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The bait fish are still plentiful and there is no shortage of fish eagerly taking advantage of the opportunity. The top water action is pretty hot with both red fish and trout mixed together. As the water warms a bit these same fish are taking sub surface lures and soft plastics. Most mornings have been producing shots at a wide variety of fish for the first few hours and slowing down a bit after the sun is above.

Stalking tailing red fish in shallow water has been good for both the light tackle and fly anglers with multiple shots at fish on every trip. Most of these fish are in the 20 to 30 inch range with a few bruisers mixed in to 35 lbs.
Along with the red fish we still have some schools of smaller black drum 20 to 30 inches that are in groups of 10 to 75 fish. These fish are great fighters and some tasty eaters as well.

Smaller Tarpon are starting to show with most fish in the 15 to 30 lb class. Large bait fish and crab patterns are getting the most action with Olive seducers taking their fair share of fish.

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As much as I would like to write something everyday about the fishing and catching I find myself repeating the same old thing most of the time. With that in mind, this month is a little different. We have had a late mullet run this year and the fish have finally made the transition from shrimp/crab diets to aggressively eating baitfish. The topwater action has been simply phenomenal early mornings and on some days continued for several hours until noon. Getting out on the water at daybreak has provided some awesome opportunities for tailing redfish from 5 to 35 lbs. While most fish have been in the 7 to 10 lb range there are lots of opportunities for trophy redfish and it will only get better thru August and well into September.

As an added bonus were have been rewarded with a bumper crop of black drum again this season and schools of 50 to 500 fish have been common on almost every trip this past month. Most of these fish are averaging 7 to 11 lbs with a few larger mixed in. The preferred method has been light tackle with a well presented lure although fly anglers are taking as many or more than the spin anglers. I have a tried and proven fly that simply put"works" and have found no reason to change it in over 2 years of targeting these fish.

Small Tarpon are starting to show on the flats early and deliver some explosive action when encountered. Most of these fish are between 10 and 20 lbs and fun to say the least. Mixed in with the Poons are some large Gator trout to 9 lbs this past month.

Larger Tarpon and some Huge Jacks have been active just off the beach with loads of Kingfish is less than 40ft of water to 38lbs. Along with the usual suspects are the opportunity for Cobia and Tripletail to make for a tasty meal.

as always feel free to call me at 321 278 9852 if I can answer any question you may have or to ensure that I can make the best of your outing!

Capt Pat Murphy

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Most mornings are producing tailing redfish on
the flats when a passing front is not making conditions bad. Sight
casting to tailers in 12 to 18 inches of water has been the best bet
to start and has been productive well thru the day. The indian river
has been consistant for schools of black drum as well as redfish. The
Mosquito Lagoon has been productive for both redfish and trout to
9 lbs.
Several days I had fly anglers that had great success with shots at
well over 20 fish per outing. Most fish have been taken on crab
patterns along the shore and spoonfly in the open flats. This is a
great time to really enjoy the area as the weather is good through
most of the day. As always fel free to contact me is I can make your
outing more productive.

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With the days of summer gently comming to an end, the scorching heat of mid day will be plesently replaced by some onshore breezes and mild fronts on a regular basis. We are all are looking foward to some cooler days and the end of hurricane season once again. Although we did'nt get the terrestial downpours that flooded the rivers and wetlands, somehow the lazy pace of the gulfstream is allowing the water to raise to such high levels you would think it had been raining for weeks on end. The fall mullet run is in full force and there is no shortage of preadetors in close proximity of the food supply. Just about any species that can be caught in our area is available on any given day this time of the year. Subtle ripples on glass calm waters indicating life beneath the surface often erupts into explosions of a feeding frenzy. If massive wakes from schools of fish pushing across the flats while devioring everything in their paths isn't enough to get your adrenilin going, then the sound of bait being blasted against the banks of the shoreline will surely get your attention.

Redfish are roaming the flats in the early am and ambushing the mullet pods on most of the points in both the river and lagoon. Many of these fish are in the mid to upper slot size with a few overslot fish mixed in. When conditions allow topwater lures are producing some good catches and when the grass is thick, soft plastics are getting the job done. Colors that have been the most effective have been watermellon/red fleck and New Penny. The larger breeder fish are also plentiful in several areas of the lagoons and when they are not pressured are also taking topwater plugs worked near the schools. Fly anglers are having good results with shrimp patterns in dark brown and worked slowly along the patchy bottom areas. Small crabs are like caviar as they are few and far in between in both lagoons. You wold have a better chance in seeing a shark than a blue crab lately. Staging on ambush points and allowing the fish to come to the angler has been very productive as well as allowing the opportunity to see the fish approach you to get the best shot.

Black Drum are almost as dependable as our popular redfish and the numbers this year are by far exceptional. These fish are also getting in on the action and feeding behind the massive schools of larger mullet that are passing through. The mullet are leaving areas disturbed and the smaller cruestations along with worms are like plankton is to whales. Many of the schools of black drum are in the 6 to 12 lb class and some have as many as several hundred fish in them. When not pressured, these fish will eagerly take soft plastic shrimp imitations in natural colors as well as live shrimp. The real key to getting them to eat is to keep your lure or bait just over the top of the grass. If it falls down in the grass chances are it will be overlooked. Considering most of the water these fish are in is less than 4 feet there is really no need for any weight as it only puts you in the grass faster. Fly anglers are consistantly catching these fish on one of my patterns designed to mimic the worms in the grass. Even the picky eaters have a hard time refusing this pattern and since has given me no need to try anything different. Average days are yielding limits of fish and some great action on light tackle and fly.

Tarpon are also here in good numbers and various sizes as well. Many of the flats near creek mouths are holding smaller fish that don't wander very far from the fresh water intrusion. Most of these fish are in the 2 to 20 lb class and are feeding on smaller mullet, pogies and glass minnows. Small topwater lures like chug bugs and super spook jr's are a great choice if you like the explosion of a topwater strike and small 4 inch jerk baits in white also mimic the fleeing baitfish. Soft plastic shrimp in natural to dark colors rigged weedless are working well when the grass is a bit of a problem. Fly anglers are having good results with smaller baitfish patterns in white in clear water and olive in the more stained waters. If larger fish are your target, they are here as well with most of the fish in the 40 to 70 lb class with the occasional 100 lber passing through. Most of these fish are in or very near the ICW in bends of the river and close to bridge spans. The prime time to target these fish is very early in the morning as after a little boat traffic they tend to move away from the area. Large surface poppers and lipped crank baits in baitfish patterns are taking the more aggressive fish while a live 10 to 12 inch mullet suspended about 2 feet under a cork will put your offering in the zone. Fly anglers are having the best success with an intermediate line and large profile baitfish patterns.

