Mosquito Lagoon Oct./Nov. 2012

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

The first cold front has made it through Florida giving us some beautiful weather for the months of October and November so far. That means blue bird skies and cool, crystal clear water in the Mosquito Lagoon which are the perfect elements for sight fishing.

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

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Tails of the Mosquito Lagoon

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

The reason why I focus most of my trips in the Mosquito Lagoon is because the fishing is never the same. There are so many little nooks, crannies, and creeks to discover that every trip for me is a new adventure. Nothing gets my heart pumping more than tailing Redfish on a quiet, calm morning with no other boats in sight.

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

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September Fishing Report 2012

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

As we approach the end of Summer, the fishing should be getting real good. With the mullet run in effect right now off the beaches of East Central Florida, Snook, Sharks, Bluefish, Jacks, Ladyfish, some Redfish, and some Tarpon should be fired up and following closely behind the mullet schools. Lipped diving plugs, and swimbaits such as the D.O.A. Baitbuster trolling model that match the size and color of the bait present should do the trick, but of course you can’t beat the real thing if you prefer to live bait. I prefer a high tide early in the morning or right before sunset when fishing in the surf from the beach. Look for deeper troughs or run offs where fish may congregate in and cover every inch of that area with your bait of lure. Fly fishing is tough in my are if fishing from the beach. The fish are a little further out and the surf is just rough enough to make it tough. Most fly anglers target beach fish further south from Melbourne beach to Ft. Pierce.

Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and Banana River areas are starting to get better and more consistent. Mosquito Lagoon water clarity is still pretty dirty and high from all the rain. The Redfish and big Trout are still around but difficult to see. You pretty much have to tickle the fishes nose with your fly or lure to get the bite while the water is like this. There are some cleaner areas in certain parts of the river the further south you go.

On Sept. 1st, I walked the beaches of Cocoa Beach early in the morning to see if there was any mullet activity in the surf. I see my buddy T.J. Marshall from a distance tugging on this beautiful fish.

Just before hurricane Leslie brought us the rough surf, Danny, his son John, and Johns girlfriend Hannah from Orlando wanted to tug on some big fish on the nearshore reefs and wrecks. We found a ray that was holding at least 12 Cobia which resulted in a double hook up using a D.O.A. Baitbuster and the other a Cobia jig. Unfortunately both fish were an inch short. We also had some lost battles with a few big Kingfish, and the Sharks kept us occupied most of the day.


Brothers Jimmy and Jamie from Georgia joined me on their first visit to Mosquito Lagoon. Both do plenty of flood grass Redfishing up north so they know what to look for. They spotted tails from a mile away and both made perfect casts to tailers using Owner “Jig Rig” Hooks and D.O.A. Curl Tail Grubs.

Kyle brought his girlfriend Alden down from Georgia to spend Labor Day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The fish seemed pressure this day seeing a bunch but most of them ignored our lures. Kyle did get a few to eat but he was experiencing the “rubber hook syndrome” that day, so they all shook of before getting to the boat. He did manage to get a couple nice Trout using D.O.A. CAL Shadtails including his biggest Trout ever at 27″ and was caught tailing 8 feet from the boat! They already plan on coming back to get revenge on the fish they lost.


While hurricane Leslie is sitting of the Atlantic coast of Florida, she is keeping me busy surfing when I am not fishing. Here are a couple shots of some buddies of mine having some fun:












Fall is my favorite time of year to fish the Mosquito Lagoon. Cooler temperatures and big Redfish on topwater are on my mind around this time. Also, the Snook, Flounder, and Redfish bite around the beaches and Inlets will be devouring finger mullet.

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

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Hot Summer Action!

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

Wow is it hot out there…the fishing that is. After Tropical Storm Debbie back in June, the water clarity in the lagoon systems have gotten really dirty and really high, which made sight fishing tough for most anglers. The spots that usually hold fish in the Mosquito Lagoon was a ghost town for weeks, which pushed me to run my trips way down south around Sebastian Inlet just to find the cleaner water.

Recently I went back to the Lagoon to check up on what was going on in there. The water dropped a couple feet, but still dirty. Once I arrived to the first spot, I had noticed more bait activity in the area, like how it should be on a normal day. As I poled the skiff along the shallow grass flat that was less than a foot of water, I witnessed Redfish rooting and tailing all over the place like they haven’t eaten for days. The grass was really thick, the fish were so buried in it that we could literally get close enough to touch the fishes tail with the tip of your rod. Most of the fish caught were within 20 feet from the boat.

