Florida Fishing Seasons - What's Biting and When!

Central Florida Inshore Saltwater Fishing Patterns

Even though all of central Florida on a whole is a great place to fish year round there are certain times of the year that the fishing and weather is slightly different than others. Certain species, like redfish, trout, flounder and black drum make these waters home all of the time and some species, like tarpon and snook are seasonal migratory species that follow the warmer waters along the Atlantic Coast.. The million dollar question that is asked constantly to fishing guides here in east central Florida is, "When is the best time to go fishing?" Well an honest answer would be what type of weather do you like, what species are you wishing to target and when would you like to go. Other than this, central Florida has a year around fishery that is in a world class category. Trophy saltwater flats fishing all year long. Florida itself is known as the fishing capital of the world and has many opportunities for all kinds of fishing. From offshore and near shore to inshore to bass fishing. However the Mosquito Lagoon is known as the red fish capital of the world and has a strong population of redfish at any given time or season. Below is some seasonal fishing information for light tackle flats fishing near Orlando and New Smyrna Beach Florida on the Mosquito Lagoon and the north Indian River.

Winter

Winter fishing here on the Mosquito Lagoon and the north Indian River can be outstanding. The backcountry waters turn crystal clear and at times the weather is just perfect out. Blue skies dominate the area along with air temps to die for. Water levels tend to drop off some limiting areas of access. With this the fish are at times easier to find with less water for them to roam in. The two main staple fish that are here year round are the redfish and spotted sea trout. It is the only place where redfish will stay and live their entire life. A chance to catch the big bull red drum and slot size red fish at the same time. During the winter months redfish will gather in massive schools and roam these grass flats in extremely shallow waters making for excellent sight fishing conditions. The fish are in pursuit of warmth and feeding frenzies ensue usually after a front passes. Large gator trout are often seen roaming grass flats and sitting on sand holes in search of that ambush point. Fishing the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River in the winter is by far a paradise for the fly fisherman. With the gin clear waters that are present and tailing red fish to cast to it allows for optimal sight fishing conditions to prevail. However with a Florida winter comes cold fronts every so often. With this, a day here or there will become a bit breezy but with so much back country water to fish it is not an issue to find fish. Again after the fronts come by you see aggressive feeding patterns in the fish. Some of the main food during this time is crabs and shrimp.

Spring

As the waters begin to warm up more and more bait fish become present. The grass flats start to become full of life. An awakening seems to occur throughout the entire region. Mullet, pigfish, pinfish and other small baits start to show up in large numbers along with a few of the migratory species of fish such as ladyfish, bluefish and jacks. Snook start to show up at Ponce Inlet and the Indian River in larger numbers as well as around docks, bridges and structures in the deeper waters. The bigger bull redfish along with the year round presence of slot size and over slot reds begin to present themselves more often. The red fish and seatrout begin to feed more and more on bait fish. Top water action becomes a great choice for fishing along with a well placed small blue crab and a shrimp fly pattern. Early sunrise bites bring plenty of action. Along with this is of course the presence of black drum which feed mostly on shrimps and crabs. The weather outside this time of year is also very nice and makes for comfortable days on the water. Trends of high 70's to 80's with lows to the 50's and 60's with an occasional front comes by with great sun and perfect sight fishing conditions.

Summer

Summer on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River means non stop activity. Redfish, trout, snook and tarpon fishing is the prime choice here for flats fishing. The waters come alive with bait fish and species that make the flats home here in the summer are out and about. The refuge alone is a paradise for several species of birds as well. The beginning of summer brings smaller tarpon to the back country waters and giant trophy tarpon will start to show up in the Indian River, Port Canaveral and Ponce Inlet along the beaches as the water temperature rises. As the months pass and August gets closer tarpon will be in full force on the Mosquito Lagoon and the north Indian River. The weather is hot out but the fishing is usually just on fire and is hotter than the days themselves. You have so many opportunities to fish in so many different places it becomes a sensory overload. Dealing with an afternoon storm here and there that usually lasts less than an hour allows you to almost fish twenty four hours a day. Night fishing for snook becomes outstanding and redfish are among grass flats feeding so aggressively that at times the fish look like dolphins making waves. Fly fishing and sight fishing is at a world class level. Smooth seas allow for near shore trips for cobia, king fish, shark and tarpon.

