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

June 6, 2020

The best action since mid-April has been catching speckled trout and snook in and around the New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon areas. The snook population looks to be the best I’ve ever seen around here with a lot of big fish being caught. Closer to Ponce Inlet we are catching bull redfish migrating in the channels, as well as a plethora of baby bull sharks that have invaded all the creeks and oyster flats. Tarpon are starting to show up and get active in the northern section of Mosquito Lagoon as well as the channels and creeks around Edgewater and Oak Hill. We’re basically in this summer pattern from now through Labor Day. So it’s looking to be a great summer filled with a busy calendar.

Things have largely returned to normal here along the coast of Central Florida. Everything has basically reopened and the beaches are abuzz with vacationers. Calendar is booking at normal pace which means short notice trips will be tough to come by. Don’t wait till last minute, reserve dates in advance!

Fishing for snook around New Smyrna Beach and down into the upper half of Mosquito Lagoon is the best ever seen around Volusia County. The population has exploded over the last decade with great numbers and this year there are lots of big ones being caught. Realize snook near Ponce Inlet are living outside of what’s considered their traditional range. Our numbers should be limited, but now catching 10-20 per day can be routine. We’ve been catching snook almost every trip nowadays. Snook will be moving through New Smyrna and Edgewater all summer heading to Ponce Inlet to spawn. Catching should stay pretty consistent on them all way through Labor Day and by early fall we should be catching some monster size snook. Snook season closed June 1 so it’s only catch and release the rest of the summer.

Speckled trout fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon area got started a little slow this spring, but within the past two weeks it’s absolutely gone off. We went from 5-10 per day to 20-30 per day like someone just flipped a switch. Trout fishing for me this time of year is almost exclusive with live bait. We are also catching some excellent quality fish with some giant gator trout in the 7-9lb range. If catching a speckled trout over 25 inches the next 4-6 weeks is the time to do it. There’s always a legit chance in Mosquito Lagoon this month to catch a trophy speckled trout over 10lbs.

The most interesting thing to include in this report is the number of baby bull sharks that have flooded our coastal waters in Volusia County. Typically we’ll catch a handful of sharks in the backwaters around New Smyrna Beach in a full calendar year. Some trips lately though we are hooking 10+ sharks per day and landing several of them. They are a blast, they fight hard, they peel drag, and they are easy to manage unhooking and getting quick pictures. Obviously there was a really good birthing that went on in the Indian River so they’ll likely be here a couple more months as they work their way towards Ponce Inlet.

With our redfish numbers continuing to be in yearly decline, this year has been the slowest I’ve seen. They are really widely scattered nowadays and can be tough to find. It’s really being dictated with water levels, when it’s been up you’re likely to find none but when water levels are really low we’ll find pods schooled in traditional areas. Water is really clean throughout the whole Lagoon system so sight casting is outstanding when we find them. The best action for redfish is in the channels and creeks targeting big redfish over 20lbs moving to Ponce Inlet for a later summer and early fall spawning season. They can be caught every day from now through the end of October. September and October will be phenomenal with multiple days with 10-15 giant redfish caught.

Business is slammed with the virus reopening phases.  My calendar is pretty full and summer months are filling fast. Summer months are tremendously busy so don’t wait till last second unless you have to. I take short notice trips if I have time available. 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…