The Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River:

Water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River are way up and the fish are loving it. 

During the past several weeks, the water in the Mosquito Lagoon has risen a tremendous amount; up to several feet in most areas.  The additional water combined with large numbers of finger mullet has made fishing extremely productive.

Plenty of redfish are being caught in the lagoon system right now, mostly around the inlets, but they are starting to move back inside with lots of action around the mangrove shorelines throughout the system, around Haulover Canal, and in the New Smyrna area along the ICW channel, all the way down to Oak Hill.

A lot of tarpon are also holding along the deeper dredge holes and channel edges all along the ICW in the Indian and Banana Rivers right now.

Every year during September and October "bull" redfish gather up to spawn in the deep water flats of the northern Indian River.   These breeders are anywhere from 20 to 40 years old and can be caught on live baits, cut or live ladyfish, mullet, or blue crabs.  Gold spoons, large swim baits, and a variety of topwater plugs are also effective, especially when sight fishing conditions are favorable.  As we move into October, we should see more of the larger  "Bull" redfish schools making their appearance in the deeper flats. 

Right now, redfish from 10 to 35 inches can be found in large numbers around any school of mullet, large or small.  The fish are easy to locate this time of the year.  Find the mullet and you will find fish.
 
Anglers have been getting solid bites tossing a variety of plastic jigs like scented Gulp shrimp, the new Artemus Shad from Saltwater Assassin on a big jig head, D.O.A. paddle tails, small lipped diving plugs, and anything that imitates a finger mullet. 

Topwater plugs like the Rapala Skitter Walk, Chug Bug, Badonk-A-Donk, XPS Slim Dog also continue to produce action early in the mornings and can provide some great excitement, especially when smeared up with some Pro-Cure Offshore formula gel or other scent.

For live bait fishermen, a small mullet on a 4/0 circle hook or a large chunk of mullet or ladyfish on a 5/0 circle hook will do the trick.

Remember that until further notice, redfish in our area are catch and release only.

Some large sea trout, redfish, and black drum can now be found in shallow marsh areas that were previously inaccessible during the summer months.

In these areas, only wade fishermen or anglers fishing in kayaks or canoes will be able to get back far enough into the flooded marshes and mangrove areas where the fish are foraging. 

The best way to catch them in these areas is to stage at the entry points and fish either live or cut baits, or noisy top water plugs that "call" the fish to the bait.

In many areas of the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and Banana River larger spotted sea trout are being caught around the mullet pods and tight against the shorelines.   

One of the most productive "go to" baits right now for sea trout in our area is a 4 or 5 inch Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad tail rigged on a 1/8 th oz. jig head.   The Mullet and Houdini colors are reported to be working best, but the general rule is dark colors for dirty water and light colors for clean.

Although most of the sea trout caught are in the 1 to 3 pound range, some larger fish in the 5 to 7 pound category have been caught on live pinfish, D.O.A. Baitbusters, and topwater baits.
If you are targeting redfish or big sea trout, it's probably a good idea to keep away from heavy outflows into or out of the lagoon system.  The out flows are holding a lot of juvenile tarpon, snook, and ladyfish.  Not very many sea trout or reds.  

This year has been one of the best years we've had for tarpon of all sizes in the lagoon system.   You can find them in the deeper flats of the northern Indian River, all the backwaters of the Mosquito Lagoon, the Edgewood and New Smyrna areas, the Banana River, and outside of Port Canaveral. 

The tarpon have been hitting Pogies, pilchards, and mullet especially in the northern Indian River. Big tarpon in the 100 pound plus range have been holding along the deeper dredge holes and channel edges all along the ICW in the Indian and Bannana River, along the bridges along the NASA Causeway, the Bennett Causeway, Pineada Causeway, and even down to the EuGalle Causeway.

Juvenile and larger tarpon up to 100 pounds can be found in the Mosquito Lagoon along the deeper channels and in the southernmost portion around the mangroves and open culverts.  The discharge from the pump station at the entrance to  Bio Lab road looks like a fish hatchery when the pumps are on.

A few juvenile tarpon can still be found in the creeks in the north Shiloh Road area and around the residential docks throughout the river system.
Depending on how cold the weather gets, the Vistas and ditches along the road going into the Canaveral National Seashore are also good spots to target juvenile tarpon.  When you can spot the fish, they usually respond to a well placed bait or lure. 
 
The tarpon in our lagoon system have been running in the 70 to 125 pound range.

The Snook bite in our region has also been really solid this year.  All of our inlets are holding Snook of all sizes and slot size and under size fish seem to be holding under almost any mangrove bush that has two feet or more of water under it.  

In the New Smyrna area, good numbers of snook in the 29 inch and under category are being caught around the mangroves, bridge fender pilings, and docks.

