The Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River

Despite the strong (15-20 mph) East winds and high water conditions we had throughout much of October, the fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon and northern Indian River was still pretty good for anglers who managed to wet a line, and since cooler weather has set in, the redfish have become more active and eager to eat.

The Northern portion of the Mosquito Lagoon all the way up past River Breeze has much cleaner water than down south, and although most boats have been fishing south of Haulover Canal in muddier waters, the very shallow water along the western flats of Bio Lab Road is clear and offers some excellent sight fishing opportunities.   The guys that have been fishing on those flats have been catching redfish and sea trout on live fingerling mullet or Skitterwalk plugs near the mullet schools.

For the past couple of weeks, when the weather allowed it, the big "bull" redfish in particular have been smashing topwater plugs along the deeper flats adjacent to the dropoffs and sand bars.  Look for concentrations of mullet around these areas and your chances of picking up a big redfish on a topwater bait improves dramatically.

The redfish still appear to be in their spawning mode and they could remain that way well into this month.   If we have a mild winter, the spawn could continue for at least another couple more weeks.

As we head into winter and the water temperatures drop, the big bull redfish will begin to settle into their winter feeding patterns and you should be able to find them tailing up on the back sides of the flats in very shallow water.

During the winter months, the fishing pressure on our lagoon systems usually decreases and the fish tend to become a little less wary.   This is when avid fly fishermen looking for a real trophy catch, break out their fly rods and head out to the warmer, very shallow flats for some quality sight fishing.

Crab and small baitfish patterns like those below are the best producers during this time of the year. 

                                        
                                         

The eastern shoreline flats of the Mosquito Lagoon around Vans Island and the Tiger Shoal area has been producing some nice slot size redfish, but when the winds have been coming out of the East like they have been for the past few weeks, the Klinker Islands on the west side of the ICW south of Oak Hill down to Haulover Canal, is a better area to target. 

Speckled sea trout in the Mosquito Lagoon can always be caught along the transition edges of the flats where water levels are in the 3 to 6 foot depths.  A lot of guys will slow troll or drift jigs until they find a school and then power pole down to cast to the fish.  

Small jigs, small topwater baits, and DOA or live shrimp on popping corks or Cajun Thunder type rigs will all produce fish.

Larger "gator" sea trout prowl the shallow flats and often lie in ambush around the sandy potholes waiting for an easy meal.   The bigger trout are still targeting the finger mullet schools that are still plentiful in the lagoon system, and anything resembling a finger mullet will catch fish this time of the year.  

Fishing the edges of the finger mullet schools, particularly in shallow water during the early morning hours and at dusk with jerk baits, D.O.A. shrimp, gold Johnson's spoons, crank baits, top water Chug Bugs, Zara Spooks, Rapala Skitter Walks, or XPS Slim Dogs will all produce fish.    Size your baits to "match the hatch".

During dirty water conditions, fishing a live finger mullet, a live shrimp, or a fresh cut bait will usually produce more fish.

The juvenile tarpon and ladyfish bite has still been going strong in many areas of the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon.  Fishing open flowing culverts with flies and other artificial baits that replicate the baitfish in the area will usually get you a hookup.  I've been doing a lot of fly fishing lately for juvenile tarpon and although I don't land many, it's almost as much fun watching them jump when hooked, as it is watching a big gator trout or redfish bust on a topwater bait.

Farther south in the canal systems around Merritt Island, the bite for juvenile tarpon, sea trout, and ladyfish has also been pretty good.   Most of the sea trout are at the slot or just under, but as the weather cools down, this area should start to produce some larger sea trout and Snook around the mangrove shorelines and the docks in the canals.

November is a good month to target black drum in the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon, especially for bank fishermen in our area.  Although most of the dike roads have been closed in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge because of the hurricanes, you can still walk or bike to some good fishing spots.  

This past week, boaters were finding black drum roaming the flats in the northern Indian River and on the flats just north and south of the Pineda Causeway in the Banana River.

Most fishermen targeting black drum prefer using live or fresh dead shrimp, but tossing a soft jerkbait or white hair jig at schooling fish can also be productive.
                                                          
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Offshore  and Nearshore Fishing

Offshore fishing during November outside of Port Canaveral is entirely dependent on weather conditions.

