Windy Days have dominated the weather this past week. Daily winds down on my dock have been 10-20 with gusts up to 30! This has made getting out on the water tough here on the Mosquito Lagoon. The forecast calls for some cooler temperatures in the days to come, and hopefully a little relief from these winds. Water levels also remain quite a bit higher than average but the water temp is starting to drop. As the water temps continue to cool, it should make for some fine tailing redfish action in the weeks to come.
The key to fishing these blustery days is to fish the leeward edges where the depth is 1-3 feet. As I said in my last report, focusing on the prevailing wind direction will also help you locate cleaner water making it easier to see fish. Focus your search tight to the bank and wherever you see sand holes or drop-offs, you are likely to locate reds and some nice trout! Several trout up to 30" have been seen cruising the shallows these past weeks.
Try tossing a live shrimp or 3" Gulp Shrimp (I like to use the molted shrimp color when the water is off-color) when you locate cruising redfish. They have been eagerly taking them when presented properly ahead and IN FRONT of the fish. Don't land your lure on his head or as we all know, he will surely spook off.
Fly fishing has been hit and miss this past week. I did manage one successful fly outing with friend and fellow Captain Mike Savedow. We had a great morning fishing the ever faithful Gold tinsel toad, Mike was able to land not only his first ever redfish on fly(A nice 28" fish), but also his 2nd and 3rd redfish ever on fly! The last two being 25" and 24" respectively! The last fish ate the cherry Redfish Candy fly from Dan Johnson.
The Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River fishing has been great on the the days when the wind will lay down, try starting early to beat those winds. Where you find bait, you're sure to find fish. Look for wind-blown edges where bait has concentrated in the morning and try pitching a top-water such as a the saltwater chug-bug, several nice reds have been landed recently when pitching a topwater near mullet pods!
We are still taking bookings for the holiday season. Give us a call at 352-255-8175 or you can always visit us on the web at www.hotfishcharters.com