Along the jetties, sea walls, and boat docks in Port Canaveral, the snook bite has been really good, especially during the evenings and at night.  During the day you can catch them with live baits and at night with R&R Flair Hawks, Saltwater Assassin 5" or 6" Swimbaits, or lipped diving plugs.

Swimbaits, live select shrimp, and mullet have been producing snook in the 29 to 40 inch category.  The fish have been feeding at the change of the tide and about midway on the outgoing tides. 

Average snook for our area is 20 to 30 inches.  For larger snook try fishing a 10 to 12 inch mullet rigged on a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook.
With the high water levels we have been experiencing, the fishing in the ditches and shallow ponds should be getting really good for big sea trout, redfish, and black drum along Peacocks Pocket road. 

Unfortunately, road construction that is occurring on Pocket Road has prevented anglers from walking the ditches.   The road work will hopefully be completed early next summer.
 

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Port Canaveral and Nearshore Fishing:

This month, offshore bottom fishermen will find a mixed bag of triggerfish, black sea bass, snapper, AJs, Scamps, Red Grouper, and Gag grouper out of Port Canaveral. 

All the normal tactics from three way chicken rigs, to knocker rigs, to deep jigging will work well this month, but live baits definitely work the best.  

Sardines, Grunt plugs, and any live bait fish are always great baits for grouper, AJs, and snapper as well as a variety of deep jigs like flutter jigs and  vertical speed jigs.

The cold water has been pushing the fish to the surface where Amberjack and every other species have been sitting right above the wrecks.  The bite has been sporadic but the best bite has been on the larger reefs and high relief structure in 120 to 240 feet of water.   
As the grouper season this October progresses, the fish should start getting larger with more fish in the 30 to 35 pound category.

Jigging is extremely productive for catching grouper but the currents have been running strong lately and getting a jig or even a live bait down has not been easy.

Variety seems to be the word for the past couple of weeks for offshore anglers trolling out of Port Canaveral.   The Captains have been catching a variety of species including Cobia, Kingfish, Mahi, Blackfins, Sharks, and Cudas.    You can also expect to catch Wahoo and Sailfish offshore this month. 

During the fall and winter when the ocean water temperatures hit 72 to 74 degrees is when the fishing is best for Wahoo in our area.  Look for rips, weed lines, and temperature breaks for really good numbers of Wahoo that come into our region during the month of October.
 
Most guys speed troll for them using naked or skirted ballyhoo but they are occasionally caught by anglers slow trolling for king mackerel.
 
Some of the wahoo are running in the 60 to 70 pound category and occasionally you hook up with one like the monster in the pic above.
  
The Cobia bite last month was off the charts and the bite seems to be continuing through October.  Target sea turtles and Manta Rays closer to the beach for cobia that are shadowing them. 

A few anglers who have been slow trolling Pelican and 8A for kingfish offshore are finding smaller size Cobia free swimming or tagging along with the manta rays and turtles. 
   
The king mackerel bite during October is always good in our region and slow trolling a live mullet or bunker on a stinger rig around the bait pods is the most popular method for catching kingfish in our area.   Targeting the bait pods, small ledges, and scattered bottom structure as close as 5 or 6 miles from the beach is often productive for kings this time of the year.

Right now, a lot of king mackerel out of Port Canaveral are being caught close to the beach in about 30 to 40 feet of water.  If you stay just inside of that depth you will hook up with more tarpon and sharks, but  if you get out into the 35 to 45 foot depths you'll start picking up kingfish.  

Your best bet for kingfish right now is over the 60 to 90 foot reefs in our area.  The guys pulling a Sea Witch or a diving plug on a down-rigger or planer, or with live pogies, greenies, sardines, or mullet on two hook stinger rigs have been getting good numbers of fish.

Most of the kings that are being caught in our area right now are running about 15 to 20 pounds, with a few bigger ones in the mix.

Later on in the month when the Kingfish bite is really on, fish in the 20 to 30 pound range are pretty common out of the Port;l with occasional "smokers" in the mix.
 

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Playalinda Beach Surf Fishing:

October is arguably the best month for surf fishing in East Central Florida, and Playalinda Beach in the the Canaveral National Seashore is one of the better, least advertised "hot spots".

The fall mullet run has officially hit the Space Coast.    We're into the fourth week of the fall mullet run and it is still going strong all along our beaches (Click Pic Below). 

When you locate good pods of mullet along the beach, you will find sharks, tarpon, snook, jacks, bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and ladyfish, blowing them up.

Most surf anglers stake out their rods and wait for the fish to swim into their baits.  However, a better option is to find and follow the bait pods by stopping at the various beach access points and scoping the water with a pair of binoculars; or if you are in the New Smyrna area, you can drive your car up and down the beach until you find a bait pod. 

Normally the fish are migrating from north to south so when you locate a concentration of mullet, start fishing south of where you find the pod until the action slows down, then move south to the next access point and repeat the same procedure.    This is a tried and proven method for surf fishermen along the east coast that will keep you in the action. 

