Understanding Mosquito Lagoon

Mosquito Lagoon has been called the most diverse estuary in the world. Whether or not that is true, I'm not sure. The Lagoon is definitely diverse between the plant life, various types of sea grass, the migratory birds (including the Scrub Jay), wildlife and fish populations. It's a beautiful piece of undeveloped shoreline along the east coast of Florida. Most of Mosquito Lagoon falls inside of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore.

Arial Map of Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 and protects 140,000 acres of land surrounding Kennedy Space Center.  Over 1,500 species of plants and animals, including 15 threatened or endangered species, call this pristine stretch of land home.Of those 140,000 acres, Mosquito Lagoon makes up for about 21,000 acres. Up until recently, Mosquito Lagoon has been dubbed the redfish capital of the world. Louisiana has since over taken that title, that's not to say the Mosquito Lagoon doesn't rival the Louisiana Marsh. In other words, if you want to catch a redfish, the Mosquito Lagoon is a safe bet.

As you can tell, Mosquito Lagoon is very special place to a lot of us. Reading this, you may be saying "I don't understand what makes Mosquito Lagoon so special?" If you'd like to experience old Florida, the way our great state was before the hotels, condos, sky rises and traffic; come book a trip with a permitted fishing guide inside of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and fish Mosquito Lagoon. You will be amazed at the natural beauty and it will hit you how special Mosquito Lagoon is and how important it is that we all do our part to protect the natural resources we are blessed to have in our backyard's.

To find out more about Mosquito Lagoon or to book a fishing charter, give me a call!

Capt. Jesse
www.FlyinHighCharters.com

Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

I'm lucky to call Mosquito Lagoon my home waters. Being that Mosquito Lagoon is so close in proximity to Orlando, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and Cocoa Beach you can have all the luxuries of city life and in less than 1 hour be on the pristine coastal estuary waters of Mosquito Lagoon. With that brings along some negative impact to the Mosquito Lagoon. Since it is so close to these bigger cities, with large populations, fishing on Mosquito Lagoon can be tough due to all the fishing pressure it receives. With that being said, you can still fish Mosquito Lagoon and experience some of the best redfish and trout fishing in the world.

Being a fishing guide, its not uncommon in a social setting when employment comes up as a topic of conversation, that you get asked about fishing. It only makes sense, right. Right. One of the most common questions I get asked is "So, hows the fishing?" or "What do you catch?". The fishing on Mosquito Lagoon is really good. We are lucky in the fact that we don't really have to deal with our redfish populations migrating to spawn. Our redfish, for the most part, are born here, live here and spawn here year round. As far as I know, Mosquito Lagoon is the only ecosystem that can boast that. In addition to having a resident redfish population, we also have some of the largest sea trout you can find anywhere. During the winter months, on any given day when you're fishing Mosquito Lagoon, you are going to see a few 10 lb, maybe bigger, sea trout. For a flats fisherman, this is truly a sight to see. You've heard of gator trout, well Mosquito Lagoon has it's fair share of gators.

If you are interested in fishing and learning to fish Mosquito Lagoon, it's a good idea to hire a guide. While your guide most likely isn't going to give away all of his best fishing spots to you, they will get you started down the right path in understanding this diverse ecosystem. Mosquito Lagoon receives a lot of fishing pressure, so the fish can be very weary. When you come up to a flat you are going to fish, shut your big motor down well in advance of getting to the spot and ease in with your trolling motor, or even better the push pole. This will give you a better opportunity at not disrupting the fish and hopefully increase your chances of catching a trophy redfish or gator sea trout. Plus, if any other anglers are working that area, you will not disrupt their fishing.

I hope this improves your time fishing in Mosquito Lagoon.

Capt. Jesse

www.FlyinHighCharters.com

407-448-2017

February 2014 Fishing Report and Blog

February was an insanely busy month. Between a couple of out of state trips, taking delivery of my new East Cape Skiffs Vantage and running charters I haven't had much down time. I took a few days to spend some time with my son and family and catch up on some work. That gave me a few minutes to sit down and write this.

The first weekend of February, I headed up to Charleston, South Carolina with Kevin Fenn, one of the owners of East Cape Skiffs. The plan was to head up there, attend a Captain's meeting for the Low Country Redfish Cup Friday night, fun fish with a couple of the hardcore fly fishing guys from Charleston on Saturday and then on Sunday we were going to Scotty Davis' fly shop Lowcountry Fly Shop.

