Well, I guess it is about time to give a fishing report. It has been such a great summer and early fall I really have not thought about reports. July and August were outstanding months as usual and we continued very strong into October. I guess the best way to begin to tell this story is to give you names and reports of their catches.

The week of August 19th Monday was one of those weeks that you had to be there to believe it. On Monday the 19th I took one of my long time clients and now friends, Dr. Richard Lovas. I have been going fishing with Dr. Lovas for over 12 years now and we have developed a good friendship. We started early as usual and boated 15 Reds to 15 pounds by 9:30 am. Around 10:00 that we went over to Indian River Lagoon and caught 4 more Reds to 32 pounds. A great day but what was to come later that week was ridiculous.

On Tuesday the 20th I took a new client, Mike Wiedeman from Merritt Island and caught 10 Reds in 6 to 8 pounds range early in Mosquito Lagoon. About 8:30 we went to the northern end of Mosquito Lagoon to try and find a school of larger fish I new of up there. There are 7 to 10 schools of Reds at any given time during the summer in Mosquito Lagoon ranging from 200 small 25 inchers in some schools to schools of 200 to 300 Reds in the 20 to 35 pound range if you know where to look and mother nature cooperates. She was really cooperating this week and we had glassy conditions most all week. About half way up the Lagoon I spotted a large school of Reds, (probably 300 fish in the school) waking away from my boat noise as I approached.

I shut down and began to ease over to them very slowly. After 10 minutes or so I was getting real close to them and the water was a bright orange color from all the Reds in that school bunched up in tight 10 foot wide ball. Mike could not believe his eyes and managed to throw a perfect cast and instantly hooked up. After 2 1/2 hours on that school and boating 11 Reds all from 16 pounds to 20 pounds 1 at a time Mike cried uncle and said he had enough. We left that school just finning and rolling along with no one else in sight. Personally I would of stayed and caught another ten or so but he was exhausted.

On Wednesday I took a threesome and also newcomers, Jim Hickman and his granddaughters Sue and Deanna. This trip was a present for their dad Jim and they told me he was very unlucky when it came to fishing. We went to the same spot I caught Ten the morning before and right away started hooking up 5 to 8 pound Redfish as fast as we could land them and cast back out. Deanna was filming the whole trip and we had fish on the whole time. We ended up catching 38 Redfish there by 9:30 am. I then told them we should go over to the Indian River lagoon and look for a school of real big Redfish I knew of. We looked around a short while and I found them in a school of about 200. These reds are all of them at least 20 pounds and some going over 35 pounds and 50 inch fish. We threw Top Dog topwater plugs and instantly hooked up two big ones. We ended up catching 5 big Redfish there and ended up with 43 all total for that day. Deanna filmed the entire trip and sent me a copy and it really turned out great. Fish after fish after fish. Good video. I thank them for giving me a copy to remember that day.

The next day Thursday I took out 2 guys Tony Dixon and his friend Shea. We boated 18 Redfish all were 15 to 18 pounds. Another great day. What would Friday bring????

On Friday I took my long time clients Joe and Dede Valentine. They had been with me many times and we have had some good trips The wind was a little strong that day so I went to the protected area I had went to on Wednesday with the Hickmans. I thought because we hammered those fish so bad on Wednesday that we probably would not do very good but the wind was not going to let us fish anywhere else easily. Well when it is one of those weeks it is one of those weeks. We stayed at that spot all morning and boated 65 Redfish in the 5 to 8 pound range. We never saw a fish move etc.. just a lot of mullet. We would throw into the mullet and get a double hookup every time.

It was and is the very best day I have ever had in a half day guiding in 16 years. All of my clients called into the local Florida Today newspaper that week and told the local angling writer Bill Sargent of these great trips. He ran a full page spread in that Sundays Florida Today sports section. I will always remember that week and all the great clients that were there. Some are skeptical but as Bill Sargent told me he could obviously tell by all clients excitement and details that this really did happen and no reservations about printing this story. As in the video the Hickmans gave me we boated and counted all those fish on film.

We are now heading into early winter. Even though schooling fish are harder to find, the tailing Redfish are beginning to show. In the winter Redfish tend to move into the flats and setup in the large sandy areas that are beginning to form as the grass beds die back for the winter. This is one of the most consistent time of year for Redfishing. This is when Redfish are seen tailing trying to root out a crab or shrimp that has buried itself in the sand or soft bottom areas for warmth. Looking down a 500 yard flat and seeing dozens of Redfish flagging their tails as they feed on the bottom is truly special. I never get tired of visual fishing. As we drift down the flats and cast to 10 foot wide sandy areas where Redfish lay in ambush for food. There usually are several in most large sandy areas. Double hookups are common. The water is crystal clean with the cooler temperatures. Drifting very slowly looking in the water for Redfish, seeing one ten feet away looking for food , you quickly lob a shrimp two feet past him, twitch it once or twice and boom he gobbles it up and your hooked up with a nice ten pound Redfish. Seeing that fish, watching his body language and telling right when he sees the shrimp and the watch him go over and slurp that shrimp up is hard to beat when your ten feet away or less in 1 foot of water. Awesome visual stuff !!!!!!

Well thats a fishin report. Come on down to Mosquito Lagoon and sample some of our great winter Redfishing I dont think you will be disappointed. And as always I will guarantee that we will catch Redfish or no-pay.

Capt. Larry