Capt Chris M

Fishing has been quite good this month with lots of redfish and seatrout and the occasional shot at black drum. Most of the redfish are in schools of 20- 500 fish and putting a lure in front of them is the closest thing we have to a certain hookup. The big schools offer the chance for double hookups and double digit catches. Even on days when it was raining and winds 15-20 mph, the fish were more than willing to cooperate. The top baits have been the 3" DOA CAL on a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jighead or the 5.5" DOA CAL rigged on a weighted weedless worm hook with a Woodies Rattle. Most of the time, we have been using golden bream or Arkansas Glow in the 3" and gold rush or silver mullet in the larger CAL. Water temperatures in the Lagoon have been hovering between 68 and 72 the past couple weeks. These slightly warmer temps have meant a few less large trout in the very shallow flats but the trout bite in 2-4 feet of water has been much better. The outside edges of flats or deeper areas with patchy sand and grass bottom have been producing using the CAL/jighead combo. An ultralight rod with 5lb braid makes some of the easiest fishing we have even more entertaining. Using the right retrieve is critical to getting the most bites. Almost all the bites will come while the jig is dropping so always having a tight line will mean more hookups. Too high in the water column will mean fewer bites, Too slow will get a lot of grass on the hook. Vary your speed until you start getting bit. I always use a barbless hook and have my ARC Dehooker handy to help these delicate fish. The first week of the month brought some heavy storms with high winds and rain but no lightning. Tonya and John were the first to brave the weather. We only saw one other boat all day and had plenty of fish all to ourselves. They both caught redfish and trout and had a great day despite the weather. The following day, my Canadian father and daughter team said they were used to the wind and rain and wanted to give it a try. Again we saw very few boats and had lots of fish to ourselves. The combined for numerous redfish as well as a black drum and nice trout. Curtis and Jeff had a great morning casting CALs at schools of large redfish. Scott and Nick had schools around them most of the day. Scott did battle with one that weighed over 35 pounds. Rick wanted to get his first redfish on fly. He tied on one of my recommended black redfish worm flies that he had made. A short time later, he had fulfilled his goal.His friends got in on the action as well with redfish and a ton of seatrout being caught and released. Jerry and Steve had some poor sight fishing conditions with solid cloud cover all day but managed some nice trout and a couple redfish casting 5 and 3 inch CALs to the sand holes. Steve and Scott fished with me yesterday and more cloud cover dominated the sky. We chose to ignore the old "red sky at morn"saying and headed out anyway.Within ten minutes, Scott was landing the first trout of the day. Soon after came a redfish as well. We moved to another flat and encountered nonstop schools of redfish as well as some large trout for a couple hours, a most excellent day of flats fishing. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the cold fronts and warmer weather will prevail. The schools of redfish will remain throughout the next couple months. As always, the simple rule of thumb for our fishing is the better you cast the more you will catch. When schools are plentiful, accurate casting can lead to catching 20 redfish per day. The 3" CAL shad tail has by far been the best lure to cast to the schools of fish. Fly anglers will want both a fast sinking fly like the redfish worm or one that lands very soft like a bendback for calm conditions. Capt. Chris Myers Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters Orlando Fishing Guide

