large reds but did not hook up.

Saturday, I joined Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch on his new bay boat out of Port Canaveral. We ran the beach almost to Melbourne before finding and schools of menhaden. We saw only a few tarpon and kingfish and caught one small king and a shark. An uncharacteristically slow day along the beach.

With the hot months of summer upon us, the topwater bite will end early but the fish will continue to feed throughout the day. As the water temperature rises, move out to slightly deeper water to search for the redfish and trout. Areas with two feet of water and a mixture of grass and sand holes regularly hold fish during the middle of the day.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com
321-229-2848

Fishing has been consistent during the past two weeks. Most days, we have been getting numerous shots at both redfish and large trout as well as some chances at small tarpon and some black drum. The calm sunny days make the fish easy to spot but it is harder to get close to them. Quick and accurate casts are a must when sight fishing. Fishing around schools of mullet at first light has been producing an excellent topwater bite. In areas with a large amount of floating grass, the DOA Chug head on a 5" tail has been allowing us to fish topwater without fouling the lure.

Last Monday, Russ, a fly fisherman from Idaho, and his wife Kathy joined me for an early start on Mosquito Lagoon. We had multiple shots at redfish throughout the day. Russ got the EP minnow in front of a few and had one fish eat the fly. Instinct took over and Russ tried to set the hook by lifting the rod and the fly was pulled away from the fish. Kathy ended up with the only redfish of the day on a green DOA CAL.

Tuesday, I fished the Banana River no motor zone with several friends. Although I never saw the big fish we were hoping for, I did catch 5 redfish and four nice trout on both fly and spinning gear.

Wednesday, I took George and Pam out of Ponce Inlet in search of kingfish and tarpon along the beach. We found the seas much rougher than predicted and bait was scarce. Though we did get to see a king jump over the head of a pelican sitting on the water, we gave up and went back inside without getting a strike. We fished under the bridge in New Smyrna for a few jacks, a sea bass, and a sea robin before calling it a day.

Thursday, Paul joined me for a morning of tarpon fishing. We found plenty of 5-25 pound tarpon but the bite was slow. We each landed one small tarpon and had several more bites before heading into Mosquito Lagoon.Clouds and wind made the sight fishing difficult but Paul got shots at several nice reds and trout. He made two thirds of the slam by catching a trout but could not find a redfish that would cooperate.

Friday, fly fisherman Nick C., from New York, made his first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. We poled up on a school of big redfish as the sun was rising but could not quite get the fly to them before several more boats moved in on us. We left and went in search of single fish and saw quite a few throughout the day. Nick's best cast of the day resulted in a bite but he forgot to strip strike the fish and the fly was pulled away. Though he went home fishless, Nick made a great effort under less than perfect wind conditions.

Saturday, Dave P. joined me on the Mosquito Lagoon. The first stop revealed over one hundred big redfish in less than two feet of water finning and tailing. The fish never saw the fly and again, we were forced to move on when the bait fishermen arrived. After some fly casting lessons, we went to a shallow grass flat in search of more redfish. It was slick calm and our second stop produced dozens of single fish and 15-20 schools in very shallow water. Dave had hoped to fly fish but soon realized that he was not quite ready for the speed and accuracy required to present the fly to the fish. He switched over to spinning gear and we continued seeing fish the rest of the day. Dave finally landed a respectable trout around 2pm on a 5" CAL.

Sunday, Jack and Kurt from Wisconsin came back for their second trip of the year. The fish were not as plentiful as the day before but we did see quite a few redfish and big trout. Kurt landed a nice trout after seeing the fish chasing a mullet. We found several schools of black drum but were unsuccessful at getting a bite.

Monday, fly angler Randy G., from Colorado, began the day by catching several small trout along the edge of a flat. We spent an hour or so working on fly casting but Randy decided his chances of catching a fish would be greatly increased with spinning gear. We tried of school of big redfish but found them unwilling to cooperate. The flats produced multiple shots at cruising reds. Persistence paid off, and Randy caught his first ever redfish on the green CAL.

The next day, Chris and Brandon, from Kansas, joined me for an unusually windy June day on the Lagoon. They worked topwater baits at dawn and caught several trout.

The next stop produced several schools of black drum and both Chris and Brandon landed one.

We spent the next couple hours casting to a school of large redfish. We got only one bite and the fish missed the bait. Our final stop offered a decent number of shots at cruising redfish and Brandon caught the only one of the day.