Fall

Fall brings the fall mullet run. Mullet begin to move south for the winter and tarpon, red fish, trout, snook and others begin a predatory charge on these bait fish. Water levels tend to rise a bit and the weather remains warm. However the air temperature remains very comfortable and fishing can be fun during the days. Tarpon will start to leave the area to head south after the first cold front hits and snook will stay around docks, bridges, canals and deeper waters of the Indian River and Ponce Inlet. Red fish of all sizes become feeding machines. As October approaches the reds begin to go into their breeding or spawning mode and move into the Indian Rivers's deeper waters. Trout follow in a lion like pursuit after prey allowing for steady action all day long.

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters Site Map

Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Cell/352-223-7897
Email us at: Inshore Saltwater Fishing Near Orlando
Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.
Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.
Visit us at: Fishing Near New Smyrna Beach
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast near New Smyrna Beach .

Tips On How To Hire A Fishing Guide

Tips On Hiring A Fishing Guide

So you have decided that you want to go fishing and would like to hire a fishing guide but have never done this until now. You have several questions that you want answered and are not really sure what to expect or how to go about asking them. You want to make sure that the guide you hire is the right one for you, your budget and your fishing charter desires and needs. These are just a few tips that you can apply to hiring a fishing guide any place in the world. Whether it is sight fishing redfish on the Mosquito Lagoon, bone fishing in the Keys or bass fishing central Florida lakes to snook fishing Ponce Inlet.

We will talk mostly here about saltwater flats fishing guides here in Florida because this is the business we are in and specialize with. However the basic questions can be asked for almost any type of fishing charters that are offered. Flats fishing is a generalized basic term and covers a very broad spectrum. Meaning there are numerous ways of fishing the flats here in Florida and in the world. You have sight fishing, fly fishing, spin fishing, trolling, drift fishing, bait fishing, artificial tactics, chumming and so on. There are a few basic and main questions to ask a charter boat captain that will help you in your decision.

One of the most important questions is to ask them if they are licensed and insured. The United States Coast Guard requires a charter boat captain to be trained and licensed with them any time you have a "for hire" situation in any waters governed by the United States. Or any US waters. They also require you to be part of a drug testing program or consortium. They also have the guide or captain before issuing them a license take an extensive written test, have experience on the water that is documented and pass an FBI and Department of Homeland Security background check. Be trained in first aid and life saving techniques. Why? For the safety of you and the public. Not all Florida fishing guides are required to have insurance but the truly serious and professional ones will. This is a business and so it is treated like one. Also some of the areas you fish may require certain special permits issued by different bodies of government. An example of this is the Mosquito Lagoon. It is located within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Canaveral National Seashore along side of NASA. The US Fish and Wildlife and the National Parks Service and Department of Interior requires every single professional fishing guide conducting business on their property to go through an extensive criminal background check (on top of the United States Coast Guard's), to carry insurance with a certain liability limit, meet certain safety obligations above and beyond the norm and to basically abide by special terms and conditions with them. Mosquito Lagoon Fishing guides on the refuge are issued what is called a "CUA" or Commercial Use Authorization permit valid for one year at a time and at the end of this period they must re-apply and go back through the process again.You can call the National Parks Service, Canaveral National Seashore and the US Fish and Wildlife office in Titusville Florida at 321-267-1110 and ask law enforcement if the Mosquito Lagoon fishing guide you are hiring meets the requirement to fish inside the refuge and the Canaveral National Seashore.

