Orlando Florida Report 3/9/09

Last week began with some cold and windy weather but, by week's end, the weather and fishing was as good as it gets during the winter in central Florida. With crystal clear water and sunny skies, it was a sight fisherman's dream. Each day, we has shots at hundreds of redfish, black drum, and large trout in less than two feet of water. The coming week should bring more of the same.

Gary and Kathy joined me last Monday. Morning temperatures were in the 30's and the winds were topping 20 by the end of the day. We saw multiple schools of redfish and drum throughout the morning but the wind made accurate casts difficult at best. Near the end of the trip, we elected to stake out in an area where the fish were roaming and throw out some cut baits. In short order, they brought three nice redfish to the boat.

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The following day Marc, a fly angler from Pennsylvania, wanted to try for some shallow water redfish. Despite having to fight a steady breeze, Marc was able to catch his first redfish on a black crab fly.

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During the day, we saw hundreds of redfish and black drum. He broke off a second red and had a couple more bites that did not connect.

By Thursday, the winds had vanished and we had perfect flats fishing conditions, clear, calm, and warm. Brothers Mike and Doug joined me for their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. As the sun began to rise, so did hundreds of redfish tails and we soon saw them breaking the surface in every direction.

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As the guys soon discovered, happy feeding redfish are not always simple to catch. Baits that land too far away will not be seen and those that land too close cause the water to erupt as the fish spook. We went to four spots and had shots at fish at each one. Unfortunately, none were hooked.

Fly anglers Steve and Larry were on board Friday for another beautiful day on Mosquito Lagoon. Again, we were surrounded by tailing redfish as well as large schools of black drum throughout the morning. We had steady shots at reds, drum, and big trout throughout the day. By the end of the day, we had worked out some casting issues but the afternoon sea breeze had come up.

Saturday, brothers Russ and Bob experienced another great day of sight fishing. The fish were plentiful but so were the boats as everyone was taking advantage of the superb weather. Again, we began with hundreds of tailing redfish and drum. Russ laid out a perfect cast with a black crab fly and was soon hooked up to the first redfish of the day.
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Later in the day he landed a second redfish and Bob caught two nice trout. Yesterday was another busy day on Mosquito Lagoon.

The father and son team of Ben and Ben were on board as we headed to our first spot across a slick calm Mosquito Lagoon. As had been the case the previous few days, the tails began rising with the sun. The fish were happy and feeding for a short while until a fleet of other boats arrived. We landed one redfish before they developed a case of lockjaw as they raced around the flat trying to escape all the anglers. We saw thousands of reds, drum, and huge trout but could not convince them to eat anything. We made a move and located some trout in some deeper water that were willing to play. Using DOA CAL jigs as well as the DOA Deadly Combo we caught a dozen or so before calling it a day.

This week should bring more great sight fishing as the perfect weather continues. While the fish are plentiful, that does not mean they are always easy to catch. Quick accurate casts will significantly increase your chances. The challenge is what makes this type of fishing exciting and fun. The redfish are still feeding on small crabs and shrimp which is perfect for fly anglers. Schools of huge trout can be found in the sandy areas and are willing to eat larger baits. For best results, approach the fish slowly and quietly and make the first shot count.

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com