Spring Into Fishing Action

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Captain Richard

Early Winter on the Banana River

Plenty of slot sized reds were found on the Banana River early this winter.

I’ve always been amazed at how different the fishing can be from one year to the next. The last two years have been some of the coldest on record in my fifty years of living on Florida’s east coast near Orlando. This year’s fishing has been one of the mildest and warmest winters that I can remember and the fishing has been off the hook with days often producing better than 100 fish. Early this winter I was still fishing the Banana River pretty consistently till one of my friends coaxed me to try out the Indian River Lagoon to see if the mild cold fronts had moved the fish into the deeper holes and channels. It took a little convincing as the Banana was producing some quality fish in pretty good numbers with a smattering of redfish and 30 – 50 sea trout per day.

Mid and Late Winter on the Indian River lagoon

Indian River Redfish

When I finally switched over to the Indian River Lagoon in January we found the fishing to be a tremendous success with numbers of fish often exceeding 100 sea trout and a handful of redfish per trip. Anglers were amazed that the fishing was so good and I often took the opportunity to teach anglers about fly fishing while the fish were easily caught and ready to eat a fly. Most of the early winter I chose to use jigs with lightly weighted heads and Berkley’s Gulp products, I preferred the twister tail shapes and with an 1/16th or 1/8th oz. Mission Fishing jig head. Between cold fronts, I found the 5 inch Bass Assassin Die Dappers with a light colored paddle tail and a mission fishing jerk bait hook that’s lightly weighted to produce quality fish along the shallow shorelines adjacent to deeper holes.

Everyone loves to catch gator sized sea trout on the Indian River Lagoon. This snaggle toothed critter fell for a pretty smile...

As winter started to release the fishing has gotten even better in the Indian River and anglers have been using more topwaters, jerkbaits and suspending lures like Rapala’s Sub-Walker or a Mirrodine from Mirrorlure.

From time to time I have people ask about snook and tarpon during the winter and I simply explain that both are typical warm water, summer gamefish on Florida’s central east coast. Our usual fishing during the winter involves plenty of redfish and sea trout with a smattering of black drum and ladyfish. If the weather permits we can often catch a cobia in the ocean during the later part of the winter and this winter provided a few days of excellent cobia fishing for the adventurous, but many days were blown out driving anglers back into the lagoons to fish in the comfort and safety of calmer inshore waters.

Early in the Winter Catch and Release for Sea Trout…

These Anglers caught some very nice trout for their dinner table in February.

We often have anglers asking about whether we allow fish to be brought back for table fare and if we offer cleaning services. We absolutely allow anglers to keep their catch as long as it’s within the State and/or Federal laws pertaining to each species. Each year offers different regulations from the Florida Wildlife Commission and the Federal Agencies and most inshore fishing regulations are controlled by the FWC and their biologist. As of this year anglers are allowed to keep four sea trout between 15 – 20 inches with one that can exceed 20 inches which is considered a trophy fish. Many of the fish that we encountered this year exceeded the 20 inch mark and anglers must return all but one fish over the the slot limit. This year, central Florida has retained it’s closure during November and December on Sea Trout but anglers can still keep a slot redfish between 18 – 27 inches for the dinner table.

Keeping Fish for the Table…

Taking a fish home for dinner is a treat and tradition for recreational fishermen. While it’s becoming more and more popular to catch and release fish back into the inshore waters, the FWC has made provisions for anglers to keep a limit of certain inshore gamefish like the sea trout, redfish and black drum.

This young angler caught some mighty fine trout which he quickly released to be caught again someday.

Posted in Redfish, Reports, Sea Trout | Leave a comment

January Fishing Report…

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Captain Richard

January 2012 Winter Inshore Fishing Report on Florida’s East Coast near Orlando Florida

Another year of spectacular inshore fishing near Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, Florida. The first cold fronts of the year FINALLY rolled thru and the deeper holes and drop offs held good numbers of large sea trout and slot sized redfish. I knew where the fish would be holding after the first front, but it has been such a mild winter and with the algae bloom in full swing, I wondered if the water would clear and the fishing would be up to par with previous years. This year’s fishing did not disappoint, the water in the Banana River and parts of the Indian River have cleared up and the fish are into their winter mode of hanging in and around their winter holes…

It never ceases to amaze me at how consistent our fishing in Central Florida becomes during the cooler winter months. Fish fall into patterns of going deep during the cold and shallow between fronts, it’s a pattern as old as time itself and can be predicted as if it were a migration of wildebeast in the African plains. Fish seek comfort during the temperature changes and really start to congregate into large aggregates in and around deep water holes.

