Mosquito Lagoon

As the sun slowly rises over the mangroves, the lights from the boat trailer illuminate the water where two dolphins, a mother and baby, hunt for their breakfast. We motor out to the flats of Mosquito Lagoon, and in the distance, we spot huge dorsal fins – not sharks, but dolphins, doing the same thing we’re doing: hunting for redfish.

I first heard about Mosquito Lagoon 20 years ago from a friend who visited Florida with his family. Tales of endless tails, grass, manatees, and rocket launches intrigued me. He had met a local angler in a forum, and together, they waded the flats from shore, casting to tailing redfish. At that time, I had no idea what a redfish was, and until this trip, I had never fished for them. Our goal for this trip was twofold: for me to catch my first redfish and for our guide, Capt. Rick Hilliard, to film an episode for his YouTube channel: Weird Water Fishing.

Our crew for this adventure included Capt. Rick Hilliard of Weird Water Fishing, Capt. Rich Doherty of Fish Responders Charters (film boat), Max Bressan of Unlimited Solutions (film guy), their guest Jacob of Clarity Lures, and my beautiful wife, Stac. We had two days to make it all happen, but as our boat gained speed and created a wake through the flats, we soon realized it would be a day of working out the bugs.

Fishing for redfish in Mosquito Lagoon is a different experience. It’s a team effort, where we’re constantly scanning the water. Rick leads the way, while I keep an eye out closer to the boat, and Stac watches in all directions. Shortly after we stop, Rick climbs onto the poling platform and starts pushing the boat along the mangrove-covered shoreline. As we round a corner, he points out, “Do you see that weird water right there?” I’m blinded by the sun’s reflection, but Stac and Rick spot a huge tail waving at us. Despite my inability to see or cast to it, this was just the first of many opportunities to encounter redfish.

About an hour into our hunt, Rick spots some weird water ahead. As he poles me within casting distance, we see tails popping up. With my heart racing, I make the cast, aiming for what I think is just a couple of fish, but it turns out there are twenty. With Rick’s guidance, I strip my fly, feeling it sink into something solid. The fish takes off, pulling line out of the boat, and Stac jumps into action, ensuring my line stays clear. When Rick finally lands the fish, I can relax – I’ve caught my first redfish, a clean, beautiful specimen with a distinctive black spot on its tail, marking my first Mosquito Lagoon redfish.

The rest of the first day wasn’t as successful. Despite finding plenty of fish, the wind made it challenging, blowing directly into my face. Stac tirelessly managed my line, ensuring I had every opportunity to catch a trophy redfish.

After a day of fishing, we decided to meet for dinner. We shared stories and laughs at a taco place called Jimmy Hula’s, making new friends and cherishing the camaraderie.

Day two started much the same, with dolphins hunting within sight as we launched the boat at 5 am. With music playing and dolphins as our backdrop, it felt like a scene from a movie. The plan was to throw poppers to mangroves in search of sea trout before the tails appeared, but we soon spotted tails, and the hunt was on again.

We switched flies and began our search. Spotting some weird water and a tail popping up, we launched a cast into a group of feeding fish. With Rick’s guidance, I hooked my second fish, a larger one that put up a spirited fight. After capturing the moment on film, we released the fish to grow even bigger.

Although we had several shots at landing more fish, it was still an amazing trip. We made new friends, explored new waters, and added a new species to our list of catches.

To book a trip with Rick: https://www.weirdwaterfishing.com