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As our winter season pushes on, we have been really enjoying some great weather and fishing. The special thing about the Ponce Inlet area is that we have great options year round that offer different types of fishing. Regardless of the weather condition, we can have great days on most days during the winter season.
Most of our fishing has been taking place in the Mosquito Lagoon area which is just a few miles south of Ponce Inlet. This remote area is one of the few untouched areas along Florida’s east coast. The scenery and the wildlife goes hand in hand with the fishing. We have been having some great days with both spinning tackle and fly rods, doing a combination of sight fishing along with a few other techniques. The bite for redfish, black drum and sea trout has been pretty good lately so we’ve been having a lot of fun. The Ponce Inlet area has also been productive for some of our winter species like sheepshead along with a few bull reds hanging around.
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Just when we thought hurricane season was over, we got an unusual November storm. Thankfully it didn’t cause any damage to the boats and fishing is getting back to normal this week.
Redfish and snook are both around in the Ponce Inlet area and will feed well through November. There are still some tarpon around as well but the amount of time they remain here will be dependent on how our next few cold fronts impact water temperatures. When things are right, the tarpon can feed hard before pushing on with their winter migration towards the Caribbean. Mosquito Lagoon just to the south of Ponce Inlet has had some really high water levels after our first hurricane, they started to drop but came back up again after this more recent storm. They should drop over the next few weeks and the fishing should be good for spin and fly anglers looking to sight fish as we head into December. As fall fishing enters the stretch of its last month, great opportunities at several species are available. Cooler and less humid weather has arrived in central Florida and this is one of the most comfortable times of the year in the Ponce Inlet area.
Big bull redfish are still the specialty of our fishery and the primary target through the month of November. Large numbers of migratory fish are still in the area and eagerly searching for food before it’s time to return to the ocean. The great fishing and comfortable weather can make this a special month to fish. In addition to redfish, we do have the occasional opportunity at snook and tarpon. These species may or may not be available on any given day, it just depends on conditions and bait availability. In Mosquito Lagoon just to the south of Ponce Inlet, water levels have dropped some since last months hurricane rains and the fishing has also been pretty good for hungry redfish along shorelines. Fall patterns have remained stable and the fishing has been great on almost every trip in the Ponce Inlet area. Hurricane season is almost passed now thankfully and more stable weather between cold fronts is on the horizon.
Fishing for big bull redfish remains outstanding with catches averaging 5-10 fish on most trips. Anglers from 12 to 70 years old have enjoyed catching their biggest redfish recently. Some days have been calm enough to provide opportunities at migratory tarpon heading south for the winter, but it’s highly variable and unpredictable. Though unpredictable, I expect several more waves of fish and incredible fishing on those days for some of my anglers going into the last part of this month and the first couple weeks of November. Get out here and enjoy the last of the warm weather before truly cooler conditions set it! I suppose I spoke too soon about no hurricanes in my last report, because this past week was a reminder of what hurricane season can bring for Florida. Despite the destruction in other parts of the state, our area faired well over all and the fishing has been good this week.
In the Ponce Inlet area, we have been catching some nice reds in the 35”-45” size range with some days being really productive. It’s that time of year and thankfully the fish have stayed in the area through the weather we had during the storm. There are a few snook and tarpon around but the storm impacted them a bit more than the reds, but things should stabilize soon with those species. To the south of Ponce Inlet down in Mosquito Lagoon, we have had some pretty good sight fishing but we will need the post hurricane water levels to drop more before we really get back to fishing down there. That should happen over the next week or two. Contact us today to plan your Ponce Inlet fishing charter! We’re still in the Goldilocks zone of late spring temperatures here in the Ponce Inlet area and the fishing has been and should continue to be great. Warm water species are starting to arrive and get active both inshore and nearshore.
