Mosquito Lagoon Winter Fishing Report-2012

Back in Florida after several months guiding the Louisiana marsh for several months with my partner Capt. Nick Sassic. The Mosquito Lagoon has been productive, lots of tailing redfish and schools of trout on the sand holes. I’ve been fortunate to catch several anglers their first redfish on flies the past few weeks. The winter bite should continue to be strong, especially between fronts.

The fall seasion in Louisana was great for my partner Capt. Nick Sassic and I. The big redfish and black drum were plentiful and very cooperative. We caught countless redfish and black drum over 20lbs, the majority were sight fished on flies. The bayou is a great fishery! Nick and I will be headed out again in January for a few weeks.

This was the most memorable fish of the trip for me. Christian joined us for Thanksgiving ,along with his cousin and one of my best friends Brandon. Christian had a sever neck injury a eightteen months ago while mountain biking. Besides being forunate to survive, he has gained the majority of his function back. He has limited sensation in his finger tips, Christian must look at his hands to strip the fly. His patcience and persistance paid off. This was the largest fish that he has caught since his accident. Brandon caught a giant on Thanksgiving Day. (pictured below)

Brandon "Seven6" Stewart of Missoula, Montana with an amazing 25lber.

Dan “Rooster” Leavens of Stonefly Inn and Outfitters with a nice 25lber.

The Fertman boys put over 15 fish in the boat over 20 on fly in two great days in November. Jared had to take a swim (unintentional) to get things going, but his Dad appreciated it!

Lucky Murray! We’ve been fishing together for years and years, he always hits it perfect! Murray is a great caster and can spot fish, he makes me look good!

The bay that we caught this fish in had schools of big black drum as far as we could see.

They don’t grow like this in Jacksonville do they Dennis?!

Rob was nothing less than happy!

Mike worked against tough conditions, cloudy and reallllly breezy to get this fish! She ate 10 feet off the boat!

Cap’n Steve fished both in November and December and was successful both months. He is new to fly fishing, but has jumped in head first! I love getting people their first redfish on fly!

My best friend Mike and his brother Richard flew out to fish a day and drive back to FL with me. They were rewarded with the best day of the season. We landed 20 fish over 20lbs on fly and spin, many doubles! Mike caught his fist redfish on fly too. After wearing them out on big fish we moved shallow and caught another 20 5-10lbers.

Come Sight-fishing!

Capt. Scott Mac Calla
321-795-9259

Gift Certificates available!

Mosquito Lagoon Early Fall, Late Summer Fishing Report-2011

August, September, and October are out best months to catch our big redfish on artificials and flies. This year has been more difficult than previous years. We've experienced the worst algae bloom that we have had in 25 years. The water is extremely green, but the fish are still aggressive. Tracking them is the tough part! The cooler water temperatures of the fall and winter will kill the algae and then our normally clear waters will return.

Butch Murphy ended up landing 2 big redfish on flies, the biggest being over 30lbs. Butch is a great angler and has been fishing with me for years, normally before a work trip into Orlando. He brings his own flies, generally smallmouth patterns from Virginia. They ALWAYS produce!

After a short flight across the big pond, Richard Abson also landed a nice 15lb redfish and hooked several others on fly. We had to do our searching, but it paid off. Rich has also been fishing with me for years and is also a great fly caster.

Bob Bagby joined some of his co-workers from Zebco and landed 10 big redfish on lures. He caught this fish and close 10 more all on artificials. This redfish was caught on one of the new EXO reels from Quantum on 8lb fluorocarbon. A little under-gunned, but he got it done! Thanks for the support!

The biggest fish that I have had a client catch on fly

Rich Fulton has been fishing with me since 2003, when I purchased my first Hell's Bay Professional. I've watched Rich improve his casting and angling abilities ten-fold over the years. We have had plenty of great days, some okay days, and our past few trips have greeted us with wind and clouds. Not exactly the best conditions for sight fishing with flies. We were due for a solid trip. We found several giant schools of big redfish and Rich tricked 6 to the boat on fly. No easy feat! The largest fish was 36lbs! This fish was 42" long, but had a 28" girth! Not only was this the biggest fish that I have had a client catch on fly, but it is the largest male that I can honestly say that I have had on the boat.

After hours and hours and hours of searching for the big redfish, Kevin Taylor was rewarded with his patience with a nice fly-caught 21lb black drum. Thanks for being positive and excited about the hunt!

October will close-up our season for big redfish. Winter will bring cooler waters and tailing redfish. Post-front fishing can be excellent!

Come Sight-fishing!

Capt. Scott Mac Calla
321-795-9259

Gift Certificates available!

Mosquito Lagoon Late Summer Fishing Report, 2011

The days are shortening and summer is in slowdown! Yes it's hot, but fall is on the way! We are in a transition, mullet are moving to shorelines and the water levels are beginning to rise. With this seasonal change, the smaller redfish will move on to shorelines and the bigger redfish will group up in the deeper flats. The early start is stillthe norm. Hot mid-day temps push the fish off the flats. The redfishing has remained consistent, lots of 5-15lb fish with a few giants mixed in. Double hook-ups have been fairly common!

