This is the final Mosquito Lagoon fishing report for 2009. Despite some challenging weather during the month of December, the redfish, trout, and black drum were all willing to eat. With most of the mullet having gone south for the winter, shrimp and crabs become the main forage on the flats. When I leave the house this time of year, I will have one rod with a DOA shrimp, one with a DOA crab, and a flyrod with a shrimp or crab pattern tied on.
I made several trips to Mosquito Lagoon this month with fellow guide Capt. Drew. He used the DOA shrimp while I switched between that and a small black crab fly to land both redfish, trout, and drum. We encountered plenty of tailing redfish during our trips.
The weather has been warm one day and cold the next. Rapid drops in water temperature can send the fish off the flats sometimes but they will soon return. Cold water can sometimes make them a bit lethargic. As the sun begins to warm the flats, the activity usually improves.
This week, I was joined by Phil and his 9 year old son Alex. The morning began cold and breezy but the winds soon subsided and the rest of the day was gorgeous. Phil let his son have all the action and young Alex reeled in several redfish, a black drum, and some trout.
Yesterday was my last trip of the year. The Williams family joined me on Mosquito Lagoon. Again, we had a cool start but the skies were clear and the air soon warmed up. The day started off slow but we saw an increasing number of redfish and large trout as the sun got higher. Father and son had shots at both but Mom was the only one to hook up with two redfish.
With some cold weather predicted to arrive for next week, look for the best flats fishing to be during the late morning and afternoon. As the sun warms the water, the redfish should be tailing in the shallowest water they can find.
Happy New Year to all and some good fishing for 2010.
Capt. Chris Myers
