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Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 2-5-2012

2012-02-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
February 2012
By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Seminars and Events
February 4th, 10 a.m. to Noon, Fundamentals of Flats Fishing Series, Class 1 of 8, instructed by Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. Located at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 south Washington Ave., Apopka, Florida. Visit www.mosquitocreek.com for more details.

February 11th and 12th, Old Florida Outdoor Festival in Apopka, Florida. Come out and spend some time visiting with the Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando Captains and writers. We will also have a meet and greet on Friday February 10th from 4 to 5 p.m. at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka where we will welcome Mark Sosin, Mark Nichols, Jerry McBride, Patrick Sebile, Blair Wiggins and our local celebrity captain and professional anglers to Central Florida.

Central Florida Shad and Crappie Derby Dates
Saturday February 25th, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Shad Rally and Seminar at the Jolly Gator Fish Camp on the St. Johns River and HWY 46 east of Geneva. This event features free fishing seminars on both crappie and shad fishing by local pros, food, raffles sponsor booths and more. Come out and join in the fun, and learn how easy it is to catch these two species.

Saturday March 17th, Shad and Crappie Derby ends at dusk.

February Fishing Forecast
As winters go here in Central Florida, we certainly can't complain about the great weather we experienced thus far. With the exception of a few cold days, gorgeous fishing condition has prevailed and we experienced so excellent fishing as well.

Tad Derr and Mike Skinner with A nice St. Johns River catfish.

Dave McGaha's Lake Harney Speck

The fresh water bite on the St. Johns River has been on fire, with excellent catches of American shad, crappie, sunshine and largemouth bass, catfish and much more. In addition, redfish, black drum and sea trout have been off the hook in the Lagoons.

Bill Yingling's No-Motor Zone Redfish

Inshore on the flats, water levels have fallen to our winter lows, and it's starting to clear up some. These low water levels force the redfish, black drum, and sea trout into the deeper pockets on the flats where they become trapped in some cases. These concentrations make for a good number of tight schools, but shallow conditions also make access both difficult and dangerous for those not familiar to the area. Also on colder days, falling water temperatures force most fish to seek deeper locations in search the warmest water they can find and they become very sluggish. As the sun warms the water, all it takes is a degree or two of change, and the fish will begin to move and feed in the shallows. On the sunny mornings, it is not uncommon to find redfish and trout holding in the sand pockets or potholes within the shallow flats where water temperatures raise faster. Additionally, warming water temperatures combined with sunny spring days and crystal clear water make February one of the best months to site fish for redfish, large sea trout, and black drum on the lagoon flats. Also, now is the time to target tailing black drum in the Banana River Lagoon "No Motor Zone". For larger sea trout, fish at first light, sunset, or at night with natural baits, and target areas where mangrove edges, docks, and other structure are adjacent to deep water dredge holes, sloughs, or canals. These same areas will also hold concentrations of small trout which can be caught throughout the day on small jigs and shrimp imitation baits like DOA Shrimp fished very slowly along the bottom. Also, when fishing in deeper darker water try using nightglow colors with Woodies Rattles inserted in them to add the element of sound.

Offshore, kingfish will be active along the inshore reefs and wrecks, and they will remain there as long as the water temperature stays above 68 degrees. When targeting kingfish this month focus your efforts on the areas of 8A Reef, Pelican Flats, and Bethel Shoals to the south for best results. Look for cobia and amberjack to be present on the inshore wrecks like the Carol Lee, Dutch, and Sub Wreck out of Port Canaveral. Additionally, live bait is tough to find this time of year, so always carry a box of frozen Spanish sardines with you as backup.

Near-shore, look for tripletail concentrations to improve greatly along the Port Canaveral buoy line and under floating weeds and structures, and for cobia to move in shadowing manta rays if the surface water temperatures reach the upper sixties. Now is also the time for shore fisherman to target pompano, bluefish, weakfish, small black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and whiting in the surf and larger redfish and flounder around the inlets and jetties.