Whether you are fishing with fly or spin tackle, casting accuracy is the most important factor when sight fishing for redfish. For the fly anglers,be prepared to make a 40-60 foot cast to an area the size of a dinner plate with, at the most, one or two false casts. Also practice casting into and across the wind as conditions may not always be perfect. Casting practice with all kinds of tackle in various conditions will increase your catch rate when sight fishing.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com
321-229-2848

We have been seeing hundreds of redfish on most trips during the past few weeks. The catching, however, has varied. High winds on many trips have made sight casting to these spooky fish difficult. If you can manage to get a lure in front of the fish, they have been eating well. The shallow flats are still holding plenty of schooling fish and there have been plenty of shots at tailing fish throughout the day.

Last Thursday, I fished with Bernie and his son Chris. Bernie had fished with me several weeks ago and we had terrible weather with cold, high winds, and heavy clouds. Contrary to the weather forecast, this trip was not much better but we did get plenty of sun. We saw a dozen or so schools of up to 300 redfish but high winds made casting to and keeping up with them tough. Chris managed to get two nice redfish on 5" DOA CAL tails.

Monday, Tom and Steve from South Carolina decided to fishing sounded better than working and joined me in Mosquito Lagoon. They were not accustomed to the clean water and spooky fish. They were used to blind casting to likely areas in stained water. Steve pulled a nice redfish from a school using a gold 4" CAL and caught a second red using the same bait from a separate school. Both guys had dozens of shots at both schooling and tailing redfish throughout the day. Tom never connected with the reds but did manage to score one trout.

Tuesday, Dawn spent her birthday fishing with her daughter Devyn. It was their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon and their first time sight fishing. After a short lesson, the ladies were ready for some action. Devyn struck first with a redfish that hammered a spinner bait. She was surprised by the pulling power of these fish and did a fine job of getting it to the boat.By mid day, both ladies were making good casts as we continued to see tailing fish and the occasional school. Devyn landed her second redfish from a large school with a 4" CAL tail. A while later, Dawn made an excellent cast to a cruising single and we watched it inhale her CAL but the hook shook free a few seconds later. Devyn caught her third redfish on a shallow flat. She spotted the fish, made a perfect cast, and hooked the fish less than 20 feet from the boat with a 15 knot wind. Not bad for a beginner! Although Dawn did not get a fish for her birthday, a good time was had by all.

Thursday, I had a back county trip with Captains Van Horn and Kumiski. Our clients wanted to fish from canoes in areas we would not see boats. We launched from Riverbreeze Park and fished the northern end of Mosquito Lagoon. There was a lot of bait and clean water, but the redfish were sparse and scattered. My client had shots at several small schools of fish as well as a few singles but did not connect. We didn't see a ton a fish but had a peaceful day away from other boats.

Mark and Steve from Orlando fished with me on a very windy Friday morning. We did not see a school all day but we did find a few tailing fish in the shallow grass. Getting a small soft plastic to them in a 15-20 knot wind was the hard part. We made a move to a wind protected shoreline. Casting and poling was much easier but there were no fish. We went back out into the wind, had a few more shots, but never hooked up. I dropped the guys off early and went back out alone. I got an hour or so in before the clouds made spotting fish difficult. I caught 3 reds on CAL tails and one on a spinner bait.

To consistently increase your catching, practice your casting on days it is too windy to go fishing. On most fishing trips, the wind picks up some time during the day. If you are not used to casting under windy conditions, you bait will not hit its intended mark. Line control, lure trajectory, and judging the wind's effect on your bait are all skills that need to be practiced in advance, not when the fish are in front of you.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

We have continued to experience outstanding fishing for redfish and large seatrout during the past few weeks. On most days, we have encountered multiple schools of redfish along with a significant amount of singles tailing on the flats of Mosquito Lagoon. Seeing redfish does not always equate with catching them, as those who have fished the Lagoon know. Although the fish have been plentiful, and, on most days, will eat a properly presented artificial bait, they have been very spooky. Being able to cast the bait quickly and accurately have been the most important factors during the past few months. The ability to make these cast under what are commonly less than ideal wind conditions this time of year can be the difference between a day of catching ten redfish or a day of catching none. Practice your casting before you go fishing and your catching will increase dramatically.

Easter Sunday was cloudy, cold, and windy but Carlton, from Arkansas, and I were one of the only boats on the Lagoon. Though the weather was less than perfect, the fish didn't seem to mind. We spent the entire morning in an area less than one square mile and had over a dozen schools of fish all to ourselves. I'm sure Carlton will be the first to tell you that catching them is not as easy as it sounds. His first fish was a respectable seatrout that took a 4” DOA CAL tail in Arkansas Shiner that was meant for, but was behind, a school of redfish. This was the first of two nice trout this week that were following schools of reds and were caught on what seemed to be an errant cast. Carlton's next catch was nearly a double as a redfish from a large school grabbed his CAL tail and a second fish got hung up on the leader while trying to attack the same bait. He nearly got both fish to the boat before one shook free but he was able to land his first ever redfish.

