FlatsTime Fishing Report - April 2008
The last few months we've had the usual quick-moving, late winter/early spring cold fronts drop down through Florida and they bring northerly winds with them. Right now fishing early in the morning is usually best because of the calmer winds during the early part of the day. Due to the cool morning temps calmer afternoons can be good too, but usually by the afternoon the winds have been pretty stiff. That’s okay for those anchoring up and soaking bait, but not real great for casting a fly line or for sightfishing by spin either unless you can find fish out of the wind. Truthfully, sightfishing can still be very good when it’s windy, depending on the wind direction in relation to where we’re finding fish, especially if the wind has been from the same direction for a few days.

Despite all that, April has been a really good month for opportunities to sightfish and cast at big redfish. We’ve also released seatrout in the Indian River and the west side of the Banana River no-motor-zone up to seven or eight pounds, and more than a few over-slot redfish as well. Finding redfish in both areas from slot size on up to 48 inches has been the norm when the winds are light enough to pole the flats.

Winter & Spring I normally fish drop-offs for big redfish rather than on the flats, but there are times when we’ve had no choice but to fish wind protected areas if we wanted to actually sightfish, and in open areas sometimes we were forced to rely on blind-casting. Thankfully the IRL’s water levels are a little higher now which makes getting near the shore and actually finding fish much more reliable. This past three weeks we’ve been blown off the flats a few times, but we’ve also had some really nice early morning bites in calm wind conditions.

Very soon the cold fronts will stop coming down and the morning air and water temps will really warm up, and then our areas summer sightfishing is going to go nuts! If last year was an indication of things to come I can’t wait for the tarpon to hits the flats here this summer! We jumped 4ft+ tarpon last year! Living and fishing by the coast we never really know what the next day might bring, and that’s sightfishing in Florida!

Due to a last minute schedule change, I had a great day to myself yesterday in the Banana River No-Motor-Zone. Knowing it would eventually become windy, I decided it would be more of a fish-finding mission than a fishing catching day. Sightfishing and catching fish while standing in a 17ft canoe and poling in a strong wind is not easy to do by yourself! In the morning the wind was light and westerly, and I covered probably 10 to 12 miles mostly just watching the fish. Not counting numerous singles and doubles, I found many schools of small, upper-slot, and big redfish. Most weren’t tailing fish, some were moving and some weren’t. I saw hundreds of redfish; many were well over 40 inches! My catch for the day was two 20”-ish seatrout and three redfish on spinning gear, with my last and biggest redfish, (32”) caught by fly. I saw bigger, but I let them go unmolested. I saw no reason to pressure them without having a dedicated angler up front!

Widgeon grass is just starting to sprout in some areas, including in the nmz, so be prepared to fish weedless if you need to. In the morning darker colored plastic lures like Bass Assassin shadtails have been working real well on the trout, with chartreuse colored lures working the best once the sun comes up. Generally, I use darker colors for black drum and lighter colors like chartreuse and white for redfish, seatrout, snook, and tarpon. On fly, shrimp or crab patterns are also good choices here all year long. Whether you’re using light-tackle spinning gear or fly, color is important, but rarely as much as a proper non-threatening presentation.

May the winds be light and your loops tight,
Capt. Bob Jaspers
22 Apr 2008 by Captain Bob Jaspers

February through early March
Winter is almost over here in Florida, but strong winds may still come after any passing “cold” front. Most of the fronts we’ve experienced this season so far have brought our area very little rain. As a result lagoon waters are gin clear in most areas, and the water is shallow. Actually, winter was kind to Florida this year, and our inshore water temps on the grassflats are still mild, which is great. Our mid-day air temps are generally mild as well, normally ranging from the mid 60’s to high 70’s. Our weather norm right now is partly sunny/partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoons.

As I write this we’re experiencing 25 to 35 mph westerly winds with air temps in the mid sixties. The wind is predicted to be around 15 to 25 mph for the next few days. Such is the weather in Florida during the winter! One day it can be completely calm and the next it can be very windy; we take it as it comes! After the passing of the season’s last cold front we can expect warm air & water temperatures through next December. We haven’t had a hard freeze in east central Florida for quite a few years. If 2007 was a good indication, inshore snook and tarpon fishing could be very good here through the summer and into late fall of 2008, and better than we’ve seen in years!