Seatrout also have been feeding on the smaller finger mullet pods and working topwater lures around these pods can produce some awsome strikes. Many of the fish have been in the 2 to 6 lb class with a few over 8lbs landed this past month. Larger topwater plugs like the super spook in the "bone" color have been productive. Fishing over grass beds in 3 to 5 feet of water as the day warms has allowed the bite to continue well up until noon. Live pigfish are the live bait of choice this time of year and will produce good results of keeper fish to go in the box. Soft plastics in shad color worked just over the grass and in the bait pods are working well too. Fly anglers are using surface poppers to get in on the action when the fish are feeding well on top, small olive streamers are working when the fish have been deeper.

As always feel free to give us a call or an e mail if we can help make your outing more productive or enjoyable. By engauging in nature and spending many days on the water, my hope is to find enrichment in many diferent ways along with making sure you have the best possible opportunity to enjoy your time on the water!

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With temperatures in the mid 80's and the water rising from the summer rains we are experiencing some of the best fishing we have had in a few weeks. Early morning topwater action has been simply great for the light tackle angler with slot to upper slot sized redfish and trout to 8 lbs. All of the fish have been aggressively attacking smaller topwater lures for the light tackle anglers working pods of fish from 5 to 20 fish in each group. The wind has been very light with just enough breeze to make it comfortable in the summer heat.

Along with the redfish and trout are some large schools of black drum in the same areas and when approached quietly are eating almost anything put in front of them. Fly anglers are getting in on some of the best sightfishing for the blacks we've had since earlier in the year. Spin fishing with artificial shrimp are also landing fish on every trip. Most of these fish are in the 5 to 8 lb class and are some excellent table fare.

Last but least the trophy redfish are grouped up nicely and simply crushing topwater lures. Most of these fish are in the 25 to 35 lb class and are a great challenge to land. Several fish to 30 lbs have been taken on fly from the same areas. I am looking foward to some double digit days on both spin and fly as the action is pretty good now.

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Well the blustering temperarures of 90's and a heat index of 104 make for some very uncomfortable conditions for the angler. Couple the temperature with high water, afternoon thunderstorms and water temperatures in the high 80's . Although most of these are not the prime conditions for the angler, the fish are very comfortable in all of the above situations. Getting an early start before daybreak is definately the way to go to enjoy the best of both worlds and be off the water in time for lunch and a refreashing beverage.

Early morning trips are producing slot to slightly oversized redfish in the mosquito lagoon and the indian river. When the grass is not too thick the topwater action is hard to beat, and if you are not too intimidated by a little grass on your plug sticking with it has been very productive. Smaller plugs like the super spook jr in bone color have been the favorites because of size. Another advantage of the smaller plug is that it is easier for the fish to inhale on the initial strike, rather than the need to kill and recover method that sometimes results in a missed fish. The second most important thing in choosing a topwater lure is the "sound chamber" that the lure produces. This in itself can be the difference in calling fish or scaring them away from the lure. Lures with loud rattles "heavy sound chambers" are more suited for deeper water where the sound needs to travel a great distance, 3 ft water depth. Lighter "sound chambers" are more attractive in shallow water as the typically mimic not only smaller baitfish but indicate this forage is in a happy envioroment. Lastly is color and I will have to admit, all baitfish have light colored bellies.

With the changing water levels we also get large mats of floating grass throughtout the flats and the open water. As the temperature rises during the day many of these fish seek refuge under the grass awaiting an easy meal in a comfortable setting. Approaching these areas quietly and paying close attention can result in some exceptional opportunities. A weedless jerk bait is usually a good choice when playing in the grass and often looks like something that is fleeing from cover. Overall I am convinced that a watermellon colored soft plastic will out fish any other color plastic on any given day. The Exude Dart in Mangrove Red is my "go to" year round. If the dark color is not producing I switch to a "natural shrimp" color. Another key factor is the size of the lure, at 4 inches it is also an easy meal that requires very little effort to consume. Higher water temperatures also come with a disadvantage to the fish as they cannot sustain long fights on light tackle resulting in a greater mortality rate. I have had several fish that required up to 15 minutes or revival to get them going again, and these are slot sized fish.

Fly anglers have had their choice of redfish, black drum and trout on most days making this a great time to land a fish on fly. Early morning tailers have been the best bet so far using crab patterns. As the sun gets higher we are spotting fish on the flats at around 50 feet and enjoying some explosive strikes from some well placed casts. As the season continues the Trophy redfish will have formed larger groups and will become very agressive taking almost any offering. Most of the fish have been in the upper to just over slot size, with the largest fish on fly comming in around 16lbs. We have a great black drum population in both the river and lagoon and finding a school of them is always exciting as well as some excellant table fare as most of the fish are in the 7 to 10 lb class. Sometimes it's hard to catch a limit under 24 inches as most seem to be around 25 to 27 inches, but fun non the less. This is a great time to get out and ad a new dimension to you angling skills if you are not already a flyfisher.

The highlight of my month was a trip that I donated to the "Biegler Family" a fundraiser held here locally in titusville for the family that has had some misfortunes and health issues. You may remember "Tank" Biegler from the american gladiators show. Brian a long time family friend was the lucky winner of the auction and wanted to take his special angler "Mike" the son of his Girlfriend. While we had many opportunities at small groups of fish, the excitement of casting at tailing redfish was at times too overwhelming for the both of them. We did end up with a very respectable 29" fish taken on artificial. Niether angler had the desire to use bait and were happy to have seen so many fish. At the end of the day we had shots at fish well over 30 lbs, but they would have nothing to do with the lures.

One of the best times of the year to experience non stop action is to get out just after a heavy down pour of rain and fish the flowing water from the backcountry impoundments. If you are lucky enough to be one of the first to fish these areas you can bet you will be rewarded with hungry fish feeding aggressively for a good period of time. Even the rain will not turn off the bite in these conditions, it does however turn off most anglers. I put the rain suit on and make my way to the promised land in hopes of non stop action on my fly rod. The primary food source at these out flows are small finger mullet and glass minnows. Downsizing your tackle and lures will produce more strikes from most of the fish. Fishing these areas very early in the morning or late afternoon just before dark have been the best times to target larger species like redfish, snook,trout and small tarpon. Topwater lures get a good bit of attention if you see fish crushing bait on top. Fishing weighted jerkbaits on the outside of the bait pods has been the best technique for the redfish that are looking for an easy meal without working for it. On several days we fished a single culvert and caught over 100 fish without moving the boat. The key to these days was getting on the water as soon as the front passed.

After working baitfish type lures like the storm wild eye shad or simular type swim jig, change over to a doa shrimp to introduce a different type of forage for the fish. They seem to get used to the same lure after an hour or so and the bite slows down. While in this smorgasboard of bait take the time to net up a few livies and be sure to toss one out the back free lined.

Trophy redfish are also a favorite for this time of the year as the schools of breeder sized fish in the 25 to 50 lb class begin to stage in areas to spawn. Finding groups of these fish in shallow water with their tails above the water is sure sign they are eating. Most of the fish landed have been in the 23 to 36 lb class with a few larger fish lost. For several years I have been following an estimated 60lb fish that stays with one particular group of fish, but I have not had her on the end of a line yet, she dwarfs the 30 to 40 lb fish she is with by more than half their size. If you are lucky enough to get on these fish eary they agressively take topwater as well kinda sounds like a cinder block falling into the water. While live pinfish are used by most of the anglers a well placed chunk of ladyfish or mullet will get the job done. A live blue crab is almost a sure hook up as the crab population in the river and the mosquito lagoon has been at it's lowest for a few years now and seeing a blue crab is like finding a diamond in the rough.