By Wednesday, the weather had improved and my good friend Dave joined me for a perfect spring day on the Lagoon. In the first two hours, we saw about 15 schools of redfish. Several of them spooked and swam off before we could ever get a shot at them but I managed to get a cast into a school of over slot fish and a 30” redfish inhaled a 5” CAL tail in melon back color. We each caught a few reds and some nice trout all on four and five inch jerk baits and headed in when the wind picked up.

Thursday, I fished Steve and Dan from Orlando. The fish were still plentiful but we had more wind and clouds than the day before making them more difficult to see. Dan opened the day with a 29” redfish caught on a 5” melon back tail with a Woodies rattle. The schools moved off so we headed to some ultra shallow water to look for tailing reds. It took the guys a while to get their casting dialed in to the small strike zone of tailing redfish but as the day progressed, so did their accuracy. Adding a rattle to the baits also helped get the attention of the redfish when the cast was not exactly perfect. Both guys were able to catch their first tailing redfish on artificial baits.

By Friday, the wind had increased to a steady 10-15. Alex from Orlando treated his father from Sweden to his first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. The guys wanted to target big redfish. After a bit of searching, we found a school of large reds. Finding them was difficult. Getting them to eat proved impossible. Fresh live baits did not even draw a strike so we moved on to another location with less than an hour left to fish. Alex caught a trout and his father landed his first redfish. Although it was not the giant they had hoped for, we managed to avoid a shutout.

Ahead of an approaching cold front, Saturday's winds had increased to 15-25. Julie and Peggy, both fly anglers, faced some tough conditions. Our first spot had 6-8 schools of redfish. Between some morning clouds and wind, seeing them proved difficult and casting a fly to them even harder. Julie's crab fly was totally ignored by a large school of redfish. As the schools vanished into deeper water, we headed shallower and came across a fair number of extremely spooky singles throughout the day. Many of the fish took off before we ever got a shot at them. Some of the best anglers I have ever fished, both ladies made some amazing fly casts under impossible conditions but they were totally ignored. We changed fly size color and pattern but could not seem to find one that would work. While backing up Peggy with a spinning rod, Julie caught a trout. The only interest in any of our flies came from a blowfish. Had we enjoyed better conditions, I am certain these accomplished anglers would have had a very successful day.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

The weather the past couple weeks has been up and down with some high winds and some days of no wind. The fishing, like the weather, has been up and down with some great days, and some not so perfect days. The redfish, however are still schooled up and plentiful, The big seatrout have returned to the flats and are beginning to eat. The key to fishing has been to find the schools of mullet. They have been becoming more plentiful each week and the game fish are near the bait.During the last week of March, I fished several days. On Monday, I fished with my wife in the Melbourne area. Shortly after dawn, the winds were pushing twenty knots and the Indian River looked like a washing machine. We tried to salvage the day by hiding from the wind in Crane Creek and the Eau Gallie River. Using 3" CAL tails on jigheads and a rootbeer DOA shrimp, we caught a snapper, four small snook, and a bass.

Wednesday, I fished with George and Kyle. We started the day on some black drum but after a couple hours of effort, we could not get one of them to bite. We moved to some shallower flats and encountered several schools of redfish, some large seatrout, and quite a few tailing reds. George and Kyle both had strikes while throwing a 4" CAL tail in Arkansas Shiner but could not get the hook to stick for more than a couple seconds. A stiff wind in the afternoon made casting tough and we finished with only one trout to the boat.

The next day, my father and brother joined me for my brother's first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. Though he is a fishing novice, my brother managed to get a redfish and five trout to the boat and they had multiple shots at cruising reds throughout the day. All fish were caught on 4" CAL tails and DOA shrimp.

By Friday, the weather had turned sour and it was cool, cloudy, and windy when we began the day. Bernie and his son, Kevin, had hoped to get some shots at redfish. Although we saw a few schools of fish, the cloud cover made it almost impossible to see them until it was too late. The wind kept us from being able to keep up with the fish and we headed in early with only one trout caught.

The beginning of this week brought some improvement in the weather. Monday, I fished the Mosquito Lagoon with my friend Paul. We threw 5" CAL tails in green back color almost the entire day. Paul started off with a couple nice trout then it was my turn. I landed two redfish on the jerk bait and then a trout on a green baitfish pattern fly. We ended the day both having caught redfish and trout and landed eleven fish.

Tuesday, Jack and his son Curt, from Wisconsin, took their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. They were both excellent fishermen and within ten minutes, Jack had the first trout of the day to the boat. Using a 4" DOA CAL tail in Arkansas glow with a Woodies rattle, the father and son team caught a total of ten redfish and trout on a beautiful spring day.

