AS SEEN IN THE SPRING 2004 ISSUE

Three, two, one, Blast off!

Visit Florida’s Space Coast for astonishing trout action.

Along the Space Coast of Florida, in the backyard of NASA, rockets and space shuttles are not the only things out of this world. While most visitors to this area are looking up through binoculars at the next marvel of technology to blast into space, inshore anglers are looking down through polarized amber lenses for the next sign of fish. Light tackle and fly fishing enthusiasts travel to these shallow water estuaries by the thousands every year in search of the largest redfish and gator trout Florida has to offer.

The Indian River has been regaining its rightful place as a mecca for inshore angling opportunities since Florida passed legislation banning gill nets. No place has seen the effect and success, more than the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. These waterways contain some of the richest and shallowest grass flats in the Indian River system. The area has an average depth of three feet and a tidal range of only 8 inches, so wind plays a large part on where you can travel.

Although redfish are the most popular and sought after species in these waters, they share the flats with another inshore legend, the gator trout. Trout are numerous in these parts and are found in large schools chasing baitfish. Like its reptilian namesake, the gator trout is an ambush predator and stalks its prey over the numerous sea grass flats. Trout can be found along any coastline or flat in the North Indian River. They have a tendency of feeding in shallower waters in the early morning, moving to deeper flats as the water begins to warm. Trout are a very aggressive species and are at times difficult to land. Due to the trout’s infamous soft mouth, getting one of these gators in the boat for a photo takes both skill and finesse.

Light tackle is the name of the game when targeting trout. Most local anglers fish an outfit with a 2000 to 4000 series reel with six to ten pound test monofilament line. Monofilament is the proper choice over braided lines when trout fishing because of braided line’s lack of stretch. This lack of stretch may cause the hook to tear out of the trout’s fragile mouth. Leave braided lines for wrestling with tarpon and snook around structure. When it comes to what rod to mount your reel on, proper length and action will greatly improve your chances of success. A seven or seven and a half foot rod with a medium or medium heavy action is ideal and does two things that will increase your hook up ratio. First is that a rod this length broadens your casting range, making the possibility of spooking fish decrease. Secondly, wind is almost always a factor. A longer rod makes casting lighter baits like shrimp and soft plastics easier. No outfit though is complete without a fluorocarbon leader. Connect about 18” to 24” of your favorite brand in eight to twelve pound test to the end of your line with a double-uni or blood knot.

When it comes to terminal tackle, there are as many bests as there are anglers fishing trout in the North Indian River. Soft plastics, top water lures, spoons, jigs and live bait are the few that have lasted the test of time. Some of the more popular soft plastics found in most local tackle boxes are tubes, flapping shads, exudes and grub tails. Natural bait colors with bright colored tails or bellies will out fish any other soft plastics in the box. Gripper hooks such as Owner’s offset or Daiichi’s Copper Head are best when fishing these lush grass flats with soft plastics. These types of hook designs allow for weed-less rigging and enable the angler to work the bait through the thickest patches of cover. In certain situations these lures can be fished un-weighted, although the use of a 1/32 -1/8 oz. jig head, will increase the action of the lure and will make casting quite easier. Bullet weights are also a hometown favorite when fishing soft plastics. Bullet weights which are designed to screw on are very popular amongst local captains, though many times fish will tear the plastic bait off the threads of the weight making the bait unusable. A tip I picked up from Emmett Berberich, one of the finest inshore anglers I have had the pleasure of fishing with, is pegging a regular bullet weight to your leader line right on the head of your soft plastic with a tooth pick then breaking the tooth pick off at the tip of the weight. This rig will save you a bundle on soft plastics and is just as effective as screw-on type weights.

Another well-known favorite in the trout fisherman’s repertoire is the top water lure. Some local favorites include MirroLure’s Top Dog, Top Dog Jr., YoZuri’s Hydro Poppers, Walk’n Dog, and Excalibur’s Spook and Spit’n Image. These top water lures are very successful throughout the day and produce the most exciting strikes from trout.

Jigs have always been a reliable lure for trout, especially down in the Florida Keys and have slowly found their way to the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. A jig’s up and down action has become a favorite when fishing deeper holes and schools of feeding trout. Tipping a traditional jig with shrimp or a grub tail will enhance the jigs performance. Cotee jigs, bucktails and Silver Buddies are the most effective types. While Cotee and bucktails are traditional in design the Silver Buddy is a vertical blade jig that has a flash and vibration unmatched by anything else. The Silver Buddy is most successful when fished around schools of feeding trout.

