01-30-2002, 06:17 PM
Capt. Rob Blake’s fishing report from Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon and Upper Indian River-updated January 30, 2002.<br><br>Lesson number one for this week…DO NOT yawn while running 30 knots across the flats. I found myself in this very position this past week. It wasn’t the yawn that was so bad, but the unknown stinging insect that flew right into my mouth brought pain like I have never known before. Since I am here to write this report, I obviously didn’t suffer any allergic reactions to the intruder…but I did learn a lesson.<br><br>Lesson number two…if it looks like a gill net, it probably is. While running in early morning fog to the first stop of the morning, I noticed the telltale signs of an illegal net in Mosquito Lagoon. The net was stretched from the southern tip of Tiger Shoals to the entrance of Vans Slough…quite a long way. Nets of this type have been banned since the 1995 Net Ban, however there are some individuals who continue to use the cover of night and fog to illegally harvest redfish, trout, and black drum. If anglers suspect seeing an illegal net, please contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission at 1-(888) 404-3922 or #FWC (# 392) on cellular telephones.<br><br>The weather continued to heat up over the past week. It feels more like Spring than smack dab in the middle of winter…but don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining! The fishing continues to be fairly good. Although we didn’t have as many 20+ fish days this past week, anglers are getting their fair share of redfish, spotted seatrout, and a recent blitz of juvenile bluefish off the deeper edges.<br><br>Dennis Dickstein made a last minute decision to escape the rigors of real estate brokerage in his home state of Michigan and spent three full days with me on Mosquito Lagoon. Over the three-day period, we experienced very little sun and a lot of fog, some of which didn’t burn off until after 2pm. Sightfishing was difficult, but Dennis had the eye for subtle wakes and distant tails. His keen eyes paid off and had only one day of the three when he didn’t catch over ten reds. Dennis also got a mixed bag of spotted seatrout and bluefish. Nice casting Dennis!<br><br>My new Maverick Mirage HPX-T (Etheral Blue) has been ordered, as I mentioned in my last report, and I am like a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive. The folks at Maverick Boat Company have really put together a superbly constructed shallow water fishing machine. No part of the Mosquito Lagoon will be out of reach!<br><br>Capt. Rob Blake<br>www.redfishonfly.com<br>1-866-RED-DRUM Toll Free<br>1-321-633-0923 local<br>1-321-544-5041 cell<br><br><br>Contact Capt. Rob at 1-866-RED-DRUM <br>or 321-633-0923 or 321-544-5041 (cell).