By Saturday, a cold front had moved through the area dropping both the water level and temperature. It will continue to remain cool through Monday and then climb steadily. Look for redfish to be tailing especially late in the day. They will take a well presented soft plastic bait but they may not see your lure while their head is in the grass. Cast past the tailing fish, bring your lure right in front of their nose and wait for them to raise their head. Give your bait the slightest twitch for an instant strike.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

During the past two weeks, high winds have made for some tough fishing in east central Florida. A cold front last weekend dropped the temperatures into the 40's but over the past week, they have climbed steadily reaching the 80's this weekend. The rising temperatures have brought even more bait fish to the flats and clear skies the past few days offered some great sight fishing opportunities.

On Wednesday, the 14th, Bruce from Orlando brought along his son and daughter to fish the Mosquito Lagoon. The day started out calm and we were able to find a nice school of black drum. Bruce's 11 year old daughter, Hannah, hooked a black drum between 10 and 15 lbs and did an excellent job of fighting it by herself. We were able to get a few more casts at the drum but could not get another bite before they moved off. The wind picked up and the action died and we headed in with Hannah having caught the only fish.

Two days later, Casey and Alec from Virginia had planned on a day of fly fishing for redfish. The winds were blowing about 10 knots when we started and quickly increased to 20. A heavy cloud cover prevented us from having any chance of seeing the fish before we were right on top of them. Despite the unfavorable conditions, the couple stuck with their fly rods and made the best of a bad situation. Although they did not catch any fish, they did get to practice casting under windy conditions and hopefully learned a few tips that will help them on an upcoming bonefishing trip.

Sunday, Glenn and Aaron along with 10 year old Grayson faced tough conditions on the Mosquito Lagoon. A cold font had blown through the day before dropping the water temperature 15 degrees. On a windy 47 degree morning, we set out to find some redfish. Within the first ten minutes, Grayson caught his first redfish.

During the next couple hours, however, we only saw a few fish. By mid morning, we found a flat holding a few schools of redfish but the high winds made both casting and keeping up with them difficult. Grayson caught a second red with a DOA crab before we decided to call it a day.

High winds kept me off the water this week until Friday. I was joined by Charlie and his wife Linda for two days of great fishing weather. Blue skies, warm temperatures, and moderate winds, just what we had been hoping for. We saw tons of fish and managed to catch some of them both days. On day one, Linda broke the ice with a trout caught on a DOA CAL in Arkansas shiner with a Woodies Rattle. Charlie was next with a 38" redfish.

We moved to a flat holding a good number of large trout and Charlie was able to fool one with a gold CAL tail. Linda used the same bait to catch her redfish nearby.

On day two, we found a school of feeding redfish in some muddy water. The couple each caught two reds using spinner baits and a DOA crab.

When the sun came up, we located some bigger redfish and spent quite some time trying to get them to eat. Despite our efforts, the big fish were not in the feeding mood so we moved on. During the rest of the day, we got multiple shots at both redfish and large trout. Linda was able to make a perfect cast to a redfish with her CAL tail and brought her third one of the day to the boat.

The spring trout spawn has brought some large females onto the shallow flats. The fish are holding in clean water with a mixture of grass and sand holes and a good supply of mullet. Soft plastic jerk baits and the DOA Baitbuster can get you a trophy sized trout. These fish are much more fragile than redfish so please handle them with care and return them to the water quickly. Smashing down the barbs on your hooks will make catch and release easier.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

During the past week, we have had some days with spectacular weather along with some days that were less than ideal. The fish, however, have been plentiful. The water still remains low in Mosquito Lagoon and the numbers of mullet present have been increasing each day.

Last Wednesday, I was on the water dawn till dusk with two trips. In the morning, I fished with Paul and his son Lee. It was a perfect morning and we started the day trying to catch some black drum. Paul had one fish on briefly but the hook pulled and the drum left the flat. We switched our focus to redfish and found about twenty different schools throughout the morning. The fish were very shallow and extremely spooky giving us only one or two shots before getting out of range. Paul and Lee managed to fool a few fish using 4" DOA CAL tails in gold and Arkansas Shiner.

Just as I picked up Jerry and Joe for their afternoon fly fishing charter, the wind started to blow. We had no problem finding the fish but getting close to them was next to impossible. We got a few shots at some reds and big trout but the wind was a bit too much. Near the end of the day, the guys put down their long rods and switched to spinning gear and saved us from a shutout. Jerry landed a redfish and Joe followed up with a flounder, both on 4" CAL tails.

