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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!
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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 A bit of a cool down recently has given us our first real taste of winter in Florida for the season. Compared to most of the rest of the country, it’s not much of a comparison though! The fish have still been biting and most days are pretty pleasant.
Around Ponce Inlet and the tidal areas of New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach, we have still been catching big redfish and big black drum. These big fish are relatively un phased by the colder temperatures of winter. Mosquito Lagoon is looking nice and clear and the fish have been active. Some smaller groups of fish along with individual fish have been giving us good targets for fly and spin anglers to sight fish. The water will likely only get even clearer as the season continues. Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters We finally got our taste of a little cooler weather this week with a couple mornings in the 40’s, but a quick warm up the the low 60’s will still make the days pleasant. Winter is relative in Florida!
Big redfish continue to be active around the Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach area. Cooler weather doesn’t necessarily phase these fish most of the time and the bite can be good throughout winter. Migratory black drum are around as well with some truly large fish in the mix. Nearshore fishing off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach is in a transitional period right now. A few triple tail remain but it can be a challenge to get out there between fronts. Ocean conditions are unpredictable this time of year and more often than not it’s too rough to get out there. When it is calm, we still poke out and check it out. Mosquito Lagoon has been fun recently with some good redfish activity for fly and spin anglers along with some big black drum up to 40lbs. Lagoon fishing should remain a good option throughout the winter season. Another warm winter week has passed, hinting at the possibility of a continued mild winter for Florida. This certainly has made the weather very pleasant for fishing!
Winter fishing is generally focused on the species that are cold tolerant, namely big bull redfish and big black drum. Around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach, the big redfish bite should continue to be good through winter. Migratory black drum are down from as far away as Chesapeake bay with the largest ones of the year starting to show up. Some of these fish can be as big as 60lbs! Nearshore fishing in winter is fairly limited to triple tail, and on the calm days we have been able to look for them off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. Mosquito Lagoon is fairly clear with good visibility for sight fishing redfish, trout and black drum on fly or light spin tackle. The month of December has been filled with much nicer weather than usual for early winter, with most days in the 70’s with good all around weather. Hopefully this pattern of mild weather continues through January.
In the Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach area, we have been catching some nice bull reds as always along with a few migratory black drum that are here for the winter. Nearshore off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach can offer some opportunities at triple tail this month, but it’s weather dependent and time sensitive as they’re also migratory fish. Mosquito Lagoon continues to have pretty good water clarity and sight fishing opportunities for fly and spin anglers. We have had some fun days recently and with the good weather we have been seeing, hopefully January will be another productive month. Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters Fall weather just doesn’t seem to want to quit! We have had some beautiful weather the last two weeks and it doesn’t even feel like it’s December! Things will surely change soon but the fishing will remain good. The warm weather we have been having has kept the water temperature stable around 70 degrees for weeks now, and the fishing has stayed strong the entire time. Lots of good catches this week have been keeping us busy. Around the Ponce Inlet area, big reds have been bending our rods and a few snook as well. The snook fishing will change soon with the oncoming cooler season but in the mean time we have enjoyed it. Nearshore off Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach we have be able to sneak out when the weather has been good and found a few triple tail but most of our best nearshore fishing will be on hold through the colder parts of winter until the cobia show up in spring. Mosquito Lagoon has been a lot of fun to fish with the skiff lately with a good number of 4-8lb redfish feeding in shallow water. This size fish is top on the list of targets for sight fishing with spin or fly tackle. We have also had some shots are big sea trout as well. Good water clarity and sunny days have been on our side. Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters As we approach the edge of the winter season, it’s time to get excited for the new opportunities we will be presented. Clearer water and new species of fish are the theme of the coming 3 months.
Around Ponce Inlet, big redfish and giant black drum will fall into their winter patterns and some of the larger fish we catch all year will be landed. Tarpon and snook will slow way down to survive the cold of winter but hopefully will have another non eventful season for their safety. It’s tough to get off the beach this time of year for nearshore fishing off New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach due to the weather on most days, but we will have some opportunities on the calmer days. Inshore fishing in Mosquito Lagoon will enter its peak season with clear water and good sight fishing shots at reds and trout on fly and light spin tackle. The water has already started to clear up and it’s always fun to spend time in the back country of the lagoon chasing shallow water fish. Capt. Billy Rotne 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 The past and coming few weeks have had some excellent fishing in the New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach areas, it just doesn’t get much better. Big redfish, snook, tarpon and jack crevalle have all been giving us great days on the water.
Around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach, the inshore fishing has been a lot of fun. Big reds and snook have been really active and providing some of the best opportunities of the year for these species. Jacks have also been active in large groups destroying schools of mullet. Bother nearshore around the inlet and inshore, tarpon have been active as well. They should remain in the area for a few more weeks until we start to have consistent cold fronts. In the mean time, the bite can be excellent as they prepare for their winter migration. This time of year is truly special for fishing so don’t miss out! Capt. Billy Rotne Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters |
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