Sightfishing has been good in the early mornings till around noon or a little later on most of the shallow grassflats around Titusville and Mosquito Lagoon. Usually by the afternoon the winds pick up, making sightfishing difficult. Due to the lack of rain and the resulting shallow water the slot-size redfish and seatrout are super spooky. Even so, our shallow grassflats have been producing consistent sightfishing opportunities for schools of slot-size redfish. We’ve also released some nice spotted seatrout, and more than a few large black drum to 40+ pounds.

During the last four weeks our best shots for slot redfish and seatrout have been while fishing from my flats boat. In the Banana River No-Motor-Zone where I fish from a 17ft canoe we’ve caught some big redfish, but it’s really been about big black drum, and fly anglers fishing with me have caught some great fish. In some of the schools we’ve been targeting we’ve seen black drum weighing up to 60lbs! We’ve also been seeing a few 30+ inch trout there too, but like the slot-size redfish, they’re hanging out in really shallow water which makes them very hard to sneak up on. Seatrout are undoubtedly our spookiest fish, and they don’t like noise. Snook are right behind them in terms of spookiness in shallow water. Sometimes even the slightest of boat movements can send them both flying off.

While shallow water does make for spooky fish, a quiet, accurate presentation of a lure or fly that’s coming from the right angle is the key factor that determines whether an angler is catching fish or watching them stare at you or run away in terror! Generally speaking, don’t continue to cast at fish you’ve spooked which are running away from you; give them time to calm down. Also, fish do not like lures or high-vis fly lines dropped on their head or flying over the middle of a school. In most instances you’re first shot is going to be your best chance for a hook-up, and each time you spook them it becomes harder and harder to get them to hit artificial lures & flies. Its one thing if they’re running out from under your boat, but fish that have been spooked to the point of total fear will normally leave the grassflats for deeper water. I’ve found that if they’re still on the flat and moving slowly then they can be caught!


I also want to mention something that may not seem pleasant to some, but never-the-less it’s very important and needs to be said.

In the upper reaches of the Indian River and in Mosquito Lagoon the big redfish are scattered, with groups of fish showing up on the flats in some areas. When found, many times the fish are over-pressured by guides with cell phones who call their friends and surround the fish with multiple boats. Some guides just pound on the same school of fish every day until they are gone. If the big redfish do stay in an area, over time the fish may seem to become numb to this behavior and hang around, but thinking it’s not affecting them is a misconception. When the pressure becomes too severe it does affects their migratory feeding and breeding movements, and most of the time if the school does come back to that area each time it will be smaller.

Those who fish this way have no regard for the future of the fishery or for other anglers for that matter. Short-sighted and selfish inshore fishing guides and recreational anglers with that attitude seem to be the growing majority these days, while our area’s red drum fishery continues to be adversely affected by their behavior and the examples they set.

Anglers who “corral & pound” our big redfish daily will adamantly deny that fact, or that they’re involved in it. Many of them are quick to profess their conservation-mindedness to anyone who’ll listen, yet their on-the-water behavior and arrogance is obvious and sadly very consistent. Hook a big fish in view of them and you’ll quickly learn how they really act on the water. They have no problem rationalizing away their actions, so there is no easy solution to this problem, and the fishery continues to suffer from it.

Here’s something visiting and local anglers alike need to realize and take into consideration. In this area our big redfish breed inshore mainly from early May through late August. The season can last longer then that, but that is their main breeding period here. Females can breed repeatedly during the breeding season, but for the males it’s usually a one-shot game. These big fish are protected from harvesting for a reason, and how they’re treated by anglers during that time will greatly influence how successful our red drum breeding cycle is each year. I urge all anglers to treat these fish delicately, and respect their natural right to exist and propagate un-harassed and unharmed. I’ll step off the soapbox for now, but unfortunately one way or another this saga will continue.


Best Bet: When the winds are light enough sightfishing in the Banana River’s No-Motor-Zone has been on fire this winter! We’ve had multiple shots at huge redfish from 36 to 50 inches and schools of really big black drum as well. These are usually full-day trips, and covering 10 to 15 miles of water is not uncommon. The good news is I pole and you fish!

Flies:

Big redfish will slam chartreuse/white clousers & deceivers if not spooked first, and all winter the big redfish and black drum have been hitting crab imitations and dark-colored deceivers. My favorites for the black drum are crab flies or a black deceiver with a flash of green. Hooks sizes for flies when targeting these big fish need to be between #2 and 2/0.