The summer fishing during the past couple weeks has been mostly spectacular with a couple busts mixed in. On the good days it has been about as good as it can get. Inshore, the redfish and trout have been very good in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. The water level is a bit higher than usual for this time of year. In some places it is crystal clear, in others it is stained but still fishable on clear days. The two biggest enemies lately have been clouds and the tremendous amount of loose grass. Weedless lures are almost a must in some places. Redfish have been happily tailing and finning throughout the day when it is calm and some big trout can be spotted on the flats as well. They have been occupying most of our time as the tarpon have yet to make a consistent showing inshore. Surface baits have been working well with the DOA Baitbuster and Airhead topping the list. These single hook baits can stay out of the floating grass while a treble hooked plug will not. Other things that have been catching fish are the 3 inch shad tail CAL, the 5.5 inch CAL and the 1/4 ounce shrimp. Sight fishing conditions have been excellent and we have been seeing hundreds of redfish each day. On the east central coast beaches, there is some steady action when seas are calm. Tarpon, various sharks, jack crevalle, false albacore, and kingfish can all be found close to shore. The good thing about this fishing is you never know what you are going to catch and almost all the fish are big. Cynthia and Jeff fished with me again this year hoping to top the big redfish they caught on their first trip. It took us a while to find the big fish but when we did, the bite was steady and they both broke their personal record. Mack and his young son Charlie had a spectacular day catching redfish in Mosquito Lagoon. The boy had never caught a fish over two pounds but did an excellent job reeling in the reds. He had no desire to hold them, though so Dad helped him with this pose. The beach tarpon were eating the sinking DOA baitbuster in 10 feet of water. David prepares to release his first ever king mackerel on a recent nearshore trip. He also landed tarpon and false albacore on the same trip. Several days ago, I fished mosquito Lagoon with Mark Nichols, the owner of DOA lures. We caught a bunch of redfish and some trout on a variety of DOA plastics. This fish ate the new Airhead bait in silver rush color. Capt. Drew Cavanaugh and I had fun catching reds and trout on a beautiful summer morning. The following day, Steve landed a bunch of big redfish and had a few more that came off. Yesterday's trip started out with a beautiful sunrise. My client wanted to fly fish but could not quite reach the hundreds of tailing fish around the boat. He abandoned the flyrod after several hours but by that time the tails had gone down and the bite shut off. We tried everything I could think of but nary of fish was landed. Unfortunately, every day cannot be the greatest catching but the fishing was fun and the wildlife and scenery were excellent. This summer pattern will continue for at least the next two months. The crowds can be lighter until the part time residents return in the fall but one must be prepared for some heat. Sunscreen and water can be your best friends this time of year. Polarized glasses will help you see the fish. Being stealthy and quiet will help you get near them, and quick accurate casts will catch them. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The fishing for redfish, seatrout, and black drum continues to be outstanding on the flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River. Most of the fish are still in schools with many of them holding 100-300 fish. The water is still crystal clear and sight fishing conditions are excellent. The fish have been eating a variety of baits. The 3" DOA CAL has been a go to lure on the windy days, which have been very plentiful. Pinned to a 1/4 ounce jighead, this lure will cast a long way even into a stiff breeze. The new DOA Airhead lure has been catching a lot of big seatrout and some quality redfish as well. The 5.5 inch CAL has also been very effective. We spend most of our time fishing in less than two feet of water casting to fish you can see. On warmer days, you can target the 2-4ft depths for trout and ladyfish. Bill and Megan got to fish one of the best weather days recently. They hoped to fly fish and were greeted with a school of tailing fish in every direction. Unfortunately, they soon discovered it was far different than small stream trout fishing and could not quite reach the fish. We switched spots and tactics and caught numerous seatrout using the Airhead lure. The next day we started with wind and storms all around us. Fortunately, the first two spots we stopped held happy and hungry fish. Rob and Jeff fed them some Airheads and landed both redfish and trout before lightning ran us off the water. The storms cleared out and behind them was a record cold front and plenty of wind. It did not bother the fish, however, and Jay and Guy caught some nice trout and had shots at a ton of redfish during the day. The cold weather was still hanging around when Marcus and his son Luca joined me on Mosquito Lagoon. Luca had never landed a big fish before and got the chance to do it several times that day. A few days later, Bob and Leslie enjoyed some great sight fishing for redfish and big trout. Kyle got shots at over a dozen schools of redfish hanging out in some very shallow water. Six year old Ryder needed a bit of help casting but reeled in this and several other redfish all on his own. Despite a forecast calling for storms and high winds, Dan and Mike wanted to get out and fish. It was an excellent decision as every fish they caught was over 10 pounds with some pushing 30. Hopefully we have seen the last of the cold fronts push through and we will return to a more stable weather pattern. Lighter winds and clear skies will make for some great sight fishing. Landing double digit numbers of redfish is easy if you practice your casting and can hit your target. This is also one of the best times of the year to catch a trophy seatrout. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The sight fishing in Mosquito Lagoon has been about as good as it can get in recent weeks. The weather has been generally warmer than usual which has made for some comfortable fishing conditions. To go along with the excellent weather, huge schools of redfish have been the norm. This week, we encountered schools so large you could not cast from one side of them to the other. A wonderful problem to have for a fisherman. Even on the slowest of days, we still have had shots at over 1,000 redfish per day. We have been catching the fish on both fly and soft plastics. When the fish are tailing, a DOA shrimp rarely goes uneaten provided you get it to them before they see you coming. Once the school begins to take flight, the bite percentage drops dramatically. The faster they are swimming, the fewer bites you will get. A sure way to get the school to flee is to let them know you are coming by making noises on the deck. Stealth is an important factor of sight fishing.Casting speed and accuracy are a close second. Vern caught his first redfish using a 5.5 inch DOA CAL on a beautiful winter day on the flats. Marty made his inaugural trip to Mosquito Lagoon with the hope of catching redfish on fly. He accomplished his goal several times. One fly that has been working well for us recently is a variation of the using copper chenille and an olive rabbit strip.Tied on a #4 hook with small lead eyes, this fly has accounted for numerous reds the past month.For the month ahead, I anticipate more excellent tailing redfish action. The redfish have been so plentiful that we have spent little time looking for other species on most days. Large trout are still around for those wanting to target them and lots of average sized trout can be caught in 2-5 feet of water. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon during November offered some excellent sight fishing opportunities for redfish and large seatrout. Many of the redfish are in schools that range from 25 -200 fish. On calm days they can be found tailing on the shallow flats in search of crabs, shrimp, and marine worms. A school of tailing redfish is as close as you can get to a guaranteed bite. They will eat a variety of lures especially the DOA shrimp and the CAL series tails. The most important things is to use a quiet approach and do not land your lure in the middle of the school. Big seatrout have been staging in sand holes and can be spotted on sunny days. The will respond to the same lures you use for redfish. This is an excellent time of year for targeting redfish, trout, and drum with a flyrod. The two flies I use the most are the black redfish worm fly and a simple bendback pattern on #4 hooks. Casting is key and is far more important than fly selection. November brought plenty of wind to the flats. The fish do not mind the wind and will still feed aggressively. Anglers, however, often struggle with their presentation when the wind is blowing. The toughest days were when there were clouds and wind making sight fishing virtually impossible. Under those conditions, blind casting in likely areas becomes the only option. While redfish, seatrout, and black drum are the main species we will encounter for the next five months, there is always a chance to catch a flounder or two, especially in the northern regions of the Lagoon. Jim fished with me on a clear but windy day last month. He had shots at redfish throughout the day and caught some using a golden bream colored CAL tail. The next day brought some unseasonably cold temperatures but the redfish did not seem to mind a bit. Ryan's first redfish cam on another cool morning from a school of several hundred fish. A three inch CAL tail was used to catch the first of Heather's several redfish and trout this week. The next day, I was invited to fish with my friend Capt. Rick Grassett out of Sarasota, FL prior to my speaking engagement at the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Club. We fished the Gulf of Mexico sight fishing for tripletail. I caught a couple on fly but the larger fish would only follow, but not eat, my flies. I offered up a DOA shrimp which was quickly eaten by the two largest fish. Yesterday the redfish were tailing and the winds were light. Gregg and Ed encountered over one thousand redfish in multiple schools as well as some quality seatrout in the sand holes. Here is Ed catching one of the smallest fish of the day. The sight fishing for redfish and trout will be excellent during December. Clear water will allow anglers to spot the fish on sunny days provided they have polarized glasses. Copper colored lenses work best on the flats. On calm days, use small lures to minimize splash and avoid spooking fish. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

This can be one of the easiest times of year to catch a trophy sized redfish in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. The huge redfish are schooled up for the fall spawn and are about as aggressive as you will ever find them. They will willingly take both surface baits and a variety of flies. While this sounds easy, it does offer its own set of challenges. First, these big fish are almost always moving and can cover miles of water in a day. Sometimes they are exactly where you except them to be and on others they are nowhere to be found. Second, dozens of others boats are searching for the same fish on any given day. Just because you find them first does not mean you will not be surround by boats in a matter of minutes. Catch a few and move on. Pounding these schools by following them all day long affects both their behavior and spawn. If you are looking for some more laid back fishing, head up shallow.Clean water can be found in the Indian River, and, I am happy to report, the Mosquito Lagoon as well. On the flats, not all the fish are over twenty pounds and they are not all in large schools but there is far less pressure from other boats and the fish are just as aggressive and happy to eat. In both areas, but especially Mosquito Lagoon, there is a large amount of dead grass both floating and sub surface. Weedless rigged baits are a big help in most locations and nearly mandatory in some. We have been using the dark Golden Bream color and the green backed Silver Mullet colors with lots of success in both clear and stained water. The addition of a Woodies Rattle has especially helped the fish find the bait in cloudy water conditions. Steve and Stan had some success fishing the Indian River with me this month. The 5.5 inch DOA CAL accounted for both redfish and seatrout including Steve's fish in the 30 pound class. Chris used the same bait to land himself a trophy sized seatrout a few days later. My friend Capt. Drew was kind enough to push me within range of some big redfish this week. Using a mullet fly I made from EP fibers, I hooked four big reds but only got one to the boat. Drew threw the DOA Baitbuster at them when it was his turn. He worked the lure up to the fish. A huge explosion followed as several giant redfish tried to grab it at once. Yesterday, we could not find the big fish anywhere. Fortunately, we were able to find some cooperative redfish and trout on the shallow flats. Chris and Vern both caught and released some of each. As millions of mullet migrate down the east coast, many make their way through the inlet and travel down the Lagoon system. Lures that imitate mullet will do well this month. My favorites are the shallow running Baitbuster, which I work on the surface, and the 3 inch DOA CAL on a jighead or worm hook. Tarpon are still a possibility on any day this month as are a variety of other migratory species. Be prepared for different species in case the opportunity presents itself. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

While the fishing has been quite good as we officially enter the beginning of summer, the weather has been anything but. Another subtropical system is currently engulfing the state bring more clouds and rain, the enemy of the sight fisherman. It seems like the past month has brought a higher than average amount of wind and clouds to central Florida. Hopefully, we will return to a more normal pattern soon. When the weather has cooperated, the fishing has been quite good. The water level in the Lagoon system is nearly one foot higher than it usually is this time of year. This gives the fish more places to roam and you are likely to find them in some unusual and unexpected places. Fortunately, we have not experienced the heavy algae bloom that invaded our waters last year. Most of the flats are clear. When the sun is out, sight fishing is excellent. On one of the nicer weather days, Jay and Marc joined me for an outstanding day on the flats. Numerous redfish and trout were landed on a variety of baits and flies including DOA Baitbusters and CALs and some of Jay's secret baitfish pattern flies. Last week, I made my annual trip to the DOA Outdoor Writers Event in Stuart. On the first day, I fished with Homosassa Guide and writer Capt. William Toney. We used the Holographic 1/4 ounce shrimp to catch a variety of trout, flounder, snapper, lookdowns, jacks, and snook. The following day I fished with Cheryl and Polly. We stayed around the St. Lucie Inlet hoping for a giant snook. We found some huge fish hugging the bottom and tied on some 1/4 jigheads with a 3 inch holographic paddle tail CAL. Ceryl hooked up first but the huge fish cut through the 30lb leader. A few minutes later, Polly stuck a 37 inch snook and landed it using 10 pound braid. It was her largest snook to date. Back in Mosquito Lagoon, I teamed up with Capt. Drew Cavanaugh for a day of scouting and fun fishing. We found some hungry redfish and had a blast watching them crush the Baitbuster on the surface. Check out my Youtube page for a short video of a topwater redfish bite. I also hooked several large fish using the BFL 5.5 lure. On my charter the following day, the conditions were not quite as good and sight fishing was difficult. George managed to land several nice trout and a half dozen redfish casting a 5.5 inch CAL with a Woodies Rattle in areas where the fish were holding. Despite a forecast of clouds and high winds, David elected to keep his charter date for Thursday. It turned out to be an excellent decision. The morning started out clear and calm. We started off looking for tarpon. There were none to be found. The redfish, however, were happy to play. David landed three reds over 34 inches on the Baitbuster before the clouds moved in and we lost our visibility.The rest of the morning was spent blind casting which produced several more redfish and a nice trout. Yesterday's trip, along with next Monday's had to be rescheduled due to bad weather. When this current system passes through, look for the steady redfish and trout action to continue. With the high water, many of the flats are too deep to see tailing fish. The high water is allowing fish to get close to the shore and into the back bays and coves which are usually too shallow for both boats and fish during the summer. Finding the redfish can take some time and effort on some days. The easiest fishing can be had on the deeper edges of the flats around mullet schools. Topwater baits, as well as jigs with soft plastics can produce some fast action for trout and ladyfish. Pinching off the barbs will make it easier on the fish and the person doing the dehooking. Fly anglers can use weighted flies such as a clouser minnow pattern in the same areas. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The Mosquito Lagoon flats fishing has been about as good as it gets these past couple weeks. Except for a couple days of windy weather, both the conditions and the fishing have been outstanding. Anglers have been encountering from 500 to over 1000 fish per day. Our three springtime species, redfish, trout, and black drum, have all been cooperating. Both fly and light tackle anglers are having success on a variety of lures and fly patterns. Big schools of mullet have arrived in the lagoon and the fish are feasting on them. Richard spent a couple days on the front of my boat this month targeting fish on fly. He had lots of shots at fish and managed to catch all three species. The black redfish worm and bendback patterns were the most successful. The third day Richard was to go with me, we arrived at the ramp to 20 knot winds. After some consideration, he decided he would rather not go out in the tough conditions. Since I was already there, I hopped in the boat for some fun fishing. The winds unexpectedly dropped and I was able to get in some decent sight fishing. The redfish were very aggressive and willing to eat anything I threw from Baitbusters to topwater to CAL jigs and flies. The following day we found some large schools of redfish at first light. They would allow the anglers one shot before moving out of range. As the sun got higher, there were consistent shots at single fish on the clear flat. Several redfish were caught and released. They ended the day with some nonstop catching action for trout using a jig and CAL tail in 3-4 feet of water. Friday was nearly a carbon copy with more schools of redfish. During the day we found a spot holding redfish, trout, and drum well off the beaten path and had shots at them for nearly 2 hours. Last Monday I had the pleasure of fishing with John Machin and Paul Procter. They are both fly casting instructors in the UK and needed every bit of their skill as it was the only day last week the wind was blowing. As luck would have it, most of the schools were nowhere to be found. Both guys put on a top notch fly casting display, however, catching both black drum and redfish in sustained winds up to 24mph. Tuesday there was no wind, clear skies, and redfish in every direction. Jon had an excellent day of sight fishing on the flats catching his first Mosquito Lagoon slam. Tom got to experience some great redfish action using a DOA Baitbuster that he threw to tailing fish. Reeling the bait along the surface to mimic a small mullet, he caught some nice reds and lost a few as well. Later in the day, he finished with some nice seatrout. The husband and wife team of Ray and Kim were on board for Thursday's trip. Ray landed the first red on a Baitbuster while Kim followed up with several nice drum and a redfish of her own. They then proceeded to catch a trout nearly every cast for the last half hour of the day. On Friday, Bob and his son Joe made their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. The action started off good with some nice schools of reds in the first half hour. After a brief lull in the action, we came across plenty of singles and small groups. The day ended with several large trout being caught and released on 5.5" DOA CALs with a Woodies Rattle. The redfish have turned their focus to mullet and pinfish and have been very aggressive the past few weeks. Lures imitating mullet will be effective on both the redfish and trout. Watch for trophy sized trout to be lying on shallow sand holes. Once you see them moving the chance of getting a bite is significantly reduced. Get the lure or fly to them before they see you and your success rate will be much higher. Look for the outstanding sight fishing to continue through this month. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide

The first two weeks of March have been complete opposites. Last week we experienced high winds and lots of clouds every day except one. This week was a flats fisherman's paradise with calm winds, clear skies, and thousands of happy fish in shallow water. While we caught fish on every trip, even during the windy days, it was much easier and productive this week. I stared last week with Dave. Despite a forecast of winds between 20 and 30mph, he still wanted to venture out for what would be his only chance to fish Mosquito Lagoon. Fortunately, my boat handles rough water quite well and we found ourselves the only anglers on the flat. We spotted a few fish and a couple schools but nothing like we were hoping for. Still Dave got his first few redfish. The following day it was nearly as windy as I set out with Neal. Clouds were hampering our sight fishing and the school of large reds we were on kept managing to sneak out of our view. It was a tough day fishing but Neal's first and only redfish topped the 20 pound mark. The next three days I spent fishing with injured veterans from Afghanistan. Wounded Warrior Outdoors is a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic outdoor adventures to injured active duty personnel. I had the pleasure of fishing with Jacob and Seth, both Marines, for what was their first saltwater fishing trips. We did not get the best of weather and had to spend much of our time hiding in protected areas in the northern Lagoon. They were able to get some calmer weather the second day which allowed the guys to experience sight fishing for tailing drum. They caught a variety of fish over the days including redfish, black drum, trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevalle, and more. This Monday, the winds subsided, the skies cleared, and the sight fishing was red hot. Richard and his son Ryan landed double digit redfish on DOA CAL tails before finishing the day with some seatrout on the Deadly Combo. Tuesday, Nick and I found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of tailing redfish throughout the morning. Every cast that landed on target resulted in a bite. The schools eventually moved off and we spend the remainder of the day with nonstop shots and single redfish. Billy and Frank experienced similar conditions the following day. The three inch DOA CAL in the new Bloodworm color resulted in multiple bites. Later in the morning, we found some incredible seatrout action catching and releasing over 30 fish. Irl was my final client this week. Tailing redfish again greeted us at first light. He used a silver and green bendback fly to fool several reds. Irl had some shots at black drum and 20-30 pound redfish during the day but could not convince them to eat. Schools of finger mullet are pouring back into the Lagoon and the pinfish are making their appearance as well. Topwater baits will produce but most areas have lots of floating grass that lifted up off the shorelines as the water levels rose. For tailing reds, the 3 and 4 inch DOA CAL has been very effective along with the 3 inch shrimp. Fly anglers should use an unweighted fly that will land softly when casting to tailing fish on calm mornings. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Guide

The past couple weeks have brought some changes to the Mosquito Lagoon which include a sudden rise in the water level along with some long awaited clear water. Since the water has cleared, the sun has been in hiding which has made the sight fishing difficult but not impossible. On days when it has been too windy to fish the flats, the St. Johns River has been providing some excellent fishing for American Shad on light tackle and fly. Shad are the freshwater version of a mini tarpon. They fight hard and jump high. In addition to the shad, the bluegill, sunfish, bass, and crappie also help keep the rod consistently bent. It was one of those cloudy and windy days last week that I took John to the St. Johns after we decided fly fishing for redfish would be futile. John proceeded to catch dozens of fish hroughout the day on a variety of flies in sizes 10-12.A few days later, another client named John was faced with the same situation. He wanted to fly fish the flats but the weather was going to make it difficult. Again we hit the river and, armed with my new 3wt flyrod, John enjoyed some spectacular catch and release action on both shad and panfish.Most of the day he used lightly weighted flies tied on barbless size 12 hooks in gold, chartreuse, or pink. When throwing into a feeding frenzy, color made no difference. Karen joined me on the river for some shad fishing this week. She used an ultralight spinning rod and the DOA Tiny TerrorEyz to land an assortment of shad and panfish. I used both the fly and spin rods to catch a bunch of shad, bluegill, redbreast, and a nice bass. The next day Paul and I fished the river. While the shad were not biting quite as fast as the day before, we still tallied over 20 with dozens more panfish mixed in. We saw lots of alligators, tons of birds, and even some swimming cows. Returning to Mosquito Lagoon Thursday, I found the cold snap over the weekend had caused the water to clear up dramatically. Many areas had the cleanest water I have seen since last spring. The redfish were not tailing, however, and Todd and Steve had a difficult time spotting the few we came across. They managed to landed several trout and a flounder on a CAL bait. Friday's trip with Roger and Annie brought more clouds. We encountered plenty of redfish, most of which were in schools of 25-100 fish. In addition to the reds, there were lots of large seatrout on the shallow flats. Both Roger and Annie landed trout and reds on the DOA shrimp in watermelon holographic, and the 5.5 inch CAL in golden bream with a Woodies Rattle. With the water clear, the redfish schooled up, and the big trout up shallow, all we need is some sunny days and we will get some excellent sight fishing action on Mosquito Lagoon. Fly anglers should stick to crab and shrimp patterns for redfish and drum, and bendback or topwater sliders for big trout. The DOA shrimp will continue to work well for sight fishing both species and the CAL bait will cover lots of water if you need to blind cast. The Shad run should continue for several more weeks in the St. Johns River. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The past several days the fishing in Mosquito Lagoon has been about as good as it gets. The month overall has been up and down with some fantastic sight fishing and some days when the fish were few and far between. The warm and calm weather as of late has certainly been to the angler's advantage as the fish have been happy and tailing. The dead calm days have made the fish easy to spot but they are also easily spooked by unnatural noises. I saw hundreds of fish spooked by squeaky shoes on the deck alone. Be extremely aware of your noise discipline as you approach tailing fish. With water temperatures in the morning in the high 60's and near 75 by day's end, the fish are aggressive and will eat even large baits. Unfortunately, the water is still not crystal clear like it should be this time of year. It is clear enough to see the fish though. Most of the month, we experienced extremely low water levels. The water has risen this past week and with it came tons of floating grass that had been washed up on the shore. Weedless jerk baits are a necessity when the grass gets to be too thick. Color has not seemed to be too important as we have caught fish on a variety of shades. Presentation, however, is very important. Trying to catch tailing redfish means you are casting at a stationary target but your bait must get within a foot or less of them or they will not see it. Ray had an excellent day on the Lagoon before he had to go to a job in Iraq. He landed double digit redfish, mostly on the 3" DOA CAL tail and a 1/8 ounce jighead. Joe wanted to try his hand at fly fishing for redfish. A steady 10 mph wind was a bit much for him to overcome with the fly but he did manage several nice reds on the 3" CAL. Jim fished Mosquito Lagoon with me the following day. He threw the fly all day long. We tried feeding some uncooperative black drum. We never convinced one to bite. Jim used a small tan shrimp imitation fly of his own creation to catch several redfish. Mike was my next fly angler last week. We began the day throwing a bendback to some very shallow schools of redfish. While he came close a number of times, 10 feet more on his fly cast would have resulted in some hookups. Again we tried a multitude of flies on some black drum. The only bite he got ended when the leader broke on the hook set. Mike was able to get his first redfish to eat a fly he tied on a #4 hook with some orange/brown chenille, small lead eyes, and a tan wing. With shots at hundreds of fish throughout the day, we called it a success. This Monday I took a trip to the St John's River for some fly fishing for shad. While others I spoke to reported catching 30-40 shad, I caught that many fish but only 8 or so were the target species. The rest were a mixture of crappie, bass, bluegill, sunfish, and redbreast. The shad are there, however, and it seems to be a good run of them this year. Tuesday, I fished with Jeff and Jim on their first flats fishing trip. We found the black drum a bit more willing to cooperate and even got a double header. Tailing redfish were our next target. The tails were easy to spot as the water was smooth as glass. Soon we had tail in every direction. With lots of floating grass to deal with, I elected to go with a weedless CAL in melonback color. A Woodies rattle inserted near the tail helped the fish find the bait. The next few hours were filled with shots at hundreds of reds and some bent rods resulted. We ended the day completing a Mosquito Lagoon slam by using the DOA Deadly Combo to catch numerous seatrout off the outside edge of the flat. Wednesday was nearly a carbon copy of the day before. The only improvement was we had much clearer skies making it even easier to spot the fish when the sun came up. Rick and Cynthia started off the day bringing a few black drum to the boat before we moved on to tailing redfish. The first red came on a DOA shrimp but the weedless CAL bait proved to be a better choice with the heavy floating grass still around.In addition to landing numerous redfish, both caught a seatrout as well to complete a double slam for the second day in a row. As long as the weather remains stable, the fishing will continue to be outstanding. Should a cold front blow through and drop the water temperatures significantly, the fish will drop off the flats for several days. If you must fish during those times, target the deeper edges of flats and sand troughs with jigs. As long as the water remains warm, however, the fish will be happy, schooling, and feeding. Capt. Chris Myers Mosquito lagoon Fishing Guide

The story so far this December has been one of weather and water. Neither one have been cooperating. The weather has been less than optimal for sight fishing. While there have been a few days with light winds and sun, there have been many more with one or both of those factors working against us. This time of year, the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River should be crystal clear. Unfortunately, that is not the case in most parts of the Lagoon system. The water temperatures are still hovering above 65 degrees and the bloom of exotic algae that plagued us most of the summer and fall is still lingering on. To see the fish, you need both sun and clean water, a combination that has been hard to get lately. The good news is that there are redfish around and they have been more than willing to eat well placed lures and flies. To start the month off, I had fellow FFF Certified Casting Instructor Dan Boggs on board for what I was hoping would be one of the best fly fishing days of the year. The fish had been tailing well the week before and I was certain Dan would be able to hit the target. We arrived to find winds sustained at 19mph, chilly temperatures, and plenty of clouds. Not only do redfish not tail as much in the wind, it is more difficult to spot them when they do. Needless to say, the tailing fish were nowhere to be found. Dan's father reeled in the only redfish of the day. A few days later, I was joined by fried Rick for a day of fun fishing. We spent the first part of the morning exploring miles of water that held very few fish. After much searching, we found some clean water and plenty of cruising redfish. The black redfish worm fly and the watermelon holographic DOA shrimp were pounced on by most of the fish that saw them. While many of the fish we saw were digging in the grass feeding, we saw very few tails break the surface. The following morning, I returned to a slick calm flat to find schools of tailing redfish in every direction. The first cast of the day with my 5wt flyrod resulted in a redfish eating my brown and gold bendback fly but the fish broke off. I tied on a green and silver bendback and got 4 bites on the next 5 casts but no hookups. I inspected the fly and discovered the hook had broken just below the eye on the first bite. I grabbed my black redfish worm and quickly began hooking, and landing, fish. About 45 minutes later, the tails all went down, the fished moved off, and I never saw them again. I spent the remainder of the day scouting for some places to fish on what I knew was going to be a windy charter the following day. Scottish angler, Brian, joined me for another one of the days of 20 mph winds we have had. To go along with the wind, we had morning temperatures in the 40's. The water temperature had dropped thirteen degrees overnight. It was the last day of his trip, however, and he wanted to give it a try. His preference was fly fishing but, due to the wind, he decided a spinning rod might give him a better chance. Unfortunately, none of the fish I had found the previous day were in wind protected areas. We were the only boat in sight when Brian began getting bites on his weedless rigged three inch DOA CAL. For some reason, the fish were not getting hooked so I switched him to a four inch CAL in golden bream color. We were fishing in about 2 feet of slightly cloudy water with both grass and sand patches. A Woodies Rattle in the baits seemed to be helping the fish locate the small lure. Brain caught redfish on the 3, 4, and 5 inch CAL baits. The bite was consistent and he even got out the flyrod and made some blind casts with a brown crab pattern. He landed his flyrod redfish and turned some poor weather into an excellent day of catching. This week's weather was even less flats fishing friendly with gray skies dominating the days. Steve and Hank joined me on the Lagoon for some sight fishing. The winds were light for a change but the clouds were thick in the morning. Unable to find any tailing fish we tried some trout fishing while we waited for the clouds to clear. I tied on a couple DOA Deadly Combos and we began hitting islands, bars, and dropoffs. They caught a dozen or so and we suddenly had a break in the clouds. We raced off to the flats in search of redfish. We had just located a decent concentration when the clouds. Unable to see the fish until we ran into them, they were forced to change tactics to blind casting for the rest of the day. Both guys had several bites from redfish but failed to set the hook and they never managed to land one. When the weather cooperates and the fish are tailing, the fishing is excellent. During periods of clouds and wind, finding the fish can be a challenge. Hopefully, as we move towards what is traditionally the coldest time of the year in Florida, the algae bloom will clear and more areas will be open to sight fishing. Clean water and blue skies are at the top of my Christmas wish list. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

In December we will definitely have redfish and hopefully some black drum as well.

Fishing is good on the Mosquito Lagoon! The past couple months have brought some tough fishing conditions to Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. A severe algae bloom clouded the water making sight fishing difficult, if not impossible, in most locations. Most of the fish retreated to deeper water. If you could see schools of fish along the edges of sandbars, they responded well to the DOA Baitbuster and the BFL 5.5 lures. Some schools of big redfish were roaming around the Mosquito Lagoon and the northern Indian River Lagoon and they prepared for the spawning season. Mid October brought two tropical systems to central Florida which dumped over 15 inches of rain. Water levels in the Lagoon system shot up over two feet. The water has since receded some but is still high. Ranald was visiting from Sweden and wanted to experience some fly fishing for redfish. The only day he could go was on the tail end of the second storm front. With winds pushing 30mph, there was no fly fishing but he did catch 5 quality redfish. On a positive note, the water temperatures are coming down and the algae is clearing up. This week, I saw quite a few areas with crystal clear water and many more that are getting better. Not all of them held fish but there were a lot of fish spotted. Most of the fish were digging in the grass and mud, a sure sign they are feeding. Indeed they were as some nice reds came to the boat for a quick photo. One of the best things to present to tailing redfish is a fly. British fly angler Warren did just that. He used a black fly of his own creation similar to the black redfish worm . Warren landed several redfish, had a few more bites, and made some excellent shots at fish throughout the morning. The only thing that brought and end to the catching were the clouds that moved in and stole our visibility. Lee and Rose also got in on some of this week's redfish action as well. As the water temperatures stay below 70, more areas of the Lagoon will continue to clear up. The water should begin dropping soon as we move into the winter pattern. Winter means schooling and tailing redfish and hopefully the return of the black drum. Fly anglers will continue to do well with small crab and shrimp patterns. The DOA shrimp should be the go to lure for those using conventional gear. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The redfish bite in Mosquito Lagoon is still extremely good. The water clarity is very poor in many places making it tougher to spot the fish. Most mornings, you can find tailing fish or see them blasting mullet pods. As the morning moves on, the tails are less frequent and it is still hard to see in the water. By midday, you can spot the fish moving across the flat as long as the sun is out. Most of the fish we have been spotting are ten pounds and up making them a bit easier to see. A DOA Baitbuster worked along the surface will draw strikes all day long but is especially effective first thing in the morning. With floating grass very heavy throughout the Lagoon. This is one topwater bait that can still be used effectively. Other lures we used this week included the 5.5 inch CAL in holographic, a 3 inch CAL in watermelon holographic, a black redfish worm fly, and an EP pinfish fly. Shawn started off the day by watching a redfish slam his Baitbuster. A few minutes later, he landed his biggest redfish to date. The following day, Jeff had a redfish in the 30 pound range eat his Baitbuster only to have it break off on the hook set. He had lots of shots at fish throughout the day and managed to land a few. Freelann and Jeff started off the morning landing some nice fish on the Baitbuster. We then switched to the holographic 5.5 inch CAL later in the day. Jeff wanted to try some saltwater fly fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. Solid cloud cover made for some extremely difficult sight fishing conditions but he managed to put a black redfish worm in front of a nice redfish. I went back out that afternoon for a bit of fun and exploring. The fish were happy to eat and I got three to eat the Baitbuster along with numerous other bites. I tried the EP pinfish fly and landed two more before storms chased me back to the ramp. Jack and Debbie both landed redfish on their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon this week. Allen and Chris were greeted by both tailing redfish and other pods crashing mullet schools as we pulled up to our spot at first light. They fired out the Baitbusters for a couple hookups and many more bites. With the algae clouding the water, it is extremely important to have the proper glasses if you want to see the fish. Gray lenses prove to be very ineffective on a weekly basis. Choose copper, brown, or vermilion, for color enhancement and clarity on the flats. Cloudy water means your casts have to be accurate for the fish to see the lure. Most of the shots we are getting the past couple weeks are from 15-30 feet from the boat. When the fish are that close, you are normally going to get one shot before they see you. Short, quick, accurate casts will get bites. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

