CAPT VAN HORN JUNE 2008

On each of my adventures last week, our best action came from jigging soft plastic baits like the Riptide 3" Mullet along the deeper edges of the flats and in areas of glass minnows out in the open water of the lagoon. To be more specific, almost all of the shorelines in each of the three lagoons within the IRL system are paralleled by a vast shallow grass flat. These flats are basically non tidal with the exception of the northern Mosquito Lagoon and the areas around the inlets like Sebastian, so their contours are influenced by wind driven waves rather than tidal currents. The typical layout of the flat is shallow close to shore, and as you move out towards deeper water the flat is bordered by a shoal or sandbar following the contour of the shoreline. As you cross the shoal, the water begins to deepen creating the edge. Most of the fish this past week have been concentrated in two to three feet of water on the deep side of the shoal. Top-water plugs have also been effect in this same location.



Erik's Slot Redfish

To locate schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper water, simply watch for bird activity. Look for small white terns dipping down and touching the water, and pelicans diving. Also cormorants and seagulls will often be present as well. Additionally, a good way to tell if pelicans are diving on small baitfish is the amount of time they hold their heads in the water as they strain the water from their beaks before turning their head back and swallowing, the smaller the bait the longer it takes to strain the water. Once you have located diving birds and concentrations of glass minnows, take a moment to observe their direction of travel and setup a drift ahead of the school. On one charter last week we actually caught six species of fish from within one school. Feeding near the surface are ladyfish, bluefish, jacks, and gafftop sail catfish, and below the school are sea trout and hardhead catfish.

Action along the beach is also heating up with good reports of bait pods shadowed by spawning schools of large jacks and even some smoker size kingfish in as shallow as 40 feet of water. The best action has come from anglers slow trolling live menhaden (pogies) on stainless steel stinger rigs. So, if the winds and seas subside a bit, keep a sharp eye on the horizon for the green shades of Three Quarter Time.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, June

Summer has arrived on the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida, and yes it's once again time to crank it up. With the rising heat and humidity of summer you might think I'm referring to cranking up the air condition, but ah contraire, I'm referring to cranking up the fishing prospects on every front, inshore, near-shore, and offshore. Although the heat is rising, the winds of June are subsiding, and calming seas allow for smooth sailing, especially for those who fish from shallow water boats.

Calm conditions across the water will allow for those with smaller boats to venture further out into the deep blue in search for ocean predators, and facilitate a smoother and faster ride for those with larger vessels.

Offshore, look for the dolphin bite to slow as the schools begin to spread out and the kingfish concentration will remain good along the inshore reefs and wrecks of 8A Reef and Pelican Flats, so slow trolling with live pogies will produce the best action. Additionally, bottom fishing will remain good for snapper and grouper until the first summer squall (hurricane) blows in and muddies up the water. As the summer doldrums set in, the seas flatten out and the ocean cleans up, and near-shore opportunities are typically the best you'll see all year along the reefs and wrecks and the beach. June is also the time of year when the kingfish move in close along the beach shadowing schools of Atlantic menhaden (pogies), as well as along the Port Canaveral buoy line.

In the early morning on the flats look for trout and redfish up in the skinny water around concentration of bait, and toss them your favorite top water plug. Focus your efforts between 5am and 9am, and in the late afternoon after the thunderstorms dissipate. Also look for schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper waters. These schools can be located by watching for small terns and other sea birds working, and they usually are shadowed by concentrations of small trout and ladyfish. These fast moving schools produce fast and furious action for fly anglers casting small top-water popping bugs.

Night fishing will also produce decent catches of redfish, snook, and trout. When fishing the flats at night, I prefer fishing real slow with glow in the dark shrimp imitation baits like the RipTide Realistic Shrimp with a Woodie's Rattle Capsule inserted or simply use the Woodie's Rattle hook. If you can only fish during the heat of the day, target the docks with deepwater access.

Remember as the days heat up, long battles will kill the fish, so if you plan on targeting large fish, you may want to step up your tackle to shorten the battle. Also, dissolved oxygen levels are low, so leave them in the water as much as possible, and revive them completely before releasing them. Also, snook season is closed on Florida's east central coast in June, July, and August, so if you catch one, please be respectfull and handle and release it with extreme care.

As always, if you need more information or have questions, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline