10-19-2001, 05:41 PM
Capt. Rob Blake's fishing report from Florida's Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River-updated October 19, 2001.<br><br>I began the month of October by trekking over to the West Coast and fishing with Capt. Matt Ercoli out of Amelia Island. We caught a mixed bag of trout, jacks and redfish using live "greenies" over the grass flats. We had shots at a few cobia as well, but no takers. Amelia Island offers a great backdrop for fishing, and has some excellent dining opportunities. Matt is a first class guide and anyone venturing over to the West Coast should consider his services if looking for lots of "catching." Matt can be reached at 1-941-779-9393. <br><br>Back home on Mosquito Lagoon, its business as usual. Although the southern portion of Mosquito Lagoon and parts of the northern Indian River are scheduled to be closed through at least the end of October (due to the recent national security issues), we are finding plenty of schooled up reds. The problem is getting a calm enough day to venture out for sightfishing.<br><br>Over the past week, we've had winds of 15-25+ mph out of the southeast, making things a little tough for sightfishing. Last Friday, the wind laid down for exactly 3 hours to near zero and Helen Riley was able to get 16 reds to the boat, most of which were well over the slot limit of 18-27".<br><br>The next day (Saturday), Quintin Cowart and his wife Joan from Savannah, Georgia joined me for a day on Mosquito Lagoon. We were greeted with 20mph winds at sunrise that didn't let up for the rest of the day. We found fish, but it was tough. Concentrating on leeward shorelines, Quintin got one red on the spinning rod, and lost another on fly. But, the highlight of the day was when Quentin hooked and landed a nice gator trout…the biggest he had ever caught. He said the Georgia spotted seatrout don't get as big as they do in these parts. Good job in tough conditions Quintin.<br><br>The northern Indian River still has a lot of water, as well as Mosquito Lagoon. This time last year, some flats were so skinny that most boats could not venture into some of the backwaters. So far, so good this year…<br><br>This time of year calls for long-sleeve shirts around sunrise that are quickly shed for the 80-degree mid-day temps. Fall is my favorite time of year to fish, and lately the catching has been pretty darn good for spin and fly fisherman as well. <br><br>As I write this report, it's raining cats and dogs, and the wind is still up bending the trees a good bit. The near-term forecast calls for the winds to subside after the weekend…a good thing indeed!<br><br>Capt. Rob Blake<br>www.redfishonfly.com<br>321-544-5041<br><br><br><br>