09-29-2002, 04:28 PM
[left][#312c98][size 5]Flats Report[/url] for the Banana River[/size][/#312c98][/left]
[#312c98]9/29/2002 Flats fishing report for the Cocoa Beach area. By Capt Doug Blanton[/#312c98]
[#312c98]Fall is here on the Cocoa Beach flats. The redfish are schooling, snook are feeding along the mangroves and the trout are taking their place on the deeper edge of the flats. A few tarpon have become more active on top water and schools of jacks have been pushing the schools of bait in tight against the shore. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Redfish. Redfishing was a little hard this past week with the high winds from a few of the storms that past through the gulf. We have been able to find a few nice schools of reds up to 100 fish feeding in the 25 to 35 inch range in the early am and at night on the flats. These fish have been a little spooky but willing to take a top water plug that is worked close by. Most of the reds we found this past week where found in a foot or less. As always all of our reds this week were caught on [/#312c98][url "http://www.donraystudio.com/fishinglures.htm"][#800080]3 1/4 inch Florida Special Rip Roller[/#800080][/url][#312c98] . The reds that we found this past week were most active just prior to sunrise till around 11 am. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Trout [/#312c98][#312c98] Trout fishing slowed down a little this past week. We did manage a few nice fish when the water calmed down but most have been small. This will all change in a few days though. The water temp. has already begun to drop and schools of glass minnows are all over the river. Last year at this time we put a few trout 30 inches + in the boat off topwater. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Snook Snook fishing has picked up in the Cocoa Beach area over the past few weeks. All of the snook we have caught have been holding along the deeper mangroves. Most of our better topwater catches have come within the first hour before and after sunrise. [/#312c98]
[#312c98] Till next time, Capt. Doug[/#312c98] [center] [/center]
[#312c98]For more information on Flats fishing with Capt. Doug [url "http://www.indianriver.cc/fishing_trips.htm"][#800080]click here[/#800080][/url][/#312c98]
[#000080][size 5]No-motor Zone[/size][/#000080]
[#000080]9/22/2002 report by Craig Redwine[/#000080] [left][#000080]As of 9-22-02 Most people who fish with me ask when is the best time of year to fish the no motor zone. Well, the time is now!! Redfish, Trout, Snook, Tarpon, Blackdrum, Jacks and Ladyfish of all sizes are all available and feeding. As long as the weather cooperates your guaranteed to have lots of action. My last trip we caught 3 Reds 10 to 15 lb. 5 Tarpon 5 to 15 lb. along with some avg. Trout and Jacks all on topwater plugs. We saw plenty of Blackdrum but were unable to get them to take any artificial baits. The school of big bull Reds I was on has seemed to scatter but they are still around just hanging in smaller groups and sometimes hanging with smaller fish. I had two Reds I was chasing 1 was 12lb. and the other was much larger I guess it was over 30lb. we present our baits to them and came up with the 12lb. This time of year trips book fast so to insure the day you want to fish book now.
[/#000080][/left] [left][#312c98]For more information on Flats fishing with Craig [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/no_motor/index.html"][#0000ff]click here[/#0000ff][/url] [/#312c98][/left]
[#000080][size 5]Flats Report for Sebastian Inlet [/size][/#000080]
[#000080]9/19/02 report for Sebastian area flats by Capt. Terry[/#000080][#312c98]
The fall mullet run is in full swing at this time. For fishing it couldn't be better. Finding concentrations of bait will likely have the rods bending and the drags screaming for most of the day. Starting out in the first show of daylight has been best for topwater action. Clean grass flats have been producing well for the Trout bite up until noon time. Occasionally a school of 5-6lb Jack Crevalles will happen to cruise by for some real tackle busting action. I've had several straighten hooks on the Chug Bugs that we were throwing. The Snook bite has been good also. Mangrove shorelines with the trees overhanging onto the water has been the key to finding these linesiders willing to blast a topwater thrown very close to cover and working it back to the boat. It's always best to give a couple of casts to the same place especially if Glass Minnows are present. Sometimes it takes that added cast to make the bite. Most of the Snook have been in the Juvenal size up to 8 lbs. The real big Snook have been around the boat docks that are plentiful on the lagoon. This is not the time or place to test your light line savvy. These fish are Big! I've been using 6/20 Power Pro braided line with a 30 lb. test fluorocarbon leaded to keep these big boy's from running me under the dock. Still some are just too big to tame. The lures that I have been fishing with are topwater High Roller lures, Storm's Chug Bugs and Heddons Tiny Torpedos. For the subsurface bite I use Gamblers 4" flappin shad in the phantom/chartreuse color scheme. There are two ways that I rig this bait. One is with a 1/4 oz. red jig head for working the deeper areas such as dochs. The other way is to use a Gambler Florida Rig weight and a Gamakatsu 2/0 wide gap worm hook. This makes the lure weedless by Texas rigging the grub as you would do for bass fishing. This lure is my favorite way of fishing structure with great results. The days will start to grow cooler and the fish will start their process to feed heavily until the cold comes down our way. This all means for some great flats action for the next several weeks on the lagoon. Capt. Terry
