Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, December 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Seminars and Events

Saturday, December 11th - 10: 00 - 12:00 PM, Shad & Crappie Derby Anglers Registration Meeting at Mosquito Creek Outdoors. "Free Seminars" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers and Charlie McCullough, "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season", anglers giveaways and more, located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, http://www.mosquitocreek.com.

January 1, 2011 Derby starts at safe light. (Both shad and crappie derbies)

Saturday, January 22nd 11:00 - 2:00 PM, Free Crappie Rally at Boat Tree Marina Sanford, "Free Seminar" Instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers and Charlie McCullough, "Catching American Shad & Crappie". Event includes sponsor displays, giveaways and a raffle with all proceeds going to Anglers for Conservation (AFC), Hook Kids on Fishing Program.

Saturday, February 12th 11:00 - 2:00 PM, Free Shad Rally at the Jolly Gator Fish Camp adjacent to CS Lee Park in Geneva, Florida - "Free Seminar" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers and Charlie McCullough, "Shad Fishing Tactics" Event includes sponsor displays, giveaways and a raffle with all proceeds going to Anglers for conservation (AFC), Hook Kids on Fishing Program.

February 28th 2011 Derby ends at sunset. (Both shad and crappie derbies)

Saturday, March 5th at 12 Noon: Shad and Crappie Derby Awards Ceremony at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.
For more details on the 2011 Central Florida Shad Derby, go to http://www.cfshadderby.com.

December's Fishing Outlook
When the weather is nice and the seas are fishable offshore, solid concentrations of kingfish will be holding on the inshore reefs and wrecks in 60 to 100 feet of water. Several prime locations to target December kingfish are the north end of Pelican Flats and 8A reef out of Port Canaveral. The kingfish bite should remain steady as long as water temperatures stay above 74 degrees. When near-shore waters approach the 70-degree mark, start looking for cobia and tripletail along Port Canaveral buoy line and the shallow waters just off the bight of the Cape. These two species normally hold around floating structure, but they also have a tendency to free swim once the water temperatures warms up in the afternoon.



Inshore, both redfish and sea trout will remain in the skinny water as long as the water temperatures stay warm. Inshore fishing is best once the sun warms the water a bit, so sleep in and enjoy a good cup of coffee before heading to the ramp. Fish in protected areas and sunny spots, and look for fish to be holding in sand pockets until the sun gets overhead. Also, now is also the time of year to target tailing black drum in the Banana River Lagoon No Motor Zone.

If the ocean conditions are a bit too rough, good concentrations of breeder redfish will be holding in the inlet passes of Ponce De Leon and Sebastian. Try drifting the passes during the falling tide bouncing live pinfish off the bottom. In the Port Canaveral shipping channel, work the edges of the channel using the same technique. Remember these are oversize redfish, so please step up the size of your tackle to lessen the stress of the fight, and release them with extreme care to be caught again on another day.

Snook fishing will also remain steady around Sebastian Inlet as long as the water temperatures stay warm. It is best to target inlet snook during periods of slack tide fishing live pigfish, pinfish, or croakers at night in the channel under the A1A Bridge. Snook season ends December 15th, so if you enjoy a snook dinner once in a while, don't hesitate. Another notable species worth mentioning when speaking of inlet fishing is flounder. Depending on surf and lagoon temperatures, the flounder migration can stretch into December, with stragglers filtering through the passes all month.

If the winds are westerly, concentrate your efforts along the beach, and look for pompano to begin moving off the inshore flats to the deeper troughs along the beach. Also look for schools of bluefish and Spanish mackerel shadowing pods of glass minnows and other bait is the surf. To target both blues and Spanish, watch for birds working bait pods, and through small jigs like the D.O.A C.A.L. and spoons with a fast retrieval to avoid cutoffs.



On the upper Saint Johns River look for the American and hickory shad runs to commence near the end of the month, and intensifying in January and February. Shad fishing is one of the most overlooked fisheries in Florida, and a fun fish to catch on both fly and light tackle gear.

Remember, sea trout are out of season from November 1st through January 1st on Florida's east coast, so if you catch one, please handle and release it with extreme care.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who fished and worked with me this past year for your business and friendship, and I am looking forward to spending more time on the water with you. Also, now is the time to purchase your 2011 gift certificates at and receive 50.00 dollars off of the standard rate by either replying to this news letter or by calling me, so purchase a charter in advance for yourself or that certain angler close to your heart, and go fishing with them.

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

Happy Holidays, and good luck and good fishing, and God bless,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, June 2010

First and foremost, let me start this editorial with a quote for those who gave their lives for our freedom:

"These heroes are dead. They died for liberty - they died for us. They are at rest. They sleep in the land they made free, under the flag they rendered stainless, under the solemn pines, the sad hemlocks, the tearful willows, and the embracing vines. They sleep beneath the shadows of the clouds, careless alike of sunshine or of storm, each in the windowless Place of Rest. Earth may run red with other wars - they are at peace. In the midst of battle, in the roar of conflict, they found the serenity of death. I have one sentiment for soldiers living and dead: cheers for the living; tears for the dead." ~Robert G. Ingersoll

June Forecast:

As the heat and humidity of June rise along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida, so do the many angling opportunities found along the east Florida coast on all fronts, inshore, near-shore, and offshore. Although the heat is rising, the winds of early June typically lay down producing smooth seas, leading us into the summer doldrums.
These smooth conditions allow those of us with smaller boats to venture out offshore to fish the near-shore reefs and wrecks and to run the beach in search of gamefish. These same smooth conditions greatly improve one's ability to locate schooling redfish and other species common to the flats by allowing anglers to spot fish movement on the shallow flats from a long distance.

Along the beach, pogie pods will attract both silver kings (tarpon) and smoker kingfish, drawing them into shallow water. These same bait pods will be frequented by large sharks, jack crevalle and bonito.
In our offshore waters, look for the dolphin bite to slow as the schools begin to spread out and the kingfish will remain good along the inshore reefs and wrecks of 8A Reef and Pelican Flats, so slow trolling with live pogies will produce the best action. Additionally, bottom fishing will remain good for snapper and grouper until the first summer squall (hurricane) blows in and muddies up the water. As the summer doldrums set in, the seas flatten out and the ocean cleans up, and near-shore opportunities are typically the best you'll see all year along the reefs and wrecks and the beach. June is also the time of year when the kingfish move in close along the beach shadowing schools of Atlantic menhaden (pogies), as well as along the Port Canaveral buoy line.

In the early morning on the flats look for trout and redfish up in the skinny water around concentration of bait, and toss them your favorite top water plugs like the Rapala Skitterwalk of the Storm Chug Bug. Focus your efforts between 5am and 9am, and in the late afternoon after the thunderstorms dissipate. Also look for schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) in deeper waters. These schools can be located by watching for small terns and other sea birds working, and they usually are shadowed by concentrations of small trout and ladyfish. These fast moving schools produce fast and furious action for fly anglers casting small top-water popping bugs.


As the days heat up, remember that long battles will kill your fish, so if you plan on targeting large fish, you may want to step up your tackle to shorten the battle. Also, warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, so leave your catch in the water as much as possible, and revive them completely before releasing them.


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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, May 2010

by Captain Tom Van Horn

The longer days of summer allow enthusiastic anglers along Florida's Space Coast to take pleasure in spending their afternoons after work relaxing on the water. Warming coastal waters draw streams of baitfish north followed by warm water predators, as our prevailing easterly winds give way to summers genially shifting sea breezes.

On the Lagoon flats, redfish and spotted sea trout will provide the majority of action for light tackle and fly anglers. The water has warmed up to the point where jack crevalle, ladyfish, snook, and tarpon are showing up in good numbers. Although they will bite all day, I like to target redfish and sea trout at first light or at dusk with top water plugs like the Rapala Skitterwalk, or Storm Chug Bug. As the day heats up, change your focus to the deeper edges of the flats (2 to 3 feet deep) jigging with a DOA CAL Shad or 4" & 5.5" jerk baits.

Offshore, dolphin fishing will be the focus of blue water anglers this month. April and May are the time of year when the larger bulls are taken off the Florida Space Coast. The early season dolphin bite has already yielded so big fish. As a bonus, the potential of taking a blue marlin or sailfish are good. Near-shore, the kingfish bite has heated up on the near-shore reefs and wrecks and some cobia are still around. As the seas settle down and the bait schools move in close to the beach, look for the kingfish action to move in also.

Inshore, the bait pods, Atlantic menhaden (pogies), have shown up along the beach, and now is the best time to target the ocean predator shadowing these schools. It's not uncommon to catch large redfish, large jack crevalle, blacktip sharks, cobia, and tarpon from within these pods of bait. To locate bait pods, simply look for feeding birds, flipping and jumping bait, muddy water along the beach, and busting fish.

Spanish mackerel, snook, redfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, flounder, sheepshead and black drum are just some of the species available in the Lagoon inlets and beaches this month. As the baitfish migration moves north, this type of fishing will only get better.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, April 2010

by Captain Tom Van Horn

I can't help but get excited about the many different angling prospects spring delivers to the Indian River Coast of Florida. I'm always thankful for the chance to live, breath, and fish on these waters, and with the windy rainy March behind us, I'm ready to set the hook.

Some of highlights of fishing on Florida's east central coast during the spring are the weather is still cool and enjoyable, and as the waters warm up, the fish begin to shift into their prespawning feeding mood. Some examples of this behavior are the cobia moving north ups the coast, and the spotted sea trout moving into their traditional spawning areas on the inshore flats. Like many saltwater species, the cobia and sea trout spawn in aggregations or groups, not on beds. In the case of the cobia, traditional spawning areas are off of the central east coast of the US, and in the northern Gulf of Mexico. As the fish migrate north, they burn energy and feed heavily along the way, hence the cobia run we are currently experiencing. On the flats, the smaller male sea trout move up into the shallow flats first, and then call the females in to spawn by drumming loudly just after dusk when the conditions are right, usually around the beginning on the first new moon or full moon in April, and then again on the new and full moons throughout the summer.

On the lagoon flats, fish the early morning and late evening with your favorite top water plugs for extreme trout and redfish action, and soft plastics and jigs in deeper water, 2 to 3 feet after the midday sun settles in. April is the month when trout become egg laden for the spawn, so it's very important to handle and release the larger females with great care. Also, with the hard freeze killing so many fish, it is wise to simply release them all. If you are looking for snook and tarpon action inside, the Sebastian River will be the place to go, and remember both these species are catch and release only.

Offshore, April marks the beginning of the fishing season for most blue water anglers. It represents the start of the April/May northern migration of dolphin in deeper water, 120 feet and beyond and usually brings in some of the largest bulls taken all year. April also marks the beginning of the Easter kingfish run on the near-shore reef outside Port Canaveral. It's the time of year when most of the larger kings, 30 to 50 pounds, are taken off 8A Reef, and Pelican Flats.

As we move in near-shore, tripletail should become more dependable, and look for late season cobia as well. The cobia run thus far has been so; with bait pods (Atlantic menhaden or pogies) arriving late this year. As the bait pod move in, look for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, redfish, giant jack crevalle, sharks, and smoker kings. Concentrate your efforts in areas of bait pods. When you see areas of bait balled up and pushed to the surface, there is a high probability that feeding gamefish are pressuring the bait from underneath.

In the inlets, look for good numbers of flounder, sheepshead and black drum around structure such as jetties and docks, and Spanish mackerel, blues, and large jacks in open water. Also look for the nighttime snook and tarpon action to heat up in the Sebastian Inlet.