Photo credit: The Fiberglass Manifesto

We made it up there just in time for the Captains meeting Friday night, met some of the local tournament guys, had some dinner and a few drinks then went to crash at our buddy Wes' house. We woke up Saturday morning to nothing but wind, rain and cloud cover. Kevin and I decided we'd just chill in the city, meet up with a couple of the local guides and fly fishing guys. Sunday morning came early and we had to be a Scotty's shop at 9 a.m. The plan was to have a couple of East Cape Skiff's owners show up with their skiffs, deliver a new Vantage to a new customer and hang out with the South Carolina community. There was a great turnout for the event. We talked skiffs and fishing with a ton of people and had a great time.

Kevin Fenn of East Cape Skiffs talking skiff design and fishing.

Kevin Fenn discuss their newest skiff to hit the market. The East Cape Glide is a micro skiff designed for sight fishing 2 guys. This skiff is really fun skiff to fish. I enjoyed the time I spent on it.

After a long day couple of days in Charleston, it was time to get home and pick up my new skiff from the shop and get it my gear loaded and start fishing. 

Taking deliver of a 2014 East Cape Vantage. 

After picking up the new boat, I got it home and had 2 days before my next charter. I spent those days going through the engine break in. After putting a few hours on the motor, I ran my first charter out of the Vantage. Clifton and Nicole were up visiting from the Lakeland area and fished with me for two days. The first day of their two day charter, they had to deal with 15-20 knot winds and a front pushing through. The next day we had perfect Florida weather; sunshine and light wind. The weather was perfect, we saw lots of fish, had several takes but only managed to bring 2 the boat.

Clifton and Nicole with Mosquito Lagoon redfish released to be caught again.

After a few days in the Lagoon it was time to pack up and roll out to to the Louisiana marsh for a week. This was my second trip up to Louisiana in the past 3 months. There is so much water and so many areas to fish. If you enjoy redfishing, I would highly recommend taking a trip up there to fish. Keep in mind, the area is huge. If you end up going, spend some money, book a guide for at least a day. You cut down the learning curve drastically. There are several really good guides up there and most of them are really personable and friendly.

I'm going to do a separate blog to review my trip to Louisiana. Stay tuned for that.

March Fishing Forcast:
The trend of great fishing should continue through March, redfish will continue to school up on the flats. Hang off the school as much as possible, try to fish them without the fish sensing your presence. The trout bite in sand holes will continue to be good. The best way to fish the big trout is to blind cast quality bottom, focusing on the sandy potholes and edges of the grass.

The near shore bite should be firing now. With the Vantage, I plan on putting in some time off the beaches exploring the near shore bite.

Upcoming Events:
Wednesday March 5th- Flies and Lies at Orlando Outfitters starting at 5:30 p.m. Its a good time and you get to spend some time at the vice and hopefully learning something new or even better teach someone something new.
March 7th-9th- Salty Fly fishing tournament in Ruskin, FL

Thanks for reading.

Capt. Jesse
www.FlyinHighCharters.com
407-448-2017

December 2013 Fishing Report

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season with their families and friends. December is always a hectic month and never disappoints. I got the invite from Kevin Fenn, of East Cape Skiffs, to go up to Louisiana for five days to fish giant redfish in the marsh. It was an incredible trip, check out my blog for a full report of the trip. After getting home from Louisiana, I was eager to get back on out on the lagoon.

Paul, of VMarine, with a sight fished gator trout.

During the month of December we dealt with some dramatic weather fluctuations. There were days I was wearing board shorts and was bare foot on the skiff and there were days you had to wear multiple layers. The temperatures and winds were all over the place.

Chilly morning and a trout in need of a tummy-tuck.

I spent most of the month targeting gator trout the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River are known for.I love going after big trout, it's probably my favorite fish to target in the Mosquito Lagoon. Imagine poling a flat, easing along, doing your best not to let the fish know you are there. As you pole along, you see three or four large shadows in a sandy pot hole on your flat. Even better, poling along and seeing 10 pound trout "backing", with it's back and tail out of the water, and getting to sight fish her.

An average Mosquito Lagoon trout.