Lures:

Saltwater Bass Assassins and other similar plastic lures that are rigged weedless on a 3/0 to 5/0 weedless worm hook have been working well for the redfish and trout. Walk-the-dog type topwater lures have been getting slammed by some nice seatrout too.


That’s it for now; find time to go fishing, and keep your lines & loops tight!
08 Mar 2008 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report – Jan. 2008
Inshore sightfishing in the Indian River Lagoon System around East Central Florida has been sporadic at times this 07 – 08 Fall-Winter season. In the last few months we’ve seen the passing of three cold fronts, which decided for us when we could comfortably fish and how productive the catching would be. A couple times the fast-moving fronts created mercury drops of around 20 degrees on the thermometer. A temperature drop of that magnitude can be disaster to our inshore fishery, and that proved to be the case in some areas of Florida, with fish kills reported around the state. The good news is that with the advent of winter's cooler weather the lagoon's water is now gin clear and all traces of Red Tide are gone.

What that meant for anglers in my area was that figuring out where the fish were going in the morning to warm up was the issue of the day, and correctly reading the wind the fronts brought with them helped make that decision a prosperous one. January was no exception to December, but we had many successful days on the water during both months none-the-less. Finding the fish was usually the easier part of the equation; getting them to eat flies & lures was another thing! Sure they would’ve readily eaten live and cut bait, but that’s no challenge; anyone can do that! This time of year air & water temperatures and the wind are ultimately the deciding factor when it comes to productivity while flatsfishing in Florida, and I expect February to be similar, with one exception. I know that soon the fish will become more & more acclimated to the cooler water temps, and they will be more readily eating flies & lures as well.

Redfishing has generally been good in the morning hours when the winds are light, but finding, catching, and keeping up with the big red drum has been tough due to the strong front-related winds. The majority of redfish released have been over-slot, but quite a few 20 to 30+ pound big bulls were caught in December and January, and into the beginning days of February as well. All were released.

In the northern Indian River Lagoon and southern Mosquito Lagoon we’ve had some really nice days pursuing large redfish up to 48-49 inches, with a few incidental but nice spotted seatrout thrown in for good measure. Our area’s seatrout are moving into their spawning phase now and they’re schooling up; treat them gently, and please release the bigger fish, especially the roe fish, to continue on with their efforts to procreate.

In the Banana River no-motor-zone we’ve had a few decent days in December & January, with multiple shots at some of the biggest redfish I’ve seen this year. The last week of January we spent three weekday afternoons chasing big black drum by fly on calm waters in the “NMZ”, and we repeated the process again two days of this past week. This past Wednesday a fly angler from Pennsylvania hooked three huge black drum, with the last fish (estimated at 50 pounds) shattering his fly rod into many, many pieces! I’ll say it again, “High-sticking a fly rod doesn’t work on big fish!” Two of his black drum were caught with a black w/green flash Deceiver, and the big one with a Merkin-style Crab fly.

As usual, well-placed presentations of light-weight plastic lures like shadtail saltwater Bass Assassins, DOA shrimp, or topwater walk-the-dog style floating lures, and flies like crab, shrimp, or various baitfish imitations, have all been working well. Like most other areas of Florida when fish are in shallow flies and lures have to be presented close in front of the fish but not too close, (how close depends on the particular situation and your approach angle, but normally within 1ft, to no more than 3ft., moving away from the fish) with no lures, flies, fly lines or leaders landing on a fish’s back, which has been the biggest problem even my most experienced fly anglers seem to have. Seeing a school of 36” to 50”+ red and/or black drum up close & personal will wipe the concentration & purpose right out of all but the most experienced flats anglers, but if you want a hook-up you have to be in control of yourself enough to quickly pick a fish out of the school or quickly cast to the edges of the group so as not to spook them. After three or four bad scares they can become numb to you and your offerings, and if they’re spooked one too many times they will eventually hit the deeper water pronto and disappear. This is true with red drum, black drum, and especially spotted seatrout. And remember, it’s all about presentation, presentation, presentation!

In closing, I apologize for not producing reports for a while. My wife has liver problems, which culminated with her under-going liver surgery 10 days ago; so for the past month or more I was unable to take the time needed to write fishing reports for a while. I thank you all for your prayers & your patience. The good news is the surgery went well, and she’s doing great!


Capt. Robert Jaspers
FlatsTime Charters
03 Feb 2008 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report – November 2007
We’ve experienced a few Florida-style cold fronts this month which, along with their accompanying winds threw the fishing off a bit. With the strong winds, and the water and air temps fluctuating back and forth from warm to cool, the fish were shook up somewhat; they didn’t know from one day to the next where they wanted to be, in the deeper water or on the flats. We’re in our early winter temperature roller-coaster mode right now; fishing may be great one day and slow the next as the fronts move through. Moon phases will play a part in their behavior as well.

Water clarity is getting better; right now the nmz is as clear as it gets, and water levels have dropped over 1 ft. or more in many areas. Sightfishing anglers like shallow, clear water!

When the winds have been calm enough I’ve had some good days this month with fly anglers. During October, and earlier this month as well, we had shoots at large tarpon, snook, redfish, and the occasional black drum. The past few weeks redfishing has been pretty good, but to be honest we’ve also had some nasty, windy days too where it’s been tough to find fish in any numbers or size. We are catching mostly slot-size redfish now, with some weighing up to 15lbs.

The tarpon are pretty much gone from our flats for the winter, and with the exception of a few smaller fish, the larger snook have left the shallow flats for the most part too. Small snook and flounder are still sporadically being caught in the nmz, Mosquito lagoon and the northern Indian River. Soon the weather will stabilize and we’ll start seeing more of the bigger redfish on the flats. As the air & water temps cool more we’ll start consistently seeing schools of big black drum in the Banana River no-motor-zone.

Best Bet:
Seatrout fishing has been very good in some areas, and we’ve released many trout up to 30 inches in the last few weeks. Most of the bigger trout have been caught on soft plastic baits. Remember, trout season is closed, so please return them unharmed if at all possible. Taking a few seconds to smash the barbs on your lures & flies will solve many hook-related mortality problems with the smaller seatrout.

Flies:
Break out that fly rod and start looking for tails and pushes! All the flies I normally use are working most of the time, but when the redfish get finicky because of fishing pressure or the shallow water break out the crab fly imitations. They’ll still slam a live shrimp or finger mullet, but fiddler and blue crabs are what they are really looking for right now.
28 Nov 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report / Sept. 2007
Sightfishing the Banana River no-motor-zone on East Central Florida’s Space Coast has been fantastic this month! Big red drum, big black drum, juvie tarpon, nice snook, and spotted seatrout; everything this area’s inshore shallows have to offer has been on the grassflats and biting! I’ve spent the last four weeks fishing the Banana River’s no-motor-zone hard, and all the fish listed above have been out there slamming the surface tearing up the schools of glass minnows that have swarmed the upper Indian River Lagoon. Although the Fall Mullet Run hasn’t officially begun full swing in our area, there’s been plenty of fingerling mullet around as well.

Bait attracts predators, and juvenile tarpon had been in one spot of the zone for a few months, hanging around one big school of glass minnows, which made for easy pickings. Now that big school of minnows has scattered, and juvie tarpon have been everywhere in the zone, some to 4 feet long, and they are hungry. The last couple of weeks we’ve seen quite a few free-jumping & sky-rocketing while slamming bait! Last Friday a fly angler with me jumped two that were pretty big for this area’s shallower flats. The first measured around 40 inches. When he set the hook it sky-rocketed 10 ft. straight up! The second was over 48 inches but acted like it was 6 foot long. On hook-set it went absolutely nuts! The reel’s drag was screaming as this fish freight-trained towards the horizon, and after running 75 yards in three seconds it leapt horizontally like a 50 pound kingfish and covered thirty more feet before his tippet snapped! Gotta love that!

On the west side of the nmz, in the morning before the winds start blowing too hard, trout and snook have been hitting blind-casted lures, especially topwater plugs and flies. Cast quickly at any and every predator that stirs, pushes, or hits the surface within your reach and you may get a pleasant surprise!

Redfish in the no-motor-zone have been a little sporadic. It’s still breeding time for them here, and the majority of the big red drum in the Banana River area are going into the Kennedy Space Center/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge waters were we can’t follow them. But, although their numbers are down a bit, we’ve seen and caught some very large redfish up to 49” by lure, shrimp & fly within the past three weeks. There are cruising singles, doubles, triples, and groups from five to twenty. There has also been a large school of smaller, over-and-under slot redfish, but they are very spooky, and can be hard to keep up with.