I'll be ready.

We are almost halfway through what has been an unusual summer in Mosquito Lagoon. While the redfishing has remained consistently good, there are still no tarpon, and very few jacks, ladyfish, and other summer visitors. The only explanation seems to be the lack of glass minnow and pilchard schools. Why they are not here is anyone's guess. The trout fishing has dropped off a bit as well. Some of the spots that had been producing dozens of fish for great catch and release light tackle action have stopped producing. Many of the spots have been hit hard by the daily cooler filling boats and the commercial anglers and they are nearly wiped out. You can still get into some decent action if you put in the time to look for them but you often have to move several times to find them. On a positive note, the redfish action has been very good. The water is quite cloudy in most places making them tougher to see. You can get much closer to them in these conditions, however, and having dozens of shots within 20-30 feet of the boat is the norm. Having the proper eyewear is essential for seeing these fish. Copper, vermilion, or amber lenses will make a huge difference. Try it with gray and you may miss most of the fish. The bite has been consistent even through this last full moon. The DOA Baitbuster, followed by the 3 and 5 inch CAL tails, have been our best lures. If you get to the right spot at the right time, you may even encounter a redfish blitz. Watching big schools of redfish acting like jack crevalle crashing mullet is not something you see every day in Mosquito Lagoon. If you do see it happening, drag a Baitbuster across the surface for some awesome surface bites. This month started off with California angler Frank on board. Most of the morning was heavy clouds and even some rain and it was tough spotting the fish. We stuck it out and the clouds parted and Frank landed several nice fish on the five inch silver mullet colored CAL. Robert and Walter had an excellent day with shots at tons of redfish and catching some quality fish. The following day's trip did not work out quite as well. We encountered hundreds of redfish throughout the morning. Unfortunately, not one cast ever landed in front of a fish. While many of the shots were under 30 feet, it sound much easier than it is. Like most other things, they are easy if you practice them. My client did not hook up but he had fun trying and learned some new techniques. Brain and Mark landed six redfish the next day before we had to race back to the ramp to avoid an early thunderstorm. That Friday was the last space shuttle launch. With some horrible weather in the morning, we did not think the launch would go up. Seth spent the morning fly fishing but spotting them was nearly impossible. He did get one nice red but you will not see it here as I had forgotten to put the memory card in my camera. The clouds began to part and we set up to watch the launch. The past week produced some great weather and plenty of shots at 10-15 pound redfish. The black redfish worm fly caught fish as did the DOA Baitbuster, the 3 inch CAL and the 5 inch CAL. While the slick calm summer days are great for spotting fish activity, the fish are ultra sensitive to unnatural noises. Squeaky shoes, loud steps, and the plop of a lure or bait will get the attention of the fish but not in a good way. The calmer it is, the more stealth you need to use.This time of year, the redfish will eat a wide variety of baits. If you cast a several fish and do not get a bite, switch styles until you find what works. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The flats fishing has been excellent this month here in Mosquito Lagoon. The weather has been about as good as it gets as well. Schools of redfish have been roaming the flats and trout have been working mullet schools in slightly deeper water. A couple weeks ago, Mike and his son Steven took a day of their spring break vacation to target some redfish. Both landed several nice reds with the 3" DOA CAL getting the most bites. Great Lakes Forum member Tony member Tony Childs (Eyefull) and his son Josh joined me for a great day of catching redfish and trout. We started off throwing spinner baits at schooling redfish. Clouds moved in making it tough to keep track of the reds so we switched to some trout action with the Deadly Combo. A fun time was had by all. After having to cancel our trip several times this year due to bad weather, Robert and his son Matthew finally hit some perfect weather for sight fishing the flats. We saw hundreds of redfish throughout the morning and both guys landed their biggest one to date.We spent the last hour or so trout fishing in 2-4 feet of water and had some non stop action with the Deadly Combo. Larry enjoyed some excellent sight fishing last week landing numerous redfish and trout on both DOA shrimp and CAL baits. We encountered huge schools of reds both tailing and cruising. This week, Greg and Toby started off the morning with a big school of happy and aggressive redfish. Greg hooked up on his first cast as a fish chased down his DOA shrimp as he skimmed it along the surface. Seconds later, Toby had a bite as well but missed. He was soon hooked up, however, and they caught double digit redfish. A dozen or so seatrout were also caught and released before we called it a day. Chad and Larry saw hundreds of redfish during their day on Mosquito Lagoon. Some were tailing single fish and some were big schools of 200+ fish. It took a while to get the casting dialed in but both guys were able to catch redfish as well as plenty of trout. Chuck and his son Zach found the sight fishing more challenging than they expected. We saw reds all throughout the morning but none had been landed by noon. Their luck changed at the end of the trip with an action packed stretch of multiple fish over 15 pounds coming to the boat. Yesterday was the toughest day of the month. After getting a late start, we found boats in all the spots that had been producing redfish consistently. After searching for an unoccupied flat, we encountered some small groups of reds but none of the casts quite hit the mark. We changed gears and moved out to the deeper water for some trout fishing. While we managed to catch a few in each spot we went, it was far slower than it had been on every other day this month. While April was outstanding for redfish and trout, May should bring some additional variety to the Lagoon. The first tarpon will begin to appear and some schools of ladyfish and bluefish will show up as well. Watch for schools of glass minnows in deeper water to signal the arrival of the other predators. Trout fishing will remain consistent with most of the fish found in areas where mullet are present in 2-4 feet of water. Many of the schools of redfish over twenty pounds have been missing in action. The few that are around get fished from dawn till dusk by multiple boats each day. Fortunately, there have been plenty of 10-15 pound fish which put up and excellent fight on light tackle. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