On days that anglers can get out there, the deep droppers out of the Port have been picking up limits of Tilefish using cut baits in 600 to 800 feet of water.    They  have also been reporting good catches of Mutton, Lane, and Yellowtail snapper on sardines and cut squid.  The bite is expected to continue getting better later on into the month.

Anglers trolling in deeper water have been reporting a really good sailfish bite and a decent bite for smoker kingfish, mahi, wahoo, and Blackfin tuna where the water color changes from green to blue, and around any type of floating debris.   Several captains reported multiple hookup trips with occasional double hookups last week on sailfish, with a few smoker kings in the mix.  

Farther north out of Ponce Inlet, the bottom fishing for snapper and triggerfish has also been very good when the captains can get offshore.  The fish have been on the reefs and wrecks in 70 to 125 feet of water in that area.

The 15 to 30 foot depths of Canaveral Bight this month should still be productive for bull redfish and shark.    Live mullet, pogies, or cut baits on sliding sinker rigs with enough weight to hold bottom is the rig preferred by most anglers.   A few captains bounce large Cobia jigs along the bottom in this area with a great deal of success, especially when the jig is tipped with a live pogie or mullet.

The inshore fishing for snook, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, jacks, sheepshead, redfish, and tarpon should be good at the mouths of all our jetties throughout this month.  

When hurricane Irma dumped tons of water into the Halifax, St. Johns, and other river systems causing the waters to rise, snook and tarpon entered into the river systems to gorge on the shiners, crabs, shrimp, mullet, and other tidbits that were flushed through the system.   A lot of snook and tarpon are still holding in the ditches and backwaters of the river systems.

At the mouth of the Sebastian Inlet during a falling tide, tarpon in the 80 to 90 pound category and big snook line up at the mouth of the Inlet to feed on the crab, shrimp and baitfish that are flushed out of the river.   Anglers fishing from the smaller south jetty casting large plugs and spoons during a falling tide have been hooking some really big tarpon up to 120 pounds.  Unfortunately, landing them is another story entirely, but it's great sport watching them jump allover the place when they're on the line.

 

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Surf Fishing

There are scattered pods of baitfish along our beaches that surf fishermen will be able to take advantage of during November.   Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Snook, and jacks will be the main targets until the Pompano arrive.

As the water temperatures drop, the Pompano bite will perk up and as the cold fronts pass by, more and more anglers will be seen along our beaches. 

The fish usually show up in good numbers along Playalinda Beach sometime in November or December on their way to Miami's beaches.  But the best way to tell if the bite is on, is to check out the local bait shops or drive along the beach to see which areas have the most vehicles.

During the winter months, you can pretty much have the beach to yourself, especially if you get there early.

Basic tackle for Playalinda Beach surf fishermen is an 8' or 9' spinning rod, a reel loaded with 12 to 20 lb test monofilament line, and a 2 or 3 hook dropper rig with a pyramid sinker heavy enough to hold bottom.

Live sand fleas, fresh cut clams, Fishbites, or a small piece of shrimp are preferred baits for Pompano and whiting.   Make sure you use fresh clams, not frozen.  Most bait shops sell frozen clams that turn into mush when defrosted and don't stay on your hook well. 

If you are targeting bluefish or Spanish mackerel, a chunk of mullet or a live finger mullet on a long shank hook is your best bet. 

When the bluefish are running along our beaches in good numbers, you can catch them easier with shallow diving plugs or silver Krocodile spoons.    A short wire or heavy mono fluorocarbon leader to prevent cutoffs is also a good idea for these toothy critters.

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Haulover Canal

Haulover Canal is open again to bank fishermen who have reportedly been catching black drum and bull redfish well over the 20 pound category.
 
Most successful anglers fish half of a fresh blue crab right on the bottom on a knocker or a sliding sinker rig, or use a live pinfish, mullet, or large shrimp for bait as a good second choice.

Power Pro braid, heavy fluorocarbon leaders, and 4/0 to 6/0  VMC circle hooks are recommended as terminal tackle if you plan on targeting these guys.

Although night fishing in the canal is not permitted from the bank, boaters fishing at night regularly catch black drum, redfish, sea trout and snook.
 
During November, Haulover Canal and the deeper waters around our area bridges are especially good areas to target black drum.   
 

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Till Next Month, Good Fishing & Tight Lines To You All