Black drum don’t usually move onto our flats in late summer, January & February are normally the best months for finding them on the flats here, but in the past month they’ve arrived on the nmz flats, searching for food and enjoying the cooler water our recent rains have provided. Some are absolutely huge, and last week I saw one that had to weigh at least 60 pounds! As long as the rain showers continue, which keeps the water temps cooler than normal, shots at them should be available. Most are being caught by spinning reel & shrimp, but many have been caught with well-placed flies by those who are inclined to throw the long rod!

If you’re interested in getting some shots at any of these fish please contact me as soon as possible; my open dates for the remainder this year are going fast.

Capt. Bob Jaspers
20 Sep 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report - August 2007
It's August, and the rain has stopped, but as is the norm for Florida in the summertime, it sure is hot! August is typically Florida's hottest month. Like I mentioned in my last report, shallow water flatsfishing right now is still pretty much a morning thing, and our current afternoon temps are making it difficult to get the fish to bite anything that doesn't stink like bait. I don't use bait, so we're hitting the water now at O'Dark Thirty (that's very early in angling talk) to beat the heat, and it's working!

The rain has gone, our lagoons water levels are low, and we've been getting some nice slot-and-above size redfish and big spotted seatrout up close to the shoreline in the Indian River. We've also released some really nice snook & juvie tarpon this month during the mornings in the no-motor-zone.

Topwater plugs early in the morning, and once the sun comes up soft plastics rigged weedless, have been accounting for many of the fish we're boating right now. Fly anglers in general have been doing the best in the shallow water due to their quiet presentations.

The water is warm and shallow on our flats right now so we're having to be really stealthy to get the redfish to bite. Now more than ever it's important to be quiet in the boat; no foot-shuffling or tool dropping, and fly anglers are having to keep the backcasts to a minimum, otherwise the fish see us and off they go! On the plus side, the water isn't as crowded during the week right now, so give me a call and we'll put you on some nice fish!
20 Aug 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report - July 15th, 2007
Fishing this month has been fantastic, with my clients catching good numbers of snook, seatrout, and slot-size-and-over redfish. We’ve also been getting multiple shots at big redfish and rolling juvenile tarpon in many locations of the Indian River Lagoon System. For example, during the last month on just about any given day we’ve been able to stalk huge red drum in the Banana River no-motor-zone, and on many trips we’ve seen over 100 big redfish during the course of a full-day trip. Speaking of the nmz, last week we actually had multiple shots at groups of big tailing black drum on the shallow flats for three straight days, which is very unusual for this time of the year.

As is usual for this time of year, July’s fishing just keeps getting better and better, despite the heat, rain, & thunderstorms we experienced so far this month. August & September's outlook promises to be even better than July’s, so book your days with me soon or you’ll miss out on some great fishing!

Best Bet:
Fish early! Early morning before the sun rises is the absolute best time to be on the water right now. Afternoon heat & humidity has been pretty warm the past few weeks, with our heat index reaching 100+ degrees on some days, especially when the wind is calm. This time of the year, on sunny, calm days if it gets too hot our fish may stop eating, and they have been known to leave the shallower flats if the water gets too warm.

Historically, the months of June, July, and August are our wettest months of the year, and this year is no exception. By late afternoon the rain & thunderstorms start moving in, and when we hear the rumbling start that’s our signal that it’s time to get off the water. But, on the positive side, thanks to all the rain we’ve been getting the water levels in the lagoons are up, and that creates great fishing opportunities close to the shore where we can also get out of the wind. As we move into the end of August the Lagoon’s normal surface evaporation will cause water levels to drop again soon enough, so I’m taking advantage of it while we can!

Tackle:
Topwater plugs or popping flies have been working early if you're fishing an area where the weeds aren't too bad, but that long, stringy Widgeon grass is popping up again this year so don’t be afraid to change your lure game plan to a more weedless offering. Flies with weed-guards or bend-back flies are good now, as are plastics like the Bass Assassin saltwater shad hooked weedless on red-colored worm hooks of your choice, the sharper the better. Personally, I fish shallow so I always use them without weights. You can’t throw them as far, but they swim much more life-like without the weight, and the presentation is quieter. If you’re targeting big fish in shallow water, that’s the best way to go. Small, brown/tan crab and shrimp flies are working very well right now, as are chartreuse & white or chartreuse & brown clousers and deceivers.