Beach Fishing

The beaches have also remained strong! Mullet have joined up with the menhaden and the predators are there with them. The tarpon have shown in full force! King Mackerel are on the beaches now too. Cobia fishing has remained consistent, many of the fish have been bigger than those from last summer.

Capt. Scott Mac Calla
321-795-9259

Gift Certificates available!

Mosquito Lagoon Summer Fishing Report, 2011

Summer has arrived! Warming tempuratures have made the fish active! Mullet schools have invaded the lagoons, along with huge pogie pods on the beaches! The early start is now a must! Hot mid-day temps push the fish off the flats.

The redfish have been very active in the mornings. Tailing redfish have been a common sight in the morning hours, but is finished up by 9am. Lots of redfish have been extremely shallow, allowing their backs to be exposed. Few skiffs can make it to these skinny-water fish! But my Hell's Bay can!

Seatrout fishing has been excellent too! The top water bite has been strong in the mornings. Later in the day, the edges are most productive, with jigs and top water plugs being the choice baits.

The fly fishing for redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon has also picked up. Morning tailers and snaking fish in shallow grass provide good fly fishing targets. Accuracy is a must! These fish have a narrow field of vision, the grass blocks their view! The fly has to been within a foot of their noses. They are a challenging target, but very catchable! Seducers and bendback pattens have been most productive.

Beach Fishing

The beaches have also been hot! Giant shoals of menhaden are making the annual appearance on the Space Coast. Tarpon, jacks, sharks, bonita, king mackerel, cobia, and other game fish follow these pods. Cobia fishing has been great all spring and should continue through the summer. Each day, more and more tarpon are showing on the beaches.

Cobia fishing has remained strong on the beaches, the big jacks and tarpon have also begun to show. Bonita and sharks also joining the mix. Trout fishing has been excellent on the edges, jigs and topwater plugs have been best. The fly fishing is picking up too.

Capt. Scott Mac Calla
321-795-9259

Mosquito Lagoon Spring Fishing Report, 2011

Spring has arrived with a bang! The big redfish are happy and eating and the cobia fishing has been nothing less than exceptional! The smaller redfish are still in schools, hopefully with the warmer water they will spread and move into shallower water. Fishing has been great!

Come sight fishing! Gift Certificates Available!

Capt. Scott Mac Calla
321-795-9259

Mosquito Lagoon Winter Fishing Report, 2010

Winter is by far the best time of the year to fly fish the Mosquito Lagoon. Cooler water, bright skies, and gin-clear water make the sight fishing fantastic! The redfish also switch from feeding primarily on bait fish to crabs and shrimp. This also makes them easier to feed flies. The fly fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon has been fantastic!

Bright skies equal good fly fishing! If you look at the pictures below, note that sun is out or the winds are calm. With any type of sight fishing, the conditions can make or break the day.

Most anglers get worked up if the wind is blowing. The wind is your friend! The wind hides the boat, relaxes the fish, and puts the fish on the feed. The combination of wind and sun are great conditions!

The pictures are proof! Most guides say they fly fish, check their fishing reports! Are they actually catching fish on flies? In the winter months, 90% of my trips are fly fishing. For a referal, call the Fly Fisherman of Titusville @ 321-267-0348.

Capt. Scott MacCalla

1-321-795-9259

www.redfishonfly.com

Mosquito Lagoon Summer Fishing Report, 2009

Summer is in full swing! The hot daytime temperatures have heated up the fishing. At last count, we have had 20+ days of 90-degree weather. Early, pre-dawn starts are now a must! Along with the hot temperatures, summer brings calm morning winds and stable weather patterns, making the fishing more reliable.

The Black Drum fishing has been as good as I have ever experienced. Double digit days have been the norm, I've had a few days in the past week were we landed upwards of forty!

Ed Miller is pictured with one of the 29 black drum that we sight-casted with live shrimp. We actually ran out of bait and landed several more on Berkley Gulps. See you next week Ed!

Both Duane Keith and Capt. Jim Manus experienced the Lagoon's Black Drum on flies. 7-9wt rods matched with floating lines are the preferred setups. The flies are somewhat of a secret! The drum are excellent fighters, just as their cousin redfish.

The big redfsh have also picked up in the past weeks. Many of the traditional big redfish spots are beginning to hold fish. They have been around, just not in their normal haunts.

Max Curry had an excellent day of fishing on the Saturday before Father's Day. Along with his wife and daughter, the trio landed 14 black drum and Max caught 2 redfish in the 25lb class. All the fish were sight-casted in shallow water.

Ken Richardson has a great 4hr trip on the Mosquito Lagoon. Ken was able to win the battle with 3 redfish, 22lbs, 34lbs (pictured), and the biggest was over 40lbs. These were Ken's largest redfish. All were sight casted out of schools.

Along with the great flats fishing, the near shore fishing around Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral has been phenomenal! The tarpon, jacks, and kingfish have made their summer returns to our beaches. Last week, I was fortunate enough to spend the two days chasing Tarpon on the beaches. The first day, we jumped 3 tarpon on flies and landed one in the 90lb class on bait. All the tarpon were finning on the surface and were looking to eat!

If you're interested in some of Central Florida's summertime fishing, give me a call!

Come sight fishing!

Capt. Scott MacCalla

1-321-795-9259

www.redfishonfly.com