In the freshwater lakes and rivers, largemouth and striped bass action has will heat up on the St Johns River. Look for schooling bass at first light feeding on pilchards from the Osteen Bridge to Lake Harney. My favorite locations are in the river bends near the power lines at Lemon Bluff and at the south end of Lake Harney were the River dumps in. A good way to locate these schooling fish is to look for white pelicans and other wading birds congregating along the shore. When in the feeding mode, these fish will take most swim plugs, and small live shiners. Also, several years back we caught southern flounder in Lake Harney fishing pilchards on the bottom under the schooling bass. The bass bite was weak last year after the high water delivered by tropical storm Fay and we have high water again this year, so we can only hope the schooling bass are more cooperative this year. Also, spring is the time of year the larger catfish move up the river and into the creeks following the rising water. I know to most, their not a glamour species, by try telling my good friend Mike Murray that. Lastly, the bluegill and brim will be spawning soon on the lakes, so look for some popping bug fly fishing to heat up in our local Central Florida lakes.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

For all of your outdoor supplies and fishing tackle needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian Lagoon Coast Fishing Outlook, March 2010

Up Coming Events

March 7th, Paddle Fishing the Banana River Lagoon No-Motor Zone, Central Florida Boat Show, 2 pm at the Orange County Convention Center.

March 27th, Free Cobia and Tripletail seminar from 10 am to noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida, 170 South Washington Avenue. For more details visit www.mosquitocreek.com/fishing.

April 24th, Free Hook Kids on Fishing seminar from 10 am to noon at the Apopka Foliage Festival. After completing the five learning stations, each child will receive a free fishing rod, reel and tackle box. To register your children, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida at 170 South Washington Avenue or contact them at (407) 464-2000.

April 25th, Free Certified Conservation Angler seminar from 10 am to noon at the Apopka Foliage Festival. Learn from the Coastal Angler Magazine Pro Tour and Anglers for Conservation how to lighten your footprint while enjoying the sport of fishing. Take the pledge to but the resource first. To register visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida at 170 South Washington Avenue or contact them at (407) 464-2000.

March Fishing Outlook

Reflecting back on my past years here on the Space Coast, I can't remember a colder winter and as I sit here composing the forecast another cold front is passing through Central Florida. Although it's been a challenging winter for anglers, March is around the corner and with warmer weather comes improved fishing on all fronts along the Lagoon Coast.
As the days grow longer and the ocean begins its continuing warming phase, 68 to 72 degree range, the spring fishing bonanza on the Indian Lagoon Coast kicks in. As usual, weather will serve as the determining factor in establishing the magnitude and progression of the bite and the predator species we love to catch.

Water temperature increases will facilitate the progression of bait pods (menhaden or pogies) from the deeper water into the near-shore waters bringing the predators with them. Sea conditions will determine the number of fishable days we'll experience in March. This is especially true for those of us who target deep-water species in shallow water boats. Good reports of cobia are starting to come in from offshore of Stuart. These fish should be moving into our area shortly, and both the bait pods and cobia will be showing up soon on the near-shore wrecks and reefs outside Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet.

Other near-shore options in March consist of tripletail hanging on floating structure and weeds and large redfish and sharks shadowing bait pods along the beaches and inlets around mid month. When site fishing for cobia and tripletail, consider fishing in the latter part of the day when the sun is high as the water is warmer and visibility is better. Also, always keep a chartreuse colored buck tail in the ready position to cast at any brown clowns that wonder into range.

As the water warms up and the silver mullet returns to the inshore lagoon flats, look for redfish schools to continue to form up in the skinny water. For the slot redfish, 18 to 27 inches, focus on areas of flipping and jumping baitfish (mullet) in water depths of 12 to 18 inches. For the larger redfish, concentrate your efforts along deeper edges of the flats and sandbars in 2 to 3 feet of water. Also, sea trout will continue to hold in the skinny water potholes, and the top-water sea trout bite will improve as the warmer water draws finger mullet back onto the central IRL flats. Additionally, schools of black drum will continue to inhabit the shallow water flats of the Mosquito Lagoon, North IRL, and particularly the sandbars in the Banana River No-Motor-Zone.

Last but not least, the American shad run is developing on the upper St John's River between the areas of Lake Harney and the SR 50 Bridge, but this years run has been slow thus far. Also, March is the month to start targeting schooling large mouth bass in the deeper bends of the river at first light feeding on schools of baitfish (menhaden). The indicator I use to locate these schooling bass is to look for large numbers of white pelicans, herons, and egrets working the banks. Once you've located the schooling fish, try throwing a rattle-trap or other small subsurface swim bait. Water levels are higher this spring on the St. Johns River, so please be careful when navigating the river and creeks as the water is above the banks in some areas.

Spring is one of the best times to fish the Indian River Lagoon coast of Florida. So if you are planning to visit the area, make sure you book your hotel and fishing guide early. Also, when the bite is on, the ramps fill up quickly, so arrive early, and are polite and considerate with other anglers, because we are all on the water for the same reasons, to have fun.
As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn

www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/fishing for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, February 5, 2010

Well folks, after reviewing our January weather, the average wind speeds for the month were 16 knots. Finding a nice day to fish last month was a chore and this past week wasn't any better. To make matters worse, this coming weekend will be blown out offshore with winds gusting up to 20 knots on Saturday and 15 knots on Sunday. Another event closing down the south end of the Mosquito Lagoon and the down range safety zones offshore is the Space Shuttle Launch scheduled for 4 am Sunday morning. On last check the weather was go for launch, so it might be worth getting up and watching the shuttle turn night into day. Additionally, both Monday and Tuesday look like good days to fish weather wise.
Tough weather kept me off of the Lagoon this past week, but I did hear some reports of both redfish and sea trout catches. Everyone I've talked to this week has located a good number of fish, but they still haven't started to eat well since the freeze. Most anglers are catching a few fish, mostly smaller ones, and the DOA Shrimp has been the bait of choice.

While I didn't make a saltwater trip last week, I did manage to do some American shad fishing on the St Johns River. The water level on the river increased by 11 inches after last weeks rains, and it is a good 30 inches higher than it was at this time last year. With the higher water the shad haven't been rolling on the surface, so anglers have resorted to blind casting and trolling in the deeper bends and holes in the river with some success. Although the bite hasn't kicked in, we did see improvements over last week, and on one trip I managed three nice Americans on fly. Also, the crappie fishing has been good with a lot of limits being caught. So if the wind is too much for the lagoon this weekend, you might consider the St. Johns as an alternative.

One last word of warning, it doesn't happen to me very often, but I did stumble across a rather large cotton mouth this week while walking the shoreline of the St. Johns. Luckily I spotted him sunning himself, and made sure to maintain a respectable distance as I passed. When wading and walking along our fresh water wetlands, it's prudent to mind your step and keep a sharp eye out for snakes. If you do encounter one, simple keep your distance, and what ever you do, don't mess with it.
Also, be sure to check out the new February addition of Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water

For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Fishing Forecast, February 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

As winters go here in Central Florida, the 10 day freeze we experienced last month was the coldest weather we’ve seen since 1977. The prolonged period of cold dropped lagoon water temperatures into the 40’s. These extreme cold conditions killed a large number of fish both in saltwater and freshwater, but all is not lost. As the water temperatures warmed up surviving species began to return to the flats, and it appears redfish and black drum were not lost to the arctic chill. Additionally, despite notable loses, a good number of sea trout and some snook managed to find warm enough water to survive. On the freshwater side, only exotic species like tilapia and armored catfish subsided to the freeze, which doesn’t hurt my feelings too much.

Inshore on the saltwater flats of the Mosquito Lagoon, good numbers of redfish and black drum have been easy to locate when conditions are calm and sunny, but getting them to eat has been challenging. On the sunny mornings, it is not uncommon to find redfish and trout holding in the sandy 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, 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". As we move further away from the extreme cold event, the redfish and drum should begin to feed more readily.

Offshore, kingfish are still available along the inshore reefs and wrecks, and they will remain there as long as the water temperatures are favorable. 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. Also, 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, tripletail concentrations should improve along the Port Canaveral buoy line and under floating weeds and structures, and cobia will move in shadowing manta rays if the surface water temperatures reach the upper sixties. Now is also the time for beach anglers to target pompano, bluefish, weakfish, small black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and whiting in the surf.

On those windy days in February it is a great time to check out those freshwater fishing holes on the St Johns River. Currently, the American shad run has yet to materialize with only sporadic catches being reported. The shad run has yet to kick off this year, but my best fishing last year was on the 15th of February, so it’s too soon to judge the magnitude of the run this year. This past week, the best 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 north of Lake Harney. As the run progresses the shad should be moving into the shallows flats south of Hwy 46, so if you haven’t signed up for the Shad Derby yet, there is still plenty of time left.

Also, be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

As always, if you have questions or need information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water

For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, January 11, 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

The Resurgence of the Shad Derby

As most of you have heard it’s freezing down in paradise which is bad news for our fishery all the way around, so instead of covering the bad new first, I would like to start this report on a happy note.

As a lifelong Central Florida angler, I’ve learned to enjoy and look forward to the American shad run each spring. American shad are a saltwater species that return to the St. Johns River every spring to spawn, and they are the closest us Floridians will ever see to the salmon runs experienced in the northeastern and northwestern coast of North America.

As a youth growing up in Seminole County, we had a season long event known as the Shad Derby where anglers could sign up and whoever caught the largest shad won the event, prizes and bragging rights for the following year. As the commercial shad harvest increased due to gill nets and other environmental pressures, shad became harder and harder catch, and the interest for the Shad Derby dwindled and eventually faded away like the once thriving fish camps like Lemon Bluff and Marina Isle that flourished along the shores of the St. Johns. Well, with the banning of gill nets and improved water quality, the shad numbers are beginning to improve and the once popular sport fishery is returning. Last year’s run was the best I have experienced in a long time, and we can only hope it continues to improve.

With that said, Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando and Fishing Florida Radio are reviving the Shad Derby in a new online catch-photo and release (CPR) format. We will also be conducting a free crappie and shad fishing seminar at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka on January 23rd starting at 10 am. After the class, a short meeting will be held to cover the rules and answer questions and tokens and sign-up sheet will be available.

The revival of the Saint Johns River Shad Derby

Derby Rules

Derby starts at sunrise on Sunday January 24th, and ends at sunset February 28th.

There is no entry fee; anglers must register at one of the official Derby sponsor locations and pick-up the official Derby Token, Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka, Florida.

Anglers must meet all of the fishing regulations requirements of the State of Florida and possess both fresh and saltwater license if it applies.

This is a catch, photograph and release (CPR) tournament only.

Anglers are permitted to fish anywhere on the Saint Johns River system.

Angles must take fish with hook and line only.

Anglers are permitted to fish in any manner desired, paddle fishing, boat, shoreline or wade.

Anglers can fish as many times as they want within the Derby timeframe and contestant can submit as many photos as they want. One prize per contestant per category.

Three categories will be presented, fly division, conventional division, and junior division 15-years old and under.

Fish must be measured using any commercially developed and purchased measuring device, homemade measuring devices are forbidden. Official measurement will be total length from the nose to the tip of the tail, no pinched tail, longest fish wins. Two photos must be submitted, one showing size and token card from Mosquito Creek, and one photo with contestant holding fish. If caught on fly please submit photo with fly visible. Photos must be emailed or sent via internet form to Fishing Florida Radio.com or info@fishingfloridaradio.com with contestants name and how caught.

Angler is responsible for uploading photos to the official derby judging internet site. Photos must include the official derby token, no exceptions.
Derby judges final decision stands.

For more information on how to sign up and post your photos, visit Fishing Florida Radio’s website at http://www.fishingfloridaradio.com/shadderby.html.

The Bad News

Now for the bad news, prolonged freezing temperatures have caused considerable damage to our sub-tropical fishery with a good number of species taken a hit. While scouting the Banana River Lagoon yesterday, I observed a wide array of species killed by the freeze including snook, sea trout, puffers, hardhead catfish, sea turtles and even gators.

