Fly Fishing Guide Near Cocoa beach

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
Fly Fishing Guide Near Cocoa Beach
Mosquito Lagoon & Indian River
321-229-2848

Cocoa Beach Area Fishing Report for February 7, 2008

The winter fishing here in east central Florida continues to be excellent. Redfish, black drum, and seatrout
are our primary species this time of year and all three have been readily available. The water levels over
the past two weeks have been low resulting in some great sight fishing opportunities.

On Sunday, January 27, I fished the second annual fly fishing tournament sponsored by The Fly
Fisherman in Titusville. This event had been cancelled the previous two weeks due to poor weather. This
day turned out to be a poor day for fly fishing but the tournament went on as planned. When I arrived at the
ramp with my partner, Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch, it was raining and the winds were blowing around 20.
Unable to see any fish in the low light, we spent the first couple hours blind casting and picked up one
redfish. By late morning, the sun came out but the wind continued blowing. We had steady shots at redfish
and big trout throughout the day. Casting was difficult but the hardest part was trying to stop the boat
before the wind blew us on top of the fish. Capt. Keith and I each caught two more redfish by sight casting
a small rattling crab type pattern. Our five reds were good enough for a second place finish in this catch,
photo, release tournament with the winning team having caught six reds.

Tuesday, I joined captains Tom Van Horn and John Kumiski in the Banana River no motor zone. The
weather had improved significantly and we came across a large school of big redfish tailing along the edge
of a flat. I hooked a fish around 40 inches with a green crab fly using my 7wt.

Capt. Tom landed a nice red and a black drum while Capt. John used a black redfish worm fly to land
several black drum and had a huge redfish straighten the hook after a good fight.

Thursday, I had a last minute cancellation. The weather was perfect, so I loaded up my flyrods and headed
to Mosquito Lagoon. I spent all morning casting to schools of big redfish and black drum. Despite trying
about a dozen different flies, I could not get a single bite. I ended the day catching three trout on a black
crab pattern.

Monday, my wife was finally able to join me in Mosquito Lagoon on a day when the wind was not blowing.
The water was slick calm and we were easily able to see the fins of big redfish and black drum. Julie
hooked up first with the best fish of the day on her second cast. Eleven minutes later, she had the 46 inch
33 pound fish at boatside where we snapped a few pictures before sending it back to its friends.

We each caught one more redfish around 38 inches before leaving them to look elsewhere.

We continued to see both black drum and redfish throughout the day and caught them on various crab flies
as well as 4 inch DOA CAL tails in golden bream color. This fifteen spot redfish certainly wasn't the biggest
but it did take the prize for best looking. We finished up the day with 9 reds, a black drum and a trout.

On the way home, we stopped at the St. John's River to look for some shad. The bite was slow but I did
catch two shad and a speckled perch to add to our total.

Tuesday, I fished with Tom and Rick, a couple of fishing buddies from Indiana making their first trip to
Mosquito Lagoon. They wanted to try some sight fishing and it was a perfect morning to do just that. With
the calm water, we were able to see at least twenty different schools of redfish tailing and finning on the
first flat we visited. Rick was at a serious disadvantage having never cast a spinning rod before. Although it
sounds like easy fishing having schools of 10-100 fish in every direction, presenting a lure to these wary
fish can be easier said than done. It took a bit of trial and error but we managed to get seven redfish to the
boat by the end of the day. Rick had a battle with the biggest fish of the day right at the final bell a 32 inch
fish around 15 pounds.

The redfish have been feeding heavily on small crabs which means flies and small soft plastics such as the
DOA crab will get their attention. Accuracy and presenting the bait without spooking the fish is far more
important than color.

Saturday, I will be at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka for a lady anglers seminar. This event is
designed to teach women the basic skills needed to go fishing. We will cover casting both spinning and fly
rods, knot tying, rigging, and tackle selection. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Contact the
store at 407-464-2000 for more details.

Capt Chris Myers offers light tackle and fly fishing charters in the Mosquito
Lagoon and Indian River for redfish, trout, and tarpon. Fishing is excellent year
round. To book your fishing charter, call the captain at 321-229-2848

Fishing Charter Information | Central Florida Fishing Report | Fishing Charter Rates | How to Book A Charter

This is an archived saltwater flats fishing report from Cocoa beach Fly Fishing Guide Captain Chris
Myers. I offer fly and light tackle fishing charters in Mosquito Lagoon for redfish, trout, and drum. Our
fishing is great all year long. Central Florida is the best place to sight fish for redfish in the entire state.
See my current fishing report for more information or visit my Cocoa Beach Fishing Guide home page
for more details on how you can book a fishing trip.