Last but not least, windy days in February are a great time to check out those freshwater fishing holes on the St Johns River. Currently good catches of American shad, speckled perch, warmouth perch, and largemouth bass are being reported. The shad run has been really kicking this year with more fish then we have seen in years. This past week, good reports of shad came from the Marina Isles to Mullet Lake section of the St. Johns River, as well as a good number shad being taken south of Lake Harney. As the run progresses the shad are moving into the shallows flats south of Hwy 46, so fly anglers don't haste.

In closing, be sure to sign up for the Shad and Crappie Derby (www.cfshadderby.com) and I'll see you at the Shad Rally on February 25th were I will be raffling off a free fishing charter to one lucky angler, but there is a catch. To receive your free raffle ticket, you will need to bring me some trash from the river bank. So, I'm looking forward to seeing you at the rally with some trash in hand, and then taking you fishing.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com
http://www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187

For all of your outdoor needs, visit www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Amelia Island Fishing Report 2-2012

2012-02-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

Amelia Island Fishing Report
Get away from it all and ......let's go fishing!
February 2012
by Cpt. Lawrence Piper

Who Said it Was Going to be a Cold Winter?
We have only had a couple of days where we covered plants to protect them from the cold and most of the time we're getting temperatures into the 70's, making it great weather to be fishing the waters of Amelia Island! Plan to follow along with what's biting at the Amelia Island Fishing Report. Bookings are slow this time of year so if you have a window, give me a call and book a trip. Get away from it all and...Let's Go Fishing on The Angler's Mark!

January Report/February Forecasts
You just can't beat this great weather! According to the radio, today's a "pefect 10" with a high expected to be 70! The fishing that we did in January was simply Outstanding! Even though we had some wind blowing on one trip in early January, we had non stop action for a while, picking up some Puppy Drum and Sheepshead. A group of guys out of Atlanta had about as much fun as you can have catching large slot Redfish, keeper sized Trout, and hard fighting Drum. The fish are here, fishing pressure is minimal, and the cool outdoors is a refreshing place to be this time of year. In February you'll find the Whiting biting at the south end and Redfish, Sheepshead, and Drum biting near dock pilings and downed trees. Stay up to date by following the Amelia Island Fishing Report. If you get the fishing fever and want to get out on the water, give me a shout and we'll go fishing!
Big Amelia Island Redfish Wraps Up The Day.mov
Big Amelia Island Redfish Wraps Up The Day.mov

The Anglers Mark 2012 Backwater Fishing Tournament
Big Trout

Fish The Anglers Mark and earn bragging rights and recognition that will last the whole year! I've got an electronic scale and will begin to weigh each large Redfish, Trout and Flounder and post who is in the lead each month until the end of the year. Right now, we have:
Michael Purser - Redfish 26" 6lbs

Andy Hall - Trout 22" 3lbs

Contact me to get in on the brag'n!

Spoonfly Blues
What does a Spoon flies fishing guide do in the winter time with a lot of time on his hands? Make a mess* of spoonflies! These are a batch that I just completed using a method I found off of the internet. You can go to this link to find directions. Spring will be here before you know it and we'll have a shot at those tailing Redfish for a month or so.

Boat Ramp Closure Updates:
Fernandina Harbor Marina: There has been no noticeable start to the City of Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina dredging and the ramp is still usable. I talked to one Marina employee the other day and he said the equipment was due and dredging should begin soon. Again, the ramp will be closed intermittently with no notice.

Sawpit Creek on Big Talbot Island is still closed for repairs. Work was to be completed by JanuarySawpit Boat Ramp 9th but now a sign has been posted that it will be February 17th before it is finished. It appears the ramp is almost back to normal with the new retaining wall in place, decking replaced, and new pavement down. No work had been started on the old dock on the south side of the ramp.

Capt. Lawrence Piper
The Anglers Mark
Amelia Island, Florida
904-557-1027
lwpiper@comcast.net
theanglersmark.com

Sarasota Fishing Report 1-31-2012

2012-02-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

Sarasota Bay & Gasparilla Sound, FL Fishing Report
1/27/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, snook and Spanish mackerel on jigs and flies during the past week. Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We waded and fly fished several bars on both sides of the bay. Reds were elusive for us that day, but Nick caught and released a few trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Gary Roberts, from Bradenton, FL fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Tuesday. They caught and released more than 40 trout to 17” and a snook on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and DOA Deadly Duos. With shallow water temperatures reaching close to 70 degrees in backcountry areas, we saw a few snook moving onto the flats to feed in the afternoon.