The key was to use a weedless and HEAVY fly or artificial lure. For my spin anglers, I would tie on a new weedless weighted hook system for soft plastics called the “Jig Rig” made by Owner hooks with a D.O.A. Curt Tail rigged on it which worked really well to get down to where the fish’s face was and that curl tail has great flowing movement even when sitting still. For flies, heavy lead eyes tied on a flashy crabby pattern worked perfect. Here are some photos of recent trips in the past few weeks and a short video of a tailing Redfish being caught next to the boat.

Tomo Shiraishi from Boston, Mass was down for the ICAST(Worlds largest Sport Fishing Show) at the Orlando Convention Center. That was the time when the Mosquito Lagoon was really slow so we went to the Indian River where Tomo caught some nice Trout and had lots of shots at Redfish but only landing this one, which happened to be his first Redfish ever.

Dennis and Kaz were also here for ICAST from California and Japan. They work for Owner Hook Company and were the ones who introduced me to the “Jig Rig” made by Owner Hooks. At first I thought I’d never use such a rig, but you will see in the video at the end of this report that this rig was the ticket to catching some tough Mosquito Lagoon Redfish. Here is Dennis and Kaz with a couple small Banana River Redfish that we had to work hard for.

Mark and his girlfriend Rey were surfing the web for fishing guides in the Mosquito Lagoon area, came across my site and decided to give me a call. After a quick run down over the phone of their chances to catch some Tarpon, Trout, and Redfish on fly, they hopped in there car and drove down from Georgia to fish with me for the weekend. Day 1 we searched for Tarpon, Trout and Snook in the Indian River by Sebastian Inlet. Mark had multiple shots at small Tarpon ranging from 15-30lbs, getting a couple to eat but only landing 1, which is great on fly.

We then went to fish for Snook and Trout which we he had tons of shots on both species on the clear sandy flats. The fish were being spooky but we got one nice Trout to cooperate which happened to be Marks biggest Sea Trout on fly.

Day 2, we head to Mosquito Lagoon for some tailing Redfish action. The Redfish were all happily tailing for us all morning and were ready to take a fly. Rey even had a chance to take a few shots and fight a few of her own.


Photographer Josh Letchworth came out to take photos of the tailing action and also to catch a few on fly while we were at it.

Capt. Shawn Neurath from the West Coast of Florida has never fish on the East Coast and always wanted to experience the Mosquito Lagoon. Again, Redfish were happily tailing, and this time we put the Owner “Jig Rigs” to the test rigged with the D.O.A. Curl Tails. As you can see, it worked well. If you plan on fishing the Tampa Bay area, check out Capt. Shawn at: www.missionfishincharters.com.

Here is a clip of Capt. Shawn catching a tailing Redfish about 10 feet from the boat.

Remember to stay hydrated out on the water, it’s been scorching out there!

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

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July Fishing Report 2012

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

July is one of the hottest months to get out and go fishing. The weather pattern will be more predictable with mornings usually being slick calm, which means topwater fishing! The topwater bite this time of year is outstanding! There’s nothing better than to watch a Redfish, Snook, Trout , or Tarpon come out of nowhere and explode your lure on a quiet calm day. The first thing I would do on a calm morning is to tie on any kind of topwater lure and work an area that has bait or big mullet present.

This is a good month to target oversized Redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and N. Indian River. They will be milling around on deeper flats and drop offs around 3-5ft. Keep a close eye out for single fish or a big group humping up when running a lane from spot to spot on nearby flats. (I don’t recommend burning every flat just to bump up fish, especially when there are other boats poling the flat, it’s just not good for the fish, the grass, and fellow fisherman.) Even if you see one fish spook, it’s worth shutting down and poling the area.

After tying on 8 different soft plastics in different color variations, I found out that the D.O.A. Baitbuster is the lure of choice for these big girls, they were happily taking these lures on the top with a stead retrieve.

Fly fishing can be tough for the bigger Redfish since they are picky eaters but it is possible. Any big fly that represents a baitfish should do the trick, but be prepared to have lots of rejections.