Ask your guide what style of fishing they specialize in or how they fish. If you are flats fishing shallow water for redfish or sight fishing for red drum a poling tower, push pole and front casting deck is a must. If they are just blind casting or drift fishing deeper ledges and open bodies of water then it is not. If you want to fish the backcountry waters then a poling tower is needed to get in and out of the shallow backcountry flats where a trolling motor will not work because it will scare the fish off and the water depth is too shallow for a trolling motor to be effective and productive. You have several guides who will offer a no fish no pay policy. Be very careful of this. It does seem to be very inviting at the time by thinking you will catch fish or not have to pay any thing. The way most of these policies are worked is they will have many exemptions. Meaning that the no fish no pay policy for example can not be used if you are sight fishing, fly fishing, flats fishing, fishing for redfish, sight fishing trout, tarpon fishing, back country fishing, using artificial lures and and so on. Another way that this is done is the guide will fish for you or fish for non game fish species of no sport fishing value. Ask your potential guide if he or she offers such a policy and what the exact details are.

Read the fishing guides web site. A truly professional and serious charter fishing guide will most likely have a high quality web site with very useful information on it. The web site will be updated with current information on it as well. It is just a common staple in the day and age we live in now. You may find all of the answers you are wondering about there. Find out what they fish for? Are they targeting red fish or trout? Are they tarpon fishing or snook fishing? How many anglers can go? Do they practice catch and release and so on? Pictures speak a thousand words. Check out the gallery section. Look at the pictures of the fish they are catching and see the boat they are using. See if the pictures look recent or are they from twenty years ago. Ask your guide what they provide for the days trip. Several will provide every thing that is needed for a high quality world class fishing trip and others will not or only supply some of the things needed. One of the most important things to do is to be honest with the captain. Tell them what you want and what your expectations are or for that matter are not. Call them and pick there brain. Ask your fishing guide if they specialize in one particular body of water. Several guides fish many different bodies of water within a year bouncing from area to area and never really getting a good grasp on fishing patterns on a year round basis. Captain Drew Cavanaugh of Florida Inshore Fishing Charters specializes in sight fishing and back country flats fishing on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River 365 days a year and lives full time year round within two minutes of the Mosquito Lagoon in Oak Hill Florida. He has been a resident of Florida for almost 30 years now.

The best thing to do is to make a list of questions and write them down. Call your fishing guide and ask as many questions as you feel needed. They are there for you to make this the best fishing trip ever. The old saying "You never know until you ask" is so true. Tight lines and bent rods my friends.

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters Site Map

Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Cell/352-223-7897
Email us at: Saltwater Sight Fishing Near Orlando
Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.
Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.
Visit us at: Orlando Saltwater Inshore Flats Fishing Guides
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast near Daytona Beach.

Saltwater Fishing Near Orlando Florida

Saltwater Fishing Near Orlando

Orlando is one of the most visited cities in the state of Florida and is one of the top destinations in the world. Known as the city beautiful it is by far the number one family vacation spot in the state of Florida and possibly the world as well. An estimated 41 million people plus visit each year here to the area. It is the largest city inland in the state and has an estimated population of over 2 million people within the metropolitan area. Along with the awesome weather with its sub tropical climate, entertainment, night life and wonderful living conditions, Orlando by far is one of the best vacation destinations in the world. It is a great place to raise a family and lead a good lifestyle as well. It is perhaps most famous for the introduction of Walt Disney World in 1971 that turned this small southern country town into the booming major city it is today. As the years went by you now have EPCOT, Universal Studios, Gatorland Zoo, Sea World, the Orlando Magic and so on among some of the other major theme parks. It is the second largest city with the most hotel rooms, next to Las Vegas. Along with major restaurants and dining, exotic hotels, theatre, family entertainment and again great weather makes the city of Orlando a perfect family vacation spot. Orlando and Orange county alone are also host to major conventions and technology events in the business world with the great selection of area hotels and convention centers in the area.

The great thing about Orlando and staying here is the location to its surroundings and the cities nearby. There is just so many things to do here in central Florida. Minutes from Orlando you have some major cities to play in. To the east is the world famous Daytona Beach, historical St. Augustine, family oriented New Smyrna Beach, Titusville, Kennedy Space Center and then surfing in Cocoa Beach. To the west you have Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Naples, Crystal River and the beautiful Sarasota and St. Pete area. To the north is the beautiful country side of the Ocala National Forest, Gainesville, Tallahassee and then the Florida panhandle. To the south by just a few short hours drive you have Miami, the Everglades and the Florida Keys.

However one of the best things that is just minutes from central Florida is the saltwater fishing near Orlando. To the east is the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon system. It is the closest saltwater fishing near Disney and all of central Florida. This water way runs from Jupiter Inlet in the south to Ponce Inlet to the north in the New Smyrna Beach area where the Mosquito Lagoon is located. Florida alone is known on the planet to be the fishing capital of the world but the Mosquito Lagoon is known to be the red fish capital of the world. There is no better place to go saltwater fishing in Florida than that here on the Mosquito Lagoon. Along with the inshore flats fishing and perfect sight fishing conditions here you also have great fishing at Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral for some of the best seasonal tarpon, snook, cobia, shark, kingfish, dolphin along the beaches.

There is no other place on the planet to have so much fun and with world class trophy saltwater fishing so close by. When visiting Orlando Florida come along for a days adventure of fishing to remember for a life time with Florida Inshore Fishing Charters. Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon!

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters Site Map

Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Oak Hill, Florida
Cell/352-223-7897
Email us at: Orlando Saltwater Fishing Guide
Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.
Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.
Visit us at: Saltwater Fishing Near Orlando Florida
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast near New Smyrna Beach.

Saltwater Fishing FAQS! What is SIght Fishing

Sight Fishing The Mosquito Lagoon

So you sit there and ask yourself the following question: "What is sight fishing the Mosquito Lagoon"? Well in a few short words it is exactly what it sounds like. It is the art of pursuing redfish, trout, snook, black drum, tarpon, jacks, ladyfish, flounder and other species among the shallow backcountry flats by looking for the fish, casting to them, watching the fish eat your bait and landing them using you and your guides sight to locate them. It is the apex of back country flats fishing here in Florida. It is the pinnacle of saltwater fishing any where on the planet. There are several different ways of fishing the flats of east central Florida for red drum. We will use redfish or red drum as an example here due to they are the main staple of the Mosquito Lagoon, north Indian River Lagoon system and all of central Florida's saltwater fishing. The Mosquito Lagoon is known as the "Redfish Capital of the World" due to the massive population of redfish that remain in the lagoon at all times of the year. Year round fishing for them not only occurs here all of the time but it also is the only place you are able to catch bull red fish at any given time of the year. There is of course several other species of fish that are caught among the flats of both the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon as well. There are numerous ways to catch fish here in central Florida and sight fishing is just one of them. It is the absolute most riveting way to fish the flats. A few of the different ways of catching them are the following: Randomly slinging out bait in an unfamiliar area in hopes that something will just come across by accident and eat your bait. Which could take many hours and or never happen. Guess work at its very best. You have chumming the waters. Dumping chum over board to attract fish and other species to the chum line. With this you will attract all kinds of nuisance fish as well. You then also have just blind casting. That is just blindly casting in several different directions in the hope of coming across fish to attack your bait or lure. This tactic does work and at times is the perfect solution under certain conditions but it is just that, blind casting. You will not be sure of your targets or what you will catch, if anything at all. You get several different species this way but ask yourself if it is quality or quantity you are looking for? Then of course you have sight fishing. This can be done with live, artificial bait, spin fishing and of course fly fishing.

When sight fishing you and your charter guide look for fish and your captain works hard to find them, putting you into the optimum position and giving you excellent direction as to make the precise presentation by poling the boat around and approaching them with stealth like tactics. An art form by any definition. A search and destroy method among the water. Looking up and down grass flats or mangrove shorelines and sand bars watching and reading the water around you. Searching for signs of them and then analyzing each bit of information that comes into play. Bait fish movement, birds feeding, drop offs, sand holes, past feeding patterns, weather conditions, etc. The push pole and poling platform on a flats boat is one of the most important tools of a successful sight fishing guide. Without this tool there is no flats fishing, there is no sight fishing, there is no poling the boat around in search of red fish. At this point in time it just becomes fishing. It is impossible to sneak up on feeding redfish in 6 to18 inches of water with a trolling motor because of the noise they make, so here in Florida a poling tower and push pole is used to move the boat along. Red drum will hear the prop of a trolling motor spinning, there is no doubt what so ever with this. All of us have been in a swimming pool and when you are underneath the water you can hear everything. You will hear a pin drop. You can hear people talking above you. The slightest sound is amplified intensely. Well the fish have better senses than us. Turkey like hearing and sight by any definition. Just like stealthily walking up onto a game animal in the woods or bird watching vs. driving your four wheeler up to them and jumping out and saying "I'm here!". Which tactic will get you within feet of them? Ask yourself which is the most stealthiest of ways to approach them under these parameters. Now with this being said a trolling motor is a perfect tool to use to make up large or vast distances between the fish or areas you want to fish. It is a time saving tool not a stealth tool. Then when you are far enough away from the fish you are targeting finish approaching them from the poling tower by pushing yourself into position for the cast. Approaching fish at around 400 to 600 feet is normal with a push pole. A good hard working guide will always use this tactic for pursuing red fish in shallow water. The rewards of this will be outstanding and leave you with memories of a lifetime. The other most important tool for you to have a successful day on the flats is a good pair of polarized sunglasses and a hat. These glasses do not have to cost hundreds of dollars. You can can get them in many different price ranges. Prices can vary from $10 up $400 depending on the brand and quality but they all perform the same task, blocking the glare and allowing you to see in the water easier. The key with them is lens color. The best three colors are copper, amber or vermillion. These colors are allowing you to see the fish in the water and cut down on the glare from the sun the best. They also provide protection from UV rays as well.

As you are approaching the fish you begin your tactical approach; you go over certain things in your mind. Boat position, direction of the red fish movement, sun at your back, wind direction, which way are they swimming, surroundings and other boats near you. Are the fish feeding(tailing), what are they feeding on and so on. Do they look nervous or at ease? How many are there? As far as the tackle selection for this, it is all light tackle, sometimes live bait and sometimes artificial bait. Spinning and fly fishing tackle both are highly productive and exciting. The old saying pick your poison is used. Spinning gear is usually lined with 8 to 10 pound braided line with 15 - 20 pound leader on a 7 foot medium light St. Croix Legend Elite rods and Shimano Stradic or Sustain reels. The fly fishing equipment here can vary from 6 to 9 weight St. Croix Legend Elite rods and Ross reels. Casts with fly rods are most frequently made from 15 to 60 feet on average with weight forward floating line, 12 to 20 pound bite tippet and usually two false casts. The farther away from these fish you stay at all times is always better, whether you are fly fishing or spin fishing. The goal is to not let them be aware of your presence and this gives you more approaches at them. Shrimp, crab and mullet fly patterns in 4 size hooks are most commonly used on the flats. When fish are sighted you will hear your guide say for example, "We have six redfish at two o'clock twenty feet away moving to the left feeding." You at that point in time make the cast to the feeding red drum and BAM! Hooked up! Again a feeling than can not be described until you witness it for yourself. You watch on several occasions red fish eating the bait, then the hook up, then the sound of the drag sounding that sweet music and there is nothing like it in this world. Sight fishing is one of the most exciting ways to fish here in Florida and it is a memorable event. I look forward to seeing you out here on the Mosquito Lagoon for a fishing trip of a lifetime.

Captain Drew Cavanaugh

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters

Mims Florida Redfish Report - October 2011

October 16th, 2011 New Smyrna Beach Fishing Report

Well several weeks of weather changes have come and gone leaving us with optimal conditions for flats fishing. The temperatures have dropped and then come back up and are leveling off comfortably now. The water levels were high and now, after the massive rain storms we just had, are even higher. Not long before it drops for winter. The water clarity should start to improve with the fresh water added and a mixture of conditions happening stirring things to say. This has the fishing going up and then coming down, then going back up again. However now that we are back in a steady weather pattern I see the fishing improving tremendously and eventually we should be in a sight fishing paradise once again throughout all of the flats here in the east central Florida area. The weather will start to cool down as well. Making for a typical Florida fall/winter day on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River, perfect! Next thing you know we are in the winter months of Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River fishing. This means world class sight fishing on the crystal clear grass flats. This is why the lagoon is known as the redfish capital of the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH5RdPSp_Ps&feature=channel_video_title

The past several weeks brought in numerous great days of fishing trips and produced some very nice catches along with it. Redfish have been the staple of most trips. Along with this a few sea trout, flounder, lady fish and black drum have been mixed into the days catch. A few tarpon have been spotted here and there but they have been hit or miss ever since the bad freezes we had the past two years. A few of my clients, Rob, Darryl, Mitchell, June, Tom and Aaron just to mention a few, had outstanding days on the water. The top baits and lures used have been the D.O.A. Shallow Runner Bait Buster, live finger mullet, mud minnows, D.O.A. Cals, D.O.A. BFL 5.5, black crab flies, mullet flies all on 8 weight fly rods and small live blue crabs. The blue crabs I have been using were all hand caught and are in the size range of a silver dollar and used in combination with a 3/0 circle hook. These are gold to redfish. All fished light tackle on Stradic & Sustain 2500's/4000's mounted on St. Croix Legend Elite rods. Line and leader go from 10 pound braid to 15 with roughly 20 inches of 15-20 pound fluorocarbon leader.

The waters we have been fishing have basically been the entire Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge areas. There were days we stayed in the New Smyrna, Edgewater and Oak Hill area and then days we fished the south end near Titusville in the lagoon and the river. On a few occasions we fished the west bank of Mims, the areas near the railroad bridge in Titusville, the north end of the Indian River there in Scottsmoor and the north bombing range in search of the big bulls that have been all over the area. The big bull reds have been in a spawning mode and are throughout the deeper waters here. When you find them try the D.O.A. Shallow Runner Bait Buster. Throw it in front and past the lead fish. A steady retrieve bringing it across them will entice a bite or ten. Do not slow it down or let it sink. It is not normal for a bait fish to stop for a predator. Hang on and have fun. Please be sure to handle these and all fish very carefully as to get them released safely and quickly for a higher survival rate. Also do not hold these fish vertically. Hold them horizontally if you have too. It is better for them this way. Practice catch and release, the future of this fishery depend on all anglers. Not just one.

The tactics and techniques are basically unchanged. Search the flats early and look for signs of bait and bird activity. Tailers should be found early and throughout the morning time in grass flats where mullet are present. Approach fish easy. Do not rush it. I have stressed this before and will stress it again. Take your time and be stealthy about it. Use your push pole as much as you can. Be sure not to cast on top of your fish as they will spook. Watch the noise levels in the boat too. Also please, give your fellow angler plenty of room. Do not crowd up on top or run your boat too close to others as it will scare fish away. There is plenty of water to fish out there.

Captain Drew Cavanaugh

Florida Inshore Fishing Charters

Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.

Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.

Visit us at: http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/

Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!

Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast near New Smyrna Beach.