New Smyrna Beach Area - Indian River Lagoon - Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 21, 2023

Fall has arrived in Central Florida judged by the couple cold spells lately with temps below 70. Gorgeous mild days fishing in Mosquito Lagoon most recent and in the backwaters around New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. Redfish and trout on the grass flats have been pretty cooperative and will be the mainstay all the way through winter. Black drum schools will become more numerous. We’ll catch scattered snook all fall and winter; bigger ones tend to get pretty lethargic but not until January. Really excited about the sight fishing in Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon. The fish numbers have rebounded really well and that should spell some of the best sight fishing schools of redfish and laid up gator trout in several years!

Been having great days in Mosquito Lagoon for redfish the last couple months. High water levels (usual until December) push redfish up to the shorelines and on top of bars where you can spot them tailing. We’ve had good water clarity so sight casting when we got the sunny conditions and blind casting when it’s cloudy/windy. Cut baits or free lining live bait up on the banks or picking them off sight fishing a throwing a variety of lures/flies or cut baits has produced 5-15 redfish most average days. Can be pretty epic for 3-4 days after we get these cold spells that drop the water temps. Really won’t see any big schools till the water falls out in January and February. But we’ll come across plenty of singles and small groups. At Ponce Inlet and scattered down the channel we can still find some schooling big redfish. That will last another few weeks as those fish push back into the backwaters for the winter.

Fall mullet run moving through the Indian River Lagoon has fired up all the speckled trout of all sizes. We’ve caught a bunch of trout in Mosquito Lagoon lately throwing plugs and soft plastics blind casting on the grass flats. Live mullet and pigfish have produced well too and bigger quality fish. Colder water temps should start moving the big gator trout up into potholes on the Lagoon flats where they will stick around till the spring. The north end of Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon used to be famed for the winter speckled trout fishing for giant trophy trout. The return of the grass flats is going to get us back in that direction.

Spent a bunch of time fishing for snook in September before most of them moved to Ponce Inlet. We fished mainly at night and hooked a bunch of snook in the 30-36” range. Haven’t come across any when fishing Mosquito Lagoon flats during the past few weeks, but they are on shorelines in the backwaters closer to New Smyrna Beach. We get them on soft plastics and shrimp all fall and winter. They school up by the hundreds as we get into December and January.

Be sure to check out the latest video of me discussing this past month on Youtube. Only 3 days available late in November. December and January will be filling up soon for the holiday and snowbird busy season. Text me or call me at 386-212-4931 or even send me an email to secure a date. Read my fishing charter page to view the top reasons why you should book your trip with me today! I look forward to fishing with you soon.