November 6th, 2009
Well a taste of fall has arrived a few times here the past couple of weeks. One day it was hot - then the next day cold - then the next day hot and now it is cool again. Welcome to Florida! If the weather stays like this with mildly calm winds...It Would Be Perfect! However along with this has brought the winds and fronts. High winds seem to be coming here for the next few days for sure. A typical Florida front system passing on by. The past weeks fishing however has been really good and it looks like a great prelude for the winter fishing as well. The water is beginning to clear up in most areas and also it seems to be dropping some as well. Not just the water level itself but the water temperature as well. The entire Mosquito Lagoon is going into a summer to fall to winter metamorphic change.
Redfish have been a main target the past month. At first light on several occasions the reds have been caught feeding aggressively along the shorelines and on the flats. These fish are chasing bait fish along with feeding on the shrimp that lay in the grass. As always a major factor in getting on top of feeding fish in this manner is stealth. Poling to them from an ideal tactical position will be your best option. It may take a while but worth its weight in gold when it is done. Always try, if able to keep the sun at your back and in their eyes. Poling into the wind is a good option too - within reason that is...If it is blowing at 20 knots then yes you are beating a dead horse trying to go into the wind. You will get better boat control no doubt what so ever if you do this. If you are going to use your trolling motor to get to them, give yourself at least 500 feet(or more even) away from them then push the rest of the distance with your push pole. Remember to give your fellow anglers around you a wide berth as well, try to avoid ripping by someone with your trolling motor(especially your outboard running)who is pushing their boat towards awaiting fish. Once on these fish figure out which way they are working...A perfectly placed shrimp(artificial or live will produce a great strike). I have been doing very well here lately with a D.O.A. 1/4 oz. Nite Glow Shrimp or the Glow-Gold Rush Belly. Just remember the key is the direction of the redfish and not to land too close or on top of them...they will spook. Remember, the tail does not eat. You can also place a live mullet within the range of the reds as well. Using a circle hook in the 2/0 - 3/0 range tail hooked will allow the mullet to swim freely.
The trout bite the past several weeks has improved tremendously. That is for the BIG trout! Large gator's will move onto the flats as more weather changes come about. Several large females have been seen doing their Special Forces moves in front of me this month. They are definitely the apex game fish in the shallow waters of the lagoon. Throwing a top water across sand bars, grass flats, along shorelines and pot holes will cause outstanding strikes and make for great conversation later on. There is nothing like watching a fish hit top water. Several redfish have been landed on top water as well this month too. Again a free-lined mullet out will attract the attention of a trout at any given time. As always handle these and all fish with extreme care. Also November and December here on the East Coast of Florida Sea Trout is closed...Jacks, lady fish and a few small tarpon a hanging around the waters as well. The great thing about fishing these waters are you never know what might happen. This is why Florida is the fishing capital of the world!
As always I look forward to seeing you on the water. Tight lines and bent rods!
Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Cell/352-223-7897
Light Tackle Fishing Guide On The Mosquito Lagoon
Specializing In Fly Or Spin For Redfish,Trout, Snook and Tarpon.
Fish The World Famous Mosquito Lagoon - The Redfish Capital Of The World!
Located Along Florida's beautiful Space Coast!
Visit us at: http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/
