01-02-2002, 02:19 PM
Capt. Rob Blake’s fishing report from Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River-updated January 2, 2002.<br><br>Happy New Year!<br><br>The latter half of December brought a lot of wind and cloudy days to the waters of Mosquito Lagoon. Such adversity caused the cancellation of 5 trips throughout the 2-week period. Those who were able to get out and fish experienced varied success. The upside to this story is that we are finding a lot of fish, but enticing them to eat has sometimes been a challenge.<br><br>Shawn Walters and 13 year old son Lincoln had perfect conditions for the introduction of sightcasting to redfish during their half-day trip. Plenty of sunshine and very little wind allowed the father and son team to cast to schooling redfish and the singles sitting in potholes. Lincoln impressed me with his casting ability. I cant recall too many 13 year olds that can accurately cast to single reds AND catch them…good job Lincoln! He outfished his Dad as well!<br><br>Jim McKeown escaped the chill of the Northeast to try his hand at Mosquito Lagoon fly rod redfishing. While Jim was dressed in shorts and a light jacket, I was bundled up with three layers of clothing during the upper 40 degree morning. This day proved to be much windier than expected. The 10 mph Southwest winds quickly turned into 20+ mph and sent us looking for protected areas to fish. In the end, Jim came away with exactly one redfish caught on fly, and a dink trout as well. <br><br>Dana Packard of Rockledge, Florida got an eyeful of tailing fish early in the morning. She was able to pick three fish off in the 5 pound range by 8am. Afterwards, the sun finally came out and we were able to find groups of 10-15 fish laid up in the mud. With the sun out, seeing these fish was very easy from 50 feet or more. Dana hooked 9 more slot fish, each of which was tagged and released. <br><br>Jerry Davis trekked across the country from Manhattan Beach, California in search of redfish. Jerry hit paydirt during some of the worst sightfishing conditions of the month. Overcast skies, drizzling rain, and wind…what a combination for sightfishing! Besides all of this, Jerry was quick to spot the fish tailing and his first cast brought a 10-pound redfish boatside. Jerry was all 
s. For the remainder of the ¾ day trip, Jerry caught 7 more reds from 3 to 8 pounds in a foot of water.<br><br>There are times when adverse weather days will surprise you, and Jerry experienced this firsthand.<br><br>The water levels in Mosquito Lagoon have once again dropped drastically. Some of the interior areas are inaccessible for most boats. Please be careful. Better yet, don’t attempt to run in areas you are not 100% familiar with.<br><br>Fly fisherman…make a New Year’s resolution to practice your casting…your catch rate will increase dramatically.<br><br><br>Capt. Rob Blake<br>www.redfishonfly.com<br>1-866-RED-DRUM<br>321-633-0923 local<br>321-544-5041 cell<br><br><br>Contact Capt. Rob at 1-866-RED-DRUM <br>or 321-633-0923 or 321-544-5041 (cell).
s. For the remainder of the ¾ day trip, Jerry caught 7 more reds from 3 to 8 pounds in a foot of water.<br><br>There are times when adverse weather days will surprise you, and Jerry experienced this firsthand.<br><br>The water levels in Mosquito Lagoon have once again dropped drastically. Some of the interior areas are inaccessible for most boats. Please be careful. Better yet, don’t attempt to run in areas you are not 100% familiar with.<br><br>Fly fisherman…make a New Year’s resolution to practice your casting…your catch rate will increase dramatically.<br><br><br>Capt. Rob Blake<br>www.redfishonfly.com<br>1-866-RED-DRUM<br>321-633-0923 local<br>321-544-5041 cell<br><br><br>Contact Capt. Rob at 1-866-RED-DRUM <br>or 321-633-0923 or 321-544-5041 (cell).