Banana & Indian River Winter Fishing at it’s Best…

Early in January, the fish were still relating to the flats and we caught many fish on topwater and twitch baits like Rapala’s Skitter Walks and Subwalkers. Long, projected cast produced the most fish around spoil island and sandbars.

After the first cold fronts, it was quickly transferring to jig fishing with my favorite Berkley Gulps in white and brighter colors producing the better bite. Live shrimp and light hooks catch many fish too, but I’ve found the better fishing was simply the artificial jigs and plastics.

The Banana River simply never quit producing during the January cold fronts and for anglers looking to score on our redfish population, it’s a great time to come down and try out our awesome redfish fishery in Florida.

Well, that’s the Inshore Fishing Report for January 2012 for the Banana & Indian River Lagoons. Come visit Florida this spring and try out our red fish and sea trout fishing for yourself.

Posted in Inshore Fishing, Redfish, Reports, Sea Trout | 1 Comment

A New Year of Fishing in Florida’s Lagoons

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Captain Richard

Plenty of Mid-Winter Fishing on Florida’s Space Coast near Orlando

This couple vowed to come back again next year for some great winter fishing near Orlando.

The daily grind of being a full-time fishing guide can be tiresome and maddening. I know, I know… I have the best job in the world and have no reason to complain… blah, blah, blah… To fight off the monotony of being a daily fishing guide I find myself becoming a virtual “Tom Sawyer” of the Indian River Lagoon, exploring new territory, trying new methods, experimenting with new lures & equipment to keep myself from falling into the pit of mediocrity and boredom. YES, Fishing guides that spend over 200 days a year working on the water, often find themselves pondering their very existence and asking ourselves, “Didn’t I just do this yesterday” or “I swear, I caught that same fish last week”. There’s kind of an insanity that follows you around from time-to-time. How often do I hear or read the phrase ,”Repeating the same thing over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity”? The best way to fight the doldrums of fishing is to try something different or new…

After watching Bill Murray’s move “Groundhog Day” that depicts him living the same day over-and-over again, I chuckled to myself and inwardly thought, “that’s the life I live in the winter months in Florida. Upon waking up in the winter, Captain Gina ask me where and what kind of fishing I’m going to do and I get all nervous about whether or not the fish are going to be in the same place, biting the same way and reacting to the same or different baits. “Why should I be nervous?” you ask… I don’t know… maybe it’s because the fishing in Central Florida’s lagoons are constantly changing with each year and season and the next coldfront can be an extreme Arctic blast that sends the fish into a shivering lock jawed trance or pushes them into unknown regions or a mild warming trend that causes them to feed on everything you throw at them.

Switching Location is Often the Change Needed…

Two extreme winter seasons in 2010 & 2011 proceeded by years of mild, warm winters afforded me an opportunity to try deep hole fishing that worked during the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s, but had lackluster winter fishing in the last decade. The Banana River really produced well during the winter of 2010, but slowed during much of 2011′s winter. A simple switch in location to the Indian River Lagoon found loads of large trout and plenty of redfish holding in deep canals and holes. This winter’s fishing was incredible in the Banana River and Thousand Island area of Cocoa Beach.

Last year’s fishing in the Indian River Lagoon had nothing over 2012′s winter fishing in the Banana River near Cocoa Beach, Florida. A plankton bloom had worried my fishing guide friends and myself terribly as the winter approached and the fall water was still murky from the “super bloom” known as “Resultor”. However the fish bite was as strong as I’ve seen it and we caught plenty of fish in the murky waters of the Banana River Lagoon. Normally, I head to the Indian River Lagoon during the cold fronts to find the deep water trout and clear grass flats that are teaming with redfish and spotted sea trout, but this year IRL bite was not as productive as the Banana River and why travel the extra distance for less fish?

As the first real cold fronts began, the water cleared up and the the fishing switched from fishing the shallow water flats to the deeper dropoffs and canals around Cocoa Beach.

Light tackle redfish on the Banana River Lagoon

Bill caught several of these small, but fun sized redfish on the Banana River Lagoon while sight fishing.

Bill Powell displays this small but feisty redfish on the Banana River Lagoon in early January… “We caught some of the largest trout in my recollection and loads of them too.” explains Bill, one of my regular and advanced anglers. Bill has just began to appreciate what the Banana River Lagoon has to offer this year and I see him often fishing and playing around the Cocoa Beach waterways .

