Mosquito Lagoon Redfish Guide
Fish Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Florida guided by
experts
Brevard County and Florida's Space Coast
host a shallow, golden waterway adjacent to Canaveral
National Seashore and Playalinda Beach
named the Mosquito
Lagoon. It's golden tint is because of the natural
tannic trickling from the fresh water feeder tributaries and
rain covered marshes fringing the lagoon's shorelines. It's
also golden-red when the sunlight reflects off the backs of
large schooling redfish
often numbering in the hundreds and seen by anglers with our
Mosquito
Lagoon Guides.
Mosquito Lagoon offers many different challenges
for the angler simply by the diverse topography and structure
offered. Bottom variations like the famous Tiger Shoals
in the middle of the lagoon or the Whale Tail Shoal
in the southern part of the lagoon offer places for fish to
relate and forage for food. Mangrove shorelines and saltwater
marshes combined with crystal clear water and healthy seagrass
void of human development make the lagoon a virtual paradise
for anglers as well as fish.
Fisherman's Mecca may be an appropriate term for the lagoon
over the last decade and a half. If there is a downside to
the huge success when the redfish rebounded in the mid 1980's,
the lagoon's been found out and hammered by every fishing
celebrity and their shows from ESPN's Outdoor channel to videos/DVD's
mass marketed in Bass Pro, Cabelas
and the internet. Weekend warriors and over-zealous fishing
guides are sometimes putting extreme pressure on the fish
and the lagoon's fragile environment. Anglers desiring to
fish Mosquito Lagoon may want to consider fishing on a week
day, staying away from Saturday and Sunday crowds. The smarter
anglers will wait till the late fall, winter and spring and
stay off the lagoon during the summer months. Many anglers
are on the water an hour or more before dawn to be in place
for the sunrise before less exuberant boaters get on the water.
None-the-less Mosquito Lagoon still holds plenty of redfish
for anglers wishing to sightfish with artificials, fly or
live baits.
 Northern
Mosquito Lagoon near Oakhill and
Apollo beach is filled with winding waterways,
islands, sandbars oyster bars, creeks, troughs and holes.
It's not as clear as the southern part of the lagoon but it
can be every bit as productive. Many anglers caught-up in
the sight fishing craze have forgotten how fun it is to catch
fish with more traditional methods or modified versions that
are tried and true. Here in the northern end a smart angler
can catch qualities of fish by simply using methods from live
bait to slinging plugs such as topwaters or jigs, fly fishermen
will like poppers and dahlberg diver type patterns that produce
noise or wakes.
New Smyrna Inlet ebbs it's tidal currents
in and out every six hours and with it comes a change of tide
and current over the northern lagoon. Fish react differently
at tide phases and so should the angler. Incoming tides generally
get big seatrout
and pods of redfish feeding along oyster bars and dropoffs.
Dropping tides tend to send fish deeper and further away from
the bars and land. Try using jerk baits or subtle topwaters
around dropoffs and holes during falling tides. Mosquito
Lagoon Fishing Guide, Captain Richard Bradley likes to
livebait around holes by chumming with greenies or hooking
on finger mullet when the conditions are not optimum for sightfishing.
It may not be as glorious but more often than not these old
methods out produce the new fangled sightfishing that's been
so popularized by the camera and southern Mosquito Lagoon.
By far the most popular part of the lagoon is the middle
section. Tiger Shoals marks the middle of the lagoon with
an old plane wreck protruding from it's southern end. Eest
of Tiger shoals is a marl of islands and saltwater marshes
adjacent to Playlinda and Apollo beach, both mecca's for nudest,
sun worshippers and surfers. There are so many nooks
and crannies on the eastern shoreline where fiddler crabs
are abundant and raccoons wade the mudflats. You'll find places
like twin palms where traditionally redfish schools and skiddish
trout lurk in the grass and marl bottom. Sightfishermen can
get buck fever by casting with pinpoint accuracy at the tailing
redfish lazily wallowing in the shallow waters and sandbars.
West of Tiger Shoals is a series of islands often referred
to as the klinkers. Anglers trying to stay out of the wind
use these islands as refuge from a strong easterly flow and
often find their quarry there too. Keeper sized redfish and
trout stay comfortable with crab, shrimp and baitfish nearby
in these warm shallow backwaters.
 I've
saved the southern part for last because that's the most talked
about. The water is crystal clear and when it's calm you can
see redfish schools, singles and pods from great distances
with a trained eye.
Shortly after the redfish moratorium in
the mid 1980's we started seeing for the first time in many
decades and certainly my lifetime... schooling redfish!
Commercial netter's might argue this fact but everyone that
was involved in flats fishing prior to 1986 saw a transformation
in the fishing industry centered around redfish. Flats fishing
was off to a racing start and everyone was on the bandwagon
to purchase a shallow water boat with a poling platform. Jon
boats were no longer in vogue and gave way to sleeker, faster,
quieter boats. Now it's not uncommon to see $40k or even $50k
put into a small flatsboat from a prominent manufacturer.
In the last few years flats boats have evolved again as anglers
have foreseen the ability to go shallower and lighter with
"ultra-high quality" boats made of carbon kevlar
and graphite. Don't think these boats are less expensive as
a couple of boat makers have small skiffs exceeding $40,000.00
retail. These boats are seen in numbers on the south end of
the lagoon lurking for the presence of fish on the flats.
Look for fish around potholes in the grass, dropoffs and
shoals on the south end of Mosquito Lagoon. Sightfishing can
be challenging and very rewarding for those who have the patience
and build the confidence to locate and spot fish. The skills
involved after marking the fish can be as tedious and challenging
as finding them. An accurate cast is a must for each angler,
as poorly placed cast can cause a redfish to spook and disappear
as quickly. Practice precision casting in your yard
with a hula hoop as a target and you'll save yourself alot
of frustration out on the water.
Fly fishermen will want to perfect a 60 foot cast with an
eight weight rod. I like to use redfish candies and clousers
for redfish streamers, crab and shrimp patterns work awesome
too.
Anglers are often seen sightfishing on the lagoon when the
water is calm enough to stalk and pursue wary fish feeding
in shallow water. Redfish have a weakness of giving themselves
away to anglers by showing their tails above the waterline
while feeding or traversing the grassflats. Aided with keen
eye sight and a pair of polarized sunglasses an willing partner
will to push the skiff along with a long fiberglass push-pole
most anglers acquire a sense of sightfishing within a couple
of trips. "It's all a matter of building confidence
and having fun while you get the hang of things," explains
Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide Captain
Richard Bradley.
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