Thursday, Brian and Shane took a break from their Bike Week activities and we spent the morning fishing Mosquito Lagoon. We had multiple shots at black drum and reds throughout the morning but they were reluctant to eat. Our final tally was three nice redfish.

Friday, Bill and Jennifer from Kansas made their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. We found some happy and hungry redfish and black drum. Jennifer's first fish, a large black drum came off right at the boat as did the next one, a big red on Bills line. Jennifer then caught a smaller black drum and followed it up with a monster redfish.

Bill followed up with some nice reds of his own but, as his wife kept reminding him, none of them were quite as big as hers.

The couple caught five reds all over 30" before the wind started to blow and the action slowed down.

Sunday was supposed to be a day of fly fishing with Tim, from Maryland, and his brother-in-law Wayne. We had not been on the water 30 minutes when the wind cranked up and never let up the entire day. We had consistent shots at both schooling and tailing redfish throughout the day but the winds made even spin casting difficult. We did get four reds to the boat including a double header on 4" CAL tails.

Monday was the exact opposite of the previous day with no wind, clear skies, and hungry fish. Bob and Pam from New Jersey enjoyed a Chamber of Commerce day on the Mosquito Lagoon.  We saw lots of schools of redfish, a good number of tailing fish, and a few big trout. Bob got a trout and four redfish and Pam landed two reds. All were caught on 4" CAL tails in gold, Arkansas Shiner, and Electric Chicken.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Schools of redfish continue to roam the shallow flats of Mosquito Lagoon. In addition to schools of 20-200 fish, there are plenty of single reds to be found in the same areas. The water level has risen in the past few days and water temperatures are pushing 70 degrees. The fish are active and targeting small crabs and shrimp. If you can get a small soft plastic in front of them, they will eat it. Fishing with chunk baits, however, has not been producing as well lately because the fish are so focused on the small crabs.

Sunday, I fished the Mosquito Lagoon with Bill and Jennifer from New Jersey. There were relatively few boats out for a weekend and we found ourselves alone at the first stop with a large school of black drum. The fish were not in the mood to cooperate, however, and even refused fresh blue crab. We followed them for a short while before they eventually disappeared into deeper water. At our next stop, a porpoise decided he also wanted to work the sandbar we were working and did a thorough job of scaring off all the fish. We moved again and Bill was the first to score with a 35" redfish. Jennifer followed up with another red she caught with a gold spoon. The winds picked up and we continued to see feeding reds but conditions made sight casting to them difficult.

Monday, I fished the father and son team of Dave and Mike. Again, we started out trying to convince the black drum to eat. We had one bite but the hook did not stick. Just like the previous day, they stayed around only a short while before moving deep. The breeze pickup up and action was slow for several hours. Around mid day, the winds died and suddenly we were surrounded by redfish tails in every direction. The calm winds lasted on a short while, however. As soon as the wind began to blow, the tails went down. We did manage to catch one red before the feeding frenzy was over. We continued poling the flats and had a flounder and
a nice trout shake loose and saw plenty of redfish the rest of the day. Although we did not set any catching records, we certainly had a fun and entertaining day.

Tuesday, JR and his twelve year old son Austin from Oregon, fished with me in Mosquito Lagoon. Both were excellent fishermen. We had to overcome cloudy and windy conditions most of the day. Dad caught the first two redfish on a gold DOA CAL tail.

Austin followed up with three reds of his own.

The sun came out at the end of the day and they had several shots at tailing redfish but only had one more bite.Poor weather kept me off the water for the rest of the week. This week's weather is supposed to be excellent and I am looking forward to some excellent days on the water. Some clear skies and light winds shoudl allow us to get some shots at tailing fish with the flyrod.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons

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

This week ended with some of the coldest weather we have experienced so far this year and before the cold came some of the highest winds of the year. The weather made for some tough fishing conditions but we did catch a few quality fish and did not get shut out during four days of fishing.

Monday brought mild temperatures but we faced clouds and rain as I fished with Bob Caruso from Connecticut. Our first stop brought is to a school of about 100 redfish from 15-30 pounds in two feet of crystal clear water. We spent several hours fishing this school trying to get Bob two fish but they were not in the mood to eat. Bob did land one nice fish from this school, however, a 38" fish weighing over 20 pounds.

At our next stop, we were greeted by a school of several hundred black drum and a few large reds. Bob hooked and landed two black drum using a circle hooked shrimp.

To end the day, we poled some extremely shallow water looking for a big  trout. Despite the cloud cover, we did spot a few nice trout along with some tailing redfish. Although none of the trout found their way onto the hook, we were happy having seen hundreds of trophy fish throughout the day.