When I asked my good friend Rick Roberts from the Snook Foundation his thoughts on the extent of the damage, he stated “This freeze will set back our fish population five or more years like the freeze of 1989 did. Only difference is we have even less nursery habitat now than we did back then to help replenish the stock. This has to be a teachable moment for us. Our fishery is fragile and we can't continue to give away nursery and juvenile game and forage fish habitat for development and think if we build a few hatcheries we'll be ok...that's not the way it works.”

Mother Nature always seems to take care of herself and this is a natural event, but it’s also all the more reason for recreational anglers to practice sound conservation practices while enjoying the outdoors.

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

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/fishing for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoor’s Central Florida Fishing Outlook for January 2010

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Reflecting back on 2009, recreational anglers across America have been faced with challenges threatening to limit or even shut down our fisheries. Snapper, grouper and amberjack closures in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic, new marine protection areas or no take zones on both coasts on America, and in Florida, sea grass protection areas for manatees just to name a few. The troops are mustering and the battle lines are being drawn on both sides, but who holds the middle ground?

For the past several New Years, I’ve resolved to enlighten anglers on the many attributes angling and life in the outdoors, and as a director for Anglers for Conservation I believe recreational anglers are our own worst enemies in many ways. The majority of us know the value of our angling resources and since the days of Teddy Roosevelt, recreational anglers have lead the way in conservation and resource protection, but in light of recent developments, we are looked upon as the bad guys in our quest to preserve our heritage and rights to fish.

The AFC is a nonprofit 501C3 organization with a mission to create a new generation of coastal stewards using community-based angling education, habitat restoration, habitat preservation and applied conservation science. Our primary educational tool is a program called Hook Kids on Fishing, where kids and parents alike learn basic fishing skills, encouraging them to use not abuse our priceless resources. We reached out to thousands kids across Florida last year, and in December of 2009 we introduced our newest program, Conservation Angler Certification. The certified Conservation Angler upon completion of a free three hour class will have not only learned and demonstrated the skills necessary to leave a lighter footprint while on the water, but also voluntarily taken a pledge to practice good conservation and good ethics both on and off the water. The AFC is still in its incipient stage so stay tuned for more details.

As water levels and temperatures drop, clear and shallow conditions on the inshore flats will make sight fishing the best we will see all year. Mullet and other finfish have migrated out of the area for the winter, so anglers should switch to smaller shrimp and crabs and a slower presentation. When targeting inshore species during the colder months, I like to downsize my lures and fish with a shrimp or crab imitation baits like the DOA Shrimp and Crab combined with a Woodie’s Rattle Hook or Rattle Jig. Also, January and February are key months for targeting tailing black drum on the exclusive Banana River No-Motor Zone. For the past several years the black drum populations have expanded on our lagoons, so I’m eager to see how they show up in the NMZ and to catch a few nice ones on fly.

Near-shore, look for tripletail concentrations to improve greatly along the Port Canaveral buoy line and under floating weeds and structure, and for cobia to move in shadowing manta rays if the surface water temperatures reach the upper sixties. If we expedience an extended period of warm weather, mid winter thaw, look for a mid winter cobia run to commence.

Now is also the time for surf anglers to target pompano, bluefish, weakfish, small black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and whiting off of the beaches and larger redfish and flounder around the inlets of Ponce De Leon, Port Canaveral and Sebastian.

Lastly and my all-time favorite, the American shad run on the upper St. Johns River should be swinging into full gear by mid January. I have already caught my first American shad of the season on Christmas Eve, and she was a magnificent fish in the four pound range. And if this years run is anything close to what we had last year, look out for Captain Tom and Three Quarter Time when you are passing through shad alley. Also, if you enjoy a fresh fish dinner once in a while, the specked perch (crappie) bite has been and will continue to improve in all of the big lakes, rivers and creeks in Central Florida. Oh by the way, there is a free shad and crappie seminar on Saturday January 23rd from 10 a.m. until noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida. Learn how to target and catch shad and crappie from Central Florida angling veterans Charlie McCullough, Captain Chris Myers and myself. For more details on this class and others, visit http://mosquitocreek.com/fishing.

Catch-um-up, and reward yourself by taking a kid fishing, and taking the class and pledge to be a Conservation Angler. Our numbers with help draw all concerned about our resources up on to the middle ground.

Tight lines and good fishing for generations to come and Happy New Year,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters and Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando
Cell (407) 416-1187
http://www.irl-fishing.com

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, November 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

First and foremost, on November 28th, Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando presents the CAM Orlando Fishing, Boating and Outdoor Fall Festival to be held at the Barn in Sanford. The event features food, music, retail booths, seminars by leading local fishing experts, games, boat displays and much more, and the event is a fund raiser for our Hook Kids On Fishing Program. So far, over 40 venders have signed up, including Pure Fishing, Pen Reels, Dealers Choice Boats, and BMC Boats.

As water temperatures drop into the seventies along the beach and offshore, falling water temperatures will increase the feeding activity of larger species. Shorter days, northeast swells, cooler waters, all serve as a dinner bell for larger fish preparing for the onset of winter.

As water temperatures cool, look for cobia and tripletail to begin showing up on the Port Canaveral Buoy line and on flotsam, both near-shore and offshore. When you find weeds and other debris, look for tripletail to be hanging just below the floating structure. DOA shrimp and small jigs tipped with shrimp work well when targeting these brim on steroids. It is also important to keep the sun to your back to improve your range of sight, and to keep a medium heavy rod rigged with a one-ounce chartreuse or white buck tail jig ready to throw to any cruising cobia. Also, look for the fall kingfish run to commence as well and an occasional sailfish or black fin tuna on the near-shore reefs and wrecks like 8A and Pelican Flats.

November is one of the best months to target snook at Sebastian Inlet. In addition, large southern flounder and oversized redfish have begun to show up on the Port Canaveral buoy line and in the inlets of Ponce De Leon and Sebastian, and their numbers will increase as the flounder begin their seaward migration out of the lagoon. Also, let's not forget the influx of Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and black tip sharks shadowing schools of finger mullet and glass minnows along the beach.

On the inside, look for pompano to begin to form up and move off of the lagoon flats thought the inlets, and invade the beach in search of mole crabs (sand fleas) their favorite winter food. Currently, reports of pompano skipping have been coming from anglers working the flats in various locations within the Lagoon. Also look for large schools of ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and sea trout to be feeding on the migrating schools of glass minnows as they move south through the Lagoon.

Sight fishing this past month for redfish has was tough due to higher water levels and tons of finger mullet, but water levels have begun to drop and the arrival of cold air and cooling water will redfish schooling up again, and the large sea trout showing up on the skinny flats. Additionally, a good numbers of quality black drum and some gag grouper will begin to occupy the deeper channels of the ICW and areas around bridges and power structures throughout the lagoon.

Last but not least, the tailing black drum and redfish have shown up early on the flats of the Banana River No-Motor Zone. If you have never experienced black drum tailing in a foot of water, it is worth the long paddle. When targeting black drum in the zone, concentrate your efforts on the deeper side on the sandbars that parallel the west shore and the submerged sand bars in the center of the Zone. When you locate tailing black drum and redfish, try throwing crab or shrimp imitation artificial baits like the DOA Shrimp or a black Clouser fly, and chunks of blue crab or live shrimp work well for natural baits.

Be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando on line at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

On November 7th there's another free seminar Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing Series, Class 7 of 8, "Paddle Fishing Tactics" 10 am - 12 noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S Washington Avenue in Apopka. Instructors are Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. For more details or directions, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464- 2000 or visit their website www.mosquitocreek.com/fishing.

Also, be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

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

Good luck an

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, October 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

For starters, I just wanted to inform everyone that I will limited to desk duty for most of October due to a medical procedure, so I will be compiling next months reports from information generated by my readers and friends. So, if your out on the water, shoot me an email about your results, and I'll include it in my next report.

Shorter days and cooler nights are a sure sign fall is in the air along Florida's east central coast. Another sure sign of fall is the waves of baitfish working their way south through the lagoon and along the beach as the fall bait run commences. Hordes of black and silver mullet, Atlantic menhaden (pogies), thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) have begun their southerly migration in search of warmer waters. This migration creates a smorgasbord of yummy little baitfish, shadowed by a large array of hungry predators looking to fatten up for the winter.

Weather permitting, near-shore opportunities are the best you will see all year. Along the beaches, target areas of concentrated bait schools for a mixed bag of snook, tarpon, kingfish, cobia, jack crevalle, oversized redfish, and sharks. Additionally, snook fishing in the surf will improve as the baitfish move south along the beach. Also look for schools of glass minnows to begin showing up bringing larger Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and tarpon with them.

In and around the inlets of Ponce, Port Canaveral, and Sebastian look for flounder, snook, jack crevalle, and oversized redfish feeding on migrating baitfish along the jetties and just outside the inlets. Easterly swells, falling tides, and aggressive anglers can make for sporty angling conditions, so please pay attention, be patient, and enjoy the rewards.

In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, higher water levels will allow anglers to venture into areas normally inaccessible during the spring and summer months. Look for slot redfish in close to the grassy edges along the shoreline shadowing pods of finger mullet, and for the larger redfish staged in deeper water ambush sites where migrating mullet are forced to venture out from the safety of the shallow flats. In deeper water areas, look for ladyfish, spotted sea trout, jacks, and tarpon feeding on schools of glass minnows. These schools of fish are easily located by watching for bird and fish activity. Once located, these schools will produce explosive action on small top water plugs, or popping bug flies. Also, if you locate a school of the larger black mullet, try fishing spoons or soft plastic baits deep under the school. Even though, mullet are vegetarians, redfish and sea trout will often mingle in feeding on shrimp and crabs kicked up from the bottom by feeding mullet.

Remember, in fishing we always try to match the hatch, or in this case the migration, so mullet imitation lures will be you key to success. For larger redfish, tarpon and snook, I suggest the DOA BFL or Bait Buster and if toothy fish are in the mix, switch to hard baits like the Rapala Skitter Walk or Sub Walker.

In closing, I would like to mention several worthy and fun fishing events scheduled in October and November:

On October 10th, there will be a free fishing seminar featuring Captain Mark Nichols of DOA and Jerry McBride from Florida Sportsman Magazine from 1 PM - 3 PM at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S. Washington Avenue in Apopka. For more details or directions, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464- 2000 or visit their website www.mosquitocreek.com.

On November 7th there's another free seminar Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing Series, Class 7 of 8, "Paddle Fishing Tactics" 10 am - 12 noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S Washington Avenue in Apopka. Instructors are Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. For more details or directions, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464- 2000 or visit their website www.mosquitocreek.com.

Last but certainly not lease, on November 28th, Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando presents the CAM Orlando Fishing, Boating and Outdoor Fall Festival to be held at the Barn in Sanford. The event features food, music, retail booths, seminars by leading local fishing experts, games, boat displays and much more, and the is a fund raiser for our Hook Kids On Fishing Program.

Also, be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.
As always, if you have any questions or need help, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, September 2009

by Captain Tom Van Horn

Special Announcement: On October 10th, Captain Mark Nichols of DOA and Jerry McBride of Florida Sportsman Magazine will be conducting a FREE fishing seminar from 1 -3 PM at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida.

As hurricane season progresses and the summer squalls try to develop and move north in the Atlantic, our prevailing summer breezes begin to switch from the southeast to the northeast. This shift in wind direction along with shorter periods of daylight signals the beginning of the fall migration of all critters preferring warmer climates. This transition also marks the beginning of the fall fishing season as hordes of baitfish, primarily silver and black mullet, bay anchovies (glass minnows), greenies, and predatory species begin their southerly migration along the beach and through the Indian River Lagoon. Rather than a continuous flow, baitfish typically moves south in pulses or waves, so finding the bait is the key to catching fish. One day a particular location will be loaded with bait, and the next day they will be gone. It's hard to predict the magnitude and duration of the run, but it recent trends continue, this year's run will start early, and like last year, progress into October and November. Currently bait pods are forming up in all areas of the lagoon, and small concentration of baitfish have already made themselves known around Ponce De Leon Inlet, Port Canaveral and along the beaches south to the Sebastian Inlet area.

Look for snook, tarpon, redfish, bluefish, jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, sharks, and large kingfish crushing and shadowing bait pods all along the beach. The bait pods are easily located by watching for birds diving and fish working the bait on the surface. Once you've located the bait concentration, simply determine its direction of movement, usually south, and set up in front of it and let them come to you. This is also my preferred time of year to target tarpon and snook along the beach.

September 1st marks the beginning of snook season and the beach snook run has already started with a few fish being reported. This action will pick up substantially as the bait run progresses. When fishing from the beach, I prefer using live finger mullet as bait, (match the hatch). The technique I like to use starts by treading a ½ ounce barrel sinker onto your line. Next, attach a small swivel to the tag end of your line serving two purposes. The swivel acts as a stop keeping your weight from sliding down on the hook, and it also reduces line twisting as your sinker rolls with the tide and wave action. Next, I attach about 24" of fluorocarbon leader, 40 to 50 pound test, and a large circle hook. You will need to step up your tackle, rig, and bait size if tarpon are targeted. Another tip is to use 20-pound test braided line, because it greatly increases your spool capacity over standard monofilament line. Once you're rigged and acquired bait, you'll want to hook your finger mullet through the lips. Fish the very edge of the beach, just beyond the whitewater, and walk along the beach letting your bait roll along in the direction of tidal flow. This technique will allow bait to cover more ground and help keep it in the strike zone longer. Also, if you are into full contact fishing, Sebastian Inlet features some of the best snook action on Florida's Indian River Lagoon Coast, but its popularity attracts anglers from across the state, so be ready for some shoulder to shoulder fishing.

Near-shore, good numbers of kingfish will continue to work the beaches, Port Canaveral buoy line, and the inshore reefs and wrecks in 70 to 120 feet of water. When targeting kingfish, slow trolling live pogies (Atlantic menhaden) on stainless steel stinger rigs is the preferred method. Also as the water temperatures cool, look for the large manta rays to move into shallower water on their migration south bring cobia with them. In Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet look for flounder, mangrove snapper, redfish and snook around the jetties and other structure, and tripletail, barracuda, and cobia under the Canaveral buoy cans.

I always like to use Mother Nature's signals to help predict changes on our nearshore and inshore waters, and currently my goldenrods in my backyard are in full bloom. This flush of golden blooms signals the beginning of the mullet run and the formation of spawning schools of breeder redfish in the IRL and inlet passes. Besides redfish, sea trout are still plentiful on the deeper edges of the grass flats with the best bite occurring at first light and sunset. Also look for ladyfish, tarpon, slot redfish, and jacks to be mixed in. When targeting these fish, work top water plugs for explosive action, or try working ¼ ounce jigs with a white or rootbeer colored DOA Shrimp combined with a Woodies Rattle capsule insert. Near the end of the month, start looking for the pompano and flounder to begin moving out of the lagoon through the inlets into the near shore waters along the beach. Also watch for the larger redfish to begin forming up just outside Sebastian Inlet feeding on small baitfish and small crabs washing out with the tide.

Be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
(407) 416-1187 on the water
(407) 366-8085 landline

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, April 16, 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Events and Seminar Schedule:

April 17th, 18th, 19th Coastal Angler Magazine Fishing and Boating Expo in Melbourne Florida.
12pm Sunday seminar: “Paddle Fishing the Banana River No-Motor Zone”. Call me for more details at 407-416-1187.

May 16th “Free Fishing Classes” Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing Series, Class 2 of 8, “Lines Leaders and Practical Fishing Knots” 10am-12 noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S Washington Avenue in Apopka. Instructors are Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn. For more details or directions, contact Mosquito Creek Outdoors at (407) 464- 2000 or visit their website www.mosquitocreek.com.

With the Easter holidays behind us it is once again time to focus on fishing and fishing events. That is, if the wind will ever settle down enough to allow us to venture out on the water. This past week I tried to squeeze in a few trips in between the squall lines and the gusty days, with very limited results.

On one trip I ventured out on the St Johns River with my good friend Larry Carter. We launched at Mullet Lake Park in the late afternoon and covered the River from Lake Jessup to Lake Harney is search of schooling bass. Between the recent cold front and the full moon, we only found a few locations with schooling shad and a few busting bass, and I managed to catch a nice three pound bass on my first and only cast. The bass was busting shad on the surface and I flipped a Rapala Skitter Prop into the mix and I hooked up immediately.

On my second trip I attempted to fish in the No-Motor Zone with my good friend Paul Macinnis and Glen Austin from Rapala. Our plan was to catch, photograph and release some trophy redfish on the new Trigger X Saltwater baits, but again the wind and overcast skies were a major deterrent. We did manages to see a good number of both redfish and black drum, but we either blow them out by running over them or we couldn’t hold the boat against a 15 to 20 knot south wind. After struggling for about four hours, we called the day with only a handful of nice sea trout caught on the 4-inch Trigger X Shrimp.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 0n the water
407-366-8085 Landline

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, April 6, 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Events and seminar Schedule:

April 7, 2009, Top Water Plugs, Orlando Kayak Club meeting 7pm at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida.

April 11, 2009,Introduction to Saltwater Flats Fishing by Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn, 10am – 12pm at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. This is the first of eight series classes offer at no cost by Mosquito Creek Outdoors and Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando.

April 17th, 18th, 19th Coastal Angler Magazine Fishing and Boating Expo in Melbourne Florida.

First, let me start by wishing everyone a joyful and blessed Easter. Spring has arrived on the Space Coast of Florida; reinforced by what I hope will be the last significant blast of blustery and cool conditions of the season. As our days grow longer and water temperatures increase, so do fishing opportunities in all areas of the lagoon coast.

Fishing these last few weeks has been up and down, with some fantastic days mixed in with tough ones. Water levels have started to rise in the Mosquito Lagoon, but without any significant rain, water levels will continue to fluctuate with the wind shifts so please take extra precautions not to damage the sea grass when operating your vessel in-shore.

On the lagoon flats, baitfish (mullet) have begun their return with more and more schools arriving each day. This renewed occupation has been the key to locating game fish on the flats. Look for baitfish schools in shallow water, and the redfish, sea trout, ladyfish and jacks will not be far behind. Currently, the redfish schools have scattered moving into new areas covered by the rising water levels and the larger female sea trout have been moving into shallow water in preparation for the spawn. The top water plug action has picked up with my best results coming from Rapala Skitter Walks, and DOA Chug Heads on CAL baits in shallow weedy areas. Again, a super stealth top water presentation during low light, early morning and late evening have produced well. Also, another notable return to the lagoon are the speedy ladyfish and jacks.

Offshore this week, it appears that the cobia have moved north past Port Canaveral with the better catches coming from near-shore wrecks and bottom structure south of Ponce Inlet. Additionally, the dolphin and wahoo bite has picked up, and will continue to improve as April progresses. Other notable species have been an abundance of kingfish on 8A reef and Pelican Flats, and some nice tripletail free swimming in 30 to 40 feet of water.

Last but not least is the schooling largemouth bass on the Saint John’s River. Instead of finding them in my traditional locations, low water conditions have concentrated the fish in the bends between Lake Jussep and Mullet Lake Park. These schooling fish are feeding on small pilchards at first light or just before dark. Once you have located fish breaking the surface, dispatch either a small live shiner or swim bait into the mix.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 0n the water
407-366-8085 Landline

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Fishing Forecast, April 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Reflecting back on my forecast for April, I can’t help but get excited about the many different angling prospects spring delivers to the Indian River Coast of Florida. I’m grateful for the opportunity to live, breath, and fish on these waters, and if March has been a prelude to what we can expect in April, look out!

Some of highlights of fishing on Florida’s east central coast during the spring is the weather is still cool and enjoyable, and as the waters warm up, the fish begin to shift into their prespawning feeding mood. Some examples of this behavior are the cobia moving north up the coast, and the spotted sea trout moving into their traditional spawning areas on the inshore flats. Like many saltwater species, the cobia and sea trout spawn in aggregations or groups, not on beds. In the case of the cobia, traditional spawning areas are off of the central east coast of the US, and in the northern Gulf of Mexico. As the fish migrate north, they burn energy and feed heavily along the way, hence the cobia run we are currently experiencing. On the flats, the smaller male sea trout move up into the shallow flats first, and then call the females in to spawn by drumming loudly just after dusk when the conditions are right, usually around the beginning on the first new moon or full moon in April, and then again on the new and full moons throughout the summer.

Offshore, April marks the beginning of the fishing season for most blue water anglers. It represents the start of the April/May northern migration of dolphin in deeper water, 120 feet and beyond and usually brings in some of the largest bulls taken all year. April also marks the beginning of the Easter kingfish run on the near-shore reef outside Port Canaveral. It’s the time of year when most of the larger kings, 30 to 50 pounds, are taken off 8A Reef, and Pelican Flats.

As we move in near-shore, tripletail should become more dependable, and look for late season cobia as well. The cobia run thus far has been so so; with bait pods (Atlantic menhaden or pogies) arriving late this year. As the bait pod move in, look for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, redfish, giant jack crevalle, sharks, and smoker kings. Concentrate your efforts in areas of bait pods. When you see areas of bait balled up and pushed to the surface, there is a high probability that feeding gamefish are pressuring the bait from underneath.

In the inlets, look for good numbers of flounder, sheepshead and black drum around structure such as jetties and docks, and Spanish mackerel, blues, and large jacks in open water. Also look for the nighttime snook and tarpon action to heat up in the Sebastian Inlet.

On the lagoon flats, fish the early morning and late evening with your favorite top water plugs for extreme trout and redfish action, and soft plastics and jigs in deeper water, 2 to 3 feet after the midday sun settles in. April is one of the months when trout are egg laden for the spawn, so it’s very important to handle and release the larger females with great care. If you are looking for snook and tarpon action inside, the Sebastian River will be the place to go.

Last but not least, freshwater largemouth and striped bass action has will heat up on the St Johns River. Look for schooling bass at first light feeding on pilchards from the Osteen Bridge to Lake Harney. My favorite locations are in the river bends near the power lines at Lemmon Bluff and at the south end of Lake Harney were the River dumps in. A good way to locate these schooling fish is to look for white pelicans and other wading birds congregating along the shore. When in the feeding mode, these fish will take most swim plugs, and small live shiners. Also, last year we caught southern flounder in Lake Harney fishing pilchards on the bottom under the schooling bass.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
captain@irl-fishing.com
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, March 21, 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Spring has arrived here on Florida’s Space Coast and as always, fishing opportunities are heating up. As water temperatures increase, tropical fish species are beginning to return to the Lagoon coast of Florida.





Inshore, the silver mullet are beginning to show up in good number along the outside deeper edges of the float and their arrival marks the transition of feeding predators from shrimp and crabs to fin fish. This transition set the stage for the early morning and late evening top water plug action. Although not as pronounced as the fall mullet run, the spring run is followed by the return of ladyfish, jacks, snook and tarpon. The water levels in the Lagoon are still very low, so please be careful.



