Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Charters & Guides

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Charters

Imagine a waterway influenced by nearby rivers and oceans, creating a brackish lagoon filled with a variety of fish species. A lagoon protected from and untouched by civilization. A place to explore and discover manatees, turtles, dolphins, various kinds of birds, and fish. Lots and lots of fish. Welcome to… Mosquito Lagoon (Say that again a la “Jurassic Park” and you’ll get a feel of what we’re talking about!) Florida fishermen and women fish Mosquito Lagoon at least once in their life, if not every weekend. This Central Florida location is great for a day trip for many locals. The 21-mile long lagoon begins at the Ponce de Leon Inlet and extends to just north of Cape Canaveral. The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve is 4,740 acres on the northside of the lagoon, with the central and southern sections included in the Canaveral National Seashore. The park’s 24-mile long beach is the longest undeveloped beach on Florida’s east coast. Locals and visitors of Central Florida looking for an incredible day of fishing should look no further than Mosquito Lagoon; this place is any inshore anglers’ heaven.

Mosquito Lagoon Inshore Fishing

The southern part of the lagoon has little to no tidal influence and there’s more than two miles of sandy, shallow waters. Along this stretch of the lagoon anglers will find shoal grass, home to shrimp, crab, clams, snails, and other baitfish. This food source then brings in members of the drum family: redfish, spotted seatrout, and black drum. Redfish and spotted trout are the top species anglers are catching in Mosquito Lagoon. They prey on the same bait and anglers have a friendly banter about which one reigns supreme. Bull reds and gator trout have anglers coming back to the lagoon time and time again. Mosquito Lagoon is widely considered the “redfish capital of the world.” It’s a unique destination because the fish are here year round. It’s rare for fish to not migrate and stay in one location its entire life, but in Mosquito Lagoon redfish stay their entire lives. This makes Mosquito Lagoon the only place in the world where you can stalk bull reds 30 to 50 inches long in the shallow waters. While you’re sight fishing for redfish, there’s no doubt you’ll see a spotted seatrout as well. Gator trout, those that grow more than 40 inches, are also caught regularly in the lagoon. They too prefer shallow estuaries and will feed on shrimp, crab and other crustaceans. Fishermen and women can either use light tackle spinning gear with jigs, top-water plugs or lures, or fly fishing tackle with shrimp or baitfish patterns. Fishing for spotted seatrout in Mosquito Lagoon is an incredible experience; it’s not everyday you can sight cast trout over 10 pounds, unless you’re fishing the lagoon. Other species in Mosquito Lagoon include black drum, flounder, jack crevalle, and bluefish. The many oyster beds near the mangrove shores are great spots for anglers to fish sheepshead. Sight fishing and fly fishing are the most popular techniques used to catch these inshore species. And again, fishing is year round due to the unique topography of the area.

Mosquito Lagoon Tarpon Fishing

On the north side of the lagoon anglers will fish for tarpon. It’s not a widely known spot, but the backcountry type feel is perfect for catching “silver kings” on fly or try light tackle. Visit Mosquito Lagoon during the early morning hours of the summer months (July to September) and you’re sure to find tarpon ranging from 5 to 120 pounds. Similar to fishing the Everglades or Florida Keys, anglers sight fish the shallow waters looking for moving shadows or the wakes that the silver king’s dorsal fin produces. Light tackle anglers use top-water plugs and soft plastics, or jumbo shrimp and live pinfish as bait. Shortly after sunrise tarpon are typically found in 3-4 inches of water looking for breakfast. If you can get them on the hook, watch out for their acrobatics as they try to shake the line. Tarpon are notoriously difficult to land, and many anglers will count hook-ups along with landed catches.

Mosquito Lagoon Super Grand Slam

During some seasons anglers are able to try for a Super Grand Slam, hooking up with redfish, trout, tarpon, and snook all in one trip. Snook (rhymes with “hook”) are also known as “linesiders” because of the identifiable black lateral line that runs from the top of its gills to the end of its tail. They are an aggressive fish that feed on crabs and shrimp and will often take pinfish (or shiners) as well.

Book A Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Charter

Mosquito Lagoon, part of the wildlife refuge and preservation area, have some regulations to take note of before you head out. There are certain “Pole & Troll Zones” that are marked with white or yellow buoys throughout the lagoon. Boats entering these areas must have less than 12” of draft and switch to non-internal combustion power such as polling or paddling. If this is too much to remember, feel free to hire a local guide with valid Mosquito Lagoon permits. They will be able to get you around the lagoon and hooked up with your next trophy.