Be careful on the water and watch the weather, storms can form in a matter of minutes. One of the good things about fishing inshore here is you can usually be back at the ramp in a matter of minutes if things start to go bad. As always feel free to contact me if I can help with making your day more productive on the water, I answer e mails and the phone as well. Good luck and may the winds lie down enough to get some quality time on the water!

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Spring is here and the baitfish are plentiful throughout the entire lagoon
system. Large pods of finger mullet are stacked up on many of the grass beds and flats. This is one of my favorite times of the year to fish inshore as the sound of large fish crashing bait really gets my heart pumping. Along with the change in the season we are also gaining an earlier sunrise allowing earlier starts to avoid the summers heat. The days are longer allowing for more time to fish both morning and evening.

The water levels are still very low as we are not getting the rain we need to
bring the table up. More importantly the wind has also been a huge factor in
determining when and where the fish are congregated.

Redfish are beginning to form schools and many of the groups are consisting of 25 to 100 fish. Many of these fish are slot sized to just over slot and making the transition from the shrimp/crab diet to bait fish. One of my favorite ways to target these fish is with topwater lures matched to the size of the mullet on the flats. Some days they are hitting anything you put in front of them and others they are a bit more picky and a lure change is in order, none the less we are adjusting to get the job done!

Along with the redfish have been a very good number of gator trout mixed in also taking advantage of the plentiful food source available. Soft plastics in baitfish colors are taking their share of fish in the 2 to 6 lb class with a few fish over 8 lbs mixed in. June is typically a very good month to catch good numbers of trout and it appears that the fish are confused because we have had days of 30 to 40 fish this month already.

I have been spending most of my time and focus on the migration and pattern of the fish in the lagoon system in order to provide an exceptional experience for my anglers while giving as many opportunities as possible considering the conditions. Along with this I am also developing new flies to catch fish as this is even more exciting when I can see the results from the platform. This past weekend I was a featured fly tier at Harry Goodes in melbourne and had a great turnout, scheduled for 2 hours in somehow turned into 4 hours as the interest in several patterns were the highlight. If you are in the area stop in and check out the new fly section that is growing and offers a wonderful selection of premium materials.

If any of you have an interest in fly fishing and would like to learn how to
become a more proficient angler feel free to contact me for some quality time on the water I am currently working on an educational type of trip that should be a great opportunity to learn as well as get some quality time on the water. If this something you are interested in please contact me for details and any questions you may have.

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Well the cooler weather has finally left us in exchange for our much anticipated warmer weather and sunny skies. With the change in daylight savings time, the days are longer allowing for more time to fish the flats. Until recently the water levels have been extreemely low and getting to some areas to fish have been challenging to say the least. With the higher water, areas that were previously dry now have a fishable amount of water on them. The higher water also allows for the protectection of leeward islands on the windier days.

The redfish have been agressively taking topwater lures for most of the morning as the spring mullet run is beginning to show its welcomed arrival. The average size of fish landed have been in the 5 to 7 lb class with a few fish in the 10 to 12 lb class mixed in. Soft plastics have also accounted for a good number of fish brought to the boat, with the exude dart in mangrove red, being the most productive. Many of the fish that have been taken are being stalked on flats and have been found tailing hard in less than 12 inches of water.

On several days I had the opportunity to have aome very accomplished fly anglers to no disapointment the fish also co operated. A consistant go to fly has been my latest version of the "redfish worm". While its nothing fancy I found the the fox tail has a very attractive profile in the water as it moves and the tail undulates with very little movement. Simply put as Fly angler Bob said" that thing is sexy", I agree it looks great in the water and has even better apeal to the redfish.

As the water rises the flats will continue to become covered with groups of redfish and trout looking for an easy meal. As the rains start to become more predictable the areas culverts will also provide some fast and exciting action with a wide variety of fish from redfish to small tarpon, snook and arial flying ladyfish all taking advantage of the smorgasboard.

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The first 2 weeks of February have been fantastic unless you’re a black drum! My guests have been having a field day on these relatives of the redfish. Although not considered as glamorous as the more popular redfish the black drum gives a great fight on light tackle and is fine table fare.

We’ve been fishing a school of drum that consists of around 600 or so fish and they often group up into one huge bunch only to break up again into several smaller pods. The bite is great at first light and a live shrimp is eagerly taken. During the week of the full moon the bite was best later in the morning and peaked at mid-day.

On days when several boats show up to fish at the same time the drum (quite expectedly) become a bit shy. It became necessary to feed a biting fish 10 or 15 feet of free running line before attempting to sink the 3/0 circle hooks with a steady reeling action. It also helped to downsize the leader to 16 pound Gamma fluorocarbon where I usually use 20 pound.

While the fish moved up and down the shoreline over a quarter mile area they really didn’t leave unless the winds drove them from the flats. The high winds towards the middle of the month are what finally put a damper on our fishing. The school of around 600 fish now appeared to be 100 drum as most of the fish have gone to other areas. My guess is they’re looking for calmer and cleaner water…

Captain Pat and I found these fish on a Monday scouting trip. Pat caught at least 10 from the bow and I landed 3 from the poling platform. All were caught on Exude soft plastic baits either shrimp or darts. Many more were lost to pulled hooks or simply being snagged and the hook coming free.

Tuesday Stacy & David joined me for a frenzy of drum fishing. They caught over thirty (30) black drum between 6 and 12 pounds, keeping only 4 (half their legal limit).

Wednesday Deb and Brent from Vermont and long time clients and friends climbed aboard. A windy forecast sent us in a different direction only to find a bumper crop of catfish and puffers. I think I zigged when I should have zagged!

Thursday the weather was awesome once again and the drum seemed like a sure bet. They were and Deb and Brent also broke the thirty fish mark using live shrimp…

The next 4 days we caught drum, but in greatly reduced numbers. Higher winds and dirty water simply changed the game, but still resulted in happy fishermen!

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Well as you would expect the weather has played an important role in the days we are able to get on the water. Strong winds and weekly cold fronts have made for some challenging days on both the Indian River Lagoon and the Mosquito Lagoon. The water levels can drop out in the course of a day to levels lower than ever before. While this may sound catostrophic in a sense in all actuality it is a wonderful opportunity to do some of the best sight fishing this area has to offer on the days where we are having blue bird skies and calm to light winds. Shallow water conditions have their advantage in the pressure of the fish is limited to those who know where they are. we spend several days on the water keeping up with the patterns and migrational habits of the fish in the area in order to provide the best opportunity possible under any circumstance.

