Speaking of Tarpon, they should be showing up off the beaches and in the river system in big numbers this month. Once the pogies start balling up in the surf and just past the breakers, Tarpon will not be far away. The tarpon that I have been focusing on lately are the backcountry tarpon here on the Space Coast. They do not run as big as the ocean fish, but big enough to make you grunt while fighting them on a 10wt fly rod. They average anywhere from 20-50lbs with some bigger ones in the mix. Catching these fish on fly is not an easy task, but I figured out how by learning a few tricks from Tarpon fishing in other parts of the state which seems to work well here.

Here’s a video of a few Tarpon I got while by myself after hours of switching techniques and flies to see what these fish like.

While on the topic of Tarpon, here are some photos of a recent trip down in South Florida fishing with my buddies Capt. Honson Lau and Capt. Jeremy Alderman of www.purpleisleflyfishing.com



Honson Lau

Of course the Mosquito Lagoon Redfish and Sea Trout bite remains strong. The water level from now throughout the Summer should be higher than what we have been seeing this past Winter and will get dirtier as the months go on due to the rain patterns we will be seeing more of.

Redfish will be more spread out and probably hiding from those anglers and “guides” that like to do high speed circles in productive flats in hopes of bumping up the schools aka “The lazy way” which puts a lot of pressure on these fish. I would much rather peacefully pole a flat for miles and give my clients the full on Mosquito Lagoon fishing experience finding a school of happy redfish milling around, some single tailing/cruising fish, and laid up Trout here and there rather than buzz around like a race car driver from spot to spot, then stop and chase high speed schools all day with a trolling motor trying to keep up with them. There’s a good reason why those schools are swimming away at warp speed. I have nothing against that style of fishing, but when I’ve been poling a flat for hours slowly trying to sneak up on fish and these boats come flying by close enough to know who they are and spooking every fish around me, then decides to do circles in a cove where I was heading spooking every fish in there but not enough for them to stop and fish, moving on the next flat to buzz around hoping to bump up a hundred fish…that definitely ticks me off as well as the clients on my boat that were waiting patiently to cast at the next tailing fish that pops up.

Some people like to fish that way and some people do not, most of my clientele would prefer the push pole technique which I am extremely happy to do all day long.

Ben Wolfe who owns a few guide services up in Michigan booked me for a couple days to relax and get some fly fishing in which he does not get to do much. We had to deal with rain on the first day but had a small window of sunlight which was all we need to hook up with Ben’s first ever Redfish, and a big one at that.

The next day we had to deal with a little wind but at least the sun was out and Ben had a great day catching multiple Redfish on fly.

Mikey and his cousin Billy from Boston got some good Redfish action both on spin and fly.

Chance and Austin joined me on their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. They had a great time sight fishing Redfish using D.O.A . Shadtails.

Edwin was in town from Panama and decided to spend a day fly fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon for his first time. After a quick lesson on how to present the fly in certain situations, he landed a very nice Sea Trout that was laying in a sand hole. He also caught plenty of Redfish as well.

Mike who is an avid Lagoon kayak angler had a buddy Henry who is visiting from New Jersey. Mike wanted to put Henry on a Redfish on fly so he gave me a call to see if I can make that happen. After catching a few on the spin rods in the morning then having plenty of shots with the fly rod with no luck, it all came together towards the end of the day when Henry made a perfect cast at a Redfish cruising the shoreline looking for an easy meal.

Dave Stewart with a super windy Sea Trout on D.O.A.’s new Air Head lure.

I managed to get out to fish for myself and to test out some new flies that I’ve been tying for late Spring/Summer fish since they will be keyed more on baitfish.

Thanks for visiting NativeFlyCharters.com, I hope to get out on the water with you one day and get you your first redfish on fly!

Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

If you can find a day that’s not windy or storming to get out and fish the Indian River or Mosquito Lagoon, then the fishing should be pretty good. Schools of redfish are still around and with the water temps warming up a bit, more singles should scatter the flats which I prefer to fish rather than large schools.

