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Newsletter Issue # 126                                                                               Fishing Forecast                                                                               March 1, 2020

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The Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River 

The low water levels and cooler water temperatures in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River have caused the black drum and redfish to school up into smaller pods.

For the past few weeks, the warmer weather has been producing multiple "slams" of speckled sea trout, redfish, and black drum with a few baby tarpon, snook, and sheepshead thrown into the mix for anglers in both of our lagoons.  

Spotted sea trout and slot sized redfish have been scattered around the Klinker Islands and back bays on the east side of the Mosquito Lagoon.  Saltwater Assassin sea shad tails rigged on a 1/8-ounce jig head in the "panhandle moon", "opening night", and "green hornet" colors have been the bait of choice that has been working well all this week.

A lot of gator size sea trout were caught last week in the Mosquito Lagoon and northern portion of the Indian River by anglers fishing around the potholes in the flats on live shrimp, small fingerling mullet, and saltwater Assassin paddle tail baits.   Jerk baits and Rapala Subwalkers are also good baits to use when fishing the potholes.

With the dip in temperature we have been experiencing for the past couple of days, anglers can expect some excellent black drum action in the Mosquito Lagoon, northern Indian River and Banana River system.   Look for smaller schools on the shallow flats of the Mosquito Lagoon during the morning hours.  Larger schools have been holding around the edges of the ICW channel and near the spoil islands.   Sections of blue crab, live shrimp and soft plastic baits smeared with Pro-Cure or tipped with a small piece of Fishbites are all producing good numbers of fish.

The cold front we are experiencing has also got the gator trout chewing baits.    Use cut baits, live jumbo shrimp, live finger mullet or artificial baits worked painfully slow to catch them.

Right now, anywhere from Titusville south to Palm Bay or the Grant area; the creeks, residential canals and anywhere you can get back out of the wind where the water temperature is about a degree or two warmer, the bite has been really good for snook, black drum, baby tarpon, big sea trout, ladyfish, and redfish.   Live shrimp has been the best bait by far, but small live finger mullet will produce larger fish when you can find them.

Anglers fishing a 4 inch Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad in the pink or chartreuse colors smeared up with some Pro-Cure gel have been catching good numbers of snook and sea trout in the dingy colored water.  The more naturally colored patterns like the "green hornet" color is preferred when the water is clean and clear.    Gold Johnson Sprite spoons have also been working well in colored water to find fish.    

The Carbide Ditch along the West bank of the Indian River north of the railroad bridge at Titusville up to  Scottsmoor is still holding good numbers of spotted sea trout.  The trout have been hitting Saltwater Assassin paddle tail baits, live shrimp, and cut baits.    As the trout move onto the shallower flats, throw cut baits or live shrimp.

The residential canals on the central Indian River and Banana River will be good areas to target during the cold fronts this month.   Seatrout, black drum, redfish, sheepshead, tarpon, and snook are all canal residents that can be caught on live shrimp along the edge of the mangroves and from under the docks.    In order to allow the shrimp to drift down into the water column naturally, avoid using any weight other than a small split shot.    Tarpon in particular are most likely to hit a live shrimp as it sinks down through the water column.

The low, clear water conditions have the fish bunched together, so when you locate a quality fish, keep fishing the same area.  

The fronts cause the redfish and sea trout to move into the deeper residential canals, the sheltered lee sides of the islands, and deep water areas where overhanging mangroves and trees protect the fish from the winds.   

Fly fishing in the canals or fishing with small live finger mullet on light spinning gear when the sun directly overhead will improve you chances of picking up a tarpon or snook.   Gulp shrimp and paddletail baits also work well, but use weedless hooks to avoid getting snagged.  The canals are full of places where you can get snagged.

Canal fishing in these areas should remain good throughout the month and possibly longer.   When the water temperatures begin to warm up again, the fish will move from the deeper water in the canals into the deeper sloughs and potholes on the flats.
 

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Port  Canaveral Offshore and Nearshore Fishing

On fishable days the offshore bite has been a little slow on the troll, but a lot of bonita, a few blackfin tuna, King mackerel, and some dolphin were caught during the past week on the 60 to 90 foot reefs.    The problem has been the relentless seas that has kept everybody near shore on most days.

The saving grace for the charter boat business has been the nearshore fishery for bull redfish and sharks.   You can pickup bull redfish or sharks any day north of the port around Canaveral Bight on live baits.

The offshore bottom bite out of Port Canaveral for mangrove snapper, mutton, red, lane snapper and a variety of sharks has been great when you can get out on the reefs.

Bull sharks, sandbar sharks, a few sand tigers and fine tooths are also out there in good numbers along with some King Mackerel.
 
Last Thursday for a few hours around sunset, 3 to 4 foot sharks were jumping almost everywhere you looked offshore.  You could get a hookup almost as soon as the bait touched the water, but with the cold front and the previous swell has put a brake on the action for the time being.
 
Although the Cobia bite has still not ramped up yet to the "March Madness" hype, nearshore anglers have been catching a few Cobia off the Manta Rays out from the beaches in the Cocoa area.  Once the seas calm back down and the surface water temperatures hit 60 to 70 degrees, the Cobia bite will improve dramatically outside of both Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlets.  Within the first two weeks in March, we can expect Cobia to be outside of Port Canaveral in good numbers.

The Mantra Rays that the Cobia shadow move according to water temperature and bait supplies, so when we see the giant rays coming nearshore, the cobia will be right there with them.  This is why you should never pass up a cast to a Manta Ray.

When the peak occurs, March Madness really sets in at Port Canaveral.  The deep, 400 foot wide ship channel extends 3.5 miles offshore from the mouth of the port and plays a major role in attracting baitfish which in turn attract the cobia.    Although Cobia hog the spotlight during March, the same water conditions and bait factors that attract them also pull king mackerel, big jacks, tarpon, bonito, and large Spanish mackerel inshore.

Large "smoker" kingfish  usually prowl around the schools of Spanish mackerel and blue runners during the morning hours before running out to the 35 and 40 foot depths after menhaden and mullet.

You can also add tripletail to the nearshore fishery with fish in the 18 to 20 pound category milling around the buoys marking the ship channel.

The tripletail bite inshore has been going strong with double digit catches in both quantity and quality.   Around almost every structure in Port Canaveral, anglers are catching good numbers of sheepshead along with a few black drum and some pompano.

Farther South from Vero to Sebastian, a lot of jacks and a few tripletail are being caught closer to the beach.