April 10, 2003

Capt. Brian Clancy/Eldora Charters

A very strong low pressure system has come through the area today. It’s late for this time of year but not unusual. This front is not the same chiller that came through the last days of March and first of April . That front sent the temp plummeting to the 40’s from highs in the 80’s. This front has dropped the temp into the 50/60’s but it’s the wind that is keeping us off the water.

The NW winds are gusting to 25 mph and like the last front this should drop the water levels in the lagoon.

As the water level rose again after the last front, redfish slowly returned to their shallow water feeding stations. Tailing reds were a common sight. Deeper areas, one to two feet, also held some good groups of reds and trout. This scenario will probably repeat its self in a couple of days.

Last month we used a variety of baits and lures. In the deeper areas we used Capt. Mike’s gold spoons, shrimp, live mullet, cut mullet, mirrolures and super spook jr’s. In shallow water, jerk baits like D.O.A.’s C.A.L. baits, shrimp and fly all caught reds.

Most of the reds caught were in the slot range (18 to 27 inches). There were days when small reds dominated, not giving the big reds a chance at the bait. The biggest red this month was an 18 pounder. This fish too, was small compared to its buddies, but gave a great pull on 10 pound line.

March was an excellent month for top-water action on spotted sea trout. Plenty of 3 to 4 pounders got stung by the trebles. Jerk baits and jigs also got their share of fish. This coming month bait fish will be plentiful and it’ll be harder to fool trout on artificial lures. Pigfishermen will dominate the trout for the rest of the summer. Those little croaker sounding pinfish are irresistible to trout.

Former Orlandoan and now Atlanta resident Mark Pregmom was my last angler just as this unfishable weather was hitting. Mark has been on my boat numerous times, he’s duck hunted and fished in the lagoon for the last two decades. Now an obsessed turkey hunter, his few fishing days are luckily with me. We had a semi-calm first hour on spooky and uninterested reds in shallow water, then we hit the school in a crystal clear, deep (1 ½ foot) flat. As the winds picked up Mark stayed steadily hooked up to good reds. The reds were easy to see as they turned on their sides flashing in the midmorning sun. It was no problem staying on these reds in the wind with a new hydraulic anchoring system (Power Pole) on my Action Craft that jams a carbon-fiber stake in the mud bottom.

It’s been a busy spring, March being chock full of charters plus doing the season wrap-up with Sport Fishing Magazine's TV series, the Fishing the Flats TV series with Henry Waszczuk and Alex Suescun’s Tarpon Bay Tales TV series.

May 1-3 are the dates for the Mosquito Lagoon Redbone Tournament. This charity event helps fund the search for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. There’s still a guide or two available. Interested anglers should call 407-896-6994 for more information.

There were a lot of fishing shows in the Central Florida area this spring. If you have the time it’s worth taking advantage of these shows, there’s always new and interesting products. Plus, with an open mind, even the most experienced angler can learn something new or be reminded of something that’ll put more fish in the boat.

Sport Fishing Magazine is hosting a fishing extravaganza right here in New Smyrna Beach called Fish Stock May 24 and 25th. This is a fishing show with tournaments (inshore and offshore), seafood, a boat show, tackle and accessories exhibits, seminars and live music. For tournament info call Keith Lawhun @386-860-7995, general info, John Gilbert @ 407-571-4716, on the net, www.FishStock.com.

Spring is here, this front will pass quickly. In a day or two the only remnant of the strong winds will be the sounds of pounding surf over the narrow dunes that separate the Atlantic from the Mosquito Lagoon.

Enjoy the outdoors, get on there!

Capt. Brian Clancy/Eldora Charters

www.eldoracharters.com  for archived fishing reports

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