After another outstanding week of fishing last week, the weather took a turn for the worse this week forcing several trips to be cancelled. Five inches of rain fell during the week causing the water level in Mosquito Lagoon to rise dramatically. Some of the redfish schools are beginning to disperse, some seemed to have vanished altogether, and others are still holding the same areas they have been frequenting. Trout fishing has been improving each week. They have been both aggressive and good sized. Last week, Brian and his son had a tough time both seeing and casting to the redfish. Fortunately, the trout were willing to cooperate and both used the DOA Deadly Combo to catch numerous fish. Rich and Pat had an excellent day targeting redfish. The most effective bait was a DOA 3 inch CAL tail with a spinner blade. This setup accounted for double digit redfish as well as some double hookups. The following day, I was on Mosquito Lagoon with Doug and Jeremy when a thick fog bank moved in on top of us. That did not stop the fish, though and both guys used 3 inch CAL tails in watermelon holographic with and without the spinner blade to land double digit redfish for another excellent day of catch and release fishing. Scott from South Carolina had shots at schools of redfish throughout the morning with his flyrod. After some instruction and practice, he was able to get the black redfish worm to the fish and hooked his first red on fly. This Monday we had to cancel due to thunderstorms but Tuesday I was able to get on the water with Rob from Wisconsin. It was his first saltwater fly fishing trip and we spent much of the morning working on casting. Heavy clouds made spotting the fish difficult until they were just a few feet away from the boat. He did land several seatrout using a clauser minnow fly but no redfish were landed. After two more weather cancellations, I was able to get out yesterday with Rico and Chris. We had high winds but clear skies which allowed us to spot hundreds of redfish throughout the morning. Again the spinnerbait proved to me the most effective. The trout fishing was steady with multiple fish landed with the Deadly Combo. Last April brought excellent tailing redfish action to Mosquito Lagoon. Hopefully, it will be just as good this year. Now that the trout fishing is becoming consistent, there will always be the chance to bend a rod even if the sight fishing for redfish proves to be too much of a challenge. With more and more baitfish arriving daily, the ladyfish, bluefish, and jacks should not be far behind. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon has been outstanding this month. Except for a few windy days early, the weather has been perfect as well. Most of the redfish are still in schools although some flats are beginning to hold singles. During this transition period between winter and spring, the fish have been moving around. Some spots may hold hundreds of fish one day and none the next. Find the right spot and catching dozens of redfish is easy. The fish have been biting well with the DOA shrimp and the 3 inch CAL bait accounting for the most bites. As always, casting is the key and the better you cast the more you will catch. Trips have been too numerous to detail each one so I will hit some of the highlights. Lionel and Terry started off the month and we had an excellent day with huge schools of redfish around the boat. Both guys used the 3 inch CAL to hook up with some nice redfish. Brothers Dan and Mark spent the day casting at redfish from 30-34 inches. The silver mullet 3 inch CAL was the only bait they used all day. By this week, the water temperatures had climbed into the 70's and we had calm winds and blue skies. Ed and his son Eddie enjoyed some great redfish action throughout the morning. 12 year old Eddie did an excellent job casting to and catching all of his own fish. Jimmy spent two days fishing Mosquito Lagoon. Day one was tough with many of the fish having moved from the flats where they had been the day before. We finally found an area holding some tailing singles. He hooked one on fly but it broke off and quickly followed up catching two on a DOA shrimp in watermelon holographic. Yesterday started off the same with several spots holding no fish at all. We finally came upon some large schools and the catching began. With more excellent weather in the forecast, I expect some great fishing next week. This time last year was when the fish began tailing consistently. Spring is also an excellent time for fly fishing for both tailing and schooling fish. More and more bait fish are returning to the Lagoon each day. As a result, the trout fishing should begin to improve and topwater baits will begin to become effective around the bait schools. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

Significant changes have taken place over the last few weeks but the one thing that has remained consistent is the excellent fishing on the flats. Just ten days ago, we were still experiencing frost in the morning and water temperatures in the low 50's. This week, the water was reaching 70 with air temperatures hitting 80. The white pelicans are flying off signaling an end to winter and the baitfish are getting more plentiful by the day. Huge schools of redfish can be found roaming the flats with some having over 500 fish in them. There have been few, if any, days in recent weeks when we have not seen nearly one thousand redfish per day. On one of those aforementioned frosty mornings, Canadian anglers Juha and Linden joined me on Mosquito Lagoon. Despite the cool temperatures, the fish seemed happy and they landed twenty redfish between 5 and 8 pounds on three inch DOA CAL jigs. The following day, Don joined me for a solo trip. He tarted off with the fly rod and within minutes, Don hooked up with his first redfish on a black crab fly. It was a great start to the day and it only got better. Don switched to a CAL jig to get a bit more distance and battled ten more redfish from 8-15 pounds. The fishing was so good I couldn't resist grabbing the flyrod and hookinginto one myself.Don ended the day with some shots at 20-30 pound fish but was unable to convince them to play. The next day brought clouds and rain. Fletcher started off hooking up with a black drum from a school of tailing fish. Our second spot held lots of tailing redfish. He had several bites but was unable to hook up. Near the end of the day, the sun made an appearance and we spent an hourfollowing a school of giant redfish. Unfortunately, the casts never quite landed in front of the school. Bob and Darryl were with me the next day, We had more clouds but at least it did not rain. We had tailing redfish in the morning and fish to 30 pounds late in the day when the sun came out. Both guys landed a few reds on CALs but visibility was tough much of the day. Last Friday was picture perfect. Light winds, clear skies and warm temperatures made for some excellent sight fishing conditions. Everywhere we went the fish were happy and hungry. Will caught around twenty redfish on a variety of lures including several colors of DOA shrimp, CAL's, and even had a few bites on a Baitbuster. His first fish of the day was around 15 pounds and his last weighed in at 19. Sunday I had a fly fishing trip with Jed and Joan. We encountered some huge schools of redfish in the morning. Even with large schools, cast placement can still be very important. Coming from small trout streams at home. Jed was not able to quite reach in front of the schools. They soon spooked and fled the flat. We moved to another spot holding a slightly smaller school and hooked up with a few fish on the spinning gear. Near the end of the day, we had some shots at some slightly larger fish and got one of them to eat. Russ and Judy had some fly fishing shots at schools of redfish over 500 strong first thing in the morning. We could get within 50 feet of them but the casts did not quite reach far enough and the fish soon took off for deeper water. We had one large redfish hooked up momentarily but it came off. We tried some trout fishing along the deeper edges of the flats. It was not red hot action as it will be in a couple months but they did land several. Ray and Linda had shots at the giant schools of redfish early Tuesday morning. Ray landed one on a black crab fly. Our second stop produced a couple more fish and then we spent the final hour targeting large reds which they saw but did not catch. Wednesday's trip brought clouds, fog, and high winds to Mosquito Lagoon. Kacy and Jessica quickly landed three redfish before the wind really began to kick up. We briefly considered packing it in but decided to bundle up and keep going. That decision paid off with Kacy landing two redfish between 15 and 20 pounds and Jessica catching the biggest fish so far this year, a 48 inch redfish weighing 32 pounds. The next day, we were back to the perfect weather, Sunny, warm, and calm. The big schools of fish eluded us in the beginning of the day but John jr. finally broke the ice with a beautiful redfish with a 7 weight rod and a black #4 Clauser Minnow. A couple hours later, we hit the gold mine with some huge schools of happy redfish all to ourselves. Every cast that landed in front of the fish resulted in a bite and both father and son had some fast and furious action. A prior commitment forced them to have to leave the fish biting. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the cold weather for this year. The fishing for redfish will remain excellent and the trout bite should get better each week. This is still an excellent time for fly fishing as the redfish are still eating small crabs and shrimp. Spin fishing anglers should stick with the smaller three inch baits for the most consistent bite. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

