While fishing along the Space Coast is a
year around activity, the seasons do
play a role in species diversity and
activity and by knowing what to expect
and how to react at any given time of
the year your chances of success are
greatly increased. Here in Central
Florida, the average summer high
temperature is about 90°F while the
average nighttime low is about 70°F.
However we do have times where the
daytime temperature can rise into the
high 90s with a low in the 80s at night.
In winter the averages are 72°F high
during the day and 52°F low at night.
When a cold front moves through however
nighttime lows can drop below freezing
with a daytime high in the 50s. Knowing
what, when and where to fish during
these times can make all the difference.
Winter
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Fishing the lagoon in the "dead of
winter" can mean enduring numbing cold
one day and warm shirt sleeve weather
the next. By January water temperatures
have cooled considerably from the
previous summer and the fish will be
seeking the warmest water they can find.
The primary species sought will be
redfish and sea-trout, while black drum,
spanish mackerel, jacks and bluefish are
also a possibility. The primary forage
will be shrimp and crabs.
If fishing the flats, start by working
the deeper edges in the morning and then
move onto wind protected shallows as the
day warms. One particular spot to target
as the day warms is the shallow water
sand pockets or "potholes". If you have
ever walked in grass in your front yard
barefoot in the summer and then stepped
onto sand or the sidewalk you will know
why. While the grass remains cool, the
sand or sidewalk can be quite hot. On
the flats, these "potholes" act as solar
heat collectors as the sun rises and
radiate heat into the water column
directly above, while the surrounding
areas where the bottom is covered by
sea-grasses remain cool. Trout and
redfish love to warm themselves over
these sandy spots on sunny days. After a
cold front passes, deeper holes,
pockets, dredged channels and canals are
the places to try, especially if they
are adjacent to shallow flats. If using
artificial lures here, try the plastic
shrimp imitations such as the DOA shrimp
or Cotee plastic jigs fished slow along
the bottom. Remember that fish are cold
blooded so that when the temperatures
drop, they become sluggish due to the
lowering of their metabolism. A few days
after the front passes and the weather
warms up a bit the fish will return to
the flats and sun themselves around the
"potholes".
Spring
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As spring approaches we will still have
a few cold spells to deal with. On the
cooler days continue to target fish
warming themselves over the sandy
potholes among the flats or along the
deeper edges and holes, moving upward on
the flats as the day warms looking for
tailing reds. Soon you will begin to see
schools of slot sized reds cruising the
flats. Larger reds may still be hanging
out along the edges. As we progress
through the month of March, the finger
mullet will begin to show up in the
lagoon. This is when the fishing can get
really exciting as working shallow "walk
the dog" type surface plugs like
Heddon's Zara Spook, MirrOlure's Top Dog
Series, or Rapala's Skitterwalk Series
of plugs around and among these schools
of mullet can bring explosive surface
strikes. This fishing is best in the
early mornings and late evenings while
midday is best working soft plastics and
other jig type lures among the deeper
flats and edges.
Summer
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Summer is the season of baitfish in the
lagoon and with them come a variety of
predatory fish. First of all schools of
finger mullet are all over the flats
sparking great shallow water surface
action for Trout and Reds in the early
mornings and late afternoons, especially
after the ever present afternoon
thundershowers. They can be caught on
"surface walking" plugs such as the Zara
Spooks, Rapala Skitterwalks and the
Mirrolure Top Dogs, as well as live
shrimp and live finger mullet. Due to
warmer water temperatures and the
presence of the finger mullet you may
also encounter Snook, Tarpon, Jack
Crevalle, and Ladyfish.
In addition, earlier during the Spring,
a species of fish in the grunt family
called Pigfish was spawning in the
seagrasses of the Indian River Lagoon
and by late May, the young were still
under two inches in length. However by
July they are about three inches in
length and the trout absolutely love
them. Fished under a popping cork over
the seagrass or around docks and other
structure they will make a grunting
noise while on the hook that larger
trout will seek out. They can also be
used for Redfish and Snook.
In addition to the mullet and pigfish,
schools of glass minnows, which are
actually Bay Anchovies, are forming in
deeper waters, bringing schools of
smaller seatrout, ladyfish, and jacks to
the surface. Look for terns and other
seabirds feeding and try the area with a
size 3/16 plain chrome Krocodile Spoon.
Another personal favorite is Rapala's
original Floating Minnow, model F09 in
silver. Great fun with 8 lb spinning
tackle!
In areas of moving water like the
culverts of mosquito impoundments, Snook
and Seatrout are feeding on minnows
washed out of the culverts. Juvenile
Tarpon are rolling in the canals and
creeks connecting to the lagoon while
Snook are hugging mangrove shorelines in
the early mornings. Manmade structures
such as docks will hold Mangrove
Snapper, Snook and Seatrout as will
deeper mangrove shorelines. Mangrove
Snapper will take live shrimp as well as
small spoons and jigs. They will also
smack small top-water plugs on the
flats. Try the Rapala original floating
minnow model F03 or F05 on light tackle.
Pompano will also start to school in the
lagoon towards the later summer. Look
for them around edges of sand flats, and
around bridges with small jigs tipped
with pieces of shrimp or sand fleas.
Fall
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Fall |||
Top
As the weather starts to cool a bit in
the fall, the seatrout will move towards
the edges of the flats where great
topwater action can still be had while
the redfish can still be found shadowing
the schools of Finger Mullet, will soon
migrate out of the area. Where the
summer flats action for trout was very
early and late in the evenings, as the
weather cools the action starts a little
later and lasts on the flats until the
sun is almost overhead. After the first
cold fronts of the season pass try the
sand potholes after the sun has come up.
In deeper waters, the glass minnows are
starting their southward migration but
will draw plenty of action as long as
they are around. The pompano will start
schooling up and gathering near inlets
as they prepare to move out through the
inlets and hunt sand fleas along the
beaches. Flounder will start to show up
near the inlets as well. Gag Grouper can
be found in some of the deeper areas of
the lagoon and around bridges and other
structure.
Good Luck!
Dean Pettit
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