Redfish Charters in the Mosquito Lagoon near Orlando

You can catch redfish all year long. I offer redfish charters every month of the year. As one of few Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guides I offer both spinning and fly fishing trips for redfish. The Indian River Lagoon system, which includes the Mosquito Lagoon, is the only place where redfish live their entire lives inshore. In other locations, redfish live inshore until around three years of age, or about 27 inches long and then they move out into the open ocean.

Red drum (redfish) are a long-lived inshore species found throughout Florida estuaries. In Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon, anglers can target them year-round without needing to venture offshore (FWC Red Drum Quick Facts). Some of our largest fish are over 20 years in age and top 40 pounds on the scales. See pictures of them in my Mosquito Lagoon redfish photo gallery.

The majority of redfish in central Florida are caught while "flats fishing" which is a general term for fishing in shallow water. Most of the water where I do my redfish trips is in water less than two feet deep. While some redfish are caught in deeper water, most of them are caught on grass flats. In Mosquito Lagoon, that is mostly shoal, manatee, and widgeon grasses. Because of the depth of the water, it is possible to see these fish before casting to them.

The dream of most flats fishing anglers in this region is to come upon a school of "tailing" redfish. When redfish are eating crabs, shrimp, marine worms, or other foods, they will tilt their nose down into the grass in an attempt to dig out the targeted prey. This can result in a portion of, or its entire tail breaking the surface. This gives attentive anglers a specific target to cast at. See some sight fishing for tailing redfish action in this redfish video.

Redfish will eat a wide variety of natural, baits, artificial lures, and flies. The simplest method to catch redfish involves putting chunks of cut bait such as mullet, pinfish, or ladyfish on a hook and letting it sit still on the bottom. At the opposite end of the spectrum is casting a plastic shrimp or fly to an individual fish in 18" of water. Other anglers prefer to blind cast likely flats using spoons, jerkbaits, surface plugs, and even spinnerbaits.

I most commonly use a variety of soft plastic baits such as the DOA CAL jerkbaits and shad tails and DOA Shrimp or DOA Baitbuster. Redfish are known for their hard fighting and long drag pulling runs. Once out of the water, however, they usually are very cooperative while having their picture taken.

I provide all spinning and fly gear needed for your charter, including 7.5 ft rods and 5–8 wt fly rods. See what gear we use for more details.

I have been fishing for redfish in Mosquito Lagoon for over 30 years and offering redfish fishing charters for over 20. I have seen, caught, and watched other catch many thousands of redfish during that time. My preferred method of targeting them involves sight fishing. Redfish will gather in schools all year round, however, the number of schooling fish generally increases in the winter and spring. Some schools may have 10 fish while others can have over 100. Encountering these schools can quickly result in double hookups.

Tailing fish are usually most active at dawn, dusk, and periods of low winds but they can be found at any time during any conditions. The average redfish in the areas I fish is around 22-27 inches which is normally 4-8 pounds and 2-3 years of age.

My favorite place to fish for redfish is the Mosquito Lagoon. While it has a scary sounding name, the bugs are only at the boat ramp and never bother us on the water. It usually holds the most fish per acre and provides the most shots per day. The water is usually most clear in the winter and spring but the fish can be seen and targeted all year. Most of Mosquito Lagoon is inside the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.. This gives you the chance at great redfish action while enjoying pure nature and wildlife such as manatee, dolphins, gators, and a variety of birds.

If you will be visiting the Orlando or Disney World area, this is the best and closest saltwater fishing to those locations

All of redfish charters are done out of my Hewes flats skiff. While it is possible to catch fish while wading, it is not necessary as I will be pushing the boat into the shallow waters getting close enough for you to make the cast. All licenses baits and tackle are provided.