03-12-2002, 01:30 PM
Capt. Rob Blake’s fishing report from Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon and Upper Indian River-updated March 12, 2002.<br><br>Got wind? That was the expression heard quite frequently last week as very strong southerly and southwesterly winds ripped through the Space Coast. The irritating wind sometimes accelerated to over 30mph, causing the waters of Mosquito Lagoon to come alive with rage. <br><br>We may have cleared the last winter cold front hurdle. Look for temperatures to slowly increase through Spring. The cold 30-degree mornings are most likely a thing of the past. Water levels in the lagoon should continually rise through late March and April, allowing the redfish to venture into “uncharted territory” for food and comfort. <br><br>Look for more schooling fish to be on the move in the coming weeks as they sense the change to warmer weather and fatten up from the winter “hunker down.” Soft plastic jerkbaits and live bait will provide the best results. Fly fisherman should concentrate on the darker patterns, which mimic the plethora of critters the reds are after in Mosquito Lagoon. <br><br>Sean Hogan of Massachusetts ventured out with me in over 30-knot winds to try his hand at redfish and seatrout last Sunday. Our playing field was severely limited due to the winds, but in the end we had success. Sightfishing was next to impossible, but persistent efforts in spots that I knew fish should be put 4 fish in the boat in what seemed like hurricane conditions. <br><br>Wednesday, I fished with Gus Williams of Westchester, New York. Sunrise brought slick calm conditions and tailing redfish. The first cast of the morning was met with cooperation from a spotted seatrout, but the tailing redfish in schools of 50-75 fish were the focus of the half day trip. Unfortunately, the schools didn't stay put very long and the wind came up hard out of the east. Gus went away with a first time experience and swears he's coming back soon.<br><br>Thursday, Kevin Saul and buddy Eric saw tailing redfish spread all across the expansive flats of Mosquito Lagoon-something they surely don't see in their home state of California. Kevin's first cast yielded a fine Mosquito Lagoon specimen. Both Kevin and Eric later hooked up simultaneously to nice redfish...Eric commenting that his was bigger than Kevin's. Throughout the remainder of the half-day trip, both Kevin and Eric had numerous shots at redfish and a friendly competition evolved between the two. In the end, Eric came away with the victory. <br><br>Friday, Saturday and Sunday I fished with Ret. General Bill Gorton (USAF), from Park City, Utah. Bill fished with me a year ago to the day and when we met at the ramp, I couldn’t believe a year had gone by so quickly. Bill is a die-hard fly fisherman who would rather catch 1 fish on fly than 10 on spinning gear. Over the three-day period, we saw numerous tailing reds in the morning and hooked up each day to nice fish. The most memorable event of this three-day trip was a redfish that continuously tailed for over 5 minutes while Bill cast in hopes of a hook-up. This fish was so busy rooting around in the seagrass, that he had no idea a flats boat and a determined fly fisherman were only 20 feet away. After several good casts, the fish charged the fly and MISSED it! I don't think either of us will ever forget that agonizing 5 minutes...<br><br>Water levels in Mosquito Lagoon have once again dropped. I would expect the levels to rise again in the near-term. When visibility allows, we are seeing good numbers of reds on the white spots and some very large spotted seatrout.<br><br><br><br><br>Capt. Rob Blake<br>www.redfishonfly.com<br>1-866-RED-DRUM Toll Free<br>1-321-633-0923 local<br>1-321-544-5041 cell<br><br><br><br><br><br>Contact Capt. Rob at 1-866-RED-DRUM <br>or 321-633-0923 or 321-544-5041 (cell).