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captdoug · 01-16-2002, 10:05 PM

1/16/2002 Flats fishing report for the Indian and Banana Rivers. By Capt Doug Blanton Redfishing has been great this week. It is a beautiful site to see so many fish tailing first thing in the morning. I have been fishing the Indian River for the past few weeks and have watched the schools grow larger and larger each week. The best thing about these schools is they have been feeding on top water. If you haven't fished a school of reds you haven't fished for them. When the red group up like they have now they become extremely competitive. I have watched reds fight for a lure so hard that they push each other out of the way. the bad thing is sometime they fight so hard for your lure that none of them get it. Most of the reds we caught this past week were on Top Dogs however I did manage to catch a few skittish reds on MirrOlure's "Catch 2000" (20MR-51) and on DOA's near clear shrimp. Our best catches have been between 0800 and 1200pm. Just look for the bait in or along the sandy areas in 2 feet or less. The bait has been sparse so when you find them the reds will be close by. Most of the schools I have found have been near the mouths of canals. Most of these fish have been in the 25 to 35 inch range with a few larger reds up to 45 inches working just inside the flats. I will be fishing the Banana River next week due to stories of schools of bull reds working the flats there in the early mornings. Ladyfish and jacks continue to be a sure thing at the power plants. I have fished these plants for the past few weeks with light tackle and have found the fishing to get a little better every trip. This is a great place if you just want to have fun catching fish. Remember, ladyfish are a cousin to the tarpon and love to give you a lot of air time. This is one of those times when experience is not required to have fun. I love watching first time fisherman and old salts turn into little kids. When fishing the ladies try to remember to crush the barbs on you hooks. This will make taking them off a lot easer and cause less stress to the fish. My schedule is filling up through June so if you want to get out and catch some fish do it soon. This week all of our fish we caught where on: MirrOlure's Top Dog 94M-21 rigged with a Daiichi Bleeding Hook on the front MirrOlure's Top Pup 74SR-21 rigged with a Daiichi Bleeding Hook on the front MirrOlure's Catch 2000 rigged with a Daiichi Bleeding Hook on the front Near clear DOA shrimp Cotee 3" Swirl Tails Clear silver flake Got-cha Saltwater Curltail Grubs . any color works for the ladyfish No-motor Zone 1/16/2002 report by Craig Redwine Last week brought us our coldest day since 1989 27degrees. But the hot topic was Blackdrum we found these fish tailing best between 11am and 1pm but one day last week we saw them tail as soon as we hit the water until the time we left at dark. The fish all ranged from 20 to 30 pounds we fish all artificial bait which included D.O.A soft-shell crab, shimpposter, crab pattern fly & chartreuse clouser minnow. The fish were finicky but not spooking easily which allowed us to make several presentations to them before getting hooked up. Before the front came through I was on schools of Redfish up to 40 inches with about 20 or so in a school, I expect with warming temperatures they will move back onto the flats. I also have been seeing nice trout 25"moving along grassy areas in the afternoon. And something we don't see everyday in the no-motor zone a pompano 3 lb. and a flounder 12." You just never know. Flats Report for the Mosquito Lagoon and North Indian River 1/16/2002 Mosquito Lagoon Report by Capt. Scott MacCallia What to do!!!!!!! The fishing has been out of this world, deciding where to go has been tough. Fresh water or salt water, No-Motor zone with Craig or the Mosquito Lagoon, redfish in the Lagoon or huge Black Drum in the No-Motor zone, and also.....THE SHAD ARE FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! Book your shad trip now!!! The days are filling fast!! To many fish to catch, so little time. Last week Craig and my self had a few banner days in the No-Motor zone. The Black Drum were tailing every where, and eating artificials with abandon. Flies, (my favorite), D.O.A. crabs, and other soft plastics all caught fish. Catching a 30# plus Black drum in a foot of water is really incredible stuff. Now is the time for catching those prehistoric monsters, give Craig a call, you will have a blast. The Mosquito lagoon has been fishing very well, as it usually does. The cold fronts of the past weeks have made the water temperatures fall and in turn had made the fish fairly lethargic. Did you catch the word had ? Now that we have had some warm days this past week the redfish are tailing and are starting to group up. Last week I found water temperatures at 52, not good. This week with the warmer nights that we have had coupled with the beautiful days that we have had the water has jumped to 62, still cool to me and you but perfect for redfish. Now to the important stuff, the shad are here. From what I see, the fish are going to be larger than the past couple of years. Most or the fish that I have been catching have been the larger females. Unfortunately, I have been using sinking lines. We may not be spoiled with the floating line success that we have enjoyed in the past years. The shad have been mixed in with Speckled perch, AKA crappie, largemouth bass, bluegills, and redbreasts all feeding in schools of tiny minnows. The shad were under the minnows on the bottom, although a few did come to the surface and did eat a fly on the floating line. Call to book a shad trip. The days are filling fast. See you on the water Capt. Doug Blanton Indian River Adventures 321-432-9470

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