Some great fly fishing areas

One of the most popular destinations for travelers looking to escape the cold northern winters is Orlando, Florida. Famous for Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and other tourist attractions, there is also some great fishing to be had close to Orlando.

For fly fishing anglers, the best bet is Mosquito Lagoon. While the name sound scary, the bugs are only a problem on the land and never bother you while fishing. Located one hour east of Orlando, between Daytona Beach to the north and Cocoa Beach to the south, this is the closest saltwater fishing to Orlando. Much of the Mosquito Lagoon is located inside the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and is some of the last undeveloped coastline on the east side of the state. With Florida's sub-tropical climate, fly fishing for redfish is excellent year round. This is the only place in the world where redfish live their entire lives inshore. Mosquito Lagoon redfish never leave and numbers are consistent all year long.

While redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon are plentiful, they do get a lot of pressure from anglers, especially on the weekends. The fishing pressure, combined with the fact that are normally encountered in less than two feet of water, mean the fish are nervous and spooky most of the time. This is sight fishing and anglers cast only to fish they can see on the clear shallow flats. Speed and accuracy are the name of the game when it comes to shallow water sight fishing. If you can see the fish, it won't be long before they see you. For consistent success, anglers should be able to cast a minimum of 50 feet with one or two false casts. The farther you can cast, the more distance you can keep between you and the fish. The fish will eat a variety of flies from crab and shrimp patterns to baitfish and topwater flies. Presentation usually trumps pattern selection nearly every time.

On an average day, anglers can expect to have shots and dozens of fish. Seeing hundreds of redfish in a day is not uncommon. Redfish school in the winter months and a single group can hold several hundred fish. While wind plays a factor in casting, it is the sun that is most important when sight fishing. Clouds drastically limit your ability to see the fish unless they are tailing. On some days, you may see fish tailing in every direction, on others, there are just as many fish but they remain below the surface. Polarized glasses are a must with copper, brown or amber lenses the best.

Redfish can be caught on 5-9 wt rods. A 7wt as a good all around choice. While trophy redfish can exceed 30 pounds, the average redfish is around 5-7 pounds and put up a great fight on light tackle. Weight forward floating lines with a 15 pound leader of at least 9 feet are the norm.

Mosquito Lagoon and the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge offer fishing opportunities for those with and without boats. Miles of unimproved roads on the shorelines offer access for waders and those with paddle crafts. A shallow draft boat is required to reach the best fishing areas and boaters without local knowledge should take care to avoid the many sandbars and delicate grass flats. Anglers fishing without a guide will need a Florida fishing license as well as a free permit from the wildlife refuge.

First time anglers to Mosquito Lagoon are often surprised by the speed and wariness of the redfish. It is quite similar to fishing for bonefish in the Florida Keys except the redfish are much easier to spot. As with most types of hunting, your first shot should be your best because you will likely not get a second. Anglers making the transition from freshwater should also be familiar with several other important techniques. A strip strike is necessary to set the hook as the redfish have a tough rubbery mouth. In addition, angler should practice a method of holding the fly in their hand with 15-20 feet of line outside the rod tip and being able to quickly get the line in the air and on target. Allowing the fly to drag in the water will result in it quickly becoming fouled with grass. Strip the fly line all the way in and the rod will not load when you begin casting requiring excessive false casts to deliver the fly.

If you are looking for some exciting fishing around the Orlando area, give the Mosquito Lagoon and its redfish a try. There are several Mosquito Lagoon fishing guides who specialize in sight fishing and most will provide you with quality tackle if you do not want to have to travel with your own