Tuesday, I fished with Ken Van Every from Michigan. The nicest weather day of the week brought us a slick calm morning and a school of big redfish. Despite the seemingly perfect conditions, the reds were not interested in eating anything we had to offer. While it is always fun to watch a school of big reds in shallow water, it would have brought a bit more excitement if we had caught one. After a couple hours, we gave up on those fish and went searching for some others. Our next stop held more large reds that were just as reluctant to feed as the first group. After much effort, Ken was able to land a respectable redfish, his first fish of 2007.

Again, we went searching the shallows for trout. We only saw a few but Ken managed to fool another redfish using a 4" DOA CAL tail in Arkansas glow.

By Wednesday, the weather began to take a turn for the worse, I fished the next two days with Waite from Washington State. An accomplished fisherman, Waite wanted to fish redfish on ultralight tackle. Wednesday morning, we found a flat holding dozens of schools of redfish in very shallow water. Waite had a few bites on a 3" CAL tail but no hookups. Once the fish realized we were on their flat, they never let us get close to them again. By 10am, the winds were pushing twenty knots forcing us to search for shelter against the shoreline. With the low water, however, we were unable to get close to the shore. With only one trout to show, we left the Mosquito Lagoon and went to the St. John's River to try for some shad. By now, the winds were gusting over 30 making casting the light jigs difficult. We tried trolling for a while and saw a few others hooking some shad. Only one speckled perch took advantage of our offerings and we called it a day with only 2 fish and a case of windburn.

Thursday brought a cool start but was not quite as windy. Waite and I started off in the Mosquito Lagoon again looking for some schooling reds. After a bit of searching, we found a couple schools and Waite landed a red on a green CAL. The school never let us get close enough for another shot. We continued seeing reds throughout the morning but the fish were very skittish and reluctant to eat. As the clouds rolled in and the rain began to fall, we moved over to the St. Johns for another shot at the shad. Action was slow but Wait did get two nice shad on a tandem chartreuse jig setup.

By early next week, the weather should be stabilized and a warming trend will bring temperatures in the 80's by next weekend. With the water temperature increasing daily and the winds forecast to be light, it should be an excellent week of sight fishing the flats. Look for tailing fish on the shallow flats in the afternoons. There should be ample shots at them and they will be willing to take a well placed fly or small soft plastic.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

The past two weeks have brought some cold north winds to east central Florida dropping both the water temperature and level. The extreme low water has many of the areas we had been fishing high and dry, Water temps are hovering in the mid 50's and the wind has been a factor on several recent trips. Despite the conditions, the fish has been quite good.

Last week, Capt Tom Van Horn and I fished the Mosquito Lagoon on a cold and cloudy day. The overnight low was 37 degrees dropping the water to 48. We saw redfish chasing small minnows on an extremely shallow flat and both Capt. Tom and I hooked up with several redfish using soft plastic crabs and shrimp. Tom took over poling duties while I got out the flyrod and a few minutes later I landed a nice trout on a green deer hair slider.

We moved to another location and found a school of black drum. Tom caught one on a soft plastic shrimp and I landed one on a crab fly.

Last Friday, Richard from Wales joined me for a late afternoon trip in Mosquito Lagoon. We tried to find the black drum but were unsuccessful. Wind and clouds made the sight fishing difficult but our second stop held a few redfish, Rich did not hook up with the reds but caught a few trout using a gold DOA CAL that were holding in shallow sand holes.

Saturday, Jesse from Orlando decided to brave the cold and high winds which were forecast. Despite the weather, he was able to land two nice redfish with a gold DOA CAL tail. Just as we came upon several schools of reds crashing small baits, lightning forced us off the water.

Tuesday, I fished with John from Colorado. It was windy and cold but the fish didn't seem to mind. John landed seven redfish and one trout.

Wednesday, Jay and Blair, on vacation from New York, took their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. We began the morning by fishing several schools of large reds and black drum. Although we had little problem finding the fish, they did not seem to be in the mood to eat. We gave up on those fish and went in search of some easier targets. We saw redfish on the shallow flats throughout the morning but they were extremely spooky. The father and son team gave it their best but the fish were not making it easy for first time sight casters and we landed none. I stayed on the water after dropping them off and was able to find a school of large reds sunning themselves in a sand hole. I was able to pull one 38" fish out of the school before heading for home.

Thursday, I fished the Indian River on a beautiful winter day. My second cast with a black and silver DOA Baitbuster was crushed by a 40" redfish. After landing that fish, I threw several flies, lures, and even fresh crab to them but had no other bites. Unfortunately, my attempt at a self portrait did not work out as well as I had planned but you get the idea.