After the sun comes up try your favorite fly or plastic lure, but keep the retrieve slow and remember that proper presentation is everything! The big redfish have been finicky, and proper presentation can mean the difference between a great day, or the smell of skunk in a boat!
17 Jul 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report - May 30th to June 10th
The winds have finally slowed a bit; the water is clear in most areas, with temperatures in the upper 80's to low 90’s. Our weather norm right now is partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoons. Summer is here and it is hot! Spring in our area is normally dry, but the summer rains are usually the heaviest during June & July. We’ve had some rain the last couple weeks and water levels are up, but we’re still below our normal rainfall amounts for this time of year.

Sightfishing has been good in the early mornings till around noon on most of the grassflats around Titusville. Shallow grassflats and docks in the area have been producing sightfishing opportunities for some slot or over redfish, snook, and small tarpon, but the best chances have been for large spotted seatrout up to 30+ inches.

When you’re sightfishing on shallow saltwater grassflats always think “Stealth”. Shallow water makes for spooky fish, especially the big fish, and shallow, calm waters makes them even spookier! Quiet, accurate presentations of lures or flies are the key factors that determine whether an angler is catching fish or just watching them run away spooked. Big fish do not like high-vis floating fly lines thrown on their head or over the middle of a school! Every time you spook them it gets harder to get them to eat, so get serious, practice your casting, try to ignore the shock or “buck fever” of seeing big fish in front of the boat, and show up with your game hat on!

Best Bet: Sightfishing in the Banana River’s No-Motor-Zone has been on fire for the last few months! On days where the wind has been light enough multiple shots at schools of huge redfish from 40 to 50 inches, (and some big black drum as well) has been the norm. These are usually full-day trips, and covering 10 to 15 miles of water is not uncommon. We found tarpon out there last week, and although I saw a couple big ones there yesterday, for some reason there haven’t been many seatrout on the west side of the nmz this year, but they’ll eventually show up.

Big redfish in the no-motor-zone have been slamming chartreuse/white deceivers, and up until the beginning of June the big black drum were hitting the same type weighted fly in dark green/black. The big black drum have gone back under the bridges for the summer, but the big redfish are still around. DOA shrimp have been working well for the big redfish as well. Chartreuse or rootbeer colored plastic baits and topwater walk-the-dog type lures like the Top Dog have been getting slammed by slot-size + reds, fat spotted seatrout, and snook & juvie tarpon too, when we can find them. The cold weather is officially gone and our snook and tarpon fishing will only get better and summer progresses.

For those that didn’t know, I fractured my leg back in April, and it was rough at times, but it’s healed and I’m good-to-go. I’ve been fishing for the last two weeks, and it’s sure great to be back on the water!
11 Jun 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

mid-Febuary / early March
Water levels are still low, but sightfishing has been absolutely great, with redfish showing up on many of our area's grassflats. In Mosquito Lagoon and the upper Indian River area redfish and seatrout are roaming the flats looking for food and the opportunity to warm up. Most are slot to slightly over-slot fish, and they are hungry.

There's no other way to describe it, in the Banana River no-motor-zone the fishing has been simply fantastic! There aren't many trout around that area yet, but schools of huge redfish and black drum are present daily; since the beginning of Febuary we've had many days with multiple shots for most anglers and it's getting better as the weather warms up. My fly anglers have been going nuts with the numbers of fish they are encountering! Even my most experienced anglers are coming away drooling!

The water there is shallow and gin-clear, and these giant fish are smart red & black drum that have been around for decades. They aren't fooled easily, so the wise (successful) angler will be prepared to fish quietly, cast accurately, and present their offerings with the minimum of back-casts. There are so many fish out there that more than a few of my fly anglers have suffered from Buck-Fever, (shakey hands and knocking knees) and some have actually been heard giggling! Some have been totally blown away by the sight of so many big fish, and even though they're tough to catch with artificials none have left the Zone without a smile on their face!
11 Mar 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Jan/Feb 2007
Yep, our sightfishing is still sporadic, dependent mostly on the winter winds & weather, and yes, the windy days are getting old... BUT, actually we had some really good days in December/January, and we’ve had some great days this month too! Actually up until today the rain has given us a break this month and we’ve had some great days hunting for tailing fish!

As of this writing the temperatures here are holding steady in the mid-60’s at night and the snook and tarpon have left our flats, but the weather changes also signal the beginning of our cold-water angling season for big black drum and redfish, and the colder air is a very welcome relief from Florida’s scorching hot summer sun.

Generally, redfishing has been good in the morning hours when the winds are lighter, but finding, catching, and keeping up with the big redfish and black drum has been tough at times due to our blistery afternoon winds. Redfish from 25 to 35lbs were caught in November, December, and January, and this month as well. During the last few weeks I've spent quite a few days in the In the Banana River no-motor-zone fishing for big black drum and redfish, and this week we’ve had a repeat of that, with huge redfish and black drum showing up on the flats to warm up. The big redfish and big black drum still aren’t eating real well, but once they acclimate to the low temps the bite will definitely start picking up. Having said that, in the last few days we’ve released redfish to 30 pounds, and also a 30” & 40” black drum in the no-motor-zone!

As usual, well-placed presentations of flies like crab, shrimp, and other bait fish imitations have been working well and are the ticket to good hook-ups. Our lagoon water levels are low right now, we need rain, and the big fish are hanging off of the grass flat drop-offs in deeper water. Inside, the smaller fish are in very shallow water, and they are spooky, so flies and lures have to be presented in front of the fish but not too close, (how close depends on the particular situation and approach angle, but normally within 1 to 3ft. with the lure moving away from the fish or dropping) with no fly lines or leaders landing on a fish’s back, which has been the biggest problem my fly anglers seem to be having right now.

Seeing a school of 36” to 50”+ reds or black drum up close & personal will blow the concentration and purpose right out of all but the most experienced flats anglers, but if you want a hook-up you have to be in control of yourself enough to pick a fish out of the school or cast to the edges of the group so as not to spook them. After three or four spooks they’ll be pretty much numb to your and your offerings, and if they’re spooked bad one too many times they will eventually hit the deep water and disappear.

Remember it’s all about presentation, presentation, presentation!


Capt. Robert Jaspers
FlatsTime Charters
12 Feb 2007 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Fishing Report - Nov. Dec. 06
Just like the previous months of this 2006 Fall-Winter season, sightfishing is still somewhat sporadic, with our fishing dependent mostly on the wind & weather. Yes, the strong winds are getting a bit old, but the truth is there's been some pretty good days this month when the winds were light enough to read the water so we could join the hunt for tailing fish!

The temperatures here in East Central Florida are slowly dropping ever-so-slowly, the snook and tarpon have finally left our flats, but the weather changes also signal the beginning of our cold-water angling season for big black drum and redfish, and the cooler air is very welcomed relief from Florida’s scorching hot summer sun.

Redfishing has been good in the morning hours when the winds are lighter, but finding, catching, and keeping up with the big red drum has been tough due to the strong afternoon winds. The wind is still making sightfishing in the lagoons by fly a real challenge, but fishing in general has been productive, producing redfish, seatrout, and occasional big black drum catches.

The majority of big redfish we've released have been in the Banana River no-motor-zone, with a few 20 to 30lb bulls caught in November and in the beginning of this month as well. We’ve had a few very decent days with shots at some of the biggest redfish I’ve seen in years, and last week we spent an entire afternoon chasing big black drum by fly on dead-calm waters! Although some big black drum are starting to show near the deeper edges of the flats they aren’t really into the eating faze yet, but with the coming colder temps it’s just a matter of time. Once they get in shallow they’ll usually stay a while so we’re praying for a cold snap to come down, but not so cold that it affects our snook fishery next summer! Even so, we’ve had a few good days in the Zone where light winds have allowed us to find them, and they’ve been big, with some topping the 40lb mark.

In Mosquito Lagoon and the upper IRL we've been regularly chasing schools of slot and slightly over-slot redfish, and the spotted seatrout bite has been picking up too, with a few trout up to 8 to 10 pounds being released.

As usual, well-placed presentations of flies like crab, shrimp, and various bait fish imitations have been working well. Like most other areas of Florida when fish are in shallow flies and lures have to be presented close in front of the fish but not too close, (how close depends on the particular situation and approach angle, but normally within 1 to 3ft. with the lure moving away from the fish) with no fly lines or leaders landing on a fish’s back, which has been the biggest problem my fly anglers seem to be having right now. Seeing a school of 36” to 50”+ reds or black drum up close & personal will rip the concentration and purpose right out of all but the most experienced flats anglers, but if you want a hook-up you have to be in control of yourself enough to pick a fish out of the school or cast to the edges of the group so as not to spook them. After three or four bad fly-line spooks they’ll be pretty much numb to your and your offerings, but if they’re spooked one too many times they will eventually hit the deeper water and disappear. This is true with red drum, black drum, and seatrout, which are starting to go into their winter schooling mode now.

In closing, like I always say, when sightfishing it’s all about the presentation!


Capt. Robert Jaspers
FlatsTime Charters
13 Dec 2006 by Captain Bob Jaspers

FlatsTime Charters fishing report – Oct. 06
I'd like to apologize for the lapse in my fishing reports. A tragic death in my family and my brother’s severe cardiac problems have both required my time & attention, and unfortunately some things had to be put on the back burner for a while. I’ve spent much of this month playing catch-up, and now gratefully things have settled down quite a bit. I appreciate everyone’s patience, and my deepest thanks go out to all of my friends for your support. You’ve all helped me more than you know.

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October’s sightfishing has been somewhat sporadic, with some slow days, but there's also been some really good days too when winds were light enough to read the water. We’ve had three fronts push down from the north in recent weeks, and with them came accompanying strong northerly winds, which dominated September and October’s shallow water sightfishing at times. Still, we had some really great days & good catches, like the 46+ inch redfish that we caught & released in the Banana River no-motor-zone last week!

Tarpon fishing in the northern Indian River Lagoons has been slow this Fall season; hopefully that will pick up a little before it gets too cold here. We’ve jumped quite a few on the NMZ flats and in the northern Indian River, when we could find them. With the exception of one huge six foot tarpon we ran into late one afternoon in 20 inches of water, most have been in the 16 to 30 inch range.

Redfishing has been good this month, especially in the morning hours, but also during the afternoons when we can find them in the wind. The majority of fish caught were slot-size, but a few 25 to 30lb+ bruisers were caught this month, and we’ve released some very nice spotted seatrout too. The snook catching has really been picking up on the flats as well; this is the most productive summer snook season the headwaters of the upper Indian River Lagoon System’s shallow grass flats have seen in many years. Most have been just under the slot, but we’ve caught a few that were real drag pullers! Fighting big snook in extremely shallow water reminds me of bonefishing in the Florida Keys! One morning during the first week of October we encountered several 40” snook in the Banana River no-motor-zone that were slamming topwater lures. Most walk-the-dog style topwater lures like the Top Dog, Skitterwalk, and Zara Spook have been working great for reds, trout, and snook from morning until around noon.

The strong winds we’ve been experiencing made flyfishing a challenge the last few weeks, but sightfishing by fly has been very productive on the mornings when the winds have been light, producing nice redfish, seatrout, and snook catches. As is typical for this area, well-placed presentations of flies that I normally use like crab, shrimp, and bait fish imitations have been working very well. When flyfishing this area’s flats fly color is never as important as the presentation. Like most other areas, flies basically have got to be presented close in front of the fish but not too close, (how close depends on the particular situation and approach angle, but normally within 1 to 3ft.) and coming from the right direction, with no fly lines or leaders landing on a fish’s back! Sounds simple doesn’t it. The truth is sometimes it is, and sometimes it’s not!

November & December are traditionally better months for catching bigger over-slot redfish, so as the temperature falls I’m looking for the redfishing to start heating up! The cooler water temps will also signal the beginning of our black drum (25 to 40 pounds) starting to feed on shallow flats in more consistent numbers, which is something I really look forward to every winter!

Capt. Robert Jaspers
FlatsTime Charters
27 Oct 2006 by Captain Bob Jaspers

Report for May 15 to June 01
Fishing through the end of May has been good to fair. Water levels in Mosquito Lagoon are up, but everywhere south of Titusville, including the Banana River, was still low. We’ve had some good days in the north IRL and the Lagoon
01 Jun 2006 by Captain Bob Jaspers




Capt. Robert A. Jaspers ~ USCG #955013 ~ flatstime@cfl.rr.com
321.626.0104


   
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