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The summer fishing around the Ponce Inlet area has been a lot of fun with some big fish coming to the boat. As we wind up July and head into August we enter the tail end of summer and begin the slow transition into fall. The fishing patterns shift as well but only for the better as we get some of the best fishing of the year.
Nearshore fishing off of Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, we are still looking for tarpon, jacks, albies and other migratory fish that pass up the coast of Florida during the summer. The Atlantic is at its calmest during the summer and fall so long as it’s absent of tropical weather. We take advantage of these conditions to target these species. Around the inlet and river areas the targets will continue to be snook, redfish, large jack crevalle and tarpon. This time of year brings the beginning of bait runs and other events that can lead to great days of fishing so I’m looking forward to this end of summer transition and the days of fun fishing to come. The summertime patterns we have been waiting all winter for are finally setting in nicely. Migratory species are returning and opportunities abound. Mornings this time of year are generally beautiful and calm followed by several hours of sunshine until the afternoon storms possibly arrive long after we get off the water.
Nearshore fishing off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach is a summer specialty as our migratory species such as tarpon and false albacore tuna make their annual passage along our coast. These species are fierce predators and the smallest albacore and the largest tarpon will both make their appropriately sized reels scream. Some days allow us to target these fish with fly tackle as well. In the Ponce Inlet and river areas, we will be looking for redfish, snook, and large jack crevalle. These species are all active during the summer months and the snook especially are high on our priority list. We have been getting some big snook with a few even pushing 40”, great fish that we did not always get this far north in Florida. The early part of summer is some of the nicest weather and best fishing of the year for our largest gamefish. Don’t miss out on this season of fishing! Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Charters http://www.ponceinletcharters.com (386)290-9897 Spring is transitioning into summer here in the Ponce Inlet area. This means some of our warm water species are once again arriving and becoming active and giving us some of our awaited summer time opportunities. This early part of summer is still more quite as hot as July and August yet to come so being on the boat is still nice and pleasant temperature wise.
The summer season brings with it our migratory tarpon and false albacore tuna. These are both some of the most powerful gamefish pound for pound and it’s a blast to spend the day nearshore fishing targeting these species with light tackle. Other fish are also giving us good opportunities inshore such as snook and redfish. We are also still fishing out of the skiff down in Mosquito Lagoon where sight fishing is the name of the game. Redfish, sea trout and black drum are the targets for this light tackle and fly fishing. We will continue to fish the lagoon intermittently throughout summer but our main focus will be on the nearshore and inlet fishing in the coming months. Don’t miss out on the early season bites for these species, some of the better tarpon fishing happens earlier in the summer! Spring time is definitely here in the Ponce Inlet area. The water and air temperature are both warming up quickly and some of our spring fishing opportunities are starting to happen. Species that have been mainly absent during the winter months are not coming back to the normal areas we find them in during the warm months. It’s a nice change after a few months of our winter fishing and exciting to be catching species like snook and soon tarpon and albies as well.
In the inlet area we will be targeting snook and redfish along with some seasonal opportunities like big bluefish. The tarpon will arrive shortly and we will be ready for them. Big jack crevalle and false albacore tuna will also be here later in the spring season. We are still spending a lot of time in Mosquito Lagoon which is just to the south of the Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach area. Spring fishing in the lagoon for redfish and sea trout along with some black drum can be some of the best fishing during the spring. Trout will especially be our focus as they prepare to spawn. Some of the best sight fishing of the year happens in the spring before the water gets hot during the summer months ahead. The last few weeks of winter weather are passing by here in the Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach areas. Winter in Florida is a relative term of course and most of our days still have pleasant temperatures. Spring is on the horizon and with the warming temperatures and longer days, our best inlet, nearshore and tidal water fishing season is fast approaching.
