Capt Chris M

Fishing has been quite good this month with lots of redfish and seatrout and the occasional shot at black drum. Most of the redfish are in schools of 20- 500 fish and putting a lure in front of them is the closest thing we have to a certain hookup. The big schools offer the chance for double hookups and double digit catches. Even on days when it was raining and winds 15-20 mph, the fish were more than willing to cooperate. The top baits have been the 3" DOA CAL on a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jighead or the 5.5" DOA CAL rigged on a weighted weedless worm hook with a Woodies Rattle. Most of the time, we have been using golden bream or Arkansas Glow in the 3" and gold rush or silver mullet in the larger CAL. Water temperatures in the Lagoon have been hovering between 68 and 72 the past couple weeks. These slightly warmer temps have meant a few less large trout in the very shallow flats but the trout bite in 2-4 feet of water has been much better. The outside edges of flats or deeper areas with patchy sand and grass bottom have been producing using the CAL/jighead combo. An ultralight rod with 5lb braid makes some of the easiest fishing we have even more entertaining. Using the right retrieve is critical to getting the most bites. Almost all the bites will come while the jig is dropping so always having a tight line will mean more hookups. Too high in the water column will mean fewer bites, Too slow will get a lot of grass on the hook. Vary your speed until you start getting bit. I always use a barbless hook and have my ARC Dehooker handy to help these delicate fish. The first week of the month brought some heavy storms with high winds and rain but no lightning. Tonya and John were the first to brave the weather. We only saw one other boat all day and had plenty of fish all to ourselves. They both caught redfish and trout and had a great day despite the weather. The following day, my Canadian father and daughter team said they were used to the wind and rain and wanted to give it a try. Again we saw very few boats and had lots of fish to ourselves. The combined for numerous redfish as well as a black drum and nice trout. Curtis and Jeff had a great morning casting CALs at schools of large redfish. Scott and Nick had schools around them most of the day. Scott did battle with one that weighed over 35 pounds. Rick wanted to get his first redfish on fly. He tied on one of my recommended black redfish worm flies that he had made. A short time later, he had fulfilled his goal.His friends got in on the action as well with redfish and a ton of seatrout being caught and released. Jerry and Steve had some poor sight fishing conditions with solid cloud cover all day but managed some nice trout and a couple redfish casting 5 and 3 inch CALs to the sand holes. Steve and Scott fished with me yesterday and more cloud cover dominated the sky. We chose to ignore the old "red sky at morn"saying and headed out anyway.Within ten minutes, Scott was landing the first trout of the day. Soon after came a redfish as well. We moved to another flat and encountered nonstop schools of redfish as well as some large trout for a couple hours, a most excellent day of flats fishing. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the cold fronts and warmer weather will prevail. The schools of redfish will remain throughout the next couple months. As always, the simple rule of thumb for our fishing is the better you cast the more you will catch. When schools are plentiful, accurate casting can lead to catching 20 redfish per day. The 3" CAL shad tail has by far been the best lure to cast to the schools of fish. Fly anglers will want both a fast sinking fly like the redfish worm or one that lands very soft like a bendback for calm conditions. Capt. Chris Myers Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters Orlando Fishing Guide

The summer fishing during the past couple weeks has been mostly spectacular with a couple busts mixed in. On the good days it has been about as good as it can get. Inshore, the redfish and trout have been very good in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. The water level is a bit higher than usual for this time of year. In some places it is crystal clear, in others it is stained but still fishable on clear days. The two biggest enemies lately have been clouds and the tremendous amount of loose grass. Weedless lures are almost a must in some places. Redfish have been happily tailing and finning throughout the day when it is calm and some big trout can be spotted on the flats as well. They have been occupying most of our time as the tarpon have yet to make a consistent showing inshore. Surface baits have been working well with the DOA Baitbuster and Airhead topping the list. These single hook baits can stay out of the floating grass while a treble hooked plug will not. Other things that have been catching fish are the 3 inch shad tail CAL, the 5.5 inch CAL and the 1/4 ounce shrimp. Sight fishing conditions have been excellent and we have been seeing hundreds of redfish each day. On the east central coast beaches, there is some steady action when seas are calm. Tarpon, various sharks, jack crevalle, false albacore, and kingfish can all be found close to shore. The good thing about this fishing is you never know what you are going to catch and almost all the fish are big. Cynthia and Jeff fished with me again this year hoping to top the big redfish they caught on their first trip. It took us a while to find the big fish but when we did, the bite was steady and they both broke their personal record. Mack and his young son Charlie had a spectacular day catching redfish in Mosquito Lagoon. The boy had never caught a fish over two pounds but did an excellent job reeling in the reds. He had no desire to hold them, though so Dad helped him with this pose. The beach tarpon were eating the sinking