Slow Down Your Fishing in January and You’ll Speed up the Bite…

I see many anglers throwing plugs and topwaters and retrieving the lures too fast for these wintertime fish. Slow down your retrieve and let the lure drop all the way to the bottom if the grass and structure permits before you start reeling…

This angler caught and released this redfish as it was too large to keep and must be released.

During the January mornings we have typically been fishing the deeper holes and then slowly making our ways to the shallow water flats to sight fish for reds and large gator sized trout. Most of the redfish have been slot sized, but many have exceeded the 28 inch limit and were released to continue in the life cycle of the red drum’s brooding stock.

Remember to keep what you intend to eat and release back any oversized fish for others to enjoy and catch. Only one redfish can be kept per angler and it must be between 18 and 27 inches. Trout must be between 15 and 20 inches with the exception of one trophy that can exceed the 20 inch limit. Anglers are limited to four trout per angler, per day.

Large Trout are called “Gator Trout” in Florida because their head and mouth begin to take on the shape of an alligator I suppose. Two large canine teeth and a broad head make these fish appear different than their younger counterparts. According the the Florida Wildlife Commission and it’s size limits, a sea trout greater than 20 inches is considered “A Gator”, however most anglers in Florida will agree that the bench mark has been moved up closer to 25 inches.

Posted in Inshore Fishing, Redfish, Reports, Sea Trout | Tagged Inshore, redfish, sea trout | 1 Comment

A Red Day for Girls with the Blues

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Captain Richard

My Girls with their Redfish in the Banana River Lagoon

My oldest daughter Savannah has been away at college for her first year and we all have been missing her (especially her younger sister Mekenzie). Sensing their mood, I took them on a quick trip on the Banana River Lagoon where the redfish chased their blues away…

It didn’t take long till we found a school of reds of nice catch and release sized redfish. Since we had plenty of seafood lately, redfish was not on the menu anyways, but we they still had fun and it put a smile on both their faces.

These girls didn't mind releasing their redfish back to caught again and again....

If you’re looking for a good time and place to go fishing, the Banana River offers opportunities for anglers of all ages and skills during the fall mullet run that starts in September and continues till mid November depending on conditions. Redfish will accept live and dead baits and they key in on the mullet during the massive migration of this baitfish on the east coast’s autumn season.

Finding redfish can be a challenge, but with the right guide, a little luck and some patience, there’s a good chance of hooking up with one of these great fighting fish in the shallow water lagoons in the Brevard County area east of Orlando.

Posted in Captain's Log, Inshore Fishing, Redfish | Leave a comment

Large Banana River Spotted Sea Trout

Last year’s Indian River trout season’s might have some serious competition from this fall’s Banana River Lagoon fishing action. The water quality is not near as good as in years past in both the Indian River, Banana River and Mosquito Lagoons‘ as far as the visibility is concerned, so sight fishing has become limited to a few shallow corners of the saltwater estuaries in all of the Space Coast‘s coastal areas.

It's been common to have multiple hookups with sea trout this fall.

It’s been a fabulous artificial opportunity for gator trout in the Banana River Lagoon this year. Trip after trip have produced grand sized beautiful fish on suspending twitch baits similar to Rapala Sub-walkers, Mirrordines and popular shrimp patterns like the DOA. Topwater’s have produced some impressive results for the persistent angler spending time covering water.

Catching a redfish on artificials while fishing for sea trout is always a bonus.

Redfish have been very consistent along with a few Black Drum in the Banana and Indian River Lagoons. Look for both red and black drum to continue into the winter as the water becomes colder.

This lady anger out-fished her husband about five to one... He didn't seem sot mind...

Several ladies and their husbands found great pleasure this fall in our cooler months of October, November and early December catching sea trout on both artificial and live baits. “I wanted to introduce my wife to fishing and possibly find an outdoor activity that we can enjoy together”, explained one gentleman from the mid-west. “It was a perfect day for both of us in the Florida sunshine and even with a little wind, Captain Richard found fish while we watched the dolphins and pelicans play. I’ll be back.”

These two had a wonderful day of catching sea trout and redfish on the Banana River Lagoon.

I love taking kids fishing when the fish are biting and this year I’ve been rewarded with some remarkable young anglers that are both new and accustomed to being on the water. Watching kids get excited about being outdoors makes me excited for their parents and the future generations of anglers around the world.

Sea Trout can be slippery when wet as this young angler found out.

