As we approach the end of Summer, the fishing should be getting real good. With the mullet run in effect right now off the beaches of East Central Florida, Snook, Sharks, Bluefish, Jacks, Ladyfish, some Redfish, and some Tarpon should be fired up and following closely behind the mullet schools. Lipped diving plugs, and swimbaits such as the D.O.A. Baitbuster trolling model that match the size and color of the bait present should do the trick, but of course you can’t beat the real thing if you prefer to live bait. I prefer a high tide early in the morning or right before sunset when fishing in the surf from the beach. Look for deeper troughs or run offs where fish may congregate in and cover every inch of that area with your bait of lure. Fly fishing is tough in my are if fishing from the beach. The fish are a little further out and the surf is just rough enough to make it tough. Most fly anglers target beach fish further south from Melbourne beach to Ft. Pierce.
Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and Banana River areas are starting to get better and more consistent. Mosquito Lagoon water clarity is still pretty dirty and high from all the rain. The Redfish and big Trout are still around but difficult to see. You pretty much have to tickle the fishes nose with your fly or lure to get the bite while the water is like this. There are some cleaner areas in certain parts of the river the further south you go.
On Sept. 1st, I walked the beaches of Cocoa Beach early in the morning to see if there was any mullet activity in the surf. I see my buddy T.J. Marshall from a distance tugging on this beautiful fish.
Just before hurricane Leslie brought us the rough surf, Danny, his son John, and Johns girlfriend Hannah from Orlando wanted to tug on some big fish on the nearshore reefs and wrecks. We found a ray that was holding at least 12 Cobia which resulted in a double hook up using a D.O.A. Baitbuster and the other a Cobia jig. Unfortunately both fish were an inch short. We also had some lost battles with a few big Kingfish, and the Sharks kept us occupied most of the day.
Brothers Jimmy and Jamie from Georgia joined me on their first visit to Mosquito Lagoon. Both do plenty of flood grass Redfishing up north so they know what to look for. They spotted tails from a mile away and both made perfect casts to tailers using Owner “Jig Rig” Hooks and D.O.A. Curl Tail Grubs.
Kyle brought his girlfriend Alden down from Georgia to spend Labor Day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The fish seemed pressure this day seeing a bunch but most of them ignored our lures. Kyle did get a few to eat but he was experiencing the “rubber hook syndrome” that day, so they all shook of before getting to the boat. He did manage to get a couple nice Trout using D.O.A. CAL Shadtails including his biggest Trout ever at 27″ and was caught tailing 8 feet from the boat! They already plan on coming back to get revenge on the fish they lost.
While hurricane Leslie is sitting of the Atlantic coast of Florida, she is keeping me busy surfing when I am not fishing. Here are a couple shots of some buddies of mine having some fun:
Fall is my favorite time of year to fish the Mosquito Lagoon. Cooler temperatures and big Redfish on topwater are on my mind around this time. Also, the Snook, Flounder, and Redfish bite around the beaches and Inlets will be devouring finger mullet.
Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com