In addition to the flats, I have made several trips to the St. John's River during the past two weeks looking for shad. Although I have not gone fishless, the shad run has not turned on quite yet. The shad I have caught have been on small chartreuse jigs or flies. These same lures have also been taking bass, bluegill, speckled perch, and assorted bream. Reports indicate the shad are there one day and gone the next. Hopefully, it will turn on soon.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

It seems as if winter may have finally arrived here in Central Florida. With temperatures forecast to be in the 60's during the day and 40's at night, we can expect a significant drop in the water temperature. This may bring the big trout, which have been scattered so far this year, onto the shallow flats. A trophy sized seatrout is an extremely wary fish when on the flats. They will not tolerate any noise or errant casts. Sight fishing for them is challenging but not impossible. The most difficult part can be spotting them before they begin to move. Big trout are ambush feeders that lie motionless and use their camouflage to conceal them from passing prey. If you see a big trout on the move, it has probably sensed your presence and will rarely bite. If you can spot a fish that is still lying in wait and get a lure in front of it, you can be rewarded with some spectacular sight fishing action.

Last Thursday, my wife and I drove to Mosquito Lagoon only to be greeted by whitecaps and rain. We turned around and drove over to the St. Johns River where the weather was a bit better. We spent a few hours pitching DOA Tiny Terroreyz. We caught only three fish, a shellcracker, a mudfish, and one shad. So far, the shad run has been pretty slow but I am hopeful it will improve soon. The American Shad is much like a mini tarpon with quick runs and jumps on light tackle. A good winter alternative when the flats are blown out.

Friday, I took an afternoon trip to Mosquito Lagoon to scout a few areas. I spent an hour or so trying to get some black drum to eat various artificial lures with no success. I finally
tossed out a chunk of ladyfish and was rewarded with a fish of about 15 pounds. Spot two
held several schools of redfish which were eager to eat a 4" DOA CAL tail in golden shiner color.

Sunday, I fished Steve from Vermont. We found a school of fifty or so reds at our first stop. Steve had a bite but didn't get hooked up and the school vanished. We moved a bit and began to see multiple schools of 30-50 redfish. Steve finally hooked up using a gold DOA CALtail with his first Mosquito lagoon redfish. We continued seeing fish the rest of the afternoon and Steve finished the day with nine reds and a nice trout.

Monday, my charter had to reschedule so I went to the Lagoon hoping to throw a fly to some of the fish I had seen the day before. I arrived just as the wind began to gust and the clouds rolled in. I managed to get a brown and gold bendback in front of a hungry red before the wind became too much for the flyrod. I tossed a Tiny Terroreyz to another red on my ultralight and landed fish number two. I managed two more reds on a 3" CAL tail before the storms moved in.

Once the fish become acclimated to the cooler water temperatures, the will eat a variety of small soft plastics fished slowly. Look for tailing fish during the afternoon on the shallow flats.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

The water levels have dropped in the Mosquito Lagoon but the temperatures have remained well above normal with several days in the 80's. The redfish schools have been plentiful and the black drum have been showing up on occasion. It has been more like fishing in April than January but I never complain when I can fish in shorts during the winter.

Last Friday, Paul H. from Orlando, and I hit the Mosquito Lagoon at dawn for some fun fishing. We came upon a school of reds in shallow water chasing small baitfish. Paul had
five bites on five casts with his homemade topwater plug before he was connected to the first redfish of the day.

I caught one from the same school with a four inch gold DOA CAL tail.A short time later, I spotted a group of four reds tailing and tossed my gold CAL tail to them. A 31 inch fish slammed my lure immediately and we had red number two.

I landed a smaller redfish a few minutes later and Paul followed up with a couple trout on an olive colored jerk worm.The skies became overcast and the wind picked up but we continued casting soft plastics to the sand holes and finished the day with six reds and six trout.

Sunday, I fished Dave B. from Eustis. The day began with rain but the wind was calm. Dave started with the gold jerk worm and hooked a red from the first school we saw that shook loose. After trying a few more spooky schools, Dave caught a seatrout and finally landed up with his first red of the day. The clouds cleared out but the winds increased. We decided to look for some bigger fish and made a move. We found about six schools of reds and several schools of black drum at our next stop. Dave used a DOA Baitbuster to catch a 32 inch red and had a larger one on that came unhooked.

Blustery conditions made casting tough but Dave landed two more nice redfish and had several more bites. We tried to get the black drum to eat but were unsuccessful.

Monday, Clifford W. from Texas joined me for his first Mosquito Lagoon trip. Clifford works for Kistler Rod Company and was eager to put a bend in a new prototype rod he brought. With perfect morning weather, we spotted a school of several hundred tailing reds. Clifford threw a small topwater bait that was struck immediately and his new rod was put to the test. We encountered multiple schools of redfish and black drum of various sizes throughout the morning.