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Captain Richard | 1 Comment

Redfish & Bluefish

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Captain Richard

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

September Inshore Fishing Forecast

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Captain Richard

I can’t believe it’s already September 1st and I’m writing my inshore forecast for the start of the fall season of 2011. If you’re going to take a day of fishing you might want to consider the afternoon thundershowers and winds associated with these buildups. Every day for the last several weeks, strong and often dangerous rain storms with lightening have been the norm. So far we’ve dodged the bullet on tropical storms and they have had little effect on our way of life and business, but the lagoon has had some changes that are typical for this time of year.

Fishing Forecast on Florida's East Coast

The forecast for September on Florida's East Coast

Hurricane Irene passed a few hundred miles offshore and stirred the ocean up (which will subsequently effect my offshore forecast and reports). The storm surge has filled lagoons up to the brim and this has caused some changes in our routines and angler’s thought processes for each species of fish. So here we go… the roundup forecast for each place and species…

Spawning Redfish in the High Water

Redfish spawn in late August and September in all the major lagoons around the Space Coast on Florida’s east coast. We’ve been seeing them for the last two weeks when the wind has calmed, but the water clarity has kept us from finding them consistently. When you do find them, it’s game on and they fish are generally in the 20-40 pound range…. Look for this to improve as September goes on but we’re not real optimistic about water color changing because of the combination of rain, wind and heat lately.

September Snook Forecast

One of the finest game fish on Florida’s coast, the snook can be found near structure from docks to mangrove shorelines. The high water in the lagoon during this September should make for a great snook fishing month along shorelines and as the fall mullet run starts to mature. We’ve already caught a few nice snook in late August so it should be consistent.

Sea Trout

The Spotted Sea Trout in September is going to be about one thing and one thing only… The fall mullet run. Look for trout around bait in the shallow water flats in all the lagoons from Sebastian Inlet and north to the Mosquito Lagoon. Big trout can really turn on during this month, so keep that in mind as we head into October.

Tarpon on the Jump

We’ve started seeing quite a few tarpon on certain parts of the Lagoon. Look for this fish to get more and more consistent as the month goes on and the rains stay consistent. Most of the fish on the lagoon are juveniles and will be under 20 pounds, but you can find some larger ones in deeper places in the Indian River Lagoon toward Titusville.

Well, that’s my roundup forecast for the inshore waters on the Indian River Lagoon and Florida’s central east coast near Orlando and Cocoa Beach. If you’re looking to book a fishing trip in the next few days and weeks give us a call and we’ll do our best to hook you up with a great time of fishing on the world famous lagoons on Florida’s east coast.

Posted in Forecast, Inshore Fishing, Redfish, Sea Trout, Snook, Tarpon | Leave a comment

August Inshore Forecast

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Captain Richard

Indian and Banana River Lagoon

Large Spawing redfish on the Indian River Lagoon.

Releasing Large Redfish during August

I’m just starting to peek my nose into the lagoons again after a long summer of fishing nearshore and offshore out of Port Canaveral. Directly east of Orlando Florida is the Indian River Lagoon and it’s sub-lagoons called the Banana River and the Mosquito Lagoon. The hot summer days in Florida often make these lagoons favorable to fish during the early morning or evenings and host a couple of popular species redfish and sea trout. As I’ve talked to my guide friends and anglers about their fishing experiences this summer, most have talked about the oversized redfish in the Mosquito and northern part of the Indian River near Mims, Edgewater and across from Titusville.

What pulls me into the lagoons in August is the spawning redfish we often refer to as “The Herd”. Herds of redfish typically start congregating in all the lagoons adjacent to deep water along sandbars and islands. The early anglers are familiar with where they congregate will usually get the first and easiest bites. Later anglers will have to resort to combat fishing with the other anglers that are pushing and pressuring the schools of breeding redfish with high powered electric motors and even outboards.

Getting a shot at big breeding redfish is relatively easy early on, but more challenging as multiple boats appear during the day. It seems the game changes from making a simple bait or lure presentation around or near the school to jockeying for position and “chasing” the school as others push it around. Breeding redfish can be very tolerant of pressure as they are preoccupied with “getting busy”. Look for large redfish to breed into late September and into early October in all the Lagoon locations east of Orlando.

NOTE: As I’m writting this forecast, the lagoons have a green algae bloom that has many of us concerned about the sight fishing this fall. Typically the colder weather will clear water up, but the hot summers combined with rain can murk up much of the water. This has not seemed to harm or bother the fish this summer, but hinders the sight fishing significantly.