DOA baitbuster in 10 feet of water. David prepares to release his first ever king mackerel on a recent nearshore trip. He also landed tarpon and false albacore on the same trip. Several days ago, I fished mosquito Lagoon with Mark Nichols, the owner of DOA lures. We caught a bunch of redfish and some trout on a variety of DOA plastics. This fish ate the new Airhead bait in silver rush color. Capt. Drew Cavanaugh and I had fun catching reds and trout on a beautiful summer morning. The following day, Steve landed a bunch of big redfish and had a few more that came off. Yesterday's trip started out with a beautiful sunrise. My client wanted to fly fish but could not quite reach the hundreds of tailing fish around the boat. He abandoned the flyrod after several hours but by that time the tails had gone down and the bite shut off. We tried everything I could think of but nary of fish was landed. Unfortunately, every day cannot be the greatest catching but the fishing was fun and the wildlife and scenery were excellent. This summer pattern will continue for at least the next two months. The crowds can be lighter until the part time residents return in the fall but one must be prepared for some heat. Sunscreen and water can be your best friends this time of year. Polarized glasses will help you see the fish. Being stealthy and quiet will help you get near them, and quick accurate casts will catch them. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The fishing for redfish, seatrout, and black drum continues to be outstanding on the flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. Most of the fish are still in schools with many of them holding 100-300 fish. The water is still crystal clear and sight fishing conditions are excellent. The fish have been eating a variety of baits. The 3" DOA CAL has been a go to lure on the windy days, which have been very plentiful. Pinned to a 1/4 ounce jighead, this lure will cast a long way even into a stiff breeze. The new DOA Airhead lure has been catching a lot of big seatrout and some quality redfish as well. The 5.5 inch CAL has also been very effective. We spend most of our time fishing in less than two feet of water casting to fish you can see. On warmer days, you can target the 2-4ft depths for trout and ladyfish. Bill and Megan got to fish one of the best weather days recently. They hoped to fly fish and were greeted with a school of tailing fish in every direction. Unfortunately, they soon discovered it was far different than small stream trout fishing and could not quite reach the fish. We switched spots and tactics and caught numerous seatrout using the Airhead lure. The next day we started with wind and storms all around us. Fortunately, the first two spots we stopped held happy and hungry fish. Rob and Jeff fed them some Airheads and landed both redfish and trout before lightning ran us off the water. The storms cleared out and behind them was a record cold front and plenty of wind. It did not bother the fish, however, and Jay and Guy caught some nice trout and had shots at a ton of redfish during the day. The cold weather was still hanging around when Marcus and his son Luca joined me on Mosquito Lagoon. Luca had never landed a big fish before and got the chance to do it several times that day. A few days later, Bob and Leslie enjoyed some great sight fishing for redfish and big trout. Kyle got shots at over a dozen schools of redfish hanging out in some very shallow water. Six year old Ryder needed a bit of help casting but reeled in this and several other redfish all on his own. Despite a forecast calling for storms and high winds, Dan and Mike wanted to get out and fish. It was an excellent decision as every fish they caught was over 10 pounds with some pushing 30. Hopefully we have seen the last of the cold fronts push through and we will return to a more stable weather pattern. Lighter winds and clear skies will make for some great sight fishing. Landing double digit numbers of redfish is easy if you practice your casting and can hit your target. This is also one of the best times of the year to catch a trophy seatrout. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The sight fishing in Mosquito Lagoon has been about as good as it can get in recent weeks. The weather has been generally warmer than usual which has made for some comfortable fishing conditions. To go along with the excellent weather, huge schools of redfish have been the norm. This week, we encountered schools so large you could not cast from one side of them to the other. A wonderful problem to have for a fisherman. Even on the slowest of days, we still have had shots at over 1,000 redfish per day. We have been catching the fish on both fly and soft plastics. When the fish are tailing, a DOA shrimp rarely goes uneaten provided you get it to them before they see you coming. Once the school begins to take flight, the bite percentage drops dramatically. The faster they are swimming, the fewer bites you will get. A sure way to get the school to flee is to let them know you are coming by making noises on the deck. Stealth is an important factor of sight fishing.Casting speed and accuracy are a close second. Vern caught his first redfish using a 5.5 inch DOA CAL on a beautiful winter day on the flats. Marty made his inaugural trip to Mosquito Lagoon with the hope of catching redfish on fly. He accomplished his goal several times. One fly that has been working well for us recently is a variation of the using copper chenille and an olive rabbit strip.Tied on a #4 hook with small lead eyes, this fly has accounted for numerous reds the past month.For the month ahead, I anticipate more excellent tailing redfish action. The redfish have been so plentiful that we have spent little time looking for other species on most days. Large trout are still around for those wanting to target them and lots of average sized trout can be caught in 2-5 feet of water. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon during November offered some excellent sight fishing opportunities for redfish and large seatrout. Many of the redfish are in schools that range from 25 -200 fish. On calm days they can be found tailing on the shallow flats in search of crabs, shrimp, and marine worms. A school of tailing redfish is as close as you can get to a guaranteed bite. They will eat a variety of lures especially the DOA shrimp and the CAL series tails. The most important things is to use a quiet approach and do not land your lure in the middle of the school. Big seatrout have been staging in sand holes and can be spotted on sunny days. The will respond to the same lures you use for redfish. This is an excellent time of year for targeting redfish, trout, and drum with a flyrod. The two flies I use the most are the black redfish worm fly and a simple bendback pattern on #4 hooks. Casting is key and is far more important than fly selection. November brought plenty of wind to the flats. The fish do not mind the wind and will still feed aggressively. Anglers, however, often struggle with their presentation when the wind is blowing. The toughest days were when there were clouds and wind making sight fishing virtually impossible. Under those conditions, blind casting in likely areas becomes the only option. While redfish, seatrout, and black drum are the main species we will encounter for the next five months, there is always a chance to catch a flounder or two, especially in the northern regions of the Lagoon. Jim fished with me on a clear but windy day last month. He had shots at redfish throughout the day and caught some using a golden bream colored CAL tail. The next day brought some unseasonably cold temperatures but the redfish did not seem to mind a bit. Ryan's first redfish cam on another cool morning from a school of several hundred fish. A three inch CAL tail was used to catch the first of Heather's several redfish and trout this week. The next day, I was invited to fish with my friend Capt. Rick Grassett out of Sarasota, FL prior to my speaking engagement at the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Club. We fished the Gulf of Mexico sight fishing for tripletail. I caught a couple on fly but the larger fish would only follow, but not eat, my flies. I offered up a DOA shrimp which was quickly eaten by the two largest fish. Yesterday the redfish were tailing and the winds were light. Gregg and Ed encountered over one thousand redfish in multiple schools as well as some quality seatrout in the sand holes. Here is Ed catching one of the smallest fish of the day. The sight fishing for redfish and trout will be excellent during December. Clear water will allow anglers to spot the fish on sunny days provided they have polarized glasses. Copper colored lenses work best on the flats. On calm days, use small lures to minimize splash and avoid spooking fish. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

This can be one of the easiest times of year to catch a trophy sized redfish in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. The huge redfish are schooled up for the fall spawn and are about as aggressive as you will ever find them. They will willingly take both surface baits and a variety of flies. While this sounds easy, it does offer its own set of challenges. First, these big fish are almost always moving and can cover miles of water in a day. Sometimes they are exactly where you except them to be and on others they are nowhere to be found. Second, dozens of others boats are searching for the same fish on any given day. Just because you find them first does not mean you will not be surround by boats in a matter of minutes. Catch a few and move on. Pounding these schools by following them all day long affects both their behavior and spawn. If you are looking for some more laid back fishing, head up shallow.Clean water can be found in the Indian River, and, I am happy to report, the Mosquito Lagoon as well. On the flats, not all the fish are over twenty pounds and they are not all in large schools but there is far less pressure from other boats and the fish are just as aggressive and happy to eat. In both areas, but especially Mosquito Lagoon, there is a large amount of dead grass both floating and sub surface. Weedless rigged baits are a big help in most locations and nearly mandatory in some. We have been using the dark Golden Bream color and the green backed Silver Mullet colors with lots of success in both clear and stained water. The addition of a Woodies Rattle has especially helped the fish find the bait in cloudy water conditions. Steve and Stan had some success fishing the Indian River with me this month. The 5.5 inch DOA CAL accounted for both redfish and seatrout including Steve's fish in the 30 pound class. Chris used the same bait to land himself a trophy sized seatrout a few days later. My friend Capt. Drew was kind enough to push me within range of some big redfish this week. Using a mullet fly I made from EP fibers, I hooked four big reds but only got one to the boat. Drew threw the DOA Baitbuster at them when it was his turn. He worked the lure up to the fish. A huge explosion followed as several giant redfish tried to grab it at once. Yesterday, we could not find the big fish anywhere. Fortunately, we were able to find some cooperative redfish and trout on the shallow flats. Chris and Vern both caught and released some of each. As millions of mullet migrate down the east coast, many make their way through the inlet and travel down the Lagoon system. Lures that imitate mullet will do well this month. My favorites are the shallow running Baitbuster, which I work on the surface, and the 3 inch DOA CAL on a jighead or worm hook. Tarpon are still a possibility on any day this month as are a variety of other migratory species. Be prepared for different species in case the opportunity presents itself. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

