Daytona Beach Area Fishing Report for September 17, 2006 Monday I started out in the Mosquito Lagoon in some deeper water along the edge of a flat hoping to see some tarpon or bigger redfish. It was a bit windy and the chop on the water made it tough to see anything in low light. I could see trout popping the schools of mullet. A lot of floating grass made it difficult if not impossible to use a topwater plug. I rigger a DOA Chug Head on a five inch green CAL tail with a 5/0 worm hook. This bait is totally weedless yet still spits water like a topwater plug and allows me to enjoy surface bites. I spent a few minutes using that rig to catch some trout and ladyfish before taking off to find a shoreline out of the wind. With the extreme high water we now have in the Mosquito Lagoon, I was able to go into areas that I have not visited in many months. I fished close to the shore using a green DOA jerkbait and caught several redfish in and around sand holes. As I moved away from the shore, I began to see more slot sized reds in about 15" of water and landed several more with the same green jerkbait. Around mid morning, I went in search of some bigger redfish. I located a nice school of 27-35 inch fish and switched over to a gold flake DOA baitbuster. Some of the slot sized reds have been very picky lately about what they will eat but the large fish have been very receptive to a mullet imitation. The first cast yielded a nice 32" redfish which was quickly followed by another similar sized fish. Working the Baitbuster on or just under the surface with a slow steady retrieve resulted in some voracious strikes. After catching two fish, I switched over to my 7wt flyrod and caught one more on a black and copper fly with beadchain eyes tied on a 3/0 circle hook. Friday, the first few spots I checked yielded no reds but did produce a few trout on the DOA Chug Head/CAL tail combo. Again, I went closer to shore to an area I had not visited in over a year. The flat was full of redfish but many of them were lying motionless in the grass as if they were sleeping. Presenting a lure to them only served to startle them and send them fleeing. The fish that were not sleeping did not seem to have much of an appetite either. Cast after cast resulted in the fish running away or totally ignoring the lure. I moved out to some deeper water and located a school of about 75 fish all upper and over slot size. Using the gold DOA Baitbuster, I was again able to quickly catch and land two reds. When targeting these fish, I smash down the barb to not only make the hook penetrate easier but to provide for a quick and easy release with minimal harm to the fish. After I caught and released two fish, I called my buddy Mike who was on a nearby flat with his girlfriend Jackie. They had been experiencing the same thing I had seen earlier in the day with the redfish not wanting to eat. I told them I had found some hungry fish. I met with them and they hopped onto my boat. We found the school again but we were unable to get close enough to them to get a shot. We stayed in the same area and began to see some single reds cruising the flat. I tied the gold Baitbuster onto Jackie's pole. She made a perfect cast to a lone redfish and landed a top of the slot fish. We saw a few more reds, a couple giant trout, and a tarpon in the 50lb range but did not get any other decent shots at fish. By mid afternoon, the wind had picked up and the fish thinned out so we called it a day. If you are searching for an inshore fishing guide near Daytona Beach, call me now to book your trip. We have excellent flats fishing all year long here in central Florida. Whether you want fly fishing or light tackle, Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters can assist you. If I am booked, I will help you in finding a qualified professional fishing guide to meet your needs. |
| Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters Inshore Fishing Guide Near Daytona Beach Fly and Light Tackle Fishing Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River 321-229-2848 |
Fishing Charter Information | Central Florida Fishing Report | Fishing Charter Rates | How to Book A Charter
| This is an archived saltwater flats fishing report for the Daytona Beach area from Central Florida Fishing Guide Captain Chris Myers. I specialize in sight fishing the flats of the Mosquito Lagoon for redfish, trout, and drum. My light tackle and fly fishing charters are designed for one or two anglers. Please visit my current fishing report for the latest conditions or see my Daytona Beach fishing guide page for more details. |