Average size schools of redfish are numbering 15 to 25 fish per group and the larger groups of fish have not formed as of yet. Sight casting to these smaller groups with small soft plastics has been very effective early in the morning. Simular pods of larger fish have also been active and agressively taking topwater lures when first approached. Fly anglers are having the most success with the latest creation of my "Crab Spoon" a version of my epoxy spoon that has been very effective this time of the year. Several Black Drum have been taken on this pattern and I am very happy with the results.

The topwater action for Gator Trout is simply amazing as groups of fish in the 4 to 7 lb class are average and many topping out well over 9 lbs. Most of these fish are aggressively taking smaller lures that immitate wounded baitfish fished in close proximity of the baitfish schools. A light chop on the water is also desirable as it allows for more approachable fish. The numbers of larger fish are showing signs the areas fishery is in great shape as a result in many coservation efforts.

As the month ends we will begin to have higher water levels along with an increase of baitfish on the flats as the water temperature starts to rise. Larger groups of slot sized as well as breeder trophy redfish will begin to forage on the flats and provide some fantastic days on the water.

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It’s great to be back on the water after shoulder surgery forced a brief layoff. While the Doctor told me to expect up to 4 weeks of down time I was back on the platform 11 days post surgery…

I realize I missed some hot and heavy action during my recovery, but I’m happy to say that my guests were able to scratch out a few fish in less than ideal conditions.

David was down from South Carolina and tried for a repeat of his last adventure with me where we killed the “Fat Girlz” in the IRL a couple of seasons back. This trip the timing wasn’t nearly as good and he had to settle for a puny 10 pounder.

Collum was treated to his first fishing trip by boat by his grandfather, David. These guys are from Scotland and aren’t used to our way of fishing. The youngster took a couple of reds with mullet chunks and David thought the puffer that ate the fly was wonderful!

Charlie and Ted join me every winter when Ted vacations from the Great White North. This year Charlie was in less than great shape with back problems. These guys have been fishing together for as many years as I’ve been alive and I’m 50!! So our usual method of fishing (sight casting) was replaced with bait tossing. Soaking hand-picked live shrimp in sand holes that afforded some extra depth relief resulted in several smallish reds and a few catfish. The pinfish also raised heck with the shrimp, a testament to our warmer than normal winter!

Al owns a great fishing lodge in Canada and lives on Merritt Island during the off season. We ventured into the ‘goon in hopes of finding good numbers of slot reds this morning. The fish I was hoping for had yet to return to spot one or two so a change was called for. I found a group Fat Girlz in the south end of the ‘goon and I moved into position. Al made a perfect cast and two twitches of the Exude Dart and it was “Fish-On”. A 20 minute line screaming battle and the 18 pound girl was aboard for a quick photo and release. Not a bad back-up plan after all…

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Well the winter pattern is here and the waters are gin clear in most areas and tailing redfish can be found almost any given day the wind is not too high. With the great weather we have been having lately there is no shortage of anglers on the flats very early in the morning, especially the weekend. While the weekends are not my preferred time to fish sometimes it's not my choice as to when I am on the water. One good thing about the low water this time of the year very few boats are able to navigate the shallow water and and once we make it to areas of low water the fish are usually ripe for the picking.

Recently I was joined by Lee and Linda Williams who spent a half day catching not only their first redfish after living in central florida for over 35 years however the couple boated over 20 redfish in short order, not bad for their first trip to the lagoon. The big fish of the day was a healthy 31 inch fish caught by Lee that weighed in at 12 lbs. Not to be tdone Miss Linda took great pleasure in showing who the reel angler was by boating 15 redfish herself with several lost that were very nice solid fish as well. While Lindas fish were not overslot fish , she did manage to land several upper slot fish to 27 inches. Several multi spot fish with as many as 8 spots were landed as well. Pictures of some of the fish can been seen in the photo album "Winter on the Lagoon".

As always I am ever trying to improve the catch ratio for my fly anglers with that go to fly...as of this month it has become my own custom spoon fly that
has been the ticket for for the most success. This fly mimics a fluttering baitfish and puts off just enough flash to get their attention. It has been very
productive while fishing potholes for some large gator trout as well as taken its share of redfish.

With the baitfish all but gone the live bait of choice is shrimp and when casting to weary tailers it is very rarely refused, long cast past the fish and soft presentations have resulted in some spectactular hook ups in water less than 10 inches. Small topwater lures have taken their share of fish when they are more aggressive and not pressured. Several groups of gator trout have been consistant and are also taking topwater lures in areas of dense grass.

If sight fishing is your idea of a great day then it is about as good as it gets in the lagoon and North river. We still have several schools of black drum that are in the area and these to can be a blast to catch as well as some great table fare. Most of the fish have grown from 5 to 7 lb average to some healthy 12 lb fish. Soft plastics have taken several fish and a live shrimp is almost irresistable.

For the best experience I would sugguest booking your trip during the week to avoud the weekend traffic on the water. We are not concerned about the
other anglers but the boat traffic tends to have the fish rather spooky when they are driven over all morning it takes a while for them to settle down and
feed.

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Winter is here if you can call it that as we have cooler mornings and highs of 68 to 70 degrees in the mid day. The water levels have fallen to their average winter lows and the clarity is almost gin clear. Most mornings are producing tailing redfish on the flats when a passing front is not making conditions bad. Sight casting to tailers in 12 to 18 inches of water has been the best bet to start and has been productive well thru the day. The indian river has been consistant for schools of black drum as well as redfish. The Mosquito Lagoon has been very productive for both redfish and trout to 9 lbs.

Several days I had fly anglers that had great success with shots at well over 30 fish per outing. Most fish have been taken on crab patterns along the shore and spoonfly in the open flats. This is a great time to really enjoy the area as the water is as clean as it can possibly be.

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Although the winds have been stronger than we like several days this past week proved to be better than weather conditions would have suggested. Fishing in the north Indian River was a bit hit or miss, but the hitting was grand Wednesday and Thursday!

Monday Pete and Linda of London, England (thanks Capt Tom) joined me for a bit of bait soaking. We fished a little south of Parish Park where I did well a couple of weeks back. Pete quickly caught a lower slot red before the light winds turned up their volume to full blast. It became necessary to move to a more sheltered locale where only catfish seemed to live. More moving brought similar results and we decided to cut our full day to a half and lick our wounds.