While the fishing has been quite good as we officially enter the beginning of summer, the weather has been anything but. Another subtropical system is currently engulfing the state bring more clouds and rain, the enemy of the sight fisherman. It seems like the past month has brought a higher than average amount of wind and clouds to central Florida. Hopefully, we will return to a more normal pattern soon. When the weather has cooperated, the fishing has been quite good. The water level in the Lagoon system is nearly one foot higher than it usually is this time of year. This gives the fish more places to roam and you are likely to find them in some unusual and unexpected places. Fortunately, we have not experienced the heavy algae bloom that invaded our waters last year. Most of the flats are clear. When the sun is out, sight fishing is excellent. On one of the nicer weather days, Jay and Marc joined me for an outstanding day on the flats. Numerous redfish and trout were landed on a variety of baits and flies including DOA Baitbusters and CALs and some of Jay's secret baitfish pattern flies. Last week, I made my annual trip to the DOA Outdoor Writers Event in Stuart. On the first day, I fished with Homosassa Guide and writer Capt. William Toney. We used the Holographic 1/4 ounce shrimp to catch a variety of trout, flounder, snapper, lookdowns, jacks, and snook. The following day I fished with Cheryl and Polly. We stayed around the St. Lucie Inlet hoping for a giant snook. We found some huge fish hugging the bottom and tied on some 1/4 jigheads with a 3 inch holographic paddle tail CAL. Ceryl hooked up first but the huge fish cut through the 30lb leader. A few minutes later, Polly stuck a 37 inch snook and landed it using 10 pound braid. It was her largest snook to date. Back in Mosquito Lagoon, I teamed up with Capt. Drew Cavanaugh for a day of scouting and fun fishing. We found some hungry redfish and had a blast watching them crush the Baitbuster on the surface. Check out my Youtube page for a short video of a topwater redfish bite. I also hooked several large fish using the BFL 5.5 lure. On my charter the following day, the conditions were not quite as good and sight fishing was difficult. George managed to land several nice trout and a half dozen redfish casting a 5.5 inch CAL with a Woodies Rattle in areas where the fish were holding. Despite a forecast of clouds and high winds, David elected to keep his charter date for Thursday. It turned out to be an excellent decision. The morning started out clear and calm. We started off looking for tarpon. There were none to be found. The redfish, however, were happy to play. David landed three reds over 34 inches on the Baitbuster before the clouds moved in and we lost our visibility.The rest of the morning was spent blind casting which produced several more redfish and a nice trout. Yesterday's trip, along with next Monday's had to be rescheduled due to bad weather. When this current system passes through, look for the steady redfish and trout action to continue. With the high water, many of the flats are too deep to see tailing fish. The high water is allowing fish to get close to the shore and into the back bays and coves which are usually too shallow for both boats and fish during the summer. Finding the redfish can take some time and effort on some days. The easiest fishing can be had on the deeper edges of the flats around mullet schools. Topwater baits, as well as jigs with soft plastics can produce some fast action for trout and ladyfish. Pinching off the barbs will make it easier on the fish and the person doing the dehooking. Fly anglers can use weighted flies such as a clouser minnow pattern in the same areas. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The Mosquito Lagoon flats fishing has been about as good as it gets these past couple weeks. Except for a couple days of windy weather, both the conditions and the fishing have been outstanding. Anglers have been encountering from 500 to over 1000 fish per day. Our three springtime species, redfish, trout, and black drum, have all been cooperating. Both fly and light tackle anglers are having success on a variety of lures and fly patterns. Big schools of mullet have arrived in the lagoon and the fish are feasting on them. Richard spent a couple days on the front of my boat this month targeting fish on fly. He had lots of shots at fish and managed to catch all three species. The black redfish worm and bendback patterns were the most successful. The third day Richard was to go with me, we arrived at the ramp to 20 knot winds. After some consideration, he decided he would rather not go out in the tough conditions. Since I was already there, I hopped in the boat for some fun fishing. The winds unexpectedly dropped and I was able to get in some decent sight fishing. The redfish were very aggressive and willing to eat anything I threw from Baitbusters to topwater to CAL jigs and flies. The following day we found some large schools of redfish at first light. They would allow the anglers one shot before moving out of range. As the sun got higher, there were consistent shots at single fish on the clear flat. Several redfish were caught and released. They ended the day with some nonstop catching action for trout using a jig and CAL tail in 3-4 feet of water. Friday was nearly a carbon copy with more schools of redfish. During the day we found a spot holding redfish, trout, and drum well off the beaten path and had shots at them for nearly 2 hours. Last Monday I had the pleasure of fishing with John Machin and Paul Procter. They are both fly casting instructors in the UK and needed every bit of their skill as it was the only day last week the wind was blowing. As luck would have it, most of the schools were nowhere to be