Spoons and flash lures have always been a pillar of trout fishing. Companies like Neimire and Johnson have developed weed-less spoons that can be fished in super thick grass flats. Spoons are great lures to fish in low light and overcast conditions as the flash that beams off spoons when retrieved causes reactionary strikes. Spoons can also be rigged with a soft plastic trailer or grub tail adding to its already enticing action. Inline spinners are another flash lure that is quickly gaining popularity while fishing gator trout. The use of a blade with a soft plastic trailer makes a deadly combination when fishing in these waters. The advantage to fishing spoons and inline spinners is the ability to cover a wide area of water rather quickly. Both spoons and inline spinners are great when blind casting over flats and trying to locate fish. Though all the before mentioned are extremely effective lures for catching trout, they do take a certain amount of skill and patience to fish correctly.

Natural bait fishing is the most traditional and easiest way of fishing for large trout in the North Indian River. Free-lining live bait into deeper potholes from an anchored vessel or shore is perhaps the best bet for hooking up with jumbo gators. The use of a cast net will land you plenty finger mullet and picking up a couple dozen hand picked shrimp from your local bait shop is all you need to have an action packed day on the water. Any kahle or octopus style hook will suffice when live bait fishing. Use a minimum of a 3/0 hook on your hand picked shrimp and larger sizes for live mullet. A rule of thumb to go by when choosing the proper hook for live mullet is 1/0 per inch of bait, so a five-inch mullet will call for a 5/0 hook.

The use of a popping cork along with live shrimp is another technique that trout anglers find produces good results. Popping corks should be placed about six to ten inches above the hook. These floats come weighted and un-weighted, however weighted popping corks help with casting shrimp. A shrimp rigged with a popping cork should be retrieved in short blasts with a long pause following. The ‘popping’ effect displaces water and attracts trout to the disturbance and to your shrimp.

When looking for trout action in the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon, there are a few sure signs that fish are nearby. Since trout have the tendency of schooling around baitfish, birds diving on bait are a dead giveaway that trout are in the area. Vast grass flats with numerous deeper mud pockets are also a favorite hang out for trout. Large trout will hunt along the edge of these mud pockets and patiently wait for their next meal to carelessly wander into the exposed area. Work your bait across and around these mud pockets for greater strike opportunities. In the early morning hours just prior to sunrise and the few hours of low light just afterwards, fish the shallower flats with top water plugs for exciting action.

Once you have located a promising area, your method of approach to the spot is very important. Schools of trout will spook rather easily so run upwind of your targeted spot and drift into the area. If you happen to be fishing during one of the scarce windless days, use your trolling motor or push pole to get you to the spot. Too often anglers motor right into a spot and spook all the fish out of the area. Make sure to stay just close enough so that you can cast and work the area effectively.

A number of ‘hot spots’ for catching gator trout in the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon are the Scottsmore area located north of Haulover canal in the North Indian River, the Whale’s Tail located in the southern end of the Mosquito Lagoon and Tiger Shoals located on the east side of the Intercoastal Waterway in the Mosquito Lagoon. There are numerous boat ramps spread throughout these areas and it is never a far run to reach productive fishing holes.

One more hot tip that is a definite for gator trout are the culverts that are scattered throughout the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. These culverts are turned on at different times throughout the year. When you find one pouring out water, anchor close by and prepare for one great day of fishing. These culverts pump water and bait from the surrounding marshes into the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon and are always a sure sign of a large trout congregation.

While the Space Coast is known for NASA and the greatest scientific accomplishments in the history of America’s space program, the North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon are famous to inshore anglers for their amazing grass flats and abundant amount of skinny water fishing action. With their diverse coastlines and marsh estuaries, they’re havens for baitfish and the big fat trout that prey on them. So make your next Florida fishing trip to North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon and wrestle with some big gator trout action that is out of this world.

Bio:
Captain Mike Ortego a.k.a. „The Florida Fisherman‰ was born in Miami, Florida and was raised fishing the ocean waters of South Florida and the Florida Keys. As a child he would spend summers at his grandparent‚s house in Key Largo where he developed his love for fishing and the sea. It was while attending the University of Central Florida he learned to fish the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon and founded FloridaFisherman.com, Inc., an online resource for planning fishing trips in Florida. Captain Mike Ortego runs his charter out of North Indian River and writes articles and reports for numerous websites and publications. If you would like to contact him please email him at: Mike@FloridaFisherman.com or visit him on the web at: www.FloridaFisherman.com

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