For more information on fishing with Capt. Terry [url "http://www.teleinfosys.com/EasyDays/"][#800080]click here[/#800080][/url] [/#312c98]
[#312c98]
[/#312c98][#312c98][size 5]Flats Report for the Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River[/size][/#312c98]
[#312c98]4/23/2002 Mosquito Lagoon Report by Capt. Scott MacCallia[/#312c98]
[#000080]The fall mullet run has officially started. Every near shore predatory fish is on the beach eating mullet. Tarpon, snook, jacks, sharks, redfish, and kingfish are all in on the action. Last Monday I hooked a 130# tarpon on a chugger in the surf. Hell of a surface strike! The big jumbo sized redfish are in large schools now and are popping mullet on the surface like jacks. Friday we boated 2 right at 20lbs on top waters and also landed more trout that we cared to. The redfish have been easy to find during calm mornings, but the wind that we have had for the past week has sort of split the schools up. Tarpon are starting to show up in the Lagoon as well. Tarpon in the lagoon? There are tarpon in the Lagoon, not just redfish. The problem now is the choice of what to do and where to do it. The fall provides the best fishing of the year, contending with tropical storms and hurricanes throw a wrench in to the equation though.[/#000080]
[#312c98]For more information on fishing with Capt. Scott [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/backcast/index.htm"][#0000ff]click here[/#0000ff][/url][/#312c98]
[signature]
[#312c98]9/29/2002 Flats fishing report for the Cocoa Beach area. By Capt Doug Blanton[/#312c98]
[#312c98]Fall is here on the Cocoa Beach flats. The redfish are schooling, snook are feeding along the mangroves and the trout are taking their place on the deeper edge of the flats. A few tarpon have become more active on top water and schools of jacks have been pushing the schools of bait in tight against the shore. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Redfish. Redfishing was a little hard this past week with the high winds from a few of the storms that past through the gulf. We have been able to find a few nice schools of reds up to 100 fish feeding in the 25 to 35 inch range in the early am and at night on the flats. These fish have been a little spooky but willing to take a top water plug that is worked close by. Most of the reds we found this past week where found in a foot or less. As always all of our reds this week were caught on [/#312c98][url "http://www.donraystudio.com/fishinglures.htm"][#800080]3 1/4 inch Florida Special Rip Roller[/#800080][/url][#312c98] . The reds that we found this past week were most active just prior to sunrise till around 11 am. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Trout [/#312c98][#312c98] Trout fishing slowed down a little this past week. We did manage a few nice fish when the water calmed down but most have been small. This will all change in a few days though. The water temp. has already begun to drop and schools of glass minnows are all over the river. Last year at this time we put a few trout 30 inches + in the boat off topwater. [/#312c98]
[#312c98]Snook Snook fishing has picked up in the Cocoa Beach area over the past few weeks. All of the snook we have caught have been holding along the deeper mangroves. Most of our better topwater catches have come within the first hour before and after sunrise. [/#312c98]
[#312c98] Till next time, Capt. Doug[/#312c98] [center] [/center]
[#312c98]For more information on Flats fishing with Capt. Doug [url "http://www.indianriver.cc/fishing_trips.htm"][#800080]click here[/#800080][/url][/#312c98]
[#000080][size 5]No-motor Zone[/size][/#000080]
[#000080]9/22/2002 report by Craig Redwine[/#000080] [left][#000080]As of 9-22-02 Most people who fish with me ask when is the best time of year to fish the no motor zone. Well, the time is now!! Redfish, Trout, Snook, Tarpon, Blackdrum, Jacks and Ladyfish of all sizes are all available and feeding. As long as the weather cooperates your guaranteed to have lots of action. My last trip we caught 3 Reds 10 to 15 lb. 5 Tarpon 5 to 15 lb. along with some avg. Trout and Jacks all on topwater plugs. We saw plenty of Blackdrum but were unable to get them to take any artificial baits. The school of big bull Reds I was on has seemed to scatter but they are still around just hanging in smaller groups and sometimes hanging with smaller fish. I had two Reds I was chasing 1 was 12lb. and the other was much larger I guess it was over 30lb. we present our baits to them and came up with the 12lb. This time of year trips book fast so to insure the day you want to fish book now.
[/#000080][/left] [left][#312c98]For more information on Flats fishing with Craig [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/no_motor/index.html"][#0000ff]click here[/#0000ff][/url] [/#312c98][/left]
[#000080][size 5]Flats Report for Sebastian Inlet [/size][/#000080]
[#000080]9/19/02 report for Sebastian area flats by Capt. Terry[/#000080][#312c98]
The fall mullet run is in full swing at this time. For fishing it couldn't be better. Finding concentrations of bait will likely have the rods bending and the drags screaming for most of the day. Starting out in the first show of daylight has been best for topwater action. Clean grass flats have been producing well for the Trout bite up until noon time. Occasionally a school of 5-6lb Jack Crevalles will happen to cruise by for some real tackle busting action. I've had several straighten hooks on the Chug Bugs that we were throwing. The Snook bite has been good also. Mangrove shorelines with the trees overhanging onto the water has been the key to finding these linesiders willing to blast a topwater thrown very close to cover and working it back to the boat. It's always best to give a couple of casts to the same place especially if Glass Minnows are present. Sometimes it takes that added cast to make the bite. Most of the Snook have been in the Juvenal size up to 8 lbs. The real big Snook have been around the boat docks that are plentiful on the lagoon. This is not the time or place to test your light line savvy. These fish are Big! I've been using 6/20 Power Pro braided line with a 30 lb. test fluorocarbon leaded to keep these big boy's from running me under the dock. Still some are just too big to tame. The lures that I have been fishing with are topwater High Roller lures, Storm's Chug Bugs and Heddons Tiny Torpedos. For the subsurface bite I use Gamblers 4" flappin shad in the phantom/chartreuse color scheme. There are two ways that I rig this bait. One is with a 1/4 oz. red jig head for working the deeper areas such as dochs. The other way is to use a Gambler Florida Rig weight and a Gamakatsu 2/0 wide gap worm hook. This makes the lure weedless by Texas rigging the grub as you would do for bass fishing. This lure is my favorite way of fishing structure with great results. The days will start to grow cooler and the fish will start their process to feed heavily until the cold comes down our way. This all means for some great flats action for the next several weeks on the lagoon. Capt. Terry
For more information on fishing with Capt. Terry [url "http://www.teleinfosys.com/EasyDays/"][#800080]click here[/#800080][/url] [/#312c98]
[#312c98]
[/#312c98][#312c98][size 5]Flats Report for the Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River[/size][/#312c98]
[#312c98]4/23/2002 Mosquito Lagoon Report by Capt. Scott MacCallia[/#312c98]
[#000080]The fall mullet run has officially started. Every near shore predatory fish is on the beach eating mullet. Tarpon, snook, jacks, sharks, redfish, and kingfish are all in on the action. Last Monday I hooked a 130# tarpon on a chugger in the surf. Hell of a surface strike! The big jumbo sized redfish are in large schools now and are popping mullet on the surface like jacks. Friday we boated 2 right at 20lbs on top waters and also landed more trout that we cared to. The redfish have been easy to find during calm mornings, but the wind that we have had for the past week has sort of split the schools up. Tarpon are starting to show up in the Lagoon as well. Tarpon in the lagoon? There are tarpon in the Lagoon, not just redfish. The problem now is the choice of what to do and where to do it. The fall provides the best fishing of the year, contending with tropical storms and hurricanes throw a wrench in to the equation though.[/#000080]
[#312c98]For more information on fishing with Capt. Scott [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/backcast/index.htm"][#0000ff]click here[/#0000ff][/url][/#312c98]
[signature]