found. Both guys put on a top notch fly casting display, however, catching both black drum and redfish in sustained winds up to 24mph. Tuesday there was no wind, clear skies, and redfish in every direction. Jon had an excellent day of sight fishing on the flats catching his first Mosquito Lagoon slam. Tom got to experience some great redfish action using a DOA Baitbuster that he threw to tailing fish. Reeling the bait along the surface to mimic a small mullet, he caught some nice reds and lost a few as well. Later in the day, he finished with some nice seatrout. The husband and wife team of Ray and Kim were on board for Thursday's trip. Ray landed the first red on a Baitbuster while Kim followed up with several nice drum and a redfish of her own. They then proceeded to catch a trout nearly every cast for the last half hour of the day. On Friday, Bob and his son Joe made their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. The action started off good with some nice schools of reds in the first half hour. After a brief lull in the action, we came across plenty of singles and small groups. The day ended with several large trout being caught and released on 5.5" DOA CALs with a Woodies Rattle. The redfish have turned their focus to mullet and pinfish and have been very aggressive the past few weeks. Lures imitating mullet will be effective on both the redfish and trout. Watch for trophy sized trout to be lying on shallow sand holes. Once you see them moving the chance of getting a bite is significantly reduced. Get the lure or fly to them before they see you and your success rate will be much higher. Look for the outstanding sight fishing to continue through this month. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide

The first two weeks of March have been complete opposites. Last week we experienced high winds and lots of clouds every day except one. This week was a flats fisherman's paradise with calm winds, clear skies, and thousands of happy fish in shallow water. While we caught fish on every trip, even during the windy days, it was much easier and productive this week. I stared last week with Dave. Despite a forecast of winds between 20 and 30mph, he still wanted to venture out for what would be his only chance to fish Mosquito Lagoon. Fortunately, my boat handles rough water quite well and we found ourselves the only anglers on the flat. We spotted a few fish and a couple schools but nothing like we were hoping for. Still Dave got his first few redfish. The following day it was nearly as windy as I set out with Neal. Clouds were hampering our sight fishing and the school of large reds we were on kept managing to sneak out of our view. It was a tough day fishing but Neal's first and only redfish topped the 20 pound mark. The next three days I spent fishing with injured veterans from Afghanistan. Wounded Warrior Outdoors is a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic outdoor adventures to injured active duty personnel. I had the pleasure of fishing with Jacob and Seth, both Marines, for what was their first saltwater fishing trips. We did not get the best of weather and had to spend much of our time hiding in protected areas in the northern Lagoon. They were able to get some calmer weather the second day which allowed the guys to experience sight fishing for tailing drum. They caught a variety of fish over the days including redfish, black drum, trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevalle, and more. This Monday, the winds subsided, the skies cleared, and the sight fishing was red hot. Richard and his son Ryan landed double digit redfish on DOA CAL tails before finishing the day with some seatrout on the Deadly Combo. Tuesday, Nick and I found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of tailing redfish throughout the morning. Every cast that landed on target resulted in a bite. The schools eventually moved off and we spend the remainder of the day with nonstop shots and single redfish. Billy and Frank experienced similar conditions the following day. The three inch DOA CAL in the new Bloodworm color resulted in multiple bites. Later in the morning, we found some incredible seatrout action catching and releasing over 30 fish. Irl was my final client this week. Tailing redfish again greeted us at first light. He used a silver and green bendback fly to fool several reds. Irl had some shots at black drum and 20-30 pound redfish during the day but could not convince them to eat. Schools of finger mullet are pouring back into the Lagoon and the pinfish are making their appearance as well. Topwater baits will produce but most areas have lots of floating grass that lifted up off the shorelines as the water levels rose. For tailing reds, the 3 and 4 inch DOA CAL has been very effective along with the 3 inch shrimp. Fly anglers should use an unweighted fly that will land softly when casting to tailing fish on calm mornings. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide

The past couple weeks have brought some changes to the Mosquito Lagoon which include a sudden rise in the water level along with some long awaited clear water. Since the water has cleared, the sun has been in hiding which has made the sight fishing difficult but not impossible. On days when it has been too windy to fish the flats, the St. Johns River has been providing some excellent fishing for American Shad on light tackle and fly. Shad are the freshwater version of a mini tarpon. They fight hard and jump high. In addition to the shad, the bluegill, sunfish, bass, and crappie also help keep the rod consistently bent. It was one of those cloudy and windy days last week that I took John to the St. Johns after we decided fly fishing for redfish would be futile. John proceeded to catch dozens of fish hroughout the day on a variety of flies in sizes 10-12.A few days later, another client named John was faced with the same