Targeting the big trout, you need to employ a stealth approach. These fish are as spooky as any particular species of fish I've targeted. The majority of the time, the fish has sensed your presence long before you see them. Trout are incredibly well camouflaged, a bird's eye view of a trout laying in turtle grass is almost impossible to see. A tactic I employ a lot during the winter is to concentrate on sand holes, there are two reasons for this... You stand a much better chance of spotting a fish over a white sand hole (which they like to frequent) and number 2, if they aren't laying in the sand hole, then there is a good chance they are laying in the grass near the edge of the sand hole waiting to ambush prey.

Paul with another large trout.

I spent a couple days on the water with Paul Volkerson of VMarine. It seems every time I fish with Paul we get into some big fish. each day we fished together we dealt with high winds and low temperatures. We went to one of Paul's spots and it was loaded. Within mintues of shutting down the motor and getting on the push pole we blew out 10-15 big trout out of one sand hole. For some reason, whenever I go to somebody's favorite spot, it usually a little less than described. After spooking that many fish, that quickly, I knew it was going to be a good day. We were on the water for three hours and caught seven big trout, all over six pounds. We had shots at them laid up, shots at them tailing and ,a first for me, doubled up on two gator trout.

This is a great time of year for fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. If you'd like to get out on the water and target some big fish in shallow water, give me a call.

Capt. Jesse
407.448.2017
Flyin' High Charters

Releasing a big trout to create another memory for another angler.

"See ya!"

A week in Louisiana

For as long as I can remember now, Louisiana has been gaining popularity with guides and traveling anglers. The Louisiana marsh is well known for its redfishing. After spending a week there, I now know why. I'm blessed to get to spend a lot of time in the Mosquito Lagoon and spend the majority of my time targeting redfish in shallow water and we have our share of big reds and large schools. With that said, I've never seen the consistent numbers of bigger fish like Louisiana has to offer and if the fish aren't there within a few minutes of working an area, the next spot is likely holding.

The plan was to leave the East Cape Skiffs factory in Orlando at 5 a.m. and arrive in Delacroix, LA before sunset. Surprisingly, we were on the road and headed North on time. It was a long but scenic ride, the terrain went from flat city-scapes of Orlando to cow and horse pastures near Ocala to rolling hills in North Florida to bridges crossing coastal rivers in Alabama and Mississippi and winding 2 lane roads of coastal Louisiana. Finally we arrived in to what would be our home camp, a 3 bedroom house on stilts across the street from a canal. There was plenty of room to park our three trucks trailering 3 VHP Vantages. After getting settled in, we sat down to eat dinner and discuss tomorrow's game plan. After a couple beers, some map studying a gear organizing we called it an early night and turned in.

5 a.m. came early but everyone was moving, you could sense the excitement among our group. The plan was to grab breakfast at a local restaurant, Penny's. The food, service and price was great. Definitely a place I'd recommend checking out, many of the local guides would be there in the morning, sharing a table and breakfast with their clients. As a guide, I found this interesting. Typically I meet and say goodbye to my clients at the ramp. I like observing other guides in other locales and how they conduct their business. I've learned a thing or two doing this. If you are going to head out to Louisiana, I'd recommend hiring a local guide. Fishing the marsh can be overwhelming, there is so much water to fish and the marsh isn't like a Florida shoreline. Check out East Cape's website for a listing of guides. Do your research and book any one of these guys and you'll be happy.

3 Vantage VHP's lined up and ready to GO. Photo credit: Wes Hollingsworth.

After Penny's it was time to head to a ramp in Hopedale and get out on the water. The 15 minute car ride from Penny's to the ramp felt like it took forever. Driving into Hopedale, you still see carnage from Katrina. Submerged commercial fishing boats and  semi-trailers upside down liter the banks of canal on the side of the road. A constant reminder of mother nature and her power.


Our first day on the water, we were greeted with light cloud cover and breezy conditions. After a long run to our first spot, the boats split up and we all went our own way. The plan was big fish in skinny water. It didn't take long to bring some big fish to the boat.

Pete Gulbrandsen of Pine Island, FL with his personal best to date. I don't think he stopped smiling the entire trip.

I've seen my fair share of big fish and been lucky enough to tangle with a few of them. I got "buck" fever a few times on this trip. Seeing a pod of three blackdrum tailing hard in 3 feet of water apparently got the best of me. The crazy thing about Louisiana is that you're going to see that same sight a few more times throughout the day.  If you're into sight fishing big fish, Louisiana needs to be near the top of your lists of areas to visit and fish. The fish aren't pressured anywhere near as much as the redfish I fish.

