Montise with a giant Banana River Redfish

There’s no doubt that if you want to catch big breeding redfish, September and October are great months in the Indian and Banana River Lagoon. This year’s algae bloom in the Mosquito and North Indian River Lagoon made it very difficult to find and track the large schools of oversized spawning reds in those areas. Most of us were forced to look in other areas to find the large gold colored pods.

Large Redfish like this can be caught in the fall on Florida's East Coast.

There’s always a few sea trout in the lagoons, but the talk of the town are the oversized redfish.  ”Everyone wants a trophy”, says one angler after catching his maxed out redfish in the Indian River in September.  ”I’ve always wanted to catch a big fish and these reds are the perfect angling opportunity for me because I get sea sick in the ocean.”

Redfish in the Banana River Lagoon

Reds like this are sought after in the fall months

Many locals go north a few miles to find the big schools of reds, but it’s highly probable to find reds spawning in the Banana River adjacent to Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island.  ”All the Lagoons are connected together,” explains Captain Gina Bradley. “All you have to do is know where and when to find them and what to look for and you’ll probably find fish doing the wild thing in the shallow water all around Brevard County.”

Orlando’s Best Big Reds

Typically the best large redfish opportunities are in the Northern end of the Indian River Lagoon.  However, this year’s fish did not like the algae bloom and moved further south in the Indian River.  ”I’m sure there were reds in the northern end,” explains Captain Richard, “but you couldn’t find them easily with the murky waters.”

This year’s spawners were found in the clearer waters further south towards Cocoa and with some consistency the Banana River Lagoon areas.

I took a couple of long-time friends from college days out fishing for a half day in August and managed a few kingfish and a cobia. Girard Middleton and Wiley Nelson on the Lagooner with Captain Richard the camera man. It’s always good to be out with them.

The kingfish of Late Summer

It seems this month is full of friends, Wendy Whitmire brought her son Dallas and her dad on a trip to Port Canaveral and while we didn’t catch any trophies, we managed to dredge up plenty of bonitos, sharks, barracuda and a king mackerel too.

Dallas and Wendy showing their stuff out of Port Canaveral Florida. A Pair of Bonitos...

Before Savannah went back to college for the fall I managed to take her fishing out of Port Canaveral and WOW did we have fun! Savannah is on an athletic scholarship and said she felt like she’d ran two 5k’s after pulling in her’s and my limit in king mackerel in a few minutes.

Savannah got her second workout lifting these two twenty pounders on to the cleaning tables.

The summer is almost over as I am writing this last report with some of the highlights of fishing this summer. Yes, we’ve caught more and bigger fish this summer, but on a personal note, fishing over the years has become more about the person(s) I’ve spent time on the water with rather than simply the amount or size of the fish we’ve caught. The photos above are some of the long time friends & family and the joys of connecting and sharing times and memories.

Gerald with his largest tarpon off Cocoa Beach

A new customer this summer that’s sworn to come back again was Gerald (above) with an exceptionally large tarpon for our area at well over 160 pounds. Despite Gerald’s obvious years of wear and tear, he turned into one of the most talented and knowledgeable anglers I’ve ever had on my boat bringing that tarpon in and never losing form for well over an hour. I look forward to next summer and having many of my old and new friends back every year and seeing how much we’ve all changed…

The Cleave Sharp Toothed Barracuda

Our boats are newly repowered for the year and I took the girls out for a quick spin and breakin period and did about 20 minutes of wreck fishing which broke the ice on the new motors and started the summer right…

The Kings are always Ready for a Fight

Kingfish seem like they’re always present off our coast and give anglers a chance to feel the power of a screaming smoking reel.

This Jack Took almost an hour to subdue

This jack barely surrendered before the boy did… Jacks are often plentiful out of Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach Florida.

Small Sharks are Plentiful Nearshore at Times

Everyone likes to catch sharks from time to time and the smaller version of the famous Jaws Star are plentiful.

An Added Bonus to Nearshore Fishing is Giant Redfish

I can’t seem to get away from the redfish this summer, they’ve followed me into the ocean and are a welcome species surprise.

The ever present bonito is always a good distraction.

Wreck Fishing produced some fun fishing for big jacks and barracuda with an occasional cobia that joined the party.  Last year we had a substantial run of bonitos and this year is proving to be a fun bonito year again too.  These fish on fly are quite the fight…

Sharon with her first cobia

Wind kept me in the Lagoons for an extended spring season and this year’s cobia run was pretty thin due to the hot temperatures and windy days, but I managed to catch cobia every day that I made it out which amounted to about five times in April.  Other than those fishable days on the Atlantic Ocean, I had a glorious spring and early summer bite for redfish and spotted sea trout.

Most Inshore Fishing was on Artificials this Year

This spring was possibly the most amazing inshore fishing that I’ve seen in my entire 50 years of living on the Space Coast.  It was not uncommon to catch over 50 sea trout exceeding 20 inches and ALL on artificial lures.  I would not have believed it if I had not seen it myself.

A common gator sized trout this spring

Larger redfish were roaming around the shallow water areas for those willing to spend the time looking for them, but there was so much fun and fast action sight fishing the slots and big trout this year I couldn’t keep my anglers from catching and catching and catching more and more.  I know it sounds too good to be true, but it was an all out fish fest this spring.

I literally couldn't stop this one from catching and catching...

I’m writing this report on my couch in the middle of July because I’ve not had any days off till today to write reports and forecast.  It’s been an extremely good inshore fishing year and now I’m going to attempt to write my reports for the summer now… Did I mention summer tarpon before?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.