Where to fish: Wading the South Indian River Lagoon

Hello,

So you know when to fish (when the current is moving) now--where do you fish? That all depends- and of course, there are many areas and many fisherman in the South Lagoon. Hopefully as days go by I can interview some of them. I'm certainly not qualified to give definitive information and spots but there are many.

I am writing mainly about wading, either with waders or wet-wading (also fishing the shallows from a boat or kayak). Before I look at some specific locations - let's look at the ingredients of a great spot.

What do you look for?

1) Grass beds. The grass beds attract baitfish as well as shrimp and the baitfish and shrimp attract fish that feed on them. The more grass beds the healthier the estuary. Grass beds are the best place to catch speckled seatrout. Ladyfish, bluefish, redfish, snook and jacks also frequent the grass beds.

The depth I catch fish in grass ranges from 2-6 feet. You want your lure to hit the tops of the grass and pull through. I use paddletail jigs in assorted colors usually DOA but I've also had luck with Berkley. I've also used DOA Shrimp (gold). Small gold spoons are also popular.

Look for mullet jumping, and baitfish on the surface. If you're fishing for redfish and trout you need to slow your retrieve and bump the bottom.

Water color and wind- you want some wind and I like a little color in the water.

2) Changes in depth. It doesn't take much of a change to attract fish-- sometimes just a small hole or depression will hold a fish. Sometimes a slightly deeper area in a shallow flat will hold more fish. Sometimes a shallow area in a deeper spot will hold fish. Many piers have deeper areas (dug out for boats)- these tend to be the best piers.

3) Man-Made Structure. Piers are obviously the main structure in the lagoon. There are also rocks (put down for erosion), seawalls and bridges. Don't overlook sunken driftwood and fallen piers.

4) Mangroves; Shoreline Structure. When the tide is up in the mangroves or other shoreline structure (fallen trees, stumps, etc.)- there will be fish under and around the mangroves feeding on the smaller fish hiding there.

5) Feeding fish, birds and mullet. If you look in an area and there is no activity at all- no baitfish on the surface, no mullet jumping and no birds feeding (usually pelicans and osprey) you can bet you aren't going to have much luck. If the wind is up it may be harder to see the activity but it will still be there.

Richard