Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report
Mon. May 9, 2011
Moon - First Quarter on 10th
M.F.= pm +/-
Temp.: 79 deg. (comfortable)
wind: E @ 6-8 mph, gust to - mph
pressure: 29.95
humidity: 75%
rain: 0
sunny
I left the office this afternoon with visions of big red fish patrolling some large sand holes near Dummits Cove in the Indian River Lagoon that I have been wanting to fish.
I was a little late leaving and had to stop by my Engineer buddy's house to help him with a few things on the way. I ended up getting to the Long Pond road about 6:30pm only to find it closed! That really messed up the plan as the next closest launch to where I wanted to fish was Sendlers Education Outpost and that makes for a mile paddle trip. It was to late for that adventure as the refuge closes at sunset.
I decided to put in there anyway and see if I could find any tailing reds on the grass flats and do a little exploring as this was my first time putting in here.
There was plenty of 4-6" mullet around but there was no fish striking them and I never spotted the first tail of a red. I did paddle up on a few good one on the way back to the launch.
I fished a flats gig tipped with a piece of mullet and a top water, skitter walk for a little with no action other than some pin fish strikes on the gig.
There was a great sunset to enjoy and the mosquitoes were not bad so it was an enjoyable trip despite the lack of fish activity.
I had tried to contact the refuge headquarters earlier in the day to inquire whether the Lpond road was open but got no answer. I drove 140+ miles round trip just to find the road closed. That was a real let down as I had high hopes for that spot and the other access adds 3/4 of a mile to the paddle....one way.
After that I did a little poking around the Haulover bridge. We used to fish the bridge from shore when I was a kid and slay the trout. I was greeted by a big sign that said "no fishing from shore!" That really surprised me. I tried to just walk to the water to see if any fish were striking under the light off the end of the fender and found more signs that said "closed beyond this point" so you can't even get to the water on the NE side of the bridge. I ran back around to the SE side and was able to get to the water but apparently there is no fishing from shore period at the bridge. Unbelievable!
I did not see any fish striking on the east side but there was a boat anchored dipping shrimp and I could over hear them talking about all the trout they could see in their lights, including some big drum. I did not see them dip any shrimp though. I did see one real good strike from the SW side just off the bank.
I decided to have a look at the boat launch just down the canal to the west, known as Blair's Cove ramp. I was greeted by another sign that stated "no canoe/kayak launching at night!" What the hell is that all about? Man that sticks in my craw! A boat with a motor can put in there but no canoe or kayak. It is listed as one of only two launches into mosquito/indian river lagoons for night fishing and a kayak cannot use it. I have never heard of such a thing. As a matter of fact I am going to inquire about this. It's just not right.
There are so many roads closed from what I have seen that someone with a canoe or kayak is just out of luck for many miles of fishing particularly in the afternoon. You have to fish close to the hill to be able to be out before dark. It's not as much of a problem in the morning but you still can miss out on some prime fishing time if you plan to paddle very far to your first stop.
Beyond that it is one awesome place to fish where you can find access with your kayak. being on the flats at first and last light with a slick calm is just unbelievable. Some of the sunrise/sets here are as beautiful as they come.
This is my second trip to the grass flats only to find no fish present. At least there was plenty of bait this time. My last trip to the flat I have been doing really good on found it completely void of any fish or bait activity! I almost could not believe it. I'll find some fish to fool with shortly.
Dummit's Cove sunset
Larry S.
I was a little late leaving and had to stop by my Engineer buddy's house to help him with a few things on the way. I ended up getting to the Long Pond road about 6:30pm only to find it closed! That really messed up the plan as the next closest launch to where I wanted to fish was Sendlers Education Outpost and that makes for a mile paddle trip. It was to late for that adventure as the refuge closes at sunset.
I decided to put in there anyway and see if I could find any tailing reds on the grass flats and do a little exploring as this was my first time putting in here.
There was plenty of 4-6" mullet around but there was no fish striking them and I never spotted the first tail of a red. I did paddle up on a few good one on the way back to the launch.
I fished a flats gig tipped with a piece of mullet and a top water, skitter walk for a little with no action other than some pin fish strikes on the gig.
There was a great sunset to enjoy and the mosquitoes were not bad so it was an enjoyable trip despite the lack of fish activity.
I had tried to contact the refuge headquarters earlier in the day to inquire whether the Lpond road was open but got no answer. I drove 140+ miles round trip just to find the road closed. That was a real let down as I had high hopes for that spot and the other access adds 3/4 of a mile to the paddle....one way.
After that I did a little poking around the Haulover bridge. We used to fish the bridge from shore when I was a kid and slay the trout. I was greeted by a big sign that said "no fishing from shore!" That really surprised me. I tried to just walk to the water to see if any fish were striking under the light off the end of the fender and found more signs that said "closed beyond this point" so you can't even get to the water on the NE side of the bridge. I ran back around to the SE side and was able to get to the water but apparently there is no fishing from shore period at the bridge. Unbelievable!
I did not see any fish striking on the east side but there was a boat anchored dipping shrimp and I could over hear them talking about all the trout they could see in their lights, including some big drum. I did not see them dip any shrimp though. I did see one real good strike from the SW side just off the bank.
I decided to have a look at the boat launch just down the canal to the west, known as Blair's Cove ramp. I was greeted by another sign that stated "no canoe/kayak launching at night!" What the hell is that all about? Man that sticks in my craw! A boat with a motor can put in there but no canoe or kayak. It is listed as one of only two launches into mosquito/indian river lagoons for night fishing and a kayak cannot use it. I have never heard of such a thing. As a matter of fact I am going to inquire about this. It's just not right.
There are so many roads closed from what I have seen that someone with a canoe or kayak is just out of luck for many miles of fishing particularly in the afternoon. You have to fish close to the hill to be able to be out before dark. It's not as much of a problem in the morning but you still can miss out on some prime fishing time if you plan to paddle very far to your first stop.
Beyond that it is one awesome place to fish where you can find access with your kayak. being on the flats at first and last light with a slick calm is just unbelievable. Some of the sunrise/sets here are as beautiful as they come.
This is my second trip to the grass flats only to find no fish present. At least there was plenty of bait this time. My last trip to the flat I have been doing really good on found it completely void of any fish or bait activity! I almost could not believe it. I'll find some fish to fool with shortly.
Larry S.
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