Wednesday, Mike (CustomRod) was onboard for an attempt at sight-fishing. While conditions were not conducive for this we had no trouble finding plenty of action. We spotted several schools of fish appearing to be upper-slot reds on the west shore of the north IRL. In fact they turned out to be black drum and ounce my slow acting mind figured this out and Mike tied on a DOA shrimp is only took 1 well placed cast to hear the drag scream! Mike also caught 4 reds while blind casting to nervous bait pods and I managed 1 red over 10 pounds doing the same from the platform. The reds all ate soft plastic twitch baits worked SLOWLY along the bottom…

Thursday my Londoner’s were back for more and they went home with great big smiles. It will always amaze me how different a day or two can make in the world of fishing even though conditions are virtually the same. Still fishing the north IRL as we did the day before I could not find the blackies, but we had plenty of action on redfish. Like our first trip, soaking cut mullet was the order of the day and spending 15 minutes at a spot and moving if no results were had was the game plan. I’m happy to report this plan was picture perfect and of the 6 reds Pete and Linda caught only 2 were in the slot the other 4 were 8+ to 13+ pounds. We only had 1 spot were we caught 2 reds before the catfish forced us to move. I’m sure we caught at least 3 dozen catfish and it didn’t seem to bother these folks in the least! As a note, the reds were NOT hammering the mullet. Once a bite was detected, opening the bail and letting them mouth the bait for a few (15-20) seconds resulted in more hook-ups Making a final stop near the ramp Pete hauls in a near 7 pound trout and Linda does battle with a sting ray with a 30 inch wing span at a place we call “Last Chance”!

Friday I was joined by Dr. Bill and at his request we fish from Oak Hill. Finding fish around 3 Islands, Bill quickly boated an undersized red on an Exude Dart. Switching to a Skitterwalk he then hooks a MONSTER trout that tangles the plug into the grass and comes un- buttoned. So ends our bite for the day. We find more fish around Middle Island, but they wanted nothing to do with us, our plastics, our mullet or our live shrimp!

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I love the Fall season and although so far it’s been a bit breezy the reds have been chewing. I’ll re-cap the past few trips starting with the Hunt for Reds held on October 5th.

Greg won the essay contest with the Brevard County Boy Scouts and was treated to a fishing trip with Yours Truly on Hunt Day (thanks, Dr. Bill Slomka!). Soaking cut mullet along eastern shorelines in the Indian River produced a nice slot red within a few short minutes of the tournaments official start time. It took mother Nancy a few hours longer to reel in her slot redfish, but we finally succeeded in catching our limit. We also did a good job of terrorizing the local catfish population. LOL! High winds kept us confined to anchoring the boat and soaking baits, though that’s not my preferred method for catching reds.

The following Tuesday Bill & Mike joined me for a short boat ride in 15 mph winds. After a few minutes in our first location the winds cranked up to 25+ mph and we hurried back to the ramp ahead of a major storm. Rescheduling for Friday was a great call…

Thursday Dennis and Jeremy enjoyed their first inshore fishing experience. Well versed in bottom fishing off of Port Canaveral this light tackle stuff was different to say the least. While we didn’t see the “schools of a thousand redfish” that Dennis has read about in the fishing publications the guys did very well indeed.

Blind casting to schools of finger mullet that were forming about 25 yards from eastern shorelines produced 5 redfish in short order. All fish were caught on Exude RT Slugs fished in a twitch-twitch pause retrieve. The bites came on the pauses as is typical with this style of artificial bait.

After the action slowed we moved to a group of big fish that wouldn’t hold still for us and we moved again for more slot fish. We were surprised to find a few fatties with the slot fish and Dennis catches a 43 inch red and later Jeremy hooks another big girl that comes unbuttoned.

Friday Bill & Mike come back for round 2 and the weather is much better and so is the fishing. Within 15 minutes of dropping off of plane we are into the redfish in big way. The guys are, however not hooking them. A little coaching and I get them to slow down and the screaming drags begin, for Mike anyway. It’s 5 to 1 in 20 minutes as Mike is landing all of his and Bill’s are coming off. Same rods, reels, line and hooks! The action only stopped because of another boater coming too close and spooking the fish. Oh, well it happens. We caught a few more reds and a couple of trout to round out the morning. Once again a s-l-o-w moving R T Slug did the job in solid white, smokin’ shad and mangrove red.

Saturday was more of the same, albeit a bit more breeze, a lot more fisherman and fewer redfish. Still, Rick and Keith had a great time with their handful of reds and trout. We had to cover a little more of the eastern shoreline than the previous few days and play leap-frog with some of the other anglers, but that’s Saturday on the IRL!

The water is a bit dirty y’all either all white or dark colored Slugs are working best for us. Twitch them aggressively once, twice or even three times, but let them pause long enough between your groups of twitches that the lure can touch the bottom. Virtually all of our bites are coming as the bait is coming in contact with the bottom or after it has rested on the bottom for a second.

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Well fall is upon us and the weather is getting better by the day with cooler mornings and evenings and the hurricane season is about over. This means we all get the chance to spend more time on the water doing what we have a passion for and enjoying the outdoors. The past storms have raised the water levels in the Indian river lagoon system and the mosquito lagoon as well. The fall mullet run is in full force and there are times when you can actually see acres of mullet in the river and lagoon. The water temperature is hovering in the hi 70's to low 80's and this means the mullet are here for the next month or so and will stay until the temperature falls to the low 60's on the water. Calm mornings are gretting us with tailing redfish that are agressively striking topwater lures and ambushing flies with wild abandon. Soft plastics worked around the schools of mullet have produced fish on almost every trip. Colors like smoking shad and alwife, another baitfish color are light on the bottom dark on top are about as close as you can get to mimic the mullet. My second choice is the gold spoon and I can say that more fish have been landed on the spoon than any other lure on my trips. As the water cools even more the spoon will be a consistant bet for targeting redfish in both lagoon systems. With the higher water levels the breeder or trophy fish have moved to deeper water and are typically spawning this time of year. I recently found a group of over 1000 fish in the middle of nowhere and they were happy and eagerly took topwater lures worked just past the group. Targeting the bigger fish will require spending a lot of time on the water and fishing areas that they are not typically found in during the regular season. Fishing areas with 5 to 7 feet of water have been a good place to start near creek mouths and inshore bars for finding these trophys. Slot sized fish are grouped up pretty good and catching several fish from the same area is becomming pretty consistant in the past few weeks. Several trips have resulted in catching over 20 fish in the same spot using this method.

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Dr Bill Slomka and his friend Frank joined me on Sunday 9/21 for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The stained waters were not ideal for sight fishing and the action was less than stellar. Bill did, however manage a River Slam by casting a Bone colored Skitterwalk across sand patches in the back country ponds. Sorry no pics of the reds (Bill has too many already), but you'll find the trout and snook in the photo gallery!

Here is the Twist in the report:

I’ve always said one of the greatest perks of my job is the interesting people I meet. Some of these folks through repeat business and similar interests become friends, both professional and personal. Usually distance dictates which category the relationship rests.



Dr. Bill Slomka of West Palm Beach, Florida is one of if not my favorite and best client. We met several years ago when he coordinated a fishing trip for a group of doctors in the area for a convention.



We have been on numerous fishing trips in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, all of them successful. Of course some of these trips were more successful than others, but all of them memorable. Last October we fished in the 9th annual Hunt for Reds in October. While we didn’t catch any spotted redfish Bill really enjoyed the experience and booked me for the following year.



This past July it became clear that personal commitments were going to keep him from keeping our engagement for this year’s “Hunt”. While I had no problem with letting the good Doctor “off the hook” as I knew I could rebook the day, he already had an interesting solution for the dilemma.