situation. He wanted to fly fish the flats but the weather was going to make it difficult. Again we hit the river and, armed with my new 3wt flyrod, John enjoyed some spectacular catch and release action on both shad and panfish.Most of the day he used lightly weighted flies tied on barbless size 12 hooks in gold, chartreuse, or pink. When throwing into a feeding frenzy, color made no difference. Karen joined me on the river for some shad fishing this week. She used an ultralight spinning rod and the DOA Tiny TerrorEyz to land an assortment of shad and panfish. I used both the fly and spin rods to catch a bunch of shad, bluegill, redbreast, and a nice bass. The next day Paul and I fished the river. While the shad were not biting quite as fast as the day before, we still tallied over 20 with dozens more panfish mixed in. We saw lots of alligators, tons of birds, and even some swimming cows. Returning to Mosquito Lagoon Thursday, I found the cold snap over the weekend had caused the water to clear up dramatically. Many areas had the cleanest water I have seen since last spring. The redfish were not tailing, however, and Todd and Steve had a difficult time spotting the few we came across. They managed to landed several trout and a flounder on a CAL bait. Friday's trip with Roger and Annie brought more clouds. We encountered plenty of redfish, most of which were in schools of 25-100 fish. In addition to the reds, there were lots of large seatrout on the shallow flats. Both Roger and Annie landed trout and reds on the DOA shrimp in watermelon holographic, and the 5.5 inch CAL in golden bream with a Woodies Rattle. With the water clear, the redfish schooled up, and the big trout up shallow, all we need is some sunny days and we will get some excellent sight fishing action on Mosquito Lagoon. Fly anglers should stick to crab and shrimp patterns for redfish and drum, and bendback or topwater sliders for big trout. The DOA shrimp will continue to work well for sight fishing both species and the CAL bait will cover lots of water if you need to blind cast. The Shad run should continue for several more weeks in the St. Johns River. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The past several days the fishing in Mosquito Lagoon has been about as good as it gets. The month overall has been up and down with some fantastic sight fishing and some days when the fish were few and far between. The warm and calm weather as of late has certainly been to the angler's advantage as the fish have been happy and tailing. The dead calm days have made the fish easy to spot but they are also easily spooked by unnatural noises. I saw hundreds of fish spooked by squeaky shoes on the deck alone. Be extremely aware of your noise discipline as you approach tailing fish. With water temperatures in the morning in the high 60's and near 75 by day's end, the fish are aggressive and will eat even large baits. Unfortunately, the water is still not crystal clear like it should be this time of year. It is clear enough to see the fish though. Most of the month, we experienced extremely low water levels. The water has risen this past week and with it came tons of floating grass that had been washed up on the shore. Weedless jerk baits are a necessity when the grass gets to be too thick. Color has not seemed to be too important as we have caught fish on a variety of shades. Presentation, however, is very important. Trying to catch tailing redfish means you are casting at a stationary target but your bait must get within a foot or less of them or they will not see it. Ray had an excellent day on the Lagoon before he had to go to a job in Iraq. He landed double digit redfish, mostly on the 3" DOA CAL tail and a 1/8 ounce jighead. Joe wanted to try his hand at fly fishing for redfish. A steady 10 mph wind was a bit much for him to overcome with the fly but he did manage several nice reds on the 3" CAL. Jim fished Mosquito Lagoon with me the following day. He threw the fly all day long. We tried feeding some uncooperative black drum. We never convinced one to bite. Jim used a small tan shrimp imitation fly of his own creation to catch several redfish. Mike was my next fly angler last week. We began the day throwing a bendback to some very shallow schools of redfish. While he came close a number of times, 10 feet more on his fly cast would have resulted in some hookups. Again we tried a multitude of flies on some black drum. The only bite he got ended when the leader broke on the hook set. Mike was able to get his first redfish to eat a fly he tied on a #4 hook with some orange/brown chenille, small lead eyes, and a tan wing. With shots at hundreds of fish throughout the day, we called it a success. This Monday I took a trip to the St John's River for some fly fishing for shad. While others I spoke to reported catching 30-40 shad, I caught that many fish but only 8 or so were the target species. The rest were a mixture of crappie, bass, bluegill, sunfish, and redbreast. The shad are there, however, and it seems to be a good run of them this year. Tuesday, I fished with Jeff and Jim on their first flats fishing trip. We found the black drum a bit more willing to cooperate and even got a double header. Tailing redfish were our next target. The tails were easy to spot as the water was smooth as glass. Soon we had tail in every direction. With lots of floating grass to deal with, I elected to go with a weedless CAL in melonback color. A Woodies rattle inserted near the tail helped the fish find the bait. The next few hours were filled with shots at hundreds of reds and some bent rods resulted. We ended the day completing a Mosquito Lagoon slam by using the DOA Deadly Combo to catch numerous seatrout off the outside edge of the flat. Wednesday was nearly a carbon copy of the day before. The only improvement was we had much clearer skies making it even easier to spot the fish when the sun came up. Rick and Cynthia started off the day bringing a few black drum to the boat before we moved on to tailing redfish. The first red came on a DOA shrimp but the weedless CAL bait proved to be a better choice with the heavy floating grass still around.In addition to landing numerous redfish, both caught a seatrout as well to complete a double slam for the second day in a row. As long as the weather remains stable, the fishing will continue to be outstanding. Should a cold front blow through and drop the water temperatures significantly, the fish will drop off the flats for several days. If you must fish during those times, target the deeper edges of flats and sand troughs with jigs. As long as the water remains warm, however, the fish will be happy, schooling, and feeding. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide

The story so far this December has been one of weather and water. Neither one have been cooperating. The weather has been less than optimal for sight fishing. While there have been a few days with light winds and sun, there have been many more with one or both of those factors working against us. This time of year, the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River should be crystal clear. Unfortunately, that is not the case in most parts of the Lagoon system. The water temperatures are still hovering above 65 degrees and the bloom of exotic algae that plagued us most of the summer and fall is still lingering on. To see the fish, you need both sun and clean water, a combination that has been hard to get lately. The good news is that there are redfish around and they have been more than willing to eat well placed lures and flies. To start the month off, I had fellow FFF Certified Casting Instructor Dan Boggs on board for what I was hoping would be one of the best fly fishing days of the year. The fish had been tailing well the week before and I was certain Dan would be able to hit the target. We arrived to find winds sustained at 19mph, chilly temperatures, and plenty of clouds. Not only do redfish not tail as much in the wind, it is more difficult to spot them when they do. Needless to say, the tailing fish were nowhere to be found. Dan's father reeled in the only redfish of the day. A few days later, I was joined by fried Rick for a day of fun fishing. We spent the first part of the morning exploring miles of water that held very few fish. After much searching, we found some clean water and plenty of cruising redfish. The black redfish worm fly and the watermelon holographic DOA shrimp were pounced on by most of the fish that saw them. While many of the fish we saw were digging in the grass feeding, we saw very few tails break the surface. The following morning, I returned to a slick calm flat to find schools of tailing redfish in every direction. The first cast of the day with my 5wt flyrod resulted in a redfish eating my brown and gold bendback fly but the fish broke off. I tied on a green and silver bendback and got 4 bites on the next 5 casts but no hookups. I inspected the fly and discovered the hook had broken just below the eye on the first bite. I grabbed my black redfish worm and quickly began hooking, and landing, fish. About 45 minutes later, the tails all went down, the fished moved off, and I never saw them again. I spent the remainder of the day scouting for some places to fish on what I knew was going to be a windy charter the following day. Scottish angler, Brian, joined me for another one of the days of 20 mph winds we have had. To go along with the wind, we had morning temperatures in the 40's. The water temperature had dropped thirteen degrees overnight. It was the last day of his trip, however, and he wanted to give it a try. His preference was fly fishing but, due to the wind, he decided a spinning rod might give him a better chance. Unfortunately, none of the fish I had found the previous day were in wind protected areas. We were the only boat in sight when Brian began getting bites on his weedless rigged three inch DOA CAL. For some reason, the fish were not getting hooked so I switched him to a four inch CAL in golden bream color. We were fishing in about 2 feet of slightly cloudy water with both grass and sand patches. A Woodies Rattle in the baits seemed to be helping the fish locate the small lure. Brain caught redfish on the 3, 4, and 5 inch CAL baits. The bite was consistent and he even got out the flyrod and made some blind casts with a brown crab pattern. He landed his flyrod redfish and turned some poor weather into an excellent day of catching. This week's weather was even less flats fishing friendly with gray skies dominating the days. Steve and Hank joined me on the Lagoon for some sight fishing. The winds were light for a change but the clouds were thick in the morning. Unable to find any tailing fish we tried some trout fishing while we waited for the clouds to clear. I tied on a couple DOA Deadly Combos and we began hitting islands, bars, and dropoffs. They caught a dozen or so and we suddenly had a break in the clouds. We raced off to the flats in search of redfish. We had just located a decent concentration when the clouds. Unable to see the fish until we ran into them, they were forced to change tactics to blind casting for the rest of the day. Both guys had several bites from redfish but failed to set the hook and they never managed to land one. When the weather cooperates and the fish are tailing, the fishing is excellent. During periods of clouds and wind, finding the fish can be a challenge. Hopefully, as we move towards what is traditionally the coldest time of the year in Florida, the algae bloom will clear and more areas will be open to sight fishing. Clean water and blue skies are at the top of my Christmas wish list. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

In December we will definitely have redfish and hopefully some black drum as well.