Our main target species in the inlet area and nearshore, with the exception of redfish, are generally all warm water species. This includes snook, tarpon, false albacore tuna, and jack crevalle. Our fishery has two main areas that both fish better during separate seasons, spending our winter and spring months in Mosquito Lagoon flats fishing and our summer and fall months fishing the inlet and nearshore areas. This is great for clients as we have a year round fishery and also two distinct fisheries that are both fun and allow us to do new types of fishing throughout the year. After a season of lagoon fishing, it’s exciting to get ready for the coming warm water season. In the mean time, most of our fishing is currently happening just to the south of the Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach area in Mosquito Lagoon. We have been having some great days lately with reds, black drum and sea trout. Sight fishing is the name of the game and we use both fly and light spinning tackle to target these fish. The next couple months of spring transition will bring more exciting fishing, especially for sea trout. Don’t miss experiencing this special part of our fishing seasons in this area of Florida! February has brought us a number of just right fishing days for the winter season with light winds, perfect temperatures for our winter fishing and some great days on the water. February is our last true winter month in Florida, spring is knocking on the door but the cooler weather fishing we enjoy this time of year will continue through the next couple months of spring.
During the winter, we spend our time fishing in Mosquito Lagoon for the most part. Having three boats and over 20 years of experience as a fishing guide in this area allows me to offer my clients full access to the best fishing in the entire fishery from nearshore, to inlet and tidal areas, to our back country flats fishing in the lagoon. No other guide in this area offers this complete access and knowledge of the entire fishery. The fishing in Mosquito Lagoon is at its peak during the cooler months of the year offering some of the best flats fishing opportunities in Florida for redfish, sea trout and black drum. Fly and spin anglers can sight fish these species on the lagoons shallow flats. We use a number of techniques that allow anglers of all skill levels from advanced to young kids to enjoy flats fishing. As spring knocks on the door, we have our minds on the coming warm weather season in the bay boat around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach. Soon enough we will once again be targeting tarpon, big snook and redfish in the never ending pursuit to stay on the best fishing this area has to offer throughout the year! As we continue through winter we are enjoying the benefits of a Florida winter with jacket weather in the morning and comfortable conditions in the afternoon. The real benefit of winter though is the quality of fishing. We have some of the best flats fishing we have all year during the winter and it’s not to be missed if you’re into that style of fishing!
Mosquito Lagoon is our flats fishery that lies just to the south of the greater Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach area. Known for its sight fishing for redfish, sea trout and black drum, the water and habitat quality of the lagoon has been looking good with clear water and lots of recent sea grass growth. This has brought on some fun fishing for fly and light tackle anglers, especially during the winter and spring. The season for bay boat fishing near Ponce Inlet and nearshore off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach is quickly approaching. As we push through the last month of winter fishing and into spring, we will be gearing up for snook, big redfish, jack crevalle and especially tarpon. It won’t be long and dates are already booking for that fishery so be sure to get yours reserved sooner than later! Another warm winter week has passed, hinting at the possibility of a continued mild winter for Florida. Winters are a little different during El Niño years. We have had more cloudy and rainy days than usual but it’s also warmer than usual. This has made the weather very pleasant for fishing!
Winter fishing is generally focused on the species that are cold tolerant, namely redfish and black drum. In Mosquito Lagoon, located just to the south of Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach, flats fishing should continue to be good through winter. Migratory black drum are down from as far away as Chesapeake bay with the largest drum we. Some of these fish can be as big as 70lbs! Mosquito Lagoon is mostly clear with good visibility for sight fishing redfish, trout and black drum on fly or light spin tackle. Good grass coverage in many areas has enhanced the fishing this winter and we have been seeing more schools of redfish than in the last couple years. This has made for some great days on the water and combined with the warmer temperatures we have gotten for most of winter, it’s made this season a lot of fun so far. We are very lucky to have a year round fishery with multiple options to keep us on good fishing in every month of the year. Winter time fishing in Florida is some of the best fishing and is a great way to beat the dreary winter many experience in other parts of the country. While we do have occasional cool days, at least a few days each week generally approach 70 degrees, but even on the cooler days the bite is usually pretty good.
During this time of the year we are focused on fishing the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon system. The water is nice and clear and the sight fishing is about as good as it gets in this area. Both spin and fly anglers have good opportunities for sight fishing on most days. We usually have shots at redfish, sea trout and occasionally black drum during the winter months. The inlet area near Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach is more fun to fish during the warmer months and the lagoon has the better winter time bite so we just don’t focus much on the tidal water during the winter season. The reason I have 3 different boats is so I can pursue the best fishing available during any month of the year with my clients whether it’s flats fishing in the winter using the skiffs or nearshore fishing for tarpon in the summer. |
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