Dr. Bill contacted the Brevard County chapter for the Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts of America. They held a little competition of essay form. The winner and his father or guardian will be fishing with me on tournament day October 5th compliments of Dr. Bill Slomka. The winner will be named on Friday October the 4th at the Captain’s Meeting and you know that Dr. Bill is already in next years log book for the first Saturday in October to fish the Hunt for Reds in 2009.

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We survived the last storm and the water was almost 4 feet above the normal level for this time of the year. After the winds died down the fishing has been simply off the hook!

Many culverts are flowing and that means plenty of water and baitfish everywhere. Several days I had produced as many as 100 fish from single locations, one particular day, last saturday was the best so far. I had Tarpon,Snook, Redfish and too many Ladyfish to count. This was also excellent for the fly anglers and land fish they did! Most of the fish were slot sized on average and the Tarpon were mostly 5-12 lbs with a few 35/40lb fish mixed in. Now is the time for some fantastic action sight fishing the flats and nearby dropoffs.

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With the water finally on the rise it’s much easier to get around in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River than at any time this summer. However I can’t honestly say that the extra water has improved the fishing. In all honestly I actually believe the fish are a bit confused!

The water levels were way too low during the spring and early summer when it should have been high and now that it’s time to be low the levels are on the rise. It’s no small wonder that fishing has been quite simply “HIT or MISS”…

Most days we do manage a few fish in one form or another. If the reds don’t seem to show up for the sun up bite we can usually entice several trout on Skitterwalks and Chug bugs. Of course my old standby of the Exude RT Slug in all white is a fine choice to start the day as well.

This past Tuesday my clients enjoyed a mixed bag of redfish, trout, ladyfish and jacks on Exude RT Slugs in all white and Smokin’ Shad colors. They also jumped four smallish (5 to 12 pound) tarpon using finger mullet, landing one while fishing around the residential docks of Port St. John. They also hooked two large snook that we had virtually NO CHANCE of landing!

A return trip to these docks two days later proved to be a big waste of time as no one was home. At least the flats across the river were holding plenty of redfish and we caught a few on Exude RT Slugs and Darts to save the morning. It seems that lighter colors that stand out against the dead grass are getting the best results in soft plastic baits…

BTW, I’m heading to Alaska on Friday 8/4 and will be gone until the end of the month. Y’all stay safe!

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Summer is in full swing and with summer’s blistering heat we anglers must adapt our fishing tactics accordingly.

First and foremost we should fish when the temperature is most comfortable. Let’s face it that means either very early in the morning or late in the day when the shadows are the longest. My charters start at 5AM this time of year and we’re off the water before many of you have your second cup of coffee.

A second prime bite exists from about an hour before to a bit after sun-down and many of you Regular Joe’s who work the daily 9 to 5 schedule have kept this secret to yourselves long enough. The deciding factor for this evening bite is usually the thunderstorms that we all must deal with this time of year.

The third prime pattern for summer is the night bite and the Full Moon Cycle is the epitome of night fishing patterns. Often fish that have been super spooky and impossible to catch during the day become so aggressive you can’t believe they are the same critters!

Favorite lure selections for dark or near dark fishing times are the RT Slug in White, Glow/ Silktreuse tail and Golden Bream. The Exude Shrimp in the same colors too and don’t forget to charge the Glow baits with a flashlight. Top-water plugs work well too as long as they are retrieved in a steady fashion and my favorite choice here is a Jitterbug.

Fish early, late or at night, but get out and fish!

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June was a great month for fishing inshore as the mullet schools are
plentiful and the pigfish are just about the right size. July is looking even better as I have spent most of my
time this past month in the Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian river in search of
redfish and trout with a few occasional surprises thrown in. The early morning bite
has been best with fish tailing and finning on the flats up until 10
am or so, after that they are moving to nearby drop offs in 3-4 feet of water. This
has been an exceptional month for Gator Trout and I have honestly switched up to
target them first off everyday. Most of the fish have
been taken on topwater lures with the skitterwalk being the top producer. Within
the past week I have had the pleasure to have 3 Trout over 10lbs put some smiles
on some happy faces. Even after the moon most of the fish were still full of roe
and eagerly feeding in or in close proximity to the bait pods. The water levels are
extremely low for this time of the year and most of the fish have been concentrated
in or adjacent to the major bars in both waterways. This past thursday I had
a couple from texas with a request to catch a trout of 30” or better as Howard already
had a 29” fish on the wall. We started out with a few small fish to 4lbs on
topwater and then Patricia, not Howard was rewarded with a healthy 26” trout,
her personal best so far. They both had several fish on that would have surpassed
their goal however none seemed to make it to the boat. I was so impressed with
this area that I took my wife out the next day to try and see if I could land a few
of the missed opportunities from the day before. Well just as I expected they were
there and waiting, after landing 2 fish over 10 lbs I then proceeded to catch quite
a few fish in the 6 to 8 lb class. All fish were taken on topwater and very exciting
to watch explode on the lures,
Earlier this month I had the pleasure to have Gary Price and his fishing buddy John
Knight both club members (cfoa) join me for a day of fishing on the mosquito lagoon.
We were gretted with a light southwest wind and most of the morning the water
was smooth as glass. I had high expectations for these guys as we had been
talking about the trip for over 3 months since Gary won it at the club in feburary.
We targeted several groups of slot sized redfish and the action was consistant for
most of the morning. We then found the motherload of trophy fish and Both John
and Gary made perfect cast, shortly Gary was hooked up to the fish of the day. A
short battle and a few drag screaming runs and Gary had the fish boatside. After a
few pictures , Gary spent a few minutes reviving her and she was released to fight
another day! One thing I really enjoy is having anglers aboard the have a passion
for fishing and these two were some of the best I have had the opportunity

Along with the awsome fishing for redfish and trout we have been blessed with
a bumper crop of black drum in the same areas, most of these fish are in the 6
to 12 lb class and are some fine table fare at this size. While live shrimp are the
most effective on these fish we have had them eat everything from white spoons
to soft plastic shrimp. The long awaited Tarpon are finally here as well with most
of the fish in the 40 to 60 lb class. Several fish have been found foraging in the
shallow waters 3 to 4 feet in groups of 4-6 fish. When out on the flats these fish
will blast a topwater lure if you can get it anywhere near them. Just off the beach
the fish are a little larger on average, however not consistant as of this past week.
It’s been hit or miss on most days but sure to be consistant once the fish settle
in and get comfortable. Once this happens we should have consistant action thru
august and september until the bait moves out. Snook in the southern Indian
river are feeding well in the inlets from the port to jupiter inlet. Now is the time to
catch that trophy as the fishing pressure for these fish is much less with the closed
season.
In closing I would like to invite any of you that may have a question about fishing
in the area to feel free to give ma a call or shoot me an e mail and I will be
more than happy to share any knowledge I have that may help you have a more
productive day on the water. Although I enjoy catching fish I get even more excited
watching or knowing that I could help put a smile on your face

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Summer is in full swing and with summer’s blistering heat we anglers must adapt our fishing tactics accordingly.

First and foremost we should fish when the temperature is most comfortable. Let’s face it that means either very early in the morning or late in the day when the shadows are the longest. My charters start at 5AM this time of year and we’re off the water before many of you have your second cup of coffee.

A second prime bite exists from about an hour before to a bit after sun-down and many of you Regular Joe’s who work the daily 9 to 5 schedule have kept this secret to yourselves long enough. The deciding factor for this evening bite is usually the thunderstorms that we all must deal with this time of year.

The third prime pattern for summer is the night bite and the Full Moon Cycle is the epitome of night fishing patterns. Often fish that have been super spooky and impossible to catch during the day become so aggressive you can’t believe they are the same critters!

Favorite lure selections for dark or near dark fishing times are the RT Slug in White, Glow/ Silktreuse tail and Golden Bream (sometimes the dark colors are the hot ticket). The Exude Shrimp in the same colors too and don’t forget to charge the Glow baits with a flashlight. Top-water plugs work well too as long as they are retrieved in a steady fashion and my favorite choice here is a Jitterbug.

Fish early, late or at night, but get out and fish!

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June in the Lagoon; hands down my favorite month for all around fishing activity. We still have a local run of shrimp happening, albeit the season is winding down. The silver mullet are flooding the lagoon system which means the reds and trout will be making the switch to a fin-fish diet (oh-boy, oh-boy). And most importantly if you like to catch a LOT of trout it’s PIGFISH season!

June’s mostly stable weather patterns will hopefully allow us to fish to our hearts content. While it will be warm the water should not yet be too hot to put the bite off like it will during the mid-days of true summer.

Covering the entire water column will be necessary now as the entire lagoon system will “get fishy” with tarpon, jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, spanish mackerel and pompano.

Of course the flats will be holding redfish in great numbers and many gator trout as well. The usual suspects of artificial lures will work as always. My favorite soft plastic bait being the Exude RT Slug in Smokin’ Shad whenever I’m fishing around finger mullet pods.

Watch the culverts for flowing water after a rain shower. You’ll not find a better opportunity for a slam than at these fish magnets. I like smaller baits here like weedless jigs, small top-water plugs, 3 and 4 inch soft plastics and flies!

The inlet and beaches will be alive with tarpon, jacks, snook around the rocks and more. Live pogies, mullet and greenies will all do the trick.

RIGHT NOW the monster reds are on a great bite during the very early mornings. This past Monday Bob M. landed a 45 in fish that weighed 34 pounds you wouldn’t believe the girth on this FAT GIRL! While live pinfish and fresh cut baits are doing the best jobs they can be taken on artificials too in the twilight hours. Some anglers are doing well with the 4 inch GULP shrimp throughout the day on the rare day when the fish are extremely active after the sun gets bright.

Slot sized reds are on the same basic pattern. Fish at or a bit before dawn and give it up by 10 AM. We are still experiencing too clear water conditions here and once the sun gets up a bit the fish get VERY SPOOKY!

I think that as the summer rains begin and we start seeing a few algae blooms forming things will level out a bit.

This is Captain Mark signing off; may your rods bend, your drags scream and your knots hold!

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Well the long anticipated mullet run is starting and the action is just as expected for this time of the year. Early morning hours have been very productive with schools of redfish in the shallows hearding pods of finger mullet onto the flats. The top water action has been great in the low light conditions and switching to soft plastics have resulted in some very good fishing in the past weeks. Ambush points are yeilding some exceptional Trout as well as some trophy redfish. As the morning progresses the fish are moving to a little deeper water, 18-24" and are tailing hard in some areas. On Tuesday of this week we had shots at well over 100 fish in the 14-34" class. Most of these fish were tailing and would have been a Fly Fishermans dream on any given day. We have had an phenominal appearance of schoolie Black drum in the past few weeks and they are a welcomed opportunity as well as great table fare. Most of the Blacks are between 5-10 lbs, however the numbers make up for the size. Some days the pods are as small as 3-5 and on some days in the hundreds, an amazing site to say the least! Sustained weather conditions will continue to improve the fishery and we are looking foward to some great days on the water. We are on the water an average of 5 days per week this time of year and the fishing is nothing less than Great. As the winds lay the opportunities for Trophy Redfish will be at it's peak. Don't miss out on some awsome fishing as this is what we live for!

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While the conditions were not favorable...wind from the north at 15+, very overcast skies and not the clearest water. Shaun and Justin had a mission today....to catch fish! They were not to be disappointed!
We started out catching Trout on topwater lures. Shaun really enjoyed the Trout smashing his new friend the "Chug Bug". As the morning progressed, we turned our attention to Redfish. The boyz were armed with Bass Assassins and covered every foot of water in front of the boat.

Justin was rewarded with this hearty, 30inch, 10 pound Redfish!


Lots of fish were caught in not so ideal conditions.
I enjoyed it guys! We'll do it again soon.

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Gabriela has fished with me before, the last time with her companion David. The first trip we started off a bit slowly with an occasional trout here and finally a redfish there, but eventually got on the redfish in a big way. In true Ladylike fashion Gabriela out fished David by about 3 fish to 1, it sometimes happens. On my boat it happens quite often if I have my way sorry, David… He’s never really forgiven me I fear!

More recently Gabriela joined me again, solo as David was unable to make this particular date. We missed you pal and so did the fish.

Stop 1 put us on 2 schools of slot reds and she scored her first red of the morning after I was able to search them out in the chocolate milk colored waters the mullet were stirring up. A quick pic and back in the river it went and some more searching we did. The next hour produced 3 more hook-ups, but only 1 more boated redfish.

The dirty waters in this area made keeping tabs on the fish difficult at best, but they ate the Exude RT Slugs in all white without hesitation once they were located and the bait presented to them.

We decided a move was in order, cleaner water was my hope and I knew more reds and possibly some black drum were schooling to the north of our current location. Boy, was this a good decision…

The next 2 ½ hours were every anglers dream! Gabriela stayed busy with catching black drum. Her first blackie on a white spoon the rest on live shrimp rigged with a circle hook. How many did she catch? I don’t honestly know, I remember counting number 9 and from there it’s anyone’s guess. Probably a couple of more, the fished ranged in weight from 5 to 10 pounds and 4 were invited home to dinner.

The best part of the trip, other than Gabriela’s very cool company, was no other boats encroached upon us as we were obviously wreaking havoc upon these fish. Several went by us seemingly oblivious to our antics or Gabriela’s laughter.

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While most of the windy days are few and far in between, we still have a few days and passing fronts that can make for challenging days on the water. When the wind lays down we are often gretted with tailers in very shallow water and they are eagerly taking a well placed soft plastic or Fly, your choice! When the wind is up a bit we are fishing areas that are holding fish and live and or dead baits will produce fish when sight casting is impossible. Average days are yeilding multiple opportunities at slot sized fish with a few fish to 34 inches mixed in. Black drum as well as some very nice gator trout have been landed this past week and should continue to bite with the current conditions. In a few weeks we can expect to have better conditions daily and the spring mullet run will send most of the fish on a feeding frenzy aggressively attacking topwater lures and larger jerk baits on light tackle. The Fly angler can look foward to tailing fish on the flats with multiple opportunities in a morning or evening trip. Crab and shrimp patterns have been taking the most fish in the past few weeks but baitfish patterns will slowly take over.

