April 23rd, 2010 Orlando Flats Fishing Reports
Well the nice weather has finally arrived! I do not know about you but it is about time. It is as if summer time is indeed approaching. You can just feel this in the air. There is no better place on the planet to fish than here in the summer months of Florida and for that matter year round. The flats fishing and sight fishing is just outstanding along the east coast. No doubt what so ever. With this great change of weather has brought on some really superb fishing here lately. Fly fishing, flats fishing and sight fishing is improving day after day. When the skies are clear and the winds are down the days have been just outstanding. Clear skies and smooth or light winds mean excellent sight fishing conditions along with optimal fly fishing conditions as well. The key to success is to be on the water early, seclude yourself, be patient, move frequently when pressured by other boats and just take your time. Remember these are basically wild animals and they spook very easily from pressure and noise, I like to think of them as turkey on the water. They say if turkey could smell none of them would be dead today, so the bottom line is absolute stealth at all times.
You have to get onto to the fish first in order to take a stealthy approach. The old saying "The Early Bird Gets The Worm" is so true out here. Your other best bet is if the winds do not pick up is to start later in the day and fish the second half of the day until sunset. In away this can be great because you have the sun high in sky and at most times at your back. Just please do remember to give your fellow anglers out there plenty of space. People ask me all the time what do I think is a decent distance between two boats that do not know each other or are not fishing together(friends)? Around 600 - 800 feet give or take. On the water that is really not much at all to say the least. There is more than enough water to fish the flats here in east central Florida.
With this said the red fish bite has been really good. Sight fishing them with either a D.O.A shrimp or CAL at first light and throughout the day can be extremely productive. The entire Mosquito Lagoon is productive along with the Indian River in the Titusville area and the New Smyrna Beach area too. Look for bait fish movement. No bait no fish. Very simple tactic there. There really is no hot spot to say. These fish are very nomadic roamers, like cattle. They will go with the flow where the food is. When the redfish are feeding just anticipate there direction and make a soft cast along with a great placement. Another great bait for success is a nice hand picked live blue crab in the size range of about a 50 cent piece. Placed on a 3/0 circle hook and tossed into a feeding fish there is nothing better. They are hard to resist to a redfish and black drum. There is always live shrimp and mullet to use as well. Fly fishing for redfish and black drum are best to use black crab patterns or shrimp patterns due to the massive shrimp runs we have had here in Oak Hill the past weeks now. As always a 5 to 9 weight fly rod will work just fine. As always the fish that are moving in the bigger schools will take off on you with any movement they sense so do approach them with the utmost caution. The flock of bird theory does happen... 500 birds in the air and one of them moves to the left then they all turn to the left. Also please try to handle these fish with the top of the line care for a perfect photograph and an even better release for the future.
It will not be too much longer before we start to see tarpon, jacks, lady fish and other species showing up at the inlets and further inshore as well. Cobia should start to been seen in bigger numbers now along the beaches too. Again it is the feel of summer time in the air for sure. Now is the time to get out there and do some fishing. See you on the water.
Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Cell/352-223-7897
Visit Us At: http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!
Located along Florida's beautiful Space Coast.
