Catch more Redfish in Central Florida

The east coast of Central Florida has some of the best shallow water fishing in the world. Large Redfish roam these waters along side trophey speckled trout. These fish will give an incredible fight. They also make excellent table fare.

Redfish and speckled trout love shallow water. Central Florda is filled with areas that are perfect for wade fishing. For redfish you should target Merritt Island and the Mosquitto Lagoon. Merritt Island offers not only excellent fishing but lots of easy access. Cross the bridge from Titusville onto the island. Pick any of the dirt roads to your right and follow it to the shallow water flats. If these dirt roads are closed due to Space Center activity then continue east to Highway 3. From there head north. The Indian River will be on the left and Mosquitto Lagoon will be on the right.

You can catch Redfish at any time however fishing is best in low light conditions. To reach untouched areas wade into the shallow areas that boats can not reach. Look for tailing Redfish. They push the bottoms with their mouths looking for food. When they do this their tail often will be exposed above the water. Anouther thing to look for is jumping bait fish. This can mean a school of Redfish is in the area. A school of Redfish is an unmistakable sight. Be carefull not to get to close as they spook easily.

While wading look for shell beds and storm water drainage areas. Shellbeds will look like white areas with no grass growing on them. They can be as small as a few feet across to as large as twenty feet wide. The redfish and trout like to hide along the edge of the grass and ambush bait as it passes. Do not stay at one shell bed to long. Make a few casts along the edges then move on to the next one.

Live bait such as mullet and shrimp will always catch alot of fish. You can use both under a bobber. I have had my best luck free lining mullet in the grass. Use a large gap circle hook attached to a heavy leader and a swivel. All you have to do is cast the mullet out and wait. The mullet does all the work for you. To catch alot of little fish use a live shrimp under a popping cork.

The most exciting fishing is with topwater plugs. When a trophey fish attacks one of these lures water flies everywhere. Use the largest plug you can find. My favorite is the "super spook." Cast the lure as far as possible. Use the "walk the dog" retrieve. To "walk the dog" keep your rod tip high. Violently shake the rod tip as you slowly real the line back in. When done right the lure will swim back and forth. If a fish strikes but misses then continue working the plug back in at the same pace.

As the day warms switch to a gold spoon. Blind cast and real it in as fast as possible. For a change of pace stop your retrieve as the spoon hits the edge of a shell bed. When you do that quickly snap the rod tip to start the retrieve again. Trophey fish strike hard so there is no reason to set the hook. Bass fishermen lose alot of fish this way.

During low light conditions fish shallow. As the sun gets higher work your way deeper. There are channels in the deep water that the fish stay in during the middle of the day. 

This is a World Class fishery. There is no reason to keep little fish that just barely reach the size limit. To preserve this awesome fishery you need to let the little ones grow. It is not uncommon to catch 4 lb trout and redfish that are at the upper limit of the slot size.