If you prefer to use live bait or if you want to put kids on a big fish, you can’t go wrong with a chunk of Ladyfish or mullet. 7 year old Gavin was waiting patiently with rod in hand until this fish grabbed his bait and took a long run screaming his drag for what felt like minutes before it slowed down enough for Gavin to start reeling. This was his first ever Redfish!

Gavin’s dad and grandpa pose with his prize catch.

Don’t be surprised if a flounder grabs your Redfish lure in sandy areas in the Mosquito Lagoon. Steven caught one of the biggest flounder I’ve seen pulled out of the Lagoon using a D.O.A. jerkbait, (with the help of his son Gavin of course.)

Last week, Panos and Bailey came down from NYC to get on the Mosquito Lagoon for some Redfish action.

Eddie Oliveras displays a nice Red using a new color from D.O.A. Lures, the Blood Worm.

Adam releasing a big girl back into the Mosquito Lagoon. Remember to handle all fish with care and take the time to revive the fish, especially when the water gets warmer during the summer months.

July is also a good month to target Tarpon in the East Central region. Larger Tarpon up to 150lbs can be found heading north along the beaches crashing on bait pods or just rolling along doing their thing. You can easily get them them on Pogies or 10-12 inch mullet but I prefer to throw lures, like the D.O.A. Swimming Mullet or the trolling model Baitbuster. Fly fishing for these Tarpon is possible on some days when they are plentiful and happily rolling. Sometimes you can sneak up to them while laid up or daisy chaining on super clam conditions then you can cast a bait fish pattern at them using a 10-12wt rod.

Here’s one from a while back caught by Dominic Agostini


Juvenile Tarpon will be in the river and lagoon systems as well if you prefer less fight time. These are the better fish to target on the fly rod because these fish prefer a smaller fly that mimics minnows or finger mullet. These fish can range from 5lbs-40lbs depending on what area you are fishing.

Not only is the fishing HOT in July, the temperatures will also be scorching hot. Remember to wear sun protected clothing, lather up on the sunscreen and drink plenty of water!

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

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June 2012 Fishing Report

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

The fishing in June has slowed down a bit since the last couple months, but not a whole lot. Mosquito Lagoon, North Indian River, and Banana River still has a good Sea Trout bite with Redfish dominating in the N. IRL and Mosquito Lagoon. We are now in the Summer pattern stage where the days are hot and the afternoon storms start popping up. Because of that, the water level is high causing the fish to spread out a little more. Trout can still be found on drop offs and on 1-3ft grassy flats with sand holes around, some Redfish will be mixed in there as well. Redfish can be found closer to the shoreline crashing on baitfish. Any weedless baitfish or shrimp pattern fly or artificial lure will do the trick. Try to “match the hatch” as best as possible.

Juvenile Tarpon have been showing up in some creeks along the Lagoon system, Mamie Sheen came down from Maryland to specifically target small Tarpon on the fly rod. She got about 10 fish to eat, jumped about 4, but landing only 1. Biggest fish she jumped was about 15lbs but she ended up landing the smaller fish. For her first time Tarpon fishing and trying to remember all the things you need to do when you are fighting a Tarpon, I’d say she did a great job.

Mamie also, landed a couple nice size Sea Trout on fly!

Johann got his dad Edgar the greatest gift a fisherman could ask for, a guided fishing trip to the Mosquito Lagoon! This was the first time either of them fished the area and also the first time that they have ever fished with artificial lures. Both caught plenty of Sea Trout and Redfish using D.O.A. Baitbusters and CAL Shadtails. It’s always a pleasure to be on the water witnessing a father/son team enjoying a great day of fishing!


Tom and Mike also joined me on their first trip to the Mosquito Lagoon. They are now firm believers of the D.O.A. CAL Shadtails in the Electric Chicken color!

Ted Smith and his father-in-law Jim were another pair of first time Mosquito Lagoon anglers. After a quick tutorial of how to work a D.O.A. Jerkbait and Baitbuster, they were catching fish in no time.

Fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon, and Indian River has still been consistent, so get out there and catch em’! Remember to stay hydrated while out on the water and be safe out there!