Lots of big sea trout are still lurking the sandy areas and have been taking well presented artificials and flies really well. I’ve been impressed with the numbers of big sea trout that I’ve seen this year.

Don Thomas – a well respected author, outdoor journalist, and photographer from Montana is a doing a piece on the Mosquito Lagoon for a couple fly fishing magazines. Here he displays a smaller fish that beat about 5 bigger fish to the fly, it was crazy watching them fight over it. His wife Lori took some great shots this day. To learn more about Don visit his site: www.donthomasbooks.com

Dale and Robb from Vero Beach, FL. had a fun day catching schooled up and tailing redfish along with some nice trout on D.O.A. shadtails.

Phil from Michigan had to deal with chilly Florida conditions the day after a cold front, fishing was a little tough in the morning, but once the sun heated things up a bit the bite turned on.

Matt and Bill from Oregon had an excellent day catching a bunch of redfish and trout on both fly and spin tackle. This was their first time ever fishing in saltwater.

Tony and Cori from Milwaukee had a fun half day on the Lagoon.

Martin from S. Carolina proudly shows off his biggest Sea Trout to date. A bunch of these came to the boat along with some mid slot redfish.

13 year old Marlin Wakeman and his dad Rufus from Jensen Beach, FL. joined me to try and get Marlin on his first sight casted redfish. Marlin got his wish and also got his biggest redfish to date.

Alissa from Tampa, FL. is now hooked on the Mosquito Lagoon, she has been having some great success sight casting to tailing and cruising redfish using D.O.A. Lures.

She also sight casted her biggest redfish to date using a D.O.A. Baitbuster, what a treat to watch this fish do a 180 on the lure and engulf it right in front of us.

same fish different view

-Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

The fishing in the Lagoon has been very good! Large schools of redfish along with black drum are pretty much spread out throughout the Lagoon system. Some days they will be mellow and happily eat flies and artificials, some days they will be moving so fast you can’t even get close to them. Some nice Trout can be found laid up in shallow sandy areas during the mid day sunning themselves, you gotta be stealthy to sneak up to these fish before they see or hear you approaching, otherwise they will be long gone before you can get a cast at them. After these last couple cold snaps that we will have and as Spring approaches, the fishing will get much better.

Scouting for my upcoming trips, I found hungry schools of upper slot redfish that were taking D.O.A. Shadtails in the “pink ice” color reeled on the surface. Watching them strike a lure or fly on top is an amazing sight.

Kyle and his dad Kevin joined me on a windy and chilly day which made it tough to sight fish. Blind casting to fishy looking areas paid off for the two and both landed plenty of good sized sea trout and some slot sized redfish on soft plastic lures.

Anthony from Texas got his biggest redfish on fly out of a school of about 20-30 fish. Windy conditions made it tough to stay on top and make casts to the schools but one perfect cast was all that was needed to get the bite.

Dave Mcleod from D.O.A. Lures and his buddy Seth came up from Stuart, FL. to test out D.O.A.’s new Airhead Lures in the Mosquito Lagoon. We found out that big Trout love them!  For more info on D.O.A. Lures new Airhead baits and others, visit: www.doalures.com

Of course the trusty ole D.O.A. 3″ Shrimp did the trick as well on bigger Redfish and Black Drum.

My buddy Billy Rotne invited me to hop aboard his skiff to search for some larger redfish that should be showing up around Spring time. We found schools of all sizes, the bigger ones were hard to feed but I managed to get a decent fish to eat first thing in the morning.

Maverick Boat Company revealed the new and improved HPX-17V flats skiff at the Miami Boat Show this year. They were generous enough to let Capt. Honson Lau and myself use it to fish the Salty Fly Tournament in Ruskin, FL. put on by Sam Root of SaltyShores.com. The HPX-17V II performed perfectly in the rough chop and some shallow water areas. This is one of the best technical poling skiffs on the market with it’s smooth ride, shallow draft, and great poling capabilities. The Salty Fly Tournament was the 3rd year that I have fished the event and every year it keeps getting better and bigger. Big sponsors were involved including Hells Bay Boatworks, G.Loomis, Simms Fishing Products, Yeti Coolers, RCI Optics and much more. To learn more about the tournament and to see the results and photos of the events visit: www.saltyflytournament.com.  To learn more about the new Maverick HPX-17V II visit: www.maverickboats.com

Hells Bay/G.Loomis poling and casting challenge at the Salty Fly Tournament.

One last thing. Pick up the latest issue(March/April) of Florida Sport Fishing Magazine and check out the article I wrote on tailing redfish. I reveal some of my secrets on how to approach and catch them.

Also, I am proud to announce that I am the newest addition of Simms Fishing Products Ambassador Team. I’ve been a big fan of Simms Products for a while and am honored to be on the same team as some of the best guides in the world! Visit the site and check out their great gear from waders, rain gear, sun protective clothing, shoes, back packs, and more at www.simmsfishing.com. If you go to the search for guides section, you can search for a Simms Pro Guide in any area you plan to travel or by any species you want to catch. Here is my profile.

Thanks for visiting my blog/reports…until next time!

-Capt. Willy Le
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

With Spring around the corner, Redfish and Trout will be concentrated on bait fish so it’ll soon be time to break out the surface flies and topwater lures to see some explosive action.

John Kelly from Palm Beach, FL. comes up frequently to take advantage of Mosquito Lagoons excellent sight fishing opportunities. He proudly holds up a nice Redfish that he caught out of a pod of tailers using his 7wt fly rod.

Brett Reed from Chicago came down to target Redfish on fly but the winds were blowing pretty good that day so we decided to change plans and hit the backcountry creeks for Snook and Tarpon. Even though the tarpon were rolling all around us, Brett only managed a few to eat but none came to the boat…that’s tarpon fishing for ya. He did get a few small snook on fly.

Kershel Barfield from Stuart, FL. came up to fish the Mosquito Lagoon for his first time. We got into some large schools of Redfish this day which Kershel has never seen so many grouped up like that before. Well placed D.O.A. Shadtails did the trick on these fish.

BJ and Scott joined me on the Mosquito Lagoon for their annual fishing outing. Wind was cranking a bit but that didn’t keep them from catching fish. Golden Bream D.O.A. Shadtail was the hot lure this day.

John Kelly came back up for more action. I always enjoy having John aboard, fun guy to hang around and a great caster!

A great day for Kevney Dugan from Bend, Oregon. He got his first Redfish on fly this day and witnessed Mosquito lagoon at it’s finest. The water was slick calm and we saw schools of Redfish pushing and tailing from a mile away. Kevney’s good casting ability landed him some nice fish.

I recently had a free day to get out and do some fishing for myself. I called up fellow Mosquito Lagoon guide Capt. Billy Rotne to do some exploring for bigger fish. We did some running around and found some good schools of fish ranging from 12-30lbs. Although I love watching other people catch fish while I’m on the poling platform, sometimes I gotta feel the tug for myself.

Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

Weighing in at (approx. w/ engine) 850lbs with the Yamaha F40, this 17ft skiff drafts around 4.75 inches of water. Poling this skiff is a dream, its quiet, light, spins on a dime, tracks very well, and is super stable. I was very impressed once I got on the poling platform for the first time. I couldn’t believe how skinny I was getting in the Micro where my Maverick HPX-Tunnel would be dragging bottom. Both skiffs have their purposes and both are great for the Lagoon but the Micro does pole shallower than my T, while the T will run and jump up shallower than the Micro . I do not recommend the HPX-Micro or the HPX-T if you have to cross big waters to get to the flats, that is what the HPX-V is for. For comparison on the three boats check www.maverickboats.com for detailed specs.

The ride on the Micro also impressed me. It has a fairly soft ride in chop and is very dry. The trim tabs are pretty sensitive since the boat is so light so it takes a bit getting used to, but once you get it down and find the sweet spot, it will handle great. With the F40 and a 3 blade prop I got this boat running top speed of 31mph with 2 people, fishing gear, in calm conditions. I’m sure we can get a little more out of it if propped right and with the help of a prop specialist.

There is plenty of dry storage on the Micro with a huge compartment under the seat for tackle bags, camera gear and other stuff. The front compartment is good for Life vests, safety equipment, and room for extra bags and gear. The rod storage under the gunnels are roomy and are easy to get fly and spin rods in and out of. There is one small crustacean well on the port aft side of the boat, which is great for a couple dozen shrimp or crabs.

Overall the Maverick HPX-Micro is a perfect skiff for shallow water fishing. It passed my test in the Mosquito Lagoon and did everything I would imagine it to do but better. For what I do in the Lagoon, I think the Micro fits me best since I’m on the poling platform most of the day. I would definitely recommend this skiff for anyone who likes to spend all day on the poling platform and fish in super shallow water whether it be fly or light tackle using artificials.

-Capt. Willy Le
www.NativeFlyCharters.com

Fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon/Indian River has been hit or miss. The crazy weather pattern that we’ve been experiencing with 80 degree temps one day and a high of 45 degrees the next, then back to 80 and so on. If this pattern didn’t get Floridians out of whack, it sure did get the fish acting all crazy.

My week of being on the water consisted of a ton of fish schooled up and happy one day, then gone the next. If temperatures decide to stay consistent for at least a week, then the fish should be more predictable and make the lives of guides and anglers a lot easier. But what’s the fun in that?

Well, when the fishing is good, you can find Redfish schooled up in big numbers on the flats, some trophy sized “Gator” Trout laid up in shallow sandy areas, and some small pods of Black Drum roaming around.

Mark Wolaver who is a great caster and knows how to feed fish on the fly rod joined me for a great day of redfishing in the Mosquito Lagoon.  This was one of the better days to be on the water with blue bird skies, light winds, and happy fish.

Buck and Jim were the lucky ones to have their trip fall on the coldest day of the year. The thermometer in my truck when I arrived at the Mosquito Lagoon ramp read “ICE”, which was the next level below 37 degrees. This was one of the slower days where fish were scattered and far in between, but they managed to catch a few redfish on D.O.A. Shadtails.

Paul Casserly from Boston, Mass came down for some Mosquito Lagoon action. Plan was to catch his first redfish on spin tackle to break the ice, then switch to the fly rod the rest of the day to try his luck. Well, conditions were still cold and fish were still scattered from the previous cold front. Paul did get his first redfish on the spinning rod but had a few shots with the fly rod afterwards with no luck. Paul will be back for revenge one day.

Tim Creasy came down from Kentucky during the holidays and has planned to fish the Mosquito Lagoon with me for a couple years now. The weather on this day was not so good. 25-30mph winds with a 70% chance of rain and storms. Instead of canceling the trip and Tim being bummed out that he didn’t get to fish while he was vacationing in Orlando, I opted to take him into some small wind protected creeks in the Indian River Lagoon to try our luck on Snook and Tarpon.

Tim ended up catching a couple Snook, jumping a few small Tarpon, a couple jack crevalle, and ladyfish all on fly. We turned what would have been a cancellation into a fun day of catching mini species…..he now can scratch Snook off of his list of fish to catch(almost scratched Tarpon off the list but you know how it goes.)

On New Years day I had a last minute cancellation. I decided to head out solo on a scouting mission for a trip the following day. I forgot how nice it was to get out on the water alone, everything seemed to happen in slow motion and I was enjoying every second of it. I had no worries, no pressure, no rush, just enjoying doing what I love. I found fish, caught a few, but most of the time I was just memorized by all the wildlife and everything happening around me while poling the skiff peacefully down the shoreline.

John Kelly is an avid fly fisherman from Connecticut(now lives in South Florida) that fished a lot of places around the world. He’s caught Stripers, big Bluefin Tuna, Roosterfish, bonefish, Tarpon, Snook, and even Marlin on fly but has never caught a Redfish….until now. John learned that you have to be more patient with tailing Redfish than any other fish. When they tail, you have more time to think than if you were casting at a cruising fish. I had John wait until we got at least 40-45ft from the fish before making a cast, then I had him watch the fish for a minute to see what direction it was facing, once he knew where he wanted to place the fly, take a deep breath, relax, and make the cast. When the fly landed at the perfect spot, a couple twitches of the fly and BAM, John was hooked up to his first Redfish ever! After the first fish, John was catching tailing Redfish left and right.

John also had shots at some monster laid up “Gator” Trout, but feeding these fish are extremely tough, they are as spooky, if not spookier than Islamorada Bonefish. Getting them to eat is a challenge, which makes them even more rewarding to catch on fly…if the stars align.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year and great fishing for 2013!

-Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

Ok, enough with the Awwwwws, let’s talk fishing.

The Fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River has been really good these past few weeks probably because of the picture perfect weather that we’ve been having here on the East Coast of Florida. Redfish are happily grouped up, aggressive, and ready to eat a well placed fly or lure. Water level is high so you won’t be seeing much tailing action in most areas, but with the gin clear water we have and a good pair of polarized glasses, you can easily spot fish to make a casts to.

Medium to large Sea Trout can be found in the sand holes laid up waiting for something to eat. These fish are extra alert, so keep your distance if you see one and make the farthest possible cast to your target. The hard part is getting your fly or lure in the water without spooking them, if you can get past that point, you have a good chance of catching that fish.

Jorge and his wife Lauren were visiting from Miami and decided to spend a day fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon. This was Laurens first sight fishing experience and Jorge was pretty happy to have her witness the fish charging and smashing the D.O.A. CAL Shadtails.

A couple good buddies and fellow guides from Miami came up to fish the Mosquito Lagoon for a change. Capt. Honson Lau and Capt. Jeremy Alderman both run Purple Isle Fly Fishing down in the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park. We had a windy day with tough light, but these guys know what they are doing and caught plenty of fish including Honson’s biggest Trout on fly to date. We estimated it to be around 32″ and 9 or 10lbs.

Mark Wolaver came up from Vero Beach, FL. to do some Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing. Mark is a great caster and knows how to feed fish with his 7wt.

Most of you have some time off to get out on the water to do some fishing over the Holidays. If so, good luck, be safe, and if you plan on fishing the Mosquito Lagoon, please grab a brochure that are at the ramps and see where you can or can’t run your motor. There is a Pole and Troll only zone that will be marked in the brochures, be careful not to run in those zones. There are shallow sand bars, underwater debris, and most importantly, fellow fisherman that are trying to sneak up on fish in those zones, so please have courtesy to others and obey rules. Here is a link to map of the Pole/Troll areas: http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Images/Mosquito_Lagoon_Map.jpg

Happy Holidays everyone!

-Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

The fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon has been really good. Redfish are starting to school up in big numbers, Sea Trout are laying up in sand holes and Black Drum are making their appearance onto the shallow flats.

Father and son Troy Deal Sr. and Troy Deal Jr. joined me at the beginning of October for some Redfish action. Troy Sr. is the brother of Scott Deal who is the President of Maverick Boat Company. Redfish were tailing and cruising shorelines with their backs exposed this day and they did not hesitate to pounce on a well placed D.O.A. Shadtail.

Panos, a regular from NYC came back down because he heard that the Redfishing in the Lagoon was superb. Well, he heard right and caught plenty on fly. I even shot a little video of one of his fish using my iphone while at the same time trying to position the boat on the poling platform.

A windy day for Mike and Nick this day but that didn’t stop them from catching some fish including Nick first Redfish that he was pretty happy about. They both caught plenty of Sea Trout, a few Reds and Mike got a nice flounder all on D.O.A. Shadtails.

Kevin Symes from Kansas has never fished in Florida or has never targeted Redfish before in his life. After a couple quick tips on how to cast to the fish and present the fly, Kevin landed multiple Redfish which he can now check off of his list.

Dustin Catrett who is a freelance outdoor writer, joined me this day to do an article for Gaff Magazine on me and who I am(coming out in Jan. issue 2013). We had a great day learning about each other while I answered all his questions and he tugged on some fish. By the end of the day, he said that this trip was the best fishing trip that he has ever been on.

Dave and Rick had a great day on the Mosquito Lagoon. They witnessed some big schools of Redfish that were easy pickings. Dave also sight fished a nice Trout laid up in a sand hole about 20ft from the boat.

Reid treated his dad Rudy to a Mosquito Lagoon trip with me for his birthday. Both have never fished these waters before but quickly adapted to the art of sight fishing for Reds with fly rods. They had shots at upper slot cruisers, tailers, and schools but the smaller fish were the ones that ate and came to the boat, but any Redfish on fly is a good fish in my book.

Yesterday was a great day on the water for Portland, Oregon angler John Barlett. A cold front has just passed which greeted us with breezy and chilly conditions in the morning. Once the sun warmed things up, the flats started to become alive. John had shots left and right at cruising and tailing fish. It took a while to get his first fish after he learned how far to lead the fish and how to strip the fly, but after the first one came to the boat, he became a pro and started feeding fish consistently with well placed flies and great presentations! John ended the day with 9 Redfish landed out of about 15 that he hooked. That is a very good day for any fly angler in the Lagoon! John is an avid carp angler back home in Oregon. Check out his blog and great photos at http://carponthefly.blogspot.com/.

In between charters, I did have time to go out and fish for myself and also scout areas with friends and fellow Mosquito Lagoon guides.

Here is Capt. Billy Rotne with a nice fish that fell for a crab pattern.

Capt. Justin Price with a healthy Lagoon fish

…and finally, I had my much needed bow time thanks to both Capt. Billy and Capt. Justin for pushing me around.

Mosquito Lagoon sight fishing is at it’s finest right now with clean water, clear skies, and plenty of fish that are willing to take a well placed fly or artificial lure. Still waiting for the Black Drum to show up in bigger numbers so we can specifically target them…soon, very soon.

-Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805

Me and fellow Mosquito Lagoon guide Capt. Billy Rotne ran around looking for some tailing fish to photograph, which we found plenty that cooperated very well for us. It was so peaceful just to watch these fish tail for minutes that all we wanted to do was watch instead of catch. That’s what we did the first part of the morning, then we ventured off to different areas to catch a few with the fly rods.

In these areas, we had to change up flies to match what the fish were keyed on eating for better success. For the tailing fish, a copper slider with a rattle inserted in it did the trick really well. The rattle helped call out the fish which had their heads buried thick in the grass searching for a meal. Once the fish detected where the rattling was coming from, they would then see the copper flash of the fly and move in for the kill.

We then found some fish that were cruising the sandy shorelines busting on mud minnows and small finger mullet. A tan pattern that resembled a mud minnow got better reactions than the copper slider that we were using for tailers.

In another area where we found Redfish cruising on top of dead grass, we noticed small shrimp skipping all over the surface. I had the perfect shrimp pattern that a good buddy Capt. Honson Lau tied which worked great on these picky fish. It’s good to have a nice variety of flies in your box just for these occasions.

Last week I had journalist Jan Maizler on my boat to do a write up on me and my guiding career. Jan who is from Miami, FL. travels the world to write for multiple fishing magazines and online publications. We had a short day on the water due to some rain storms but we did manage a few fish using D.O.A. Shadtails.

Branden Roberts from a new lure company out of Texas called Logic Lures joined me on his first trip to Mosquito Lagoon the other day. He brought a camera man along with him to film for a video project that they are working on. Branden proved that his lures work well catching multiple fish that clobbered his 4″ PlastiX. visit www.logiclures.com if you would like more info on lures and innovative hook systems.

Fishing is definitely getting better in the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and Banana River. Fish are starting to school up and attacking topwater lures. Fly fishing is really good in the Mosquito Lagoon and will be getting better as the cooler temperatures approach. Fly fishing in the fall is great but winter can get even better with crystal clear water and blue birds skies.

Also, the Black Drum start to show up in big schools around late Fall early Winter. They are a blast to target with the fly rod and can put your patients to the test.

Gotta love the year round fishing down here in Florida!

-Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com