Last Updated on April 26, 2017 by SteamWorks
The spring has been spectacular and I have been busier than ever with family life and charters that I haven’t found time to write a report. So let me go over this spring since it is almost over and summer is just around the corner. This past winter brought about an amazing and long awaited change to the Mosquito Lagoon that we have desperately needed. We had some nice lengthy cold fronts coupled with low water levels which in turn cooled the water off enough to kill off the algae bloom. For the most part this allowed the water to become crystal clear in most parts of the Lagoon. As a result the sight fishing has been amazing and hopefully it will continue to stay this way for as long as it can. Now with some strong winds the water will get turned up and visibility will be affected. That is due to the substantial grass loss we have suffered. With less grass there is nothing to hold down the sediment when the wind really starts ripping. You can always expect the water to get a little dirtier during the summer time but that is natural due to the increasing water temps. Let just hope we don’t have another algae super bloom.
This spring was spectacular for fishing. Larger schools of reds were concentrated in certain areas and the big trout were abundant and plentiful. Black drum were once again on the flats and off the bars and larger schools were showing back up in their usual places. We landed more big trout over 6 pounds and upwards of 9 pounds than I can remember. Didn’t catch any 10 pounders, but we did lose a few that could have been. The big trout pushed into the shallow flats and prepared for their spawn. Some days it was easy pickings and others they just wouldn’t touch a thing. The top water action for trout continues to be excellent! The redfish were staying together in tight schools and sometime holding in an area for days before moving on. It reminded me of when I first started fishing the Lagoon close to 10 years ago! The mullet has really showed up in big numbers already and I can’t wait to see the amounts that are going to show up during the mullet run! We landed 15 in a matter of an hour or two on one occasion. I could go on and on about how good the fishing has been, but spring is almost over so let us focus on this summer.
Summer time is almost here and it should be an excellent one for fishing. Big schools of Bull redfish are already showing up and luckily we are able to see them now due to the clean water. Look for concentrations of finger mullet as they will continually increase in numbers throughout the remainder of the summer. If you see nervous bait, that is a good place to start fishing. I have been concentrating on areas that are holding more bait. If I get to an area where there is not a lot of signs of bait fish I usually take a quick look but move on quickly to find water if more signs of life. If the water level drops look for the fish to push into deeper water just off of where they would typically be holding. Look for the bait fish along the deeper edges of sand bars and fish the side that is holding the greater concentration of bait. I have been desperately trying to get my order in for pig fish and also have found a way to catch croakers for bait. If I can get a live well full of these noisy baits then you better be reading for some great fishing action! Big trout are a sucker for croakers and pigfish! Artificial will remain to be great bait during the summer. Look for the schools of reds to slowly start breaking up. You will find more and more individual fish on the flats. The big trout will work off the flats and stage in the cooler deeper water. I am looking forward to what this summer has to offer and hopefully we will get to spend a day on the water together. Last summer I found lost of small tarpon and they are already starting to show up. Can’t wait to put some tarpon in the air this year!!
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