Fishing is good on the Mosquito Lagoon! The past couple months have brought some tough fishing conditions to Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. A severe algae bloom clouded the water making sight fishing difficult, if not impossible, in most locations. Most of the fish retreated to deeper water. If you could see schools of fish along the edges of sandbars, they responded well to the DOA Baitbuster and the BFL 5.5 lures. Some schools of big redfish were roaming around the Mosquito Lagoon and the northern Indian River Lagoon and they prepared for the spawning season. Mid October brought two tropical systems to central Florida which dumped over 15 inches of rain. Water levels in the Lagoon system shot up over two feet. The water has since receded some but is still high. Ranald was visiting from Sweden and wanted to experience some fly fishing for redfish. The only day he could go was on the tail end of the second storm front. With winds pushing 30mph, there was no fly fishing but he did catch 5 quality redfish. On a positive note, the water temperatures are coming down and the algae is clearing up. This week, I saw quite a few areas with crystal clear water and many more that are getting better. Not all of them held fish but there were a lot of fish spotted. Most of the fish were digging in the grass and mud, a sure sign they are feeding. Indeed they were as some nice reds came to the boat for a quick photo. One of the best things to present to tailing redfish is a fly. British fly angler Warren did just that. He used a black fly of his own creation similar to the black redfish worm . Warren landed several redfish, had a few more bites, and made some excellent shots at fish throughout the morning. The only thing that brought and end to the catching were the clouds that moved in and stole our visibility. Lee and Rose also got in on some of this week's redfish action as well. As the water temperatures stay below 70, more areas of the Lagoon will continue to clear up. The water should begin dropping soon as we move into the winter pattern. Winter means schooling and tailing redfish and hopefully the return of the black drum. Fly anglers will continue to do well with small crab and shrimp patterns. The DOA shrimp should be the go to lure for those using conventional gear. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The redfish bite in Mosquito Lagoon is still extremely good. The water clarity is very poor in many places making it tougher to spot the fish. Most mornings, you can find tailing fish or see them blasting mullet pods. As the morning moves on, the tails are less frequent and it is still hard to see in the water. By midday, you can spot the fish moving across the flat as long as the sun is out. Most of the fish we have been spotting are ten pounds and up making them a bit easier to see. A DOA Baitbuster worked along the surface will draw strikes all day long but is especially effective first thing in the morning. With floating grass very heavy throughout the Lagoon. This is one topwater bait that can still be used effectively. Other lures we used this week included the 5.5 inch CAL in holographic, a 3 inch CAL in watermelon holographic, a black redfish worm fly, and an EP pinfish fly. Shawn started off the day by watching a redfish slam his Baitbuster. A few minutes later, he landed his biggest redfish to date. The following day, Jeff had a redfish in the 30 pound range eat his Baitbuster only to have it break off on the hook set. He had lots of shots at fish throughout the day and managed to land a few. Freelann and Jeff started off the morning landing some nice fish on the Baitbuster. We then switched to the holographic 5.5 inch CAL later in the day. Jeff wanted to try some saltwater fly fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. Solid cloud cover made for some extremely difficult sight fishing conditions but he managed to put a black redfish worm in front of a nice redfish. I went back out that afternoon for a bit of fun and exploring. The fish were happy to eat and I got three to eat the Baitbuster along with numerous other bites. I tried the EP pinfish fly and landed two more before storms chased me back to the ramp. Jack and Debbie both landed redfish on their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon this week. Allen and Chris were greeted by both tailing redfish and other pods crashing mullet schools as we pulled up to our spot at first light. They fired out the Baitbusters for a couple hookups and many more bites. With the algae clouding the water, it is extremely important to have the proper glasses if you want to see the fish. Gray lenses prove to be very ineffective on a weekly basis. Choose copper, brown, or vermilion, for color enhancement and clarity on the flats. Cloudy water means your casts have to be accurate for the fish to see the lure. Most of the shots we are getting the past couple weeks are from 15-30 feet from the boat. When the fish are that close, you are normally going to get one shot before they see you. Short, quick, accurate casts will get bites. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide