Your January 2019 Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River Fishing Forecast
Published: Tue, 01/01/19
Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River Fishing |
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Newsletter Issue # 114 Fishing Forecast January 1, 2019  Wishing You All A Blessed New Year! The cooler weather and dropping water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon has greatly improved the water clarity in the lagoon system which makes sight fishing easier for the guides targeting redfish on the shallow flats. And, since the last cold fronts have moved through our area, the fish have started to school up more. Small pods and schools of redfish and black drum have been roaming the shallower flats, but a lot of scouting is usually needed to find the concentrations of fish. The redfish and sea trout action has been picking up, and with the cooler weather and water temperatures some days being as low as 56 degrees, it's time to slow things down a bit. The best bite has been on live baits and smaller soft plastic baits fished in the deeper holes and troughs. A lot of fish are being caught on 3 inch Gulp Shrimp on a 1/8th inch jig head, soft plastic baits, and Johnson Sprite type gold spoons fished very slowly. For those who prefer live baits, a hand picked shrimp on a popping cork fished in about 2 to 3 feet of water or small pieces of cut mullet works wonders on sea trout and reds this time of the year. The larger bull reds have been hitting large chunks of ladyfish or mullet and half of a fresh cut blue crab. Around Christmas I had an opportunity to talk to a couple of fishing guides who told me that there were several days during that week where catches of 30 to 40 fish were made by their clients. A lot of the redfish action right now in the Mosquito Lagoon has been around the "pole and troll" zone, the flats east of the entrance to Haulover Canal, and farther south, around the shallow flats near Pelican Island. The fish have been running anywhere from 15 inches to almost 50 inches in several of the deeper areas near Haulover.  The Indian River flats south of the entrance to Haulover Canal, Dummit Cove area, and the shallows flats in Black Point have also been productive for redfish and larger sea trout. Playalinda Beach and Area Beaches January is normally an outstanding month for Playalinda Beach surf fishermen chasing Pompano, especially when the cold fronts start moving through our area, but until the government shutdown is resolved, Playalinda remains closed.
On most fishable days, the early December Pompano bite at Playalinda was outstanding. Hopefully we can continue to enjoy some good fishing this month when the Canaveral National Seashore opens back up.  Along the rest of our area beaches, the Pompano are here in good numbers. Live sand fleas on a variety of bottom rigs are by far the bait of choice for most surf fishermen with Fishbites, fresh clam, and peeled shrimp good second choices. A mixed bag of species will also be available along our area beaches throughout the month of January for fishermen in the surf. Right now there are a good number of bluefish and Spanish mackerel in the surf along with the pompano, whiting, and black drum. Anglers casting Krocodile type spoons, small nylon jigs, and little feather jigs have been doing well with these fish. On most days, the incoming tides have been a little better to fish than the outgoing tides. The best bite usually happens on the incoming, or during moving tides just prior to and after a front moves through the area. Most of the surf fishermen I spoke with recently have been heading up to either the New Smyrna Beach area, or south towards the beaches at Coco and around Patrick AFB since the shutdown. Port Canaveral Offshore and Nearshore The offshore bite out of Port Canaveral for king mackerel has been pretty good for the past few weeks. Most of the charter captains have been getting limits for their clients by slow trolling live and frozen baits on wire stinger rigs over the closer reefs. The best kingfish action out of Port Canaveral has been over the 70 to 90 foot reefs, with a few small dolphin, blackfin tuna, and cobia in the mix over the same structure.  A little closer to the beach in the 45 to 70 foot depths south of the inlet, the Cobia have been following the Manta rays and on good visibility sunny days, providing some good sight casting opportunities for anglers pitching hair jigs and live baits. This time of the year between Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral, you can almost always find a few cobia shadowing the manta rays in the 50 to 75 foot depths. A little farther offshore, the blackfin tuna action has been really good along the 21 Fathom Ridge. A lot of anglers have been using the by catch from the shrimp boats and chumming to get the fish to the boat, and then casting baits to them. Bottom fishermen on the reefs should know that Gag grouper and several other species is closed to recreational harvest in Gulf, state, and federal waters effective Jan. 1, 2019. Complete information on closures can be found HERE. Throughout December, the grouper action from about the 90-foot mark out to around the 180-foot ledges has been good to excellent for bottom fishermen dropping live pinfish, grunt, croakers, etc. A little farther north around Ponce Inlet, anglers trolling skirted lures with ballyhoo outside the 130 foot mark are catching dolphin, blackfin tuna, and an occasional wahoo around the rips, temperature changes, and any floating debris. The Spiney Lobster divers on the 70 to 90 foot reefs and wrecks have been making regular catches of 8 to 10 pound bugs for the past several weeks. Makes me want to put on my scuba gear. Haulover Canal  December has been an outstanding month for fishermen targeting big bull redfish and Mangrove Snapper in Haulover Canal, and the bite is expected to continue into the upcoming months. The deep waters in the canal between the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon function as a highway for almost every inshore fish species found in Florida waters.
Haulover is best known for catches of big bull redfish and black drum. During the past few weeks, the bank and boat fishermen have been pulling out some of the largest bull redfish ever seen in our area. Two of the largest redfish reportedly caught last month were in the 40 to 50" range and both fish were caught at the entrance to the Mosquito Lagoon on half of a large mullet.
Although many good size fish are regularly caught from anywhere on the banks of the canal, the two deep holes at both entrances to the canal have been producing the largest bull redfish. Large chunks of fresh mullet or ladyfish have been producing the biggest fish, but fresh cut pieces of blue crab are always a good second choice. The black drum bite in Haulover Canal this past month has also been good but sporadic. The fish seem to bite best around the cold fronts with shrimp being the bait of choice for most anglers. When the bite is on, catches of 10 to 20 fish per day are not unusual. The outcroppings close to the bridge pilings have been producing some nice size Mangrove Snapper throughout the month, with live or fresh dead shrimp and chunks of fish being baits of choice. Smaller 2/0 or 3/0 circle hooks with a pinch or two of split shot to get the bait close to the bottom is all that's necessary to get hooked up. Unfortunately, most fishermen who spend their time fishing around the bridge will be constantly re-rigging their tackle from snags and cutoffs on the Coquina outcroppings. Regardless, structure is where the fish are, so a two foot length of 20 pound or heavier fluorocarbon leader and 30# Power Pro or other brand braid as the main line is highly recommended. The same terminal tackle is used for big redfish, except that you step up to 30 pound or heavier fluorocarbon leader and 60# Power Pro with half of a fresh blue crab for bait. Starting in late December, sport shrimpers will start anchoring along the banks of Haulover Canal at dusk to dip shrimp throughout the night. The winter run has already started and shrimping in the canal and around the railroad bridge is beginning to improve.  Both of the fishing piers at the A. Max Brewer bridge that were damaged during the last hurricane have been open for the past couple of weeks for fishing and shrimping activities. I visited the shrimpers on Sunday to get a report and was told that the shrimp were not yet running. Several folks who were shrimping told me that the upper fishing pier was better for shrimping than the lower pier. The few shrimp that I saw netted were large but few in number but it was still early when I stopped by. At least two fishermen I spoke with were dunking shrimp and cut crab for black drum or reds at the end of the pier. Both had just got there but said that they had caught some nice fish earlier in the week.  The City and County did a very nice job repairing the walkway, the sea wall, and putting new asphalt around several areas under the bridge. The restaurant is expected to reopen within the next couple of weeks. Great job! Until next time,
Tight Lines, bent rods and a safe Prosperous New Year to you all!
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