We ended the day by sight casting to several tailing fish in shallow water. Clifford wound up with ten reds, two black drum and a trout for a Mosquito Lagoon winter slam.
Our stretch of unseasonably warm weather seems to be coming to a close by mid week with a cold front followed by more average January temperatures. This may bring more of the large seatrout up onto the flats where they will offer some fun but challenging sight fishing opportunities. Remember, as the water cools, downsize your baits and slow your presentation.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon the past several weeks has seemed more like fall or spring than late December and early January. High water levels combined with above normal temperatures have the fish confused. Many of the redfish are still schooled up, however, but it can sometimes take a bit of searching to find them. The big seatrout that can be found in the shallow sand holes during a normal winter, have been more spread out and harder to find. All recent trips have produced fish but not in huge numbers.

For the fly anglers, we are still finding tailing redfish in the very shallow flats despite the warm water. On a recent trip, Kyle from Canada caught his first ever saltwater fish on a fly using a #4 brown and gold bendback and a 5wt rod.

Brett and Pete from Maryland fished with me in the Mosquito Lagoon and caught several reds using both cut bait and a gold DOA CAL tail.

Maruice from Miami had several black drum shake the hook before he was able to land this one from a school of over 100 fish.

This week, John and his son Mark fooled a few fish using 4" DOA CAL tails while fishing a wind protected shoreline in Mosquito Lagoon.

Mike from Orlando caught this tailing redfish and a few others on his first sight fishing trip.

Monday, a cold front blew through causing a significant drop in both temperature and water levels. Temperatures are predicted to rise into the 80's by the end of the week, however. The above average temperatures have brought a variety of bait onto the flats. Not all of the flats are holding bait but if you see the mullet and pinfish, the reds and trout are nearby. Cover a lot of water until you start to see fish, then slow down and work that area thoroughly as the fish have been concentrated.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Poor weather has limited my fishing the past two weeks but when I have been able to get on the water, the fishing has been excellent. The water has continued to drop in the Mosquito Lagoon but has been very clean.

Last week, Mark L. from Massachusetts, joined me for a half day of fly fishing the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was near perfect with the exception of a few clouds. Temperatures were in the mid 70's and the winds were light. We found several schools of redfish on a shallow grass flat. Mark, who is used to tossing his fly into a feeding frenzy of northeast stripers and bluefish, was amazed at how spooky our shallow water redfish can be. He also found the small strike zone of the fish to be equally amazing. After a few warm up shots, Mark was able to land his first Florida redfish on an olive and gold #4 bendback pattern. Unfortunately, he had to leave just as thing were heating up and we left the fish tailing.

The next day, Capt. Tom Van Horn brought his flyrod and we returned to see if the tails were still there. We found a couple schools which had over one hundred fish and we each landed a few before our day was rudely interrupted by the arrival of a cold front. The twenty knot winds were not conducive to fly fishing.

Between bad weather and fishing seminars, I did not return to the water until Tuesday of this week. Had I known the wind was going to be howling all day and the cloud cover so heavy, I probably would have stayed home. All was not lost, though, as I was able to catch three reds on a chartreuse and white bendback fly before I got tired of fighting the wind. I changed to a DOA CAL tail and finished the day with six more redfish.

Wednesday, the clouds were even thicker making visibility poor but there was no wind. Luckily for me, the reds helped direct me in by waving me over with their tails. What's better than seeing a redfish tail? Seeing a bunch of them all at once.

I saw multiple schools and singles tailing throughout the day and spent as much time taking pictures and watching them as I did fishing. I landed seven reds on a variety of flies including tan and gold bendbacks as well as some awesome topwater bites on a purple deer hair slider.

Thursday brought more clouds but the wind remained light. Despite the temptation, I did not return to check on the fish from the previous day but, instead, checked out some different locations. My third cast resulted in a strike from a tailing red on the deer hair slider. For the next couple hours, almost all the fish I saw were too shallow for me to approach with the trolling motor. Fly fishing from the poling platform is not practical so I continued searching until I located some fish tailing in slightly deeper water.Using the flies mentioned above, I caught four redfish. I topped the day off with four nice seatrout and got off the water just as the rain arrived.

Moderate winds forecast for the next several days and above average temperatures, look for the reds to continue prowling the shallow water and actively tailing throughout the day. With the low water levels, those fishing from a kayak or canoe will have access to fish that most other boats cannot reach. When casting to fish that are cruising the flats with their backs exposed, cast well in front of them and let them find your lure. Allowing your cast to drop next to a ultra shallow water fish is sure to spook them.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com

Dave,

My favorite time for sight fishing is winter because we get the cleanest water and most tailing fish. We can catch big reds year round but they are most consistent in the spring through fall.

Capt. Chris