-Capt. Willy Le
(321-)303-7805

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Late May Mosquito Lagoon Report

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

The fishing in Mosquito Lagoon a couple weeks ago was a little weird. Plenty of Redfish were around, but they just did not eat as well as they have been in the previous months. Perfect placements with a lure or fly would be rejected by most of the fish. Maybe it was the new moon, or the abundance of mullet around who knows, but I’m glad that things changed for the better this past week! The fish started eating aggressively again and being very cooperative. Water level is high so the fish are more spread out, shorelines and sandbars would be a great place to look. I’ve been having my anglers throw D.O.A. Baitbusters early in the morning and retrieving it on the top resulting in some exciting topwater blow ups by Redfish and big Sea Trout. Once the sun gets a little higher we would switch over to D.O.A. CAL 4″ Jerkbaits rigged weedless. For flies, EP Baitfish patterns, Clousers, Seaducers, and Sliders in tan or white have been doing the job.

Marcella from Elusive Tails Fishing Apparel managed to catch Trout, lady fish and this nice Redfish using D.O.A. CAL 4″ Jerkbaits before we got chased off the water by the rain.

Glen from Pittsburgh joined me on his first trip to the Mosquito Lagoon, he used his Smallmouth Bass and Walleye fishing skills to catch him some nice Redfish and Trout. He was amazed of how hard a Redfish can pull!

Panos came back down from NYC with his buddy Riley. Riley who is from Utah does a lot of fly fishing for trout back home and wanted to try out some saltwater fly fishing. It took him a little bit of getting used to double hauling but eventually he got it down and caught some Lady fish and Trout on fly. He did get a few shots on Redfish but it just didn’t happen. Panos sight fished a monster Trout on fly until the wind kicked up so we opted to use spinning gear the rest of the day catching some Redfish and giant Trout!





This past Saturday, Ryan and his dad Ron from Wisconsin joined me for their first trip to the Lagoon. The Redfish and Trout bite was really good for them. They both caught Redfish that were schooled up, cruising and tailing along with some nice Trout in the deeper holes.


Ryan also booked a trip for Sunday but this time bringing his brother Rob for some fun on the Lagoon. Tropical Storm Beryl was off the coast of North Florida which was going to give us some wind and rain later in the day. It was still pretty windy that morning but that did not effect the fishing at all. It actually made the fish a lot more aggressive! Both caught Trout, plenty of upper slot Reds and even a nice Flounder made it to the boat!




Once I got home and cleaned the boat, I took advantage of the surf that Tropical Storm Beryl was bringing to the Cocoa Beach area. After about a 2 hour surf session behind the house, I got out to snap some photos of my neighbors having some fun.









Also, RCI Optics has launched a new Ad of me promoting my new signature series of the “Monster Hole” model. Should be available later this year.

Thanks for visiting Native Fly Charters, until next time, catch em’ up!

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

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Fantastic Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

I still can’t believe how the fishing in Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River has been….excellent! The Sea Trout bite is still red hot all throughout the Central East Region. Topwater in the mornings and weedless jerkbaits in any color will do the trick. Look for laid up Trout in sand holes when the sun is high and cast a clouser or any fly with lead or bead chain eyes mimicking small baitfish. Average Trout catches are around 20 inches with some that are hitting the 30 inch mark! Grass flats that hold mullet and small pinfish is a good place to find them. A good place to start is a 2-3ft grass flat with lots of sand holes.

The Redfish have been plentiful as well in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. Fly fishing has been fantastic for the tailing and cruising fish. Brown and tan shrimp patterns have been working well for me, and if they don’t want that, I’ve been switching to black and purple to get them to eat, but the key factor is presentation.

Mike Edgerly finally got his first Redfish on fly while down from Minnesota this past week.

Panos was back down from New York and he got into some great Mosquito Lagoon action!


Here are a couple video clips of Panos’s Redfish and impressive Sea Trout that he sight casted!

Did some exploring with good buddy Eddie and found some pretty productive flats in the Mosquito Lagoon.


Photographer Josh Letchworth joined me for a photography mission and to just enjoy nature out on the Mosquito Lagoon. He took great pics as well on his camera which I will share as soon as he sends them to me.


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

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April Mosquito Lagoon

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

Same story as last months report, the Redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon are happily tailing and schooled up in good numbers and some good size Sea Trout have been laid up in sand holes and along the deep edges of flats that hold mullet. D.O.A. CAL Shadtails in any color have been working great for both species while the D.O.A. Baitbuster has been catching in the mornings.

Blair Wiggins of Addictive Fishing joined me on the water for a couple days to hang out and do some fishing in our home waters. We got into a bunch of Tailing Redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon as well as some over slot fish in some areas.