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It’s BIG redfish time boys and girls; well at least it’s the traditional season for them. In truth we’ve been catching a few of the trophy sized reds since January.

While I’m pecking away at the keyboard we have a bitter cold front moving through the area. This type of weather is the only combination of factors which will quickly put a damper on my plans to fish for trophy reds. Only strong winds or only cloudy skies or only water temps a bit cooler than we like and we can still usually find a group or two of big fish to entertain ourselves with. Put all of these factors together and an angler quite literally strikes out at the chance for a trophy in the sight-fishing arena.

Luckily by this time of year the cold fronts begin to spread out and the water temperatures slowly climb to the redfish’s optimum range. Within this optimum temperature range the redfish often manifest a certain amount of aggression which helps the angler actually catch these awesome fish.

While live and cut bait will account for most of these trophies we’ve caught countless MONSTER (20 to 40+ pounds) redfish on Exude soft plastic baits. So can you, in fact if you are lucky enough to be the first angler to approach a school of trophy class redfish a well placed soft plastic lure will often be accepted by these heavily fished bruisers. Stealth and finesse are key factors in capturing that trophy of a life time, especially if you want to fool them rather than feed them!

As spring continues to warm the waters it not uncommon for some of the fish to break free of the school or the entire school itself may work their way onto the shallow flats in search of crabs and shrimp buried in the grass. This is another prime time to offer these brutes an artificial bait. I usually start with an Exude Cajun Crab and let the waters clarity dictate the color.

I’ll instruct my clients to inch the crab slowly up to the tailing redfish, moving the plastic bait ONLY when the fish’s tail is breaking the surface. My theory is if the tail is underwater the fish is already spooked or looking for the plastic,,,,

This is Captain Mark signing off: May your rods bend, your drags scream & your knots hold!

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With the rather mild winter we are having this year, the water temperatures have not had a great effect on the fish or their habits. Most mornings we are able to find tailing redfish on the flats and good numbers of seatrout mixed in. Black Drum have been mixed in with several smaller schools of redfish and are also eagerly eating a live shrimp or a well cast fly. These fish have been very weary and will typically run for several hundred yards before sitting down again for a second shot. Slot sized fish in the 5-7lb class are forming groups of 15-40 fish and can be found feeding agressively around most of the common bars.

The trophy redfish are feeding as much as they need to {season/temp/10 year old fish} and on average days we are picking up fish to 30 lbs, however most are in the 15-20 lb class. Most days have been limited to 2-3 fish as they are not looking for a big meal. Dark shrimp and crab patterns have been the best fly to use the past month, although a pinfish (hi tie) worked will entice a strike when the conditions allow.

This time of year is the time you want to be here at the right time......everyday has the potential to be a trip of a lifetime !!

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If there is one bit of advice an angler could benefit from during his or entire fishing life it would be adapt to the conditions you are presently faced with. I know this sounds rather obvious, but I often see the same anglers fishing the same aquatic real estate day after day in the same exact manner. Too, these self proclaimed experts usually are seen fishing in the same direction with no apparent consideration to wind direction or sun positioning.

I often ask myself if these folks who normally catch a redfish or two doing things the “HARD WAY” might not catch a boat load if they put a little more thought into their approach? One needs to ask the question; is visibility more important right now or is casting distance what’s truly needed? Answer this query and act accordingly by putting some thought into the process.

A case in point is a recent AFTERNOON outing which I seldom do because of strong P.M. winds. My clients were forced to make difficult casts INTO the wind as I positioned the boat to capitalize on the sun angle, helping me see the redfish. In short this technique paid huge dividends as one angler quickly made the perfect cast to a school of giant redfish.

His live shrimp was eagerly inhaled by a 23 pound trophy red that battled hard for a quarter of an hour. The 42 in fish was a personal best for Corrie, who was in our area on business and decided a little diversion was in order! I simply can not argue with that…..

This is Captain Mark signing off: May your rods bend, your drags scream and your knots hold!

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We are having a rather mild winter and the water temperatures have not dropped low enough to cause any significant change in the patterns of the fish in the mosquitolagoon. Most mornings have been fishable with a few outstanding Ideal conditions days thrown in. Bluebird skies have resulted in some of the best sight fishing the mosquito lagoon has to offer. Tailing redfish on the flats have been the prime target along with some exceptional Gator Trout mixed in for some explosive topwater action. Groups of 10 to 25 fish are common on most days and they are eagerly eating a well placed lure in front of the group. Several groups of Black Drum are also foraging on the flats and offer a change from the normal fishing. Most of these Black Drum are in the 5-10 lb class and when not spooked will eat.
This time of the year can be challenging with the winds and water levels rising and falling along with cold fronts, some days are simply better than others. Fly anglers are having good success with crab patterns in natural colors and shots at 20 to 30 fish are common. We are also catching some trophy sized redfish on days when conditions are favorable. Most of the Larger fish have been in the 20-30 lb class, although there are some larger fish starting to show up and by the end of the month should be grouped up well in several areas for some exciting light tackle or Fly action. Average days are producing multiple shots at a variety of species depending on the weather.

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Many thanks to Capt. Pat Murphy for his help in today’s taping of an up-coming episode of Wranglers of the (not so) Deep. This show will air this coming Sunday on CW-18 @ 6AM. Beginning on March 23rd the series will move to a 10AM time slot and all episodes will be re-aired.

The title will leave you to believe that all of the fishing seen on this program will be Blue Water and until this episode that’s been the case. I feel lucky and privileged to be the first shallow water Captain to be included in this series.

The day started later than anticipated as our Host and production crew had a bit of difficulty finding Riverbreeze Park. Once everyone arrived we headed to a popular destination which Capt. Pat has been fishing recently.

Within 5 minutes of dropping off-plane we located several groups of redfish and much to my surprise Pat and I were able to keep them to ourselves. You’ll need to watch the show to see WHO the best fisherman of the group is, but several fish were landed in short order.

The show was literally in the can in an hour’s time. We changed location after these fish caught on to us in an attempt for a few more fish and some filler footage. No more fish came to the boat, although the Host did miss a solid bite and a fine time was had by us all!

Thanks again to my good friend Captain Pat. I hope to return the favor soon……..

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The weather is right and the fish are very cooperative on most days. early mornings have been greeted with tailing fish along the shallows and larger breeders starting to form groups of 50-75 fish in the mid day sun. Some mornings are cooler than others which means a delicate presentation is cruicial. After the sun is up the fish are actively feeding on crab and shrimp patterns fished close to the bottom. Several schools of black drum have been in the same areas as the redfish and are offering anglers a variety of fish to target.

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