The flats fishing lately has been good, provided you find the right spot. With the fish mostly in schools, it can be either feast or famine. Some flats are holding schools of fish numbering in the hundreds while others have no fish at all. As is usual in the winter, weather is the most influential factor. Clouds and wind make spotting fish next to impossible. Sunny days allow you to spot fish from long distances. DOA shrimp and three inch CAL tails along with spinnerbaits have been the most effective lures the past couple weeks. Fly fishing has been very good as well with black redfish worms or brown, black, and olive crabs getting bites. Last month, Rick and I shared a day of fun fishing for redfish and drum in Mosquito Lagoon. I started the day with a redfish on a green bendback fly. The rest of the day we spent targeting tailing black drum with numerous crab and shrimp flies. We landed quite a few fish, lost several more, and had plenty of opportunities. A few days later, Rick and I were at it again. The sun was scarce making sight fishing difficult. This time the redfish and seatrout were more plentiful than the drum. We both caught plenty using three inch DOA CAL tails. Steve and Tony took their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon earlier this week. The cloud cover was heavy but we had smooth water and warm air making for a pleasant day. We encountered several schools of redfish and drum and both guys landed some nice sized fish before the wind picked up. The following day Jesse and his father-in-law Bruce had another day of good weather and great fishing. They had consistent shots at redfish throughout the day and had some good catch and release action. Anglers can expect the schools of redfish, drum, and trout to remain for the next couple months. Crystal clear water makes the fish easy to spot and it is not uncommon to see nearly 1,000 fish per day. The catch ratio is directly connected to casting accuracy. The better you cast, the more you will catch. During periods of cooler weather, slow down your presentations and look along the deeper edges of the flats for the fish. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

December turned out to be the coldest in recorded history here in central Florida but we still managed to have some excellent fishing. While the cold snaps were frequent and severe, they were not as prolonged as last January and I have not seen any significant fish kills. The water is crystal clear and redfish, black drum and huge seatrout can be found in schools throughout the Mosquito Lagoon. Both fly and light tackle anglers can expect some spectacular days on the water. During mid December, I made a trip to Mosquito Lagoon with fellow guide Capt. John Kumiski on a frigid morning. With the water temperature at 46, we did not expect to find any happy fish. To our surprise, the fish we found were a bit sluggish but happy to eat our flies. During several hours of fishing, we landed 18 redfish with 13 of them on fly. We used mostly black or olive redfish worms or crab type patterns. The following day, the weather had warmed significantly and I took a canoe trip with friend Capt. Charlie Imwalle. We had an excellent day targeting redfish and black drum on fly. Mid-month charters brought varying levels of success. We saw plenty of redfish on each trip but they were very shallow and required quick accurate casts to get a bite. The past week, another strong cold front drove many of the fish off the shallow flats and into deeper channel, sloughs and edges. Even with water temperatures at the beginning of the week in the lower 40's, the fish were often fighting over the baits. Malcolm and Wayne were visiting from South Africa and wanted to try targeting some redfish. They had an outstanding day of catch and release action landing at least twenty redfish and several nice trout on 3" DOA CAL jigs. The following day, I was joined my Maureen with her son Michael, 12, and Brittany, 17. It was another banner day with thirty redfish landed and released. The following two days were a bit tougher due to thick cloud cover. We saw plenty of fish but many were nearly under the boat by the time we noticed them. At the end of the day on Thursday the clouds finally parted but the wind began picking up. At our last stop before heading in, Fred talked me in to making a few casts with him. A nice trout was willing to eat my 3" CAL. Friday, we barely saw the sun all day but we did see hundreds of fish. Ray got a Mosquito Lagoon slam landed several redfish and drum, along with a couple seatrout. This month, anglers should expect more top notch sight fishing. Weather is the most influential factor during the winter. Because of the shallow depths of the Lagoon system, water temperatures can go up or down significantly in a short time. Sudden drops will chase most of the fish off the shallows but they will return as soon as the water warms. Small lures and flies are the key to success. The colder the water, the slower the presentation should be. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide

Redfish normall have only one spot on each side but it is not uncommon for them to have two or more. Some fish have dozens of spots. Despite some 44 degree water yesterday, we got 18 reds, 13 of them on fly for an outstanding day of sight fishing.

Winter has arrived early here in central Florida. With temperatures the next couple days twenty degrees below normal fishing will be best during the middle of the day. For the past couple weeks, wind and clouds have been our biggest challenge. The redfish have been tailing and willing to eat. For most anglers, casting in the wind makes accuracy difficult. Fortunately, the seatrout bite was outstanding prior to the latest cold snap. On a cold, windy and rainy morning last month, Ralph, and Sal caught too many trout to count using a DOA Deadly Combo. With no rain gear, the cold drove them to call it quits early. The middle of the week brought some nice weather with sun and light winds. Danny had shots at redfish and big trout throughout the day. He hooked several nice trout on five inch Cal's. Thanksgiving day, Paul and his daughter Ashley, visiting from California, had a great morning catching dozens of seatrout with the Deadly Combo. We went on to the flats and found some schools of tailing black drum along with scattered redfish. Paul landed the biggest fish of the day, a nice black drum. By Saturday the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Teen anglers Conner and Austin were hoping for some redfish and wanted to go despite the poor forecast. The morning began cloudy but calm and the redfish were happy and tailing. Conner landed a redfish right off the bat. The rain soon began falling and the wind picked up. With no rain gear to wear, both guys tried to stick it out but the cold got the best of them and I took them in. Since it was so early, I went back out to see what I could find. Spotting the fish was tough but I did find some groups of happy tailing redfish and landed five on three inch Cal tails. Last week Dean and Doug fished with me on another blustery day. With plenty of sun, spotting the fish was the easy part, casting was tough. Both guys landed a nice redfish and had plenty of shots throughout the morning. After their five hour trip, I went back out to do a bit of sight fishing myself. Within an hour, six redfish to 32 inches were landed on a 3" CAL tail and a black 1/4 oz jighead. The fish are definitely hungry and eating. So far this week, high winds and cold have kept me off the water but things look to be improving as the week goes on. The redfish and drum will continue to form their winter schools. Casting at schools means your accuracy does not have to be as good as when casting at singles. However, spook one fish in the school and they will all take off. Sometimes they stop and settle down, sometimes they do not. Approach schools with extreme caution and stealth and pick your shot carefully. Small baits such as the DOA shrimp and crab are my pick when the winds are light. When it starts blowing, a three inch tail on a jig will cast better. Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide