maitland, florida in april

[dpenrod]

i will be attending a conference in maitland, fl. in april. plan on bringing a rod and was wanting advice as to where to fish, preferably close by.

[Capt Chris M]

Although there are tons of lakes in the Orlando area, there are not many places I know of where you could have a good chance of catching fish from shore as many of them do not have public access. The Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River Lagoon about one hour east near Titusville and the Kennedy Space Center offers miles of wadeable flats where you could catch redfish and seatrout. You would need wading boots or a cheap pair of tennis shoes to protect your feet from small shells. A map of the area can be found here -

http://www.nbbd.com/godo/minwr/pdf/MINWRmap00.pdf

Zoom in on the map and you will see the Bio Lab Rd along the southwest shore of Mosquito Lagoon and the Shilo Marsh Rd along the NE shore of the Indian River. Target sandy areas surrounded by grass for large trout and reds. Look for redfish tailing in the grass and cruising the flats. Use bendback patterns which will not get fouled in the grass. A 5-8 wt rod with a 9ft leader ending in 15lb tippet will suffice.

If fishing from shore in the saltwater, you must purchase a 3 day license for $17. You would need a separate one for fresh water.

Capt. Chris Myers