Nearshore fishing off Ponce Inlet has finally started to shape up nicely with calmer winds ahead and warm enough water that our target species of tarpon, jack crevalle, and false albacore tuna are doing their thing. The next month should really open this fishery up and I expect great days to come for sure. Inshore fishing around Ponce Inlet and the adjacent areas has been a lot of fun with good catches of big bull reds and big snook. The bull reds are entering their summer pattern and we have been targeting them with both spin and fly tackle. The big snook are definitely glad winter is over and they’ve been nice and chewy recently with my clients landing fish up to 35”. Just to the south, fly and light tackle fishing Mosquito Lagoon has been fun with redfish blasting baits in shallow water and the big sea trout starting to gear up for their coming spawning season. As we enter the full fledged spring season, the fishing has been rapidly falling into the expected patterns. The temperatures couldn’t be more comfortable to fish in and now with the time change, we get a little more daylight to lengthen our afternoon trips. Spring in Florida brings about many great opportunities that we are ready to enjoy.
In the Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach area, big bull reds will begin entering their spring rhythms and warming up from the winter time hunkering. Snook are also starting to move back into their usual haunts. Black drum have mainly migrated back to the north but there are still a few around. Nearshore fishing has been quite variable with windy conditions, but we should start to get more opportunities in the coming weeks. Cobia could still make an appearance if we catch a few good weather days. Tarpon and big jack crevalle won’t be too far behind either along with drag ripping false albacore. Mosquito Lagoon has lost a little clarity with the warmer temperatures but we are still getting some fun sight fishing for fly and spin anglers in the skiffs. Winter seemed to be rather brief this year with a few days close to 80 degrees last week and more warm weather in the forecast. Low humidity and “just right” temperatures sure do make it comfortable to be outside this time of year!
We have been mainly focusing on light tackle and fly fishing in Mosquito Lagoon the past few weeks as that’s been where the better fishing has occurred. Water clarity and fish activity continue to make it a good option to sight fish for 4-8lb redfish, black drum, and sea trout. Fishing around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Daytona Beach for big redfish and black drum can be variable this time of year but it should pick up rapidly as the warmer temperatures become a steady trend. The patterns of the fish will adjust to this and the days should become consistent soon. Nearshore fishing off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach is generally more of a summer activity but on the right days we do have opportunities at migratory cobia. This challenging type of sight fishing is a lot of fun when things line up. Spotting the cobia following giant manta rays is a sight to see. Just seeing the rays alone is a great experience! Mid winter has brought us cooler water temps and a change in the focus of our targeted fishing. Cooler water means clear water and that gives us some of the best sight fishing opportunities of the year.
Mosquito Lagoon has been a lot of fun lately leading to some great days with clients. Sight fishing in shallow water with spin or fly tackle is one of the most exciting ways there is to catch fish. Redfish, black drum and sea trout are all possible catches on any given day. We still target the big bull reds and larger black drum around Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach this time of year on the days we aren’t fishing in the shallow water. Nearshore fishing still won’t be much of an option until we get warmer water temperatures that typically start arriving in March and bring cobia with them. Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters Cooler temperatures are knocking on the door as we head into the latter part of fall, bringing another change in the seasonal fishing patterns. Warmer water species hunker down while new species arrive from the north.
In the Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon area, redfish and big black drum will be the mainstays of the early winter season. These species tolerate cooler temperatures well and give us great targets even on the cooler days. Snook are still around, but become considerably less active as the days get colder. Nearshore fishing off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach gives us the opportunity at another species, triple tail. These fish are accessible on the better weather days when ocean conditions allow us to spend time along the beach. Most of the other nearshore species aren’t around during the winter so we generally spilt time between inshore and nearshore on the days we target them. Mosquito Lagoon is already getting clearer with the first couple fronts past us. Hopefully we will have a great sight fishing season through spring this year. Large schools of black drum will be arriving in the coming weeks, giving us some great flats fishing opportunities. As with the others seasons, east central Florida has great fishing at all times of the year. Don’t miss out on the opportunities at hand! Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters |
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