Last Sunday, Cory and Mike were aboard the Maverick to target some Redfish and Trout in the Mosquito Lagoon. This was Mike first trip to the Lagoon and he enjoyed every minute of it. They both had numerous shots at tailing Reds hooking into a few but not quite sealing the deal. They did however manage to sight fish and land a bunch of Trout that were laid up in sand holes using a D.O.A ‘s.

Monday, Rick and Tom were in town for some Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing. They both had some perfect shots at tailing and schooled up fish but for some reason, the fish were not wanting to eat the fly this day. They did get a few to chase the fly down and eat, but never came tight. Rick and Tom did manage to get a few on spin early that morning while we waited for the sun to come up in order to sight fish with the fly rods.

Wednesday, Sergio Diaz from Long Island, NY came back to try and get his first Redfish on fly. He got some with the spin rod last year but couldn’t get them to eat a fly. This year was different, he caught about 4 fish with D.O.A.’s first thing in the morning then fished the rest of the half day with the fly rod. After about a dozen great shots on fly, Sergio finally got his first Redfish on fly! It wasn’t a big one, but it was a redfish! He ended up catching 2 on fly this day and 4 with the spin rod.


Cobia fishing has been slow for the past couple of weeks, but we should be expecting another push of them coming soon! Pogies have now shown up on the beaches so Tarpon, Sharks, Kingfish, and Big Jack Crevalle will be crashing on them soon.

There are some Cobia out there to be caught but they are not out on big numbers yet like they were about this time last year. The couple days that we were able to get out, we only saw and caught a few. Here’s Bobby with a little fella caught on a D.O.A. Swimmin’ Mullet.

And I got some supper for a couple weeks.

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

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Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River, Indian River, Atlantic Ocean Reports

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Capt. Willy Le

Wow…what a busy couple of weeks! Spring Break has sprung and so has the fishing in every body of water that I fish in my area.

Lets start off with the World Famous Mosquito Lagoon. The Redfish have been in good numbers all throughout the Lagoon along with some schools of Black Drum and big Sea Trout roaming the flats. These fish are working flats with deeper water near by and can be seen tailing in some really skinny bars.

Panos and his girlfriend Bailey from New York City joined me last week to target Redfish with the fly rod and spinning tackle. Panos whacked a couple on fly, while Bailey slayed them with the spin rod(which this was her first time flats fishing in her life). They both had a great time being one with nature, catching fish and sharing great memories!

Panos even found a nice Flounder while jigging a deeper sand edge.

A couple days before this trip, Cassidy and Pat Flannigan were also pulling in some good fish in the Mosquito Lagoon with me. Cassidy and his dad Pat had a friendly wager on who can catch the most fish…and of course Cass did!


In the Banana River, the bigger Redfish can be found schooled up in large numbers along with slot sized fish mixed in. The Sea Trout bite remains hot as well!

Mike, Phil and his son Kyle originally had a trip with me to target Cobia out of Port Canaveral, but plans changed when the seas and winds kicked up too high to get the 22′ Pathfinder Bay boat out there so we opted to fish the river for some big Redfish. Mike, Phil and Kyle all beat there record of biggest Redfish this day!


Kyle also got some nice Trout while throwing D.O.A. Shad Tails.

The best Trout bite has been in the Indian River. I’ve never seen the bite this good in a long time. Blind casting around mullet schools using topwater lures, soft plastics, twitch baits, or anything you have in you tackle box will catch these fish. The trout average around 3 – 4lbs with some bigger ones mixed in. There are also some Redfish hanging around the same areas ready to eat a lure.

Jeff and Jeremy from Iowa were having a great time catching both Redfish and Trout using soft plastics on a weedless hook.



When conditions are good enough to head out of the Port into the Atlantic Ocean, I would take advantage of the opportunity and head out for some Cobia. Me, my brother Trung, Brad and his son Fischer fished a Cobia Tournament last Saturday. We did not win the tourney but Trung got to catch some dinner and 12 year old Fischer caught the biggest fish in his life!


The next day Panos from NYC decided to try and get some Cobia with the fly rod. We had 3 shots all day having 2 of the fish eat and one being lost just at the boat after a long battle. Last year Panos boated 7 Cobia over 25lbs fishing with me, he came down a little too early this year for the run but he will be back when it starts to peak! He did get a few shots at Triple Tail and got a little one in the boat with a small shrimp pattern.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you on the water!

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

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