The sun sat low in the winter sky. Visibility could have been better, but anyone could have seen that mass of fish. Redfish. All around ten pounds, in a school of at least two hundred individuals. Walt Mullens cast his Clouser minnow out in front of the school, letting it sink. When the fish were close to the fly he started hopping it in short strips. We watched breathlessly as three fish turned and raced towards the fly, and Walt's line suddenly tightened. Walt turned toward me with a huge smile on his face.

"That," he said, "was awesome!" When winter comes along redfish and seatrout fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon is frequently outstanding. Last winter was superb, and from what I've seen so far this fall all the signs point toward another excellent winter season. Schools or Singles? Last winter several schools of redfish set up camp in various parts of the lagoon.

These fish were consistent and predictable, staying in the same locations for quite literally weeks. If weather conditions or competition from other anglers prevented you from fishing one school, you simply moved to another. Other areas had single fish, both trout and reds. Winter is when I catch the most trout, since their habit of lying over sandy potholes in the grass during this season allows me to sightfish for them, something not possible during the other seasons. We're not talking dinks here, either. Our average fish was around three pounds and I personally got a couple dozen fish over six pounds on fly tackle. Big trout tend towards hyperparanoia. Your best sightfishing for these fish will be while wading. They see you quite well when you use a boat. Something about that high profile just gets them a trifle worked up and puts them off their feed.

Tackle
Both spinning and fly tackle have their devotees, and both types work. Spinning tackle for trout and slot sized reds would include a light seven foot outfit spooled with six to ten pound line. Many types of lures will work, but my favorites include the three inch DOA Shrimp, or any kind of soft plastic twitch bait. The water is shallow and the grass is thick. Much fishing is catch and release.

Weedless, single hook lures make sense. A fluorocarbon leader is a tremendous help when the fish are spooky, and need be no heavier than 10 or 12 pound test. Fly fishers can use anything between a six and an eight weight outfit with a floating line. Leaders should be at least 10 feet long, again with a fluorocarbon tippet of 10 to 12 pounds. Lightly weighted Clouser minnows in various colors (some with weedguards), small crab patterns, and some small poppers would make a fairly complete fly selection. Techniques First off, you could blind cast. Unless weather conditions force it why would you want to? The clear winter waters of the Lagoon are a sight fisher's paradise.

Skiff fishermen pole along searching for targets. Singles and small groups of fish are extremely partial to sandy potholes. Check all of them carefully. A very large trout will lie on a very small pothole. Spin fishers on boats ought to just cast past every pothole they can reach, since the trout will usually see you first if you try to sightfish them from the boat. If you locate a school of reds you can often work them for hours if you use a stealthy approach. Many times a school of fish has a reason (known only to them) for being in a spot and they don't want to leave. Use that behavior to your advantage. Unfortunately many other times you hook a fish or two (or even none) from a school and they flee towards deeper water. Your only option then is to find some other fish. Late afternoon will frequently find redfish tailing against lee shorelines.

Sometimes the number of fish boggles the brain. Last winter I had a charter of three British fly fishers who had never fished in Florida before. Wading along a stretch of protected shoreline these gentlemen had superb sport on tailing reds after I showed them what to look for. Sight fishing trout with flies can be tough. Sometimes the splash of a little Clouser minnow nearby will spook them. Try a small popper then. While they will often start to move off when it lands, one or two light pops will often convince them to come back and smash it. The sight of a big gator trout smacking a popper only 30 feet away is one of angling's most exciting sights. The Mosquito Lagoon offers some of Florida's finest winter sight fishing opportuniti