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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