Tweet
Mosquito Lagoon by boat & yak, 11/11 & 11/12
I was in Daytona Beach for a conference for most of the week, so I decided I would charter a guide and maybe rent a kayak after the conference before flying back. I had never fished in Florida before, so I was hoping a getting a shot at a keeper redfish (a milestone that still eludes me), some big specks, or some other species that I haven’t caught before.
I met Capt. Drew Cavanaugh of Florida Inshore Fishing Charters at the ramp in Mosquito Lagoon at 6:30am on Friday, November 11th for a half-day charter. The sunrise was pretty nice:
The air temperature was 45*, and the wind was blowing a steady 25-30mph. These were less than ideal conditions for site fishing in shallow water, especially since the wind was blowing toward the sun for most of the day, which makes for tough drifts. The water was crystal clear in most places as long as the bottom wasn’t muddy and the fetch wasn’t too long:
We saw lots of fish, but because of the wind, waves, and sun, we usually didn’t see them until they saw us. There were tons of reds in the 20-30” range and lots of really big mullet, too. I wouldn’t have minded catching one of those, either, but I don’t think they really hit lures that often.
Anyway, we finally spotted a redfish that hadn’t been spooked yet. I casted at it and reeled the lure past its nose. It turned toward my lure, started to open its mouth, but thought better of it and turned away. That was my only good shot at a red that day. We hit a couple more spots, and the guide picked up a few specks in the 12-14” range. I had some nibbles in the same spot, but couldn’t connect.
We called it quits at 1pm, which was an hour and a half longer than the trip was supposed to be. We were both cold and beat by that point. Capt. Cavanaugh spent almost the entire time poling the boat in those crazy winds, which I can’t imagine doing. He pointed out that the place where he caught the trout wasn’t too far from a kayak rental place, so I could try that area the next day.
After we got back to the launch, I headed to New Smyrna Beach, which is where the kayak rental place was. I asked about rates, grabbed a quick lunch there, and then went to Canaveral National Seashore to poke around. There were two little fishing piers there. I tried my luck but only had a few nibbles. I saw a bunch of dolphins and also an armadillo, all of which were really cool.
While I was out with the guide, we saw dolphins crashing bait like stripers and blues do here. That was pretty awesome.
I met Capt. Drew Cavanaugh of Florida Inshore Fishing Charters at the ramp in Mosquito Lagoon at 6:30am on Friday, November 11th for a half-day charter. The sunrise was pretty nice:
The air temperature was 45*, and the wind was blowing a steady 25-30mph. These were less than ideal conditions for site fishing in shallow water, especially since the wind was blowing toward the sun for most of the day, which makes for tough drifts. The water was crystal clear in most places as long as the bottom wasn’t muddy and the fetch wasn’t too long:
We saw lots of fish, but because of the wind, waves, and sun, we usually didn’t see them until they saw us. There were tons of reds in the 20-30” range and lots of really big mullet, too. I wouldn’t have minded catching one of those, either, but I don’t think they really hit lures that often.
Anyway, we finally spotted a redfish that hadn’t been spooked yet. I casted at it and reeled the lure past its nose. It turned toward my lure, started to open its mouth, but thought better of it and turned away. That was my only good shot at a red that day. We hit a couple more spots, and the guide picked up a few specks in the 12-14” range. I had some nibbles in the same spot, but couldn’t connect.
We called it quits at 1pm, which was an hour and a half longer than the trip was supposed to be. We were both cold and beat by that point. Capt. Cavanaugh spent almost the entire time poling the boat in those crazy winds, which I can’t imagine doing. He pointed out that the place where he caught the trout wasn’t too far from a kayak rental place, so I could try that area the next day.
After we got back to the launch, I headed to New Smyrna Beach, which is where the kayak rental place was. I asked about rates, grabbed a quick lunch there, and then went to Canaveral National Seashore to poke around. There were two little fishing piers there. I tried my luck but only had a few nibbles. I saw a bunch of dolphins and also an armadillo, all of which were really cool.
While I was out with the guide, we saw dolphins crashing bait like stripers and blues do here. That was pretty awesome.
Comment