INDIAN RIVER LAGOON

The Indian River Lagoon “IRL” extends about 150 miles on the east coast. This stretch has some prime fishing areas such as Turkey Creek, Banana River, Sebastian River and Mosquito Lagoon to name a few. These are all good locations to have successful shallow water fly-fishing near Orlando.

Some of the fish you will find in this area would be Redfish, sea Trout, Tarpon and Snook.

Like some of the areas in Florida to fly fish these waters are sometimes best fished with the use of a professional Guide. Someone who has the experience and knows where to fish and how to do it can pay for itself in a few hours.
Many of the places to fish in this area do not require a boat so it would be reasonable to think you could venture out alone and learn on your own. It just comes down to finances and time. Do you have the money to pay for the experience of someone else up front, or do you have time to figure it all out on your own.

The fish come up to these shallow flat lands in search of food. They find their food in the grassy areas, as these areas provide food for crabs, shrimp and young fish that these game fish feed on.

In most of the areas of the Indian River Lagoon there is no tide to worry about or to try and predict, so the fishing is pretty consistent. The best times to fish in most seasons is the early morning or in the evening. Late afternoons are good also, but not during the hot summer days.

When fly fishing you are going to need a heavier set up. You will need a #7 or #9 fly rod with about 200 yards of backing. These salt water fish like to run.

You will need to site fish and watch for the tailing reds. Casting into this area or using a salt water popper can provide just what you need to hook the fish.

This area is large so the fishing pressure can be low. You will find people in boats, and fly-fisherman that are wading along this stretch.

Some of the biggest fish in Florida have come out of these areas. Because there is so much fishable water nearby for the wading fisherman, the Orlando area would make a great choice for saltwater fly-fishing.

Here is a Google map the IRL area.

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