Near-shore, the cobia fishing has been picking up for those lucky enough to locate the larger manta rays, but the winds and cloudy skies have kept most anglers at the dock. The late winter we’ve experienced has kept the cobia out deeper where the water is warmer, around the 70 degree mark, and I’m afraid they just might swim under us this year on their migration north. If the sun and calm seas return later this week, I would suggest playing hooky from work or honey-dos, and take a shot at them if you get the chance.

As always, spring’s arrival means spring break for the kids, as all of my charters this past week have involved kids and their parents. Although these charters require additional work they are my favorite. I truly enjoy spending time on the water with young anglers who are just as excited about catching a jack and they are a redfish. With these expectations, the pleasure of catching quality fish is removed and the fun begins.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line www.irl-fishing.com

Mosquito Creek Outdoor’s Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, March 7, 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Well, the cold windy weather has finally been replaced by Chamber of Commerce weather filled with bright sunny skies and temperatures reaching the 80 degree mark. Although the weather has been nice, the catching still remains hot and cold.



On the freshwater side, there are sill some American shad around. On several trips to the St. Johns River over the past week we managed to catch shad on both spin and fly, along with a mixed bag of various species of pan fish, catfish, and largemouth bass. The shad numbers have begun to dwindle and the best run in recent history will be over soon. We can only hope conservation measures will continue to improve the shad fishery, and we will see the same level of spawning fish return next December. So, if you are like me, I would break out the fly rod and take another shot at the shad while there are still here.



On sever trips to the Mosquito Lagoon this past week, one scouting trip and one charter, we found the water level rising a bit and more fish than you could shake a stick of dynamite at, because if we had a case of dynamite we’d been able to fill a tractor trailer.

On the scouting trip, myself and my good friend Mark Blyth located four different schools of large redfish, so I though I’d be in good shape for my charter the next day, not! After picking up my party around 7am, we were on a school of big redfish within 30 minutes. We stayed on fish for the next seven hours, and we couldn’t get a single redfish to eat. The schooling fish swam over, under, and around our baits throughout the day and we used every natural bait you can think of, live mullet, cut mullet, live pinfish, dead pinfish, live shrimp, dead shrimp, whole live crabs, chunks of crab, you name it we through it, with not one bite, very very frustrating. The highlight of the day was watching a 43-inch redfish drag a kayak Frank around for about 30 minutes.



If this weather holds for a few more days the cobia run should commence, but as of now the run is late, so when it dose kick off it will most likely be short lived.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

If you would like to be added to this Internet fishing report mailing list, just reply to this message or contact me at Mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, March 2009

by Captain Tom Van Horn

For those who have followed my fishing reports over the years, you’ve grown to appreciate the same signals I anticipate and look forward to every spring. The sweet fragrance of orange blossoms carried across the lagoon on the shoulders of a west wind, the magnificent bloom of the azaleas and camellias, and the brightly colored pristine buds on the hardwoods and cypress trees all signals springs arrival and the beginning of the fishing season for blue water anglers.

The Indian River Lagoon’s unique diversity has established it as an estuary of national significance. Consisting of three distinct inshore lagoons, five ocean inlets, and 156 miles of inshore, near-shore and offshore reefs all nurtured by warmth and richness of the Gulf Stream distinguishes the IRL as one of the three most diversified biomasses in the world. Transitioning from tropical to temperate climate zones, the IRL system both inshore and offshore supports over 700 species of fish, and some of the best angling in the world.

As the ocean begins its gradual warming phase, 67 to 68 degrees, watch for the progression of baits schools (Atlantic menhaden and silver mullet) from warmer waters into the near-shore waters bringing the cobia and other predators with them. The warmer waters will also draw manta rays into the shallows shadowed by pods of cobia. Other notable species are tripletail around the buoys and under flotsam, heavy weight jack carvalle, large redfish, and sharks shadowing bait schools. Currently, both the cobia and the rays are a bit behind schedule due to a colder than normal spring.

Moving out into deeper water, the spring kingfish run should begin with the smaller kings showing up around the middle of March, followed by the smokers, 30 to 50 pounds, in April on the near-shore reefs and wrecks like Pelican Flats and 8A reef. If the bait moves in close to the beach, look for the larger kingfish to follow them. Also, April marks the beginning of the fishing season for many of the blue water anglers with the start of the April/May northern migration of dolphin in 120 feet of water and beyond, and the early part of the run usually includes some of the largest bulls taken all year. Again, colder water may delay this migration a bit.

In the inlets and along the beaches, whiting, pompano, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel should remain a staple with sheepshead and black drum holding on jetties and rock piles. As we move into the later part of April, watch for the snook and tarpon action to improve in Sebastian Inlet and then move north following the bait progression.

On the lagoon, rising water levels will draw the slot size redfish schools up onto the shallow flats, with the larger breeder schools holding along the deeper edges and sand bars. On the cooler days, focus your attention on sand pockets or potholes, and once the afternoon sun warms the water, look for tailing fish on the shallow flats. Also, April signals the return of silver mullet to the estuary, and the beginning early morning and late evening top water sea trout and redfish action. Remember, April is the month when sea trout become egg laden for the spawn, which happens just before the full and new moons, so it is very important to release the large females with extreme care; fore their survival is essential for the proliferation of the species.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office
www.irl-fishing.com

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoor’s Indian River Lagoon Fishing Forecast, February 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

As winter seasons go here in Central Florida, we certainly can’t complain about the cards dealt to us thus far. With the exception of a few really cold days, I mean really cold, gorgeous fishing condition has prevailed and we experienced so excellent fishing as well.

Inshore on the flats, water levels have fallen to levels lower than I have ever seen. These low water levels have forced the redfish, black drum, and sea trout into the deeper pockets on the flats where they have 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 familure 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 are still present 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 should be moving into the shallows flats south of Hwy 46, so fly anglers don’t hast.

Remember when planning a fishing trip in February, keep a close eye on the weather, and fish whenever you have a chance.

Also, be sure to check out the new Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando in print and online for free at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com
407-366-8085 office
407-416-1187 on the water

For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, January 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

As we ring in the New Year, it is once again time to reflect back on the events and accomplishments of 2008, and to count our many blessings. We are truly blessed to live in Central Florida where angling and spending time on the water are year round endeavors. I am also thankful for another great year of fishing with my clients and friends on the esteemed waters of the Indian River Lagoon estuary. Thank you all for a year filled with adventure on the water, and many great memories.

In preparation for this forecast, I first reviewed last year fishing photos, and I was taken back by the number of quality fish caught and the enjoyment expressed on the faces of the victorious anglers. My good friend and mentor Captain Rodney Smith always suggest I begin with the end in mind, and the end in this case is conserving and protecting the resource we all love and cherish, the Indian River Lagoon system. This report is not only an expression of my thoughts and experience, but also those of many within my circle of influence, and together we can make the difference in promoting the use, and not the abuse of resources we love and respect.

Before I get started with January’s outlook, I’d like to provide a short recap of last weeks fishing. First, the American shad have arrived with the first shad of the 2008/2009 season caught yesterday aboard Three Quarter Time at the mouth of Deep Creek by Andrew McCullough. The crappie bite was also very good on Lake Monroe this past week with a number of reported limits being taken. And last but not least, calm and clear conditions have rewarded anglers with some nice catches of black drum, redfish and sea trout on the Mosquito and North Indian River Lagoons.


Winter on the east central coast of Florida cannot be defined by any specific dates, but rather by the temperature differences generated by passing cold fronts as they swing south across the state. These variations are subject to change from year to year, and they are impossible to predict. On the average, daytime temperatures usually range from the 50’s in the morning to around the 70’s by afternoon. Likewise, water temperatures average in the upper 60’s, but they can drop as low as the 50’s during extended cold periods. On warm sunny days, water temperatures can increase as much as ten degrees on the shallow flats and sandbars. All of these factors greatly affect the species targeted and the methods used.

Inlet fishing has been good this past month weather permitting, with Sebastian and Ponce De Leon Inlets proving to be the most productive. There are still some reports of flounder moving through the inlets, but the bite has slowed considerably. On the inside at Sebastian Inlet, look for good numbers of pompano, ladyfish, and jacks to be located on the flats both north and south of the inlet cut and in the area of the monument. Also, January is the month when the breeder size redfish move in and feed in the mouth of the inlets during the last part of the falling tide. As the tidal currents slow down, the large redfish push up to the surface chasing baitfish. These monsters are brood stock, so please handle and release them with care.

Along the beaches, pompano will remain the staple for the majority of surf anglers, with a mixed bag of whiting, slot size black drum, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish added in. Try fishing with sand fleas (mole crabs) if you can catch them, cut fresh clams, or freshly peeled live shrimp.

Near-shore, January is the month when the tripletails become consistent on the Port Canaveral buoy line, and their numbers will increase as the month progresses. The other hot item near-shore is king mackerel holding along the 70 to 90 foot reefs of North Pelican and 8A. Also, bottom fishing on deep structure should remain consistent as long as the weather holds. Look for snapper, cobia and sea bass in depths of 80 to 140 feet, and grouper and amberjack along the 22-fathom ridge and deeper.

On the flats during the winter, redfish and sea trout will seek the warmest water they can find. Start out working the deeper edges of the flats in the morning and then move into the warmer wind protected flats around mid-day to late afternoon. An early morning start is not necessary this time of year if the weather is cold. Additionally, both redfish and sea trout love to warm themselves in the shallow water sand pockets “potholes” within the grassy flats. On colder days, focus your attention on the deeper holes using a very slow presentation. When targeting redfish and trout in these deeper holes, I prefer using shrimp imitation baits like DOA Shrimp in the clear or nightglow colors fished extremely slowly. I also like to add the element of sound to the bait by inserting a Woodie’s Rattle into the soft plastic bait. Other species encountered in January are black drum, flounder, sheepshead, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish. Also, January is one of the best months to target tailing black drum on the flats, especially in the Banana River “No-Motor Zone”. Both live shrimp and blue crabs are the preferred bait for black drum, but they will eat both artificial and fly when presented properly.

Last but definitely not least, January marks the beginning of the American Shad run up the St. Johns River. Last year, I started catching shad on January 13th and the run remained steady through February, but as stated earlier in this report, the shad have already started to arrive in the Marina Isle, Lemmon Bluff, and Lake Harney areas. As the month progresses, the shad will continue moving south (up stream) into the Econ Creek and Puzzle Lake areas.

In closing, I wish you a happy, prosperous, and fishfull New Year. As always, if you have questions or need information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, December 20, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

After a windy start to the week, the weather cleared up and an Indian summer settled in on the Indian River Lagoon coast in December. While two thirds of the country are dealing with snow and ice, I had to break out my winter shorts again as we experienced afternoon temperatures in the 80’s.

Although the wind settled down inshore, offshore seas were a bit challenging most of the week. For those who made it out, the kingfish bite was off the hook on the near-shore reef of 8A, and there have been some really nice tripletail and cobia showing up in the afternoons south of Cape Canaveral once the sun heats the water.

On the flats, foggy mornings have set the stage for some gorgeous conditions with lots of tailing redfish. On Thursday I had the opportunity to pole my good friend Paul Macinnis around the No-Motor Zone where we found tailing redfish right away, but the only luck Paul had was bad luck as he missed the first five fish for one reason or another. Fishing is fishing, and sometimes the fish are the winners. After about two hours, Paul finally connected with a nice redfish and we got the skunk out of the boat. During the same trip, we were joined by Captain John Kumiski who was solo in his kayak. Johns luck was much different as the fish god smiled upon him with six redfish on six shots casting a fly rod nonetheless. John is one of the best fly angler's I know, and he made each cast count, and he schooled us on how it is suppose to be done.

Tomorrow, I’m shifting gears as I’m off to Lake Monroe is Sanford for some crappie fishing with my good friend Charlie McCullough who has been having great success all week. Additionally, Charlie has been catching several American shad each trip, so the shad are moving up the river, just in time for Christmas, more on the crappie fishing in my next report.

With that said, I would like to thank all of you for a great year of fishing in 2008. Thank you for fishing with me and supporting this report with quality up to the minute information. Together we caught a lot of fish and we had great fun on the water. Also, I hope you wishes come true and you get the opportunity to spend some time on the water over the Holidays, and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, December 11, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

With thunder rumbling outside on the leading edge of a strong cold front, it’s fitting that I tell you about some of the best fishing I’ve experienced on the Indian River Lagoon coast all year. We all live for those unforgettable days on the water with crystal clear calm conditions and tailing fish everywhere, but in most cases those days only exist in our dreams. Well I’m here to say that not only did we have one of those days last week, we had a week of such conditions, and as this strong weather front pushes through, we may again be blessed with comparable circumstances by this weekend.

My adventures this past week were shared between friend and clients, and on each occasion we paddled into the Banana River No-Motor Zone, and we were rewarded by good numbers of quality black drum and redfish. At first, the fish were few and far between, but as the water warmed up they became more abundant, and on each occasion we found plenty of black drum and redfish mixed in together. For me the bait of choice was the D.O.A. Shrimp and Crab in darker colors, but fly anglers also connected as well. Although the fish were tailing happily, there were not always eager to take our presentations, but we still manager to find a few takers, and the sight of all of those happy fish was still very rewarding.

All in all, the fishing was outstanding this past week, and I’m looking forward to the passing of this most recent front and some more great fishing next week.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, December 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Waking up in my Lazy Boy from my turkey induced Thanksgiving coma, my mind is clouded with thoughts of the holiday season and spending time on the water with family and friends. It’s hard to believe December has already arrived, and the New Year is just around the corner. As I awaken I begin to realize how fortunate we are to live in Central Florida where fishing is a year round sport.

Like the rest of the year, December is a great month to fish along the IRL Coast with excellent opportunities from fishing offshore blue water fishing to slow trolling for shad and speckled perch on the St Johns River. As always, weather fronts will play a significant roll in selecting your time on the water and your desired style of fishing, so it’s often best to ready your boat and equipment keeping an eye on the long range forecast and then taking a day off work and drop everything to go fishing on the gorgeous days.

When the weather is nice and the seas are fishable, solid concentrations of kingfish will be holding on the inshore reefs and wrecks in 60 to 100 feet of water. Several prime locations to target December kingfish are the north end of Pelican Flats and 8A reef out of Port Canaveral. The kingfish bite should remain steady as long as water temperatures stay above 74 degrees. When near-shore waters approach the 70-degree mark, start looking for cobia and tripletail along Port Canaveral buoy line and the shallow waters just off the bight of the Cape. These two species normally hold around floating structure, but they also have a tendency to free swim once the water temperatures warms up in the afternoon.

If the ocean conditions are a bit too rough, good concentrations of breeder redfish will be holding in the inlet passes of Ponce De Leon and Sebastian. Try drifting the passes during the falling tide bouncing live pinfish off the bottom. In the Port Canaveral shipping channel, work the edges of the channel using the same technique. Remember these are oversize redfish, so please step up the size of your tackle to lessen the stress of the fight, and release them with extreme care to be caught again on another day.

Snook fishing will also remain steady around Sebastian Inlet as long as the water temperatures stay warm. It is best to target inlet snook during periods of slack tide fishing live pigfish, pinfish, or croakers at night in the channel under the A1A Bridge. Snook season ends December 15th, so if you enjoy a snook dinner once in a while, don’t hesitate. Another notable species worth mentioning when speaking of inlet fishing is flounder. Depending on surf and lagoon temperatures, the flounder migration can stretch into December, with stragglers filtering through the passes all month.

If the winds are westerly, concentrate your efforts along the beach, and look for pompano to begin moving off the inshore flats to the deeper troughs along the beach. Also look for schools of bluefish and Spanish mackerel shadowing pods of glass minnows and other bait is the surf. To target both blues and Spanish, watch for birds working bait pods, and through small jigs like the D.O.A C.A.L. and spoons with a fast retrieval to avoid cutoffs.

Inshore, both redfish and sea trout will remain in the skinny water as long as the water temperatures stay warm. Inshore fishing is best once the sun warms the water a bit, so sleep in and enjoy a good cup of coffee before heading to the ramp. Fish in protected areas and sunny spots, and look for fish to be holding in sand pockets until the sun gets overhead. Also, now is also the time of year to target tailing black drum in the Banana River Lagoon No Motor Zone.

On the upper Saint Johns River look for the American and hickory shad runs to commence near the end of the month, and intensifying in January and February. Shad fishing is one of the most overlooked fisheries in Florida, and a fun fish to catch on both fly and light tackle gear.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who fished and worked with me in 2008 for your business and friendship, and I am looking forward to spending more time on the water with you in 2009. Also, now is the time to purchase your 2009 gift certificates at and receive 50.00 dollars off of the standard rate by either replying to this news letter or calling me, so purchase a charter in advance for yourself or that certain angler close to your heart, and go fishing with them.

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

Happy Holidays, and good luck and good fishing, and God bless,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report,

November 23, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

This past week my fishing adventures lead me south to Sebastian on my week long escape from reality. For over 25 years I’ve made the pilgrimage south, and although life is Sebastian was great, my week was cut short by my commitment to support venders at the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Orlando and an attack of diverticulitis that knocked me completely off of my feet after only four days of fishing. For the few days I did get in, typical blustery November weather conditions kicked up the seas and muddied the water making fishing a challenge and passage through the inlet unthinkable. As all true anglers know, fishing is fishing, so I sucked it up as long as I could and made the best of it. Although the weather was snotty and cold, each day was an adventure and with the help of some good friends, we still managed a good number of fish.

Cold water temperatures had pushed the finger mullet into deeper water making locating and catching live bait hard work. Bait schools have begun to thin out in the Canaveral area, and they have begun to diminish in Sebastian as well. Flounder catches for me at the inlet have been limited to a few small gulf flounder, as we targeted flounder each day managing only small fish. According to reports I’ve received, the primary flush of the larger southern flounder was heavy several weeks back as the water temperatures cooled down early, so maybe the run has peaked, but you never know.

Although out of season, we did manage to catch some really nice sea trout up to up to seven pounds, using ½ ounce D.O.A. C.A.L. Jigs with Arkansas Shiner tails on the channel side of the spoil islands and out on the deeper flats near the monument.

Pompano have begun to show up in the inlet cuts and on the flats of Long Point, Honest John’s, and Black Point. I talked to several different anglers who caught a few nice pompano while jigging for flounder. They also observed a good number of pompano skipping. These fish are forming up for their annual migration seaward, so their numbers will improve as the cold fronts pass.

All in all, it was a fantastic few days of adventure, and now that I’m feeling better I can prepare to return to work and enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays with the family.

In closing I would like to encourage everyone to check out the huge Thanksgiving sale at Mosquito Creek Outdoors Tuesday – Saturday November 25th – 29th 2008. So stop by Mosquito Creek outdoors in Apopka and let their knowledgeable staff help you fine the right gift for that hard to buy for person on your list.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 office
www.irl-fishing.com

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Fishing Forecast, November 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

November is one of the best months to target snook at Sebastian Inlet. In addition, large flounder and oversized redfish have begun to show up on the Port Canaveral buoy line and in the inlets of Ponce De Leon and Sebastian, and the flounder numbers will increase as the flounder begin their seaward migration out of the lagoon. Also, let's not forget the influx of Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and black tip sharks shadowing schools of finger mullet and glass minnows along the beach. Another important note, is to remember sea trout season closest November 1st on Florida's Space Coast, and remains closed through January 1st, 2009.

As water temperatures cool offshore, look for cobia and tripletail to begin showing up on the Port Canaveral Buoy line and on flotsam, both near-shore and offshore. When you find weeds and other debris, look for tripletail to be hanging just below the floating structure. Live shrimp and small jigs tipped with shrimp work well when targeting these brim on steroids. Fishing later in the day keeping the sun to your back will improve your range of sight, and always remember to keep a medium heavy rod rigged with a one-ounce buck tail jig ready to throw to any cruising cobia. Also, look for the fall dolphin and kingfish run to commence as well and an occasional sailfish or black fin tuna on the near-shore reefs and wrecks like 8A and Pelican Flats.

On the inside, pompano will begin to form up and move off of the lagoon flats thought the inlets, and invade the beach in search of mole crabs (sand fleas) their favorite winter food. Currently, reports of pompano skipping have been coming from anglers working the flats in various locations within the Lagoon. Also look for large schools of ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and sea trout to be feeding on the migrating schools of glass minnows as they move south through the Lagoon.

Sight fishing this past month for redfish has was tough due to higher water levels and tons of finger mullet, but water levels have begun to drop a little and the early arrival of cold air and cooling water has the redfish schooling up again. There's still a large amount of mullet on the flats, so the mullet run isn't over yet. Additionally, a good numbers of quality black drum and some gag grouper will begin to occupy the deeper channels of the ICW and areas around bridges and power structures throughout the lagoon.

Last but not least, the tailing black drum and redfish will begin to show up on the flats of the Banana River No-Motor Zone as the water levels recede and the water temperature cools down. If you have never experienced black drum tailing in a foot of water, it is worth the long paddle. When targeting black drum in the zone, concentrate your efforts on the deeper side on the sandbars that parallel the west shore, and the sandy submerged bars located on the middle flats located on the east side. When you locate tailing black drum and redfish, try throwing crab or shrimp imitation artificial baits like the D.O.A. Shrimp, a black Clouser fly, and chunks of blue crab or live shrimp work well for natural baits.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 land line
407-416-1187 on the water

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Fishing Report, October 10, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

First and foremost, for those of you who live outside the sunshine state, you haven’t missed anything this past week as a frontal boundary has stalled out over Central Florida. Over the past week windy and cloudy conditions have been the rule. Yesterday we received over 4-inches of rain, and it’s thundering outside as we speak. Once this weather system moves off and conditions clear, the bite will comply with Mother Nature’s plan, and we can all enjoy the mullet run together.

Along the beaches, the baits schools are pushing south, and good reports of snook, flounder, redfish, ladyfish, blues, jacks, Spanish mackerel, sharks and tarpon have been coming in from anglers from Playlinda to Sebastian. Remember, as the baits schools move down the beaches and through the lagoons they travel in waves influenced by the wind and tides, so if you do not see any baitfish, keep moving until you do. Once you’ve located baitfish, try throwing top water plugs like Chug Bug or Skitter Walk, or sub-surface baits like the DOA Bait Buster in close along the edge of the surf. Remember to concentrate your efforts in areas of bait pods, and if the artificial bait fails to produce, net yourself some finger mullet, and fish them in close to the surf’s edge.

In the Lagoon, focus on areas where baits schools are passing close to shorelines and alone the causeways, and again work top water plugs like the Storm Chug-Bug or the Rapala Skitterwalk. If conditions are not suitable for the top-water bite, chunking live finger mullet or ladyfish chunks is effective.

In closing, we are all facing tremendous stress over conditions we have very little control over, so way not take a break from reality this weekend and go for a total mine flush on the water.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, October 2008

Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Gazing out across the field behind the home, it is easy to tell fall is in the air. The whitetail bucks that frequent my back yard in the afternoon have rubbed their antlers clean of velvet, and the goldenrods have completed their late summer flush of golden-haired flowers. Another sure sign of fall is the waves of baitfish working their way south through the lagoon and along the beach as the fall bait run commences. Both black and silver mullet, along with Atlantic menhaden (pogies), thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) have begun their southerly migration in search of warmer waters. This migration creates a smorgasbord of yummy baitfish, which in turn are shadowed by a large array of hungry predators looking to fatten up for the winter.

Weather permitting, near-shore opportunities are the best you will see all year. Target areas along the beaches where you find concentrated bait schools for a mixed bag of snook, tarpon, kingfish, cobia, jack crevalle, oversized redfish, and sharks. Additionally, snook fishing in the surf will improve as the baitfish move south along the beach. And let’s not overlook the schools of glass minnows showing up bringing larger Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and tarpon with them.

In and around the inlets of Ponce, Port Canaveral, and Sebastian look for flounder, snook, jack crevalle, and oversized redfish feeding on migrating baitfish along the jetties and just outside the inlets. When fishing in the inlets, heavy easterly swells, falling tides, and aggressive anglers can make for dangerous angling conditions, so please pay attention, be patient and work together, and enjoy the rewards.

In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, higher water levels will allow anglers to venture into areas normally inaccessible during the spring and summer months. Look for slot redfish in close to the grassy edges along the shoreline shadowing pods of finger mullet, and for the larger redfish staged in deeper water ambush sites where migrating mullet are forced to venture out from the safety of the shallow flats. In deeper water areas, look for ladyfish, spotted sea trout, jacks, and tarpon feeding on schools of glass minnows. These schools of fish are located by watching for bird and fish activity. Once located, these schools will produce explosive action on small top water plugs, or popping bug flies. Also, if you locate a school of the larger black mullet, try fishing spoons or soft plastic D.O.A. Shrimp slowly under the school. Even though, mullet are vegetarians, redfish and sea trout will often mingle in feeding on shrimp and crabs kicked up from the bottom by feeding mullet.

Good luck and good Fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 23, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Squally windy weather and angry seas kept most anglers in port and off of the water this past week, as our first attempt of a cold front stalled out across Central Florida. As the front moves away and the seas settle down, assume fishing conditions will return the beach. Following the front, cooler nighttime temperatures will set things up for our scaly friends to be on the feed

The mullet run is in full swing, with good reports of mullet schools moving south along the beach anywhere from Ponce De Leon Inlet south to Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. The primary bait source has been silver mullet, and schools of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and jacks have been driving bait pods in close to the beach where both snook and redfish have been laying in wait at the edge of the surf. This is an exciting time to fish the surf with both top-water plugs and live finger mullet. Of course it wouldn't be a good fishing report if I neglected to tell you the Rapala Skitter Walk and the new Sub Walker are my favorite plugs for this situation, and to work these plugs fast to avoid getting cut off by blues and Spanish.

Inside the Lagoon, the breeder redfish schools have started to show up in their traditional locations, but choppy conditions have been working in their favor making locating them difficult. These schools are breeders, so if you do locate one, be kind to the fish by not pounding the school. Catch yourself a nice fish, and then move on in search of other fish. Believe me, I know this is easier said than done, but the more time we give them to get jiggie, the more fish we will catch next year and into the future. Water levels are still up, so don't forget to try the extreme edged of the shoreline and the creeks for tarpon, snook and redfish.

After checking the long-range weather forecast, conditions are looking much better for the later part of this week, so we may have to dog off work and go fishing.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Fishing Report, September 14, 2008

By Captain Tom Van Horn

With lagoon water levels dropping and weather conditions improving, it's once again time to start enjoying the great fishing fall brings to the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. We definitely dodged a bullet as a high pressure system blocked hurricane Ike from entering Florida, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who were less fortunate.

Despite the windy weather and occasional rain band passing through Central Florida, my fishing and outdoor adventures this past week were not only successful, but rewarding and fun. The catching certainly wasn't off the hook, but our efforts were rewarded with some outstanding catches.

My adventures began last Sunday when I had the pleasure of fishing a half day charter with Al Bauchly and his son-in-law David Blue from Winter Park. We were on the water before sunrise and were rewarded by a light show as the dark water became alive with streaks of underwater luminance flashing out the trails of fish fleeing in all directions. As we reached our destination and twilight grew, we could hear schools of mullet showering across the waters surface and larger fish busting off in the distance along the edge of the mangrove shoreline. Working in towards the commotion, we could see larger fish harassing schools of mullet, but our efforts to connect with one went unrewarded.

From there we began out search for more corporative fish without results, until we received a phone call from Captain Tom Carver inviting us in on a school of large redfish he had located within sight of us, thank you Captain Tom. As we moved in on the school both Al and David hooked on monster redfish, and although only David was successful in landing his fish, forty-five minutes later, its extreme size made the day.

My next charter was on Tuesday when Zac and his fishing buddy Kyle from Lakeland Florida joined me for a windy day adventure. We followed the same plan as the trip before; only we found happier fish along the shoreline and received good results on top-water plugs despite a 15 knot east wind. As the day grew longer and the wind increased, we managed to fine some cooperative redfish willing to eat some chunks of cut mullet.

On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I had the pleasure to attend the Florida Outdoor Writers Association conference in Punta Gorda, Florida; about three hours drive southwest of Orlando. The area is loaded with great fishing and outdoor activities, and the highlight of the trip was our first west coast Hook Kids on Fishing event where in cooperation with Charlotte County, Fisherman's Village, and Anglers For Conservation, we introduced over 150 kids to fishing, and each kid walked away with a new rod, reel, and tackle box.

All in all, it was an eventful and enjoyable week on and off of the water.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
captain@irl-fishing.com

www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 5, 2008

By: Captain Tom Van Horn

What is black and orange and makes love for days at a time, and its lover is the last thing going through its mind as it splatters on your windshield? If you guessed the unspeakable love bug, you are absolutely right. We have all heard the saying “match the hatch”, but on the east coast of Florida, the dreaded love bug hatch is not so good for the paint job on your car, but it’s actually a good thing as it equates to fishing. No, we do not tie and use love bug flies to catch fish, but the hatch does signals the end of summer and the beginning of the fall fishing season. Shorter days, cooler nights, and prevailing easterly breezes all mark the beginning of the fall bait run as hordes of baitfish, primarily silver mullet, and predatory species begin their southerly migration along the beach and through the Indian River Lagoon system.

This past week, mullet have been forming up in the lagoon and good reports of redfish, sea trout, ladyfish, tarpon, and snook have been coming from all areas of the Lagoon. The heavy rainfall deposited by Tropical Storm Fay has flushes both finger mullet and minnows out of the backwater creeks and impoundments into the lagoon, and the predators have pinned the baitfish up against the shoreline taking advantage of the deeper water. The deeper water also facilitates the drafts of our flats skiffs, allowing us easy access to areas we would not normally float, so push in as close to the shoreline as you can and watch for feeding activity in close and minnows showering on the surface in an attempt to escape.

Although I did not fish much this past week, I did have the opportunity to visit the Osceola Outback Adventures is Saint Cloud, Florida along with some good friend to research an article scheduled for the October or November Coastal Angler Magazine Orlando, man it’s a tough job. The team consisted of Captain Ron Presley and his grandson Robert, Captain Tom Carver, Charlie McCullough, Mark Blyth, and yours truly. If you haven’t heard of the Osceola Outback before, it a fish farm where of all things, they raise Australian barramundi. Barramundi are a close relative to the common snook, but they are farm raise and sold primarily as a food stock. For a fee you and your guest (up to four anglers) can catch barramundi without even leaving Central Florida. We met the sight manager Byron Hennecy and our guide Joey around 1:30 in the afternoon, and by 3pm together we had caught over 50 fish ranging from 7 to 12 pounds. For more details on this expedition, watch for the complete article in the October issue of the Greater Orlando Coastal Angler Magazine or contact Byron Hennecy at Cell: 407-908-3216 or Byron@OsceolaOutback.com.

In closing, please say a prayer for the safely of those in the path of Hurricane Ike as he swings through the Gulf of Mexico, and have a great week of fishing.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

September 5, 2008

INSHORE:

Instead of rigging rods, backing down a ramp or drooling over new tackle.......here I am watching Hanna dump rain and wind on us, wondering where Ike might just decide to land and wishing an untimely death to Josephine out there in the far distance. That's a far cry from fishing, but welcome to September in Florida. We have more wind and rain coming this way and many are more concerned about Hurricane preparedness than fishing. Fishing will just have to wait for a few days......

Snook season quietly opened this year and there were some hardy anglers out this past week. Some did have success for their braving the windy weather. Live shrimp, pinfish or mullet was the bait of choice for most. The spillways, bridges and jetties were the best options to fish for snook this week. Feather jigs, DOA TerrorEyz and diving plugs will also be good artificials when fishing for snook. Try the DOA Big Fish Lure at night around the jetties. It looks like the real thing out there.

Flats fishing was tough due to the dirty water conditions and winds whipping across the shallows. Travis and Corrine fished with me on Saturday and while we caught fish, it was slow out there on the water. A few reports of trout and redfish around the spoil islands on live bait and some snapper around the channels, but not a week to brag about for a change. As these storms move away from us, the fishing will get back to normal again.

The fall mullet run has been going on during all this weather and the river is loaded with bait right now. Look for snook fishing to improve as water conditions get better and flats fishing should pick up also as the water clears up.........some day!

Tip of the Week:

If you are fishing this week or next, be aware of the weather around you and don't take unnecessary chances. Conditions can change rapidly and tropical storm winds or rain can move in quickly. Plan a safe fishing trip if you head out on the water.

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com

email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com

772-284-3852

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

By: Captain Tom Van Horn



Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

I've got that squally feeling again. You know, it's the same feeling that draws us to the ocean's edge to witness Mother Nature's fury, strength and wonder first hand. It's the warm tropical wind in your face and the thick salt spray filling your lungs. The storm's fury is hard to describe, but its magnetic attraction also draws family, friends, and even strangers closer together compelling us to forget our mundane lives and focus on the think that are important, and teaches use not to take life for granted.







Fay's Fury on the Banana River Lagoon


If you haven't heard, Summer Squall Fay has settled in on Florida, dumping over 20 inches of rain on the Indian River Lagoon Coast in three days, and at this moment driving tropical rains are pounding at my window, with as much as another 2 inched predicted today as she moves northwest across the state. The ditches and retention ponds are full, and the lagoon water levels have increased by at least a 2 feet, so it hard to say how the additional fresh water will effect fishing over the next few weeks.

In regards to fishing, between the boat show, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and Tropical Storm Fay, I haven't had a chance to fish all week, so I've included several other fishing reports for your entertainment. I did manage to find a few walking catfish wondering about enjoying the damp conditions.







Catfish on a Walk-about




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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free

Book a charter, and let's go fishing.

Visit http://www.mosquitocreek.com for all of your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 8, 2008

By: Captain Tom Van Horn

There is doubt the heat of summer is on here on Florida’s Space Coast, so it’s extremely important to adjust your routine and your tactics to be successful and to enjoy your experience on the water.

First, dress is loose fitting light colored breathable long-sleeved shirts and pants. The more skin you have covered, the less sun exposure and mosquito bites you will experience. Many of our modern fishing garments are constructed of materials designed to reflect the sun and dry fast. Second, a large brim sun hat with neck flaps will help keep your head cool and protect your face from the sun. I use the Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat, which is well vented and has extended neck flaps. Third, cover exposed areas of your skin with sunscreen of SPF rating of 30 or better, and reapply every few hours. Lastly, stay hydrated by drink plenty of water. I typically drink a complete bottle of water before reaching the water in the morning, and then try to drink a bottle on the hour throughout the day while under direct sun exposure

As far as tactics, fish early in the morning and late in the evening or at night. I usually like to get stated before sunrise and finish the day before noon. Also wear a good quality pair of polarized sun glasses to protect your eyes from harmful reflected sun rays and to improve your ability to see fish. I personally like

Although it was hot on the water this week we still managed some outstanding catches. I had the pleasure of fishing with the Dunkley family from Ohio, and we found good numbers of tailing redfish in the mid water ranges of the flats, and our best results came from chunking mullet in areas of tailing fish. Altogether, each angler caught several redfish and all were over slot up to 40 inches.

Besides flats fishing, on the second day I met three different members of the Dunkley family at the ramp at Port Canaveral before sunrise for a day of kingfish out on 8A Reef. The morning started out good as I caught a nice snook casting a Rapala X-Rap while waiting for my clients to board Three Quarter Time. From there we departed in search of live bait, which turned out to be a real challenge. As we left the port and headed south, we finally located so scattered pogie pods just north of Patrick AFB. After we acquired a reasonable amount of bait, we headed straight to 8-A. Once we arrived and set our lines, we trolled around for almost an hour without a bite, and then found the right spot at the right time, and we ended the day catching only three kingfish and one dolphin, and we missed several other nice fish. I know three kingfish doesn’t sound like a good day, but two of the kings were in the 30-pound range, and between the four fish we kept, we could barely get the fish bag zipped up, and it took two grown men to lift it out of the boat.
As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

With the water finally on the rise it’s much easier to get around in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River than at any time this summer. However I can’t honestly say that the extra water has improved the fishing. In all honestly I actually believe the fish are a bit confused!

The water levels were way too low during the spring and early summer when it should have been high and now that it’s time to be low the levels are on the rise. It’s no small wonder that fishing has been quite simply “HIT or MISS”…

Most days we do manage a few fish in one form or another. If the reds don’t seem to show up for the sun up bite we can usually entice several trout on Skitterwalks and Chug bugs. Of course my old standby of the Exude RT Slug in all white is a fine choice to start the day as well.

This past Tuesday my clients enjoyed a mixed bag of redfish, trout, ladyfish and jacks on Exude RT Slugs in all white and Smokin’ Shad colors. They also jumped four smallish (5 to 12 pound) tarpon using finger mullet, landing one while fishing around the residential docks of Port St. John. They also hooked two large snook that we had virtually NO CHANCE of landing!

A return trip to these docks two days later proved to be a big waste of time as no one was home. At least the flats across the river were holding plenty of redfish and we caught a few on Exude RT Slugs and Darts to save the morning. It seems that lighter colors that stand out against the dead grass are getting the best results in soft plastic baits…

BTW, I’m heading to Alaska on Friday 8/4 and will be gone until the end of the month. Y’all stay safe!

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, August 2008

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

The summer heat is on, as fishing opportunities kick in along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. As long as the summer squalls stay away and the Labrador currents do not cool inshore waters too much, fishing along the beaches and in the inlets will remain equally as hot.

Along the beach, look for the silver kings (tarpon), smoker kings, blacktip sharks, jumbo jack crevalle, and redfish to be shadowing pods of Atlantic menhaden (pogies), threadfin herring (greenies), Spanish sardines, and bay anchovy (glass minnows) in close to the beach. Also look for snook fishing in the surf to improve, as we get closer to the commencement of the fall bait run. Remember snook are out of season, so if you target them, handle and release them with care. In and around the inlets, look for Spanish mackerel, tarpon, jack cervalle, and bonita to be working schools of glass minnows on the outside, and snook, redfish, mangrove snapper, and flounder in the area of jetties and other structure. If snook are of interest, Sebastian Inlet is the place to be.

The Labrador currents are pushing in right on cue, cooling down bottom temperatures and the bottom fishing in some areas along Florida’s east coast. With average bottom water temperatures in the mid sixties, finding warmer water is the key to locating fish. Look for the blue water bite to improve along the inshore reefs and wrecks of Chris Benson, 8A Reef, and Pelican Flats, with kingfish, dolphin, black fin tuna, and cobia serving as the primary species, along with an occasional wahoo or sailfish. This is also the time of year when cooler waters sometimes push the giant manta rays in close to the shoals off the Cape, bringing cobia with them. Further off shore, the Gulf Stream typically moves in closer making tuna a possibility for smaller boats working in the areas of anchored shrimp boats and thermals, and as long as the summer squalls stay away, running to the other side of the stream isn’t out of the question.

Angling on the in-shore lagoons will continue to show improvement, with fishing in the predawn and late evening hours being most productive. Look for schools of redfish in the skinny water holding in the vicinity of bait concentration, and target them utilizing smaller top-water plugs and soft swimbaits like the D.O.A. Bait Buster. Once the sun starts to grow hot, the top-water bite will shut down, and bait becomes your better option. For larger trout, fish live pigfish in close to docks and other structure adjacent to deeper water. In deeper water, look for large schools of ladyfish, small trout, and tarpon pushing schools of glass minnows near the surface. These schools are easy to locate by watching for concentrations of birds, terns and cormorants, joining in on the frenzy, and they are perfect for fly anglers who are interested in the continuous fast and furious action provided by these speedsters. Heavy rainfall has elevated water levels in the Lagoon, so work the areas of moving water like culverts and spillways an up close against the shoreline for snook feeding on small minnows, and redfish feeding on fiddler crabs. Last but not least, look for pompano schools holding in the shadows of the causeway bridges. Fish jigs tipped with shrimp or sand fleas (mole crabs) along the deeper edges and drop-offs.

In closing, I would like to thank all of you who enjoy angling on Florida’s east central coast for your courteous and respectful treatment of the resource, other anglers, and the sport, and as always, if you need information or have questions, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 27, 2008

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

The summer doldrums held fast this past week on the east central coast of Florida with hot calm days providing for some assumes sight fishing conditions. Although the fishing conditions were magnificent, the catching wasn’t great. We did manage some assume fish, but it feels like a bit of cold water (Labrador Current) may be starting to push in. The bait this week was in very close to the beach making it tough to catch, and the inshore kingfish were few and far between.

On Monday I fished with my good friends Mark Blyth and Larry Carter and our goal was simply to find something to pull hard. Like mentioned earlier, the pogies (Atlantic Menhaden) were hard to catch. After securing several dozen pogies, we move over to the Port Canaveral buoy line and ended our day with one cuda, and one large Jack caravalle.

On my next adventure I was joined by Roland VanArsdale and his son Roland and catching bait and fish was tough. The bait was still in close to the beach, only this time the swells and surf was much larger. We worked a number of different areas from the Buoy Line to the bight, and we only managed two large barracudas, but we still had fun.

Today, I the pleasure of fishing in a four boat group charter out of JB’s Fish Camp in New Smyrna Beach. In my boat, I fishing with Cliff Hendrickson, Evan Landis, and Allen Peacock, and the unique thing about the group was we were all native Florida crackers from Orlando. We started out working the docks and oyster bars around JB’s managing only a few seat trout and ladyfish, and we finished up on Tiger Shoals where Cliff caught his largest gator trout to date.

For those of you fishing this weekend, remember there is a professional redfish tournament in the lagoon tomorrow, so be prepared for crowed waters.

Last but not least, Sandi and I are in the process of purchasing the Coastal Angler Magazine franchise for the greater Orlando area. We will be distributing 10,000 copies in central Florida featuring fishing forecast and articles about outdoor adventure right here in Orlando, so be sure to check your local boating, tackle, and outdoor retailer and pick up a copy, it’s free!
As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 21, 2008
Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

The winds have finally subsided as the summer doldrums settle in along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Calm mornings have provided for some great sight fishing conditions both inshore on the flats and offshore. Clean green ocean water has pushed in close to the beach and the kingfish, jack cravelle, bonito, sharks, and tarpon have moved in with it. These conditions have provided for some excellent catches this past week, and if they hold, next week should be good as well.

My first adventure this past week was on Father's Day where I had the pleasure of fishing with Rick Giddens from Washington State, and our plan was to target some of the inshore gamesters who frequent our coastal waters during the summer. Although Rick is an excellent angler and we jumped at least ten quality fish, Mr. Murphy hounded us all day and whatever could go wrong to lose a fish went wrong. Rick's first fish was a school bus size jack carvalle that slammed aD.O.A. Bait Buster right next to the boat, but within seconds of the strike it had Rick's line wrapped around the boat bounding up in a trolling rod on the back platform, and it freed itself. We had leaders break, monster kingfish bite through # 7 wire, we pulled hook on at lease 4 different fish, we had numerous tarpon blowup on and miss our baits or throw the hook, and yes we even had a knot fail which was totally my fault.

At one point in the afternoon we spotted an enormous school of 100 plus pound tarpon moving north in our direction, so I positioned Three Quarter Time, my trusted Maverick skiff, well ahead of the school and chucked out about twenty dead pogies. As the school daisy chained in our direction they passing directly under us and we could see that the school consisted of at least a hundred fish. When they reached the chum line they exploded into a frenzy eating every dead bait in the water without touching either of the live baits we had placed in front of them. These schools were north bound at a good rate of speed, so those of you who fish out of Ponce De Leon Inlet (Captain Fred) be on guard. Although we had great action all day, when it was all said and done, Rick's score was one shark and one large Spanish mackerel.

My next endeavor consisted of a venture into the Banana River No-Motor Zone with John "BooDreaux" Baumann of the Reel Outdoors TV Show on Brighthouse Networks. With my good friend and sight fishing specialist Paul Macinnis serving as our spotter and camera boat, we explored the west shoreline with hopes of capturing some hefty redfish and some good footage for BooDreaux's show. When scheduling this event, I failed to grasp the fact we were fishing on a full moon and although it was a gorgeous day with a good number of fish sighted, we failed to entice a substantial fish to play, so we will have to schedule another session to complete the show, that's fishing in the Reel Outdoors.

Yesterday, it was back to the beach with my good friends Roland Van Arsdale and his son Roland, and our intent was to target anything that pulled hard for Roland Sr.'s 80th birthday. Roland was determined to catch a big jack, so after netting a live well full of Atlantic menhaden (pogies) we returned to the Port Canaveral Buoy Line and we immediately tied into a school bus on our first drop. The area was loaded with big jacks and rolling tarpon and our final score was 2 jacks in the 20 to 25-pound range, a 60-pound tarpon, and a 30-pound smoker kingfish also caught by Roland Sr.

All in all, it was a great week of fishing, and if you desire to tie into some of these mid-summer gamesters, you better make your plans before the doldrums are gone.
As always, if you need information or have questions, please contact me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
Captain@irl-fishing.com
Mosquito Creek Outdoors, it’s were your adventure begins, www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com.

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, June 8, 2008

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Summer has arrived here on Florida’s Indian River Lagoon Coast, and the summer doldrums have begun to settle in. The winds for the most part are beginning to settle down, and the afternoon temperatures are peeking in the mid nineties. Along with the early summer doldrums comes calming sea conditions in the Atlantic, and expanded opportunities for shallow water boats to chase game fish along the beach. The bait pods have also moved in and the water is clean, so the kingfish and the feisty associates have set up camp in 15 to 40 feet of water and they’ve been putting on the feed.

My opportunities this week were limited to one day in the No-Motor Zone shared with my good friend Captain Chris Myers, and although the wind was troublesome, we found a good number of large redfish and black drum were tailing and cruising the flats. The redfish were bunched up in pods of three to four fish, and they were constantly on the move, and the black drum were tailing in pairs. Although I had multiple strikes, I was unsuccessful in connecting with anything other than sea trout, but Chris saved the day with a handsome black drum caught on a well presented D.O.A. Shrimp.

With the action along the beach heating up, keep a sharp eye on the horizon for the green shades of Three Quarter Time tomorrow, and later on in the week I will be spending several days a the D.O.A. writher conference rubbing shoulders with some of the best outdoor communicators in America, so catch some fish and stay tuned for my next episode.

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

Good luck and good fishing,


Captain Tom Van Horn
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
www.irl-fishing.com