Snook on the Lagoons

Without a doubt, the elusive snook is the most difficult quarry on the inshore waters on the Space Coast. Look for snook during the earliest morning hours and when the late summer showers make their appearance and bring water levels to their highest. Water outflows, deeper mangrove shorelines, docks and other structure will attract snook. Combine structure with lines of bait or a food source and you’ll maybe find a willing snook.

So there it is… the forecast for Inshore fishing on the inshore lagoons. We’d love to have you come fish with us this and see if our forecast comes true for you…

Posted in Forecast, Inshore Fishing, Redfish, Sea Trout, Snook, Tarpon | Leave a comment

August Nearshore and Inshore Fishing Forecast

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Captain Richard

Canaveral Fishing Offshore

catching king mackerel offshore of Canaveral

Canaveral Kingfish and Offshore Anglers

August can be a good month for king mackerel and other game fish species off Florida’s east coast for deep sea and sports fishing. So far we’ve dodged the bullet for any tropical activity this summer, but as I’m making this post there is a small tropical disturbance that looks to be heading northward along the United States east coast. Barring any storm systems, anglers can look forward to some pretty good ocean fishing for species like cobia, kingfish, barracuda and bonita with an occasional sailfish thrown in for fun.

Most fishing will be within a few miles of shore and no further out than 12 or 13 miles which can be traversed within 40 minutes or so of leaving the dock. Canaveral’s 8A Reef and some of it’s less known rocks and reefs should hold fair amounts of fish during this hot last month of the summer.

Cocoa Beach Nearshore Fishing

Fishing along the beach during August can produce good bites for several species of fish. This year seems to be the year of the bonito or false albacore which can be a blast for many anglers on light tackle. Bonita are in the tuna family and are not considered a food fish, but is mostly known for it’s hard fight on rod & reel.

Snook should be in full spawn mode during August and if the ocean stays calm and clear during the month, you can bet on finding some big ones on the beach. The key for finding big snook will be calm clear water and live bait, if neither is available it will be challenging to locate and make presentations to the fish.

The king of nearshore fishing will be the tarpon in August. Tarpon seem to be plentiful so far this summer and this should continue thru September and into October if the seas stay calm and warm. Tarpon are around bait pods and don’t venture very far from shore very often. You can find these silver kings by watching for them rolling inside and outside the surf near bait and live bait will take the lion’s share.

Posted in cobia, Cobia, Forecast, Forecast, King Mackerel, Nearshore Fishing, Shark, Snook, Tarpon, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

June-July Nearshore & Offshore Fishing Report

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Captain Richard

This couple made the best of the cobia at Port Canaveral.

The Singing Cobia of Cape Canaveral

Many of my anglers coming from the Orlando area to Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach have been rewarded with some of the best fishing experiences that Florida’s Atlantic Ocean and it’s offshore and deep sea areas have to offer. I’ve been so very busy this summer, it’s been challenging to find a day off to write and post a monthly report so I’m combining June and July and hopefully updating my forecast for August before the day’s end.

During the summer, we concentrate on our ocean fishing almost exclusively baring poor conditions in the such as high seas and winds. However, there have been few adverse conditions during the summer “J” months of June and July and traditionally that has been the case every year. Calm seas and mild hot weather have made for an exceptional summer of live baiting on the offshore reefs and structure out of Port Canaveral. The most common species being caught are king mackerel and cobia but there has been a generous amount of bonito this year for those simply looking for a good fighting fish, the bonita has been a willing participant all summer long.

Some Happy Tarpon Anglers

Nearshore fishing along the beaches of Brevard County‘s Space Coast has provided tarpon, jack crevelle and some consistent shark bites for the angler looking to catch and release his version of “Jaws”. The tarpon fishing started early this year during the spring run of cobia and has stayed with us as the temperatures have risen along the coast. Nearshore anglers can expect consistent tarpon action, some overly ambitious shark bites and spotty snook anglers unless the beach water visibility improves. This June and July has not been a banner snook year along the beaches, let’s hope that August and September offer an improvement.

King Mackerel or Kingfish near Port Canaveral Florida

Canaveral King Fish

That’s it for the June and July fishing Report for Canaveral and Cocoa Beach are on Florida’s Space Coast east of Orlando Florida. I look forward to seeing many of my returning anglers during the next couple of months as we head into later summer and early fall months.

Posted in cobia, King Mackerel, Nearshore Fishing, Offshore Fishing, Reports, Shark, Tarpon | 4 Comments

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