Tom Newman, from Oakton, VA, fished the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. We found a few false albacore (little tunny) working off Siesta Key, but they were up and down very fast. Tom got a fly in them a couple of times, but we couldn’t get right with them before they disappeared. We went back into Sarasota Bay where he caught and released about a dozen trout and a 4-pound Spanish mackerel on my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly at Stephens Point and Bishop Point. The biggest trout came out of a pothole in skinny water.

Pete Walocko and Richard Ives, both from MI, fished the same areas with me on Thursday. With an approaching front wind was an issue, but they managed to catch and release a few trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

Look for false albacore, tripletail and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf when sea conditions are good. Fishing shallow grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout and reds and deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano should be good options. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Gary Roberts, from Bradenton, FL, caught and released this snook on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a sand bar in Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Tom Newman, from Oakton, VA, caught and released this 4-pound Spanish mackerel on a Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Florida Kids Fishing Clinics 2012

2012-01-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

One of the best ways to teach children to love fishing and protect our states natural resources is through one of the Kids' Fishing Clinics sponsored by the Outreach and Education section of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. These are one day events where children spend about an hour going through five mandatory skill stations: Casting, Knot Tying, Fishing Tackle, Good Angler and Touch Tank. Afterwards they will receive a free rod and reel (compliments of local sponsors while supplies last), and at most clinics, will have the opportunity to fish.

2012 Kids Fishing Clinics Dates And Locations

Month	Date	Location	Address	Time
February	25	Crystal River	Fort Island Gulf Beach Fishing Pier12073 W. Fort Island Trail	9:00 AM - NoonPreregistration required: 352-527-7547
March	24	Fernandina Beach	Ft. Clinch State Park2601 Atlantic Ave.	9:00 AM - Noon
	31	Daytona Beach	Sunglow Fishing Pier3701 S. Atlantic Ave.	9:00 AM - Noon
April	14	Pensacola	Plaza De Luna997 S. Palafox St.	9:00 AM - Noon
	21	Panacea	Wooley Park Mound St.	9:00 AM - Noon
	28	Naples	Naples City Fishing Pier25 12^th Ave. S.	9:00 AM - Noon
May	19	Panama City	Panama City Marina1 Harrison Ave.	9:00 AM - Noon
June	30	Cape Canaveral	Cruise Terminal #3220 Christopher Columbus Dr.	9:00 AM - Noon
July	14	Palm Coast	Bings Landing Co. Park5862 N. Oceanside Dr.	8:00 AM - Noon
August	7-9	West Palm Beach	Bicentennial Park200 E. 13^th St.	Preregistration Required:561-832-6780

Fort Lauderdale Fishing Charters

Indian River Sightfishing 1-26-2012

2012-01-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
by Capt. Chris Myers
January 26, 2012

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
The past several days the fishing in Mosquito Lagoon has been about as good as it gets. The month overall has been up and down with some fantastic sight fishing and some days when the fish were few and far between. The warm and calm weather as of late has certainly been to the angler's advantage as the fish have been happy and tailing. The dead calm days has made the fish easy to spot but they are also easily spooked by unnatural noises. I saw hundreds of fish spooked the last few weeks by squeaky shoes on the deck alone. Be extremely aware of your noise discipline as you approach tailing fish.

With water temperatures in the morning in the high 60's and near 75 by day's end, the fish are aggressive and will eat even large baits. Unfortunately, the water is still not crystal clear like it should be this time of year. It is clear enough to see the fish though. Most of the month, we experienced extremely low water levels. The water has risen this past week and with it came tons of floating grass that had been washed up on the shore. Weedless jerk baits are a necessity when the grass gets to be too thick. Color has not seemed to be too important as we have caught fish on a variety of shades. Presentation, however, is very important. Trying to catch tailing redfish means you are casting at a stationary target but your bait must get within a foot or less of them or they will not see it.

Ray had an excellent day on the Lagoon before he had to go to a job in Iraq. He landed double digit redfish, mostly on the 3" DOA CAL tail and a 1/8 ounce jighead.