Kevin Fenn, Owner/Operator of East Cape Skiffs sights a bull redfish with its back of of the water working a bank. 

Kevin holding up one of the larger fish caught during our week in the marsh. Photo credit: Bo Sutton

With the sun dipping lower, we decided to make the 25-30 mile run back towards Hopedale and get ready for tomorrow. The plan was to for everyone to meet up at a predetermined spot and make the run back together. On our way to the meet up spot, we see Wes Hollingsworth, of South Carolina, sitting on the casting platform on his skiff. We motor up and see Wes supporting a nice redfish on his lap. I'd later find out that this was Wes' first redfish on fly. What makes it even better was the hunt, he was blessed to watch this fish tail along a bank from about 50 yards out. After talking with Wes that night at dinner it was obvious that he was officially hooked on fly fishing.

Congratulations Wes. I know there are going to be many more pictures like this be taken.

The next day we were greeted by significantly cooler temperatures, higher winds and dense fog. Not ideal for sight fishing but we were here to fish. After breakfast, we launched the boats and began making the run out to enjoy whatever awaited us in the marsh.

Wes Hollingsworth and Kevin Fenn doing what they do. Five days with these two will guarantee you some laughs.

Even though we were dealing with less than ideal conditions for the remainder of the trip, the theme remained the same.... Quantity and Quality. I spent the day on Paul Volkerson's, of V Marine, skiff. Paul and I have fished together before and we always have a good time and seem to get into some big fish. Here are a couple shots from Paul and I's day together.

Paul with a nice fish on topwater

The release

An "average" fish for where we were fishing. Photo credit: Paul Volkerson of V Marine

After a long day of clouds, wind and some rain, the skies finally opened up and we were given a picture perfect sunset for the run back to Hopedale. 

Running back to Hopedale, a feeling of disappointment settles in. No matter how hard we fished, it seemed there was never enough time in the day and our week seemed to fly by. Leaving Louisiana left us all wanting more bow time and a couple more days to spend exploring this incredible fishery.

Here are a few randoms from the week.

Paul landing a healthy Louisiana redfish.

Bo Sutton, of Orlando, with a red he sight fished off a point.

Walker Forrest, of South Carolina, with his big fish of the trip.

It's good to be home and back to fishing the lagoon. The water levels are still up but cleaner water is showing up in more and more spots. Sight fishing is going to be really good for the next couple of months. Be sure to revive your fish adequately and handle them with care. Stay tuned for more content.

Capt. Jesse

www.FlyinHighCharters.com

407-448-2017

Fall in Mosquito Lagoon

Late afternoon bite continues as the weather cools off. Nick from
Apopka sight fishing redfish while the sun sets.

October brings slightly cooler weather and clean water, with those slightly chillier temperatures in the air the come the presence of  mullet along the east coast of Florida. Those mullet trickle into the estuary systems and backwater areas of the space coast, including Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. Our predatory fish; redfish, trout, tarpon, snook and some flounder key in on bait fish and will hang around the edges of the bait pods early in the morning. Some keys to look for are birds diving, "nervous" water and bait flickering. Top water plugs can be an absolute blast this time of year.

Stone from Orlando with a sight fished red in the Mosquito Lagoon

Every now and then I get to a chance to be on the water with a friend and get some bow time. My friend, Jesse, a fly fishing junkie joined me for a scouting trip. Our day on the water started out with heavy cloud cover and high winds pretty much ruling out fly fishing. We put the fly rods up and brought out the spinning tackle. With the lack of sunshine, sight fishing was really tough. We had a great time throwing top water plugs and got into some fish. Late in the day, i took Jesse to a shoreline that produces lots of tailing fish late in the day. This was going to be our best opportunity, this day, for sight fishing. Like clockwork, tails started popping up for us. Jesse made a perfect presentation to this redfish and we ended a tough day on a high note.

Jesse with a sight fished tailing redfish.

I have some open dates remaining in November and December. A fishing charter makes a great Christmas present for that special someone. 

An upper slot redfish from the Indian River.

Capt. Jesse

www.FlyinHighCharters.com
407.448.2017