With the fall mullet run in full gear, this trend will continue into the next couple of weeks until the water temperatures drop and the baitfish move farther down south.

Surf fishing along the Space Coast is always a mixed bag of species but large Snook continue to highlight the day and are the most commonly caught.  In the central region, the stretch of beach from Patrick Space Force Base down to Sebastian Inlet is the best location for catching large snook in the surf.   Coquina worm rocks, troughs, and runouts are the best areas for targeting snook, Spanish mackerel, and tarpon during their feeding frenzies.

Try to match the hatch with the baitfish that the species you are targeting are feeding on.  

Surf anglers have been currently using live or chunked mullet, but any live or artificial bait that resembles a baitfish will get results.  On many days, glass minnows and horn bellies (Atlantic Bumper) are the best bait.

Surf anglers using Sand fleas, coquina scented fishbites, and fresh peeled shrimp on standard 2 or 3 dropper rigs have been catching pompano, juvenile black drum, and good size whiting from Playalinda Beach to Cocoa Beach.   Goofy Jigs fished in the first and second troughs will also produce black drum and whiting in the small to medium range. 

Most of our pompano are in the 1 to 2 pound categery right now but you never know when you might hook up with a 4 or 5 pound fish, especially later on in the month when the weather cools down and the fish are running heavier.
 
Larger pompano seem to run alone or in pairs and are caught mostly after the under size pompano push through our area.  
 
With all of the migrating baitfish running up and down the beaches, the shark fishing has been on fire.   

Right now you can expect to hook up with almost any species of shark in the surf, regardless of whether you are targeting them or not but from Cocoa Beach to Melbourne Beach, blacktip sharks have been the most commonly caught species in the surf. 

If you're specifically targeting sharks from the beach, gear up with appropriate tackle and bait up with a chunk of mullet, pogie, ladyfish, bluefish, or bonito and hang on.   The angler below has it down pat.

Sharks posses a keen sense of smell and will snap their jaws around the nearest source of the scent, regardless of water clarity.   This is why many "attacks" occur during mass baitfish migrations and dirty water conditions.
 
When targeting sharks from the beach, make sure you have the free, mandatory, Shore-based Shark Fishing Permit on you. 

Tarpon are also being jumped from the sand around the bait pods from Playalinda Beach all the way down to Melbourne Beach on the same baits.

When the baitfish run subsides, the window of opportunity closes to this type of fishing however, it will be a prime time for pompano and whiting.

For those of you who don't already know, a daily $10.00 per person or $20.00 per vehicle Park entrance fee is charged to fish Playalinda Beach which is good for 7 days; or you can purchase a $40.00 annual Canaveral National Seashore/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Park Pass at the entrance booth.   

If you are 62 or older, you can buy a Senior Lifetime Pass for $80.00 or an Annual Senior Pass for $20.00.

A signed Refuge Sport Fishing permit that must also be carried on your person while fishing in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is also necessary and can be picked up at the entrance booth, any of the kiosks, or by downloading it HERE.   

The self-issuing permit makes sure that you have read and understand all the rules and regulations pertaining to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  

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IRL Clam Restoration Project:

We continue to believe that the clam restoration project that has been going on in the Indian River Lagoon is essential to the health of all our lagoon systems.

Clams and oysters are filter feeders that clean suspended impurities from fresh and saltwater.     Over harvesting of clams in past years is believed to be one of the causes of the continuous brown algae plague that we endure every year.

When I first moved to Florida, I remember watching the fleets of clam skiffs from the NASA Causeway bridge. 

The clamers had long rakes that they used to fill up their sacs which they eventually unloaded at Port St. John boat ramp.   

Over harvesting decimated the fishery to the point that clamming was no longer viable however, the long term effect to our lagoon system was the build up of brown algae that blocked out the sunlight and killed off the sea grasses that makes the whole ecosystem function so perfectly.

Unfortunately it took scientists at the University of Florida Whitney Labs until now to realize that our waters were not being adequately cleaned by the shellfish that we over harvested however, they have developed a "super clam" that is hardier and more tolerant to fluctuations of water chemistry that they have been introducing into the lagoon systems to filter the water.    

In partnership with locals who have existing clam leases, the "super clam" spats are being distributed and covered up with netting to protect them from predation in our lagoon systems until the clams reach spawning size (approximately 1"). 

Once adequate breeding populations have been introduced and stabilized in the waters of our lagoon systems, the sea grasses will again flourish creating the nursery for shrimp, crabs, fish, etc. that we all enjoy.

The IRL Clam Restoration project is a long overdue necessity to restore the water quality in the Indian River Lagoon System back to it's previous state. 

To donate to this fund CLICK HERE.

Learn more about the project here: Video 1, Video 2
 

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Until next time,

Tight Lines and bent rods!