Joe wanted to try his hand at fly fishing for redfish. A steady 10 mph wind was a bit much for him to overcome with the fly but he did manage several nice reds on the 3" CAL.

Jim fished Mosquito Lagoon with me the following day. He threw the fly all day long. We tried feeding some uncooperative black drum. We never got one to bite. Jim used a small tan shrimp imitation fly of his own creation to catch several redfish.

Mike was my next fly angler last week. We began the day throwing a bendback to some very shallow schools of redfish. While he came close a number of times, 10 feet more on his fly cast would have resulted in some hookups. Again we tried a multitude of flies on some black drum. The only bite he got ended when the leader broke on the hook set. Mike was able to get his first redfish to eat a fly he tied on a #4 hook with some orange/brown chenille, small lead eyes, and a tan wing. With shots at hundreds of fish throughout the day, we called it a success.

This Monday I took a trip to the St John's River for some fly fishing for shad. While others I spoke to reported catching 30-40 shad, I caught that many fish but only 8 or so were the target species. The rest were a mixture of crappie, bass, bluegill, sunfish, and redbreast. The shad are there, however, and it seems to be a good run of them this year.

Tuesday, I fished with Jeff and Jim on their first flats fishing trip. We found the black drum a bit more willing to cooperate and even got a double header.

Tailing redfish were our next target. The tails were easy to spot as the water was smooth as glass. Soon we had tail in every direction. With lots of floating grass to deal with, I elected to go with a weedless CAL in melonback color. A Woodies rattle inserted near the tail helped the fish find the bait. The next few hours were filled with shots at hundreds of reds and some bent rods resulted.

We ended the day completing a Mosquito Lagoon slam by using the DOA Deadly Combo to catch numerous seatrout off the outside edge of the flat.

Yesterday was nearly a carbon copy of the day before. The only improvement was we had much clearer skies making it even easier to spot the fish when the sun came up. Rick and Cynthia started off the day bringing a few black drum to the boat before we moved on to tailing redfish. The first red came on a DOA shrimp but the weedless CAL bait proved to be a better choice with the heavy floating grass still around.

In addition to landing numerous redfish, both caught a seatrout as well to complete a double slam for the second day in a row.

As long as the weather remains stable, the fishing will continue to be outstanding. Should a cold front blow through and drop the water temperatures significantly, the fish will drop off the flats for several days. If you must fish during those times, target the deeper edges of flats and sand troughs with jigs. As long as the water remains warm, however, the fish will be happy, schooling, and feeding.

Seminars and Classes
On February 4, Capt. Tom Van Horn and I will begin our Basic Flats Fishing Seminar Series at 10am at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka. These classes are designed to teach students all aspects of flats fishing from choosing equipment and lures to how and when to target specific species. The class schedule is as follows:

Class #1 Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing, Feb 4th

Class #2 Tackle, March 31st, 2012

Class #3 Lines, Leaders and Knots, April 21st, 2012

Class #4 Saltwater Lure (Hard Baits) Applications, May 19

Class #5 Soft Plastic Applications, June 9th, 2012

Class #6 Natural Baits, July 21st, 2012

Class #7 Tackle, Storage, and Maintenance, Augus 11th,

Class #8 Successful Angling Tactics, September 22nd

All classes are free and begin at 10am at the Mosquito Creek Outdoors Outback.

February 10-12 is the Old Florida Outdoor Festival in Apopka. I will be doing fly casting demos and there will be a host of other fishing guides and celebrities there during the weekend.

On Thursday February 16, at 6:30pm, Cat. Tom and I will be speaking about Winter Sight Fishing Tactics at Mosquito Creek Outdoors.

Saturday, February 25 will be the Shad and Crappie rally at CS Lee Park on the St. Johns River at SR 46. With a strong shad run so far this year, this should be a good event. There will be seminars and prizes.

Saturday, March 17 will be the next Fly Casting Class. This is a 4 hour class limited to 6 students that focuses entirely on fly casting. Pre-registration is required and the cost is $75. Call me at 321-229-2848 or Mosquito Creek to register.

Captain Chris Myers
321-229-2848
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com