Tarpon is on the top of the list for this month. It’s been a good Summer so far for these acrobatic fish. There’s been many first Tarpon on fly landed on my skiff so far this month from anglers all over the world. The ones that I’ve been consistently targeting in the lagoon systems are ranging from 10-30lbs and eating well place flies very well. Redfish are also plentiful on the flats along with some cruising sea trout.

Toby from Tampa, FL. usually fishes with bait. This day he wanted to try sight fishing with lures and found out out tough it can be spotting fish and making the right presentations. He did manage a few fish but definitely had a lot more opportunities.

Allen and his son Noah from Jacksonville having some quality father and son time.

Tim from Tampa, FL. with his first redfish caught on a D.O.A. Shadtail.

Rich from Jacksonville, FL. with his first Tarpon on fly!

Bill from South Florida had shots at tarpon that were being uncooperative this day, but the redfish seemed to be happy.

Zach from Georgia with his first Tarpon on fly!

Lee from South Carolina got in the water to snuggle up with his first Tarpon on fly.

Gary from North Carolina had some fun with Tarpon and Redfish this day.

Thanks for visiting NativeFlyCharters.com…see ya next month!

Capt. Willy Le
nativeflycharters@gmail.com
321-303-7805
NativeFlyCharters.com

Wow what a busy month! With the ICAST/IFTD Tradeshow being in Orlando again this year, it brings anglers and people in the tackle/lure industry from all around the globe. While they are in Orlando, of course they would like to try and fish new waters for a day. Since the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon, and Banana River Lagoon is the closest to Orlando, most guys and gals head my way so usually July gets pretty crazy for me. Its was great seeing everyone at the show and spending time on the water with the reps behind the companies I work with.

Earlier in the month we had some flat conditions to cruise the beaches in my Maverick 17HPX-V. This time of year we can find Tarpon ranging from 40-150lbs migrating along the beach along with Cobia, False Albacore, big Redfish, sharks, bluefish, Spanish Mackeral, and Jack Crevalle. This day I decided to poke off the beach with Kevin. We had a few shots at Tarpon but not many, He caught False Albacore on fly until his arms were sore, and later on found some big hungry redfish that were crushing the D.O.A. Baitbuster(trolling model).

Brian and his wife Allison from Connecticut joined me for a 2 day adventure in hopes of Brian catching his first Tarpon. Day 1 – Jumped a few but none to the boat, but Allison got her a nice Sea Trout on a D.O.A. SHadtail. Day 2 – Brian get his Tarpon first thing in the morning to take the pressure off the day. Then we look for Redfish which he got his first also, and to finish off the slam we go to a Sea Trout spot where he gets one on his first cast before the rain chased us off the water which is also his first. Great couple days for Brian and Allison, afterwards they went to Disney World.

Chris from Gainesville, FL. got his first Tarpon on fly on his 2nd or 3rd cast of the day, and jumped a few more afterwards.

Ken from New York down for family vacation at Disney World snuck in a few hours on the water. He also got his first Tarpon on fly.

John from California came to Orlando for business. Spent a day on the water to catch his first Tarpon on fly along with a nice Sea Trout.

Travis from Amelia Island, FL. got what he wanted for his birthday. His first Tarpon on fly which he worked super hard for.

Belen and Vu from Shimano were the first from the ICast Tradeshow to fish with me. Redfish was the target since neither of them has ever caught one before, the bite was a little slow but Belens fish made up for it! For more info on Shimano rods and reels visit: SHIMANO or G.Loomis rods: G.LOOMIS

The next day I have Mark and Chris from Patagonia. Had some Tarpon eats but none came to the boat, but a few Sea Trout were made famous. For more info on Patagonia gear visit: www.patagonia.com

After the ICast/IFTD show, I was honored to have Flip Pallot and the President of Nautilus Reels Kristen Mustad aboard. What a fun day of laughs, great company, and a little bit of fishing. Tarpon didn’t cooperate too much but the redfish did. Kristen was testing out a brand new reel he designed which won Best of Show Fresh and Saltwater at the ICast/IFTD Show. For more info on Nautilus Reels visit: www.nautilusreels.com

The crew from Cortland Lines also joined us after the show. 3 boats and a group of fun dudes. Fishing was very slow, but that’s how fishing is. We did manage to get some filming done and got a chance to cast Cortland’s new line in the Liquid Crystal family called the “Guide Taper”. A line for quick loading but yet lands soft and can carry in the air…the seafoam green color is badass as well! For more info on Cortland Lines visit: www.cortlandline.com

Earny from Surinam has only seen pictures of redfish on the internet or magazines. He finally got to catch one while he was in town for family vacation at Disney World.

Logan from South Carolina got his first Tarpon on fly!

The Tarpon are still around and will continue to be around until the temperatures start falling usually late September/October. After that, the focus will be on Redfish, Sea Trout, and Black Drum.

Thanks for visiting NativeFlyCharters.com and hope to see you all soon!

Capt. Willy Le
nativeflycharters@gmail.com
321-303-7805
NativeFlyCharters.com

August is the slowest month of the year for me. Mainly because not many people can handle the Florida heat. 1/2 days and 3/4 days are most popular during the heat wave of August, which is fine because the bite tends to slow down around noon. August is also the best month for inshore Tarpon in my area so I am not bothered by business being slow, that means I get to go out and catch some Tarpon for myself and have a little fun!

Small signs of algae bloom having been showing in the Indian, Banana, and Mosquito Lagoons. Pea green water and some dead fish has been spotted throughout the lagoon system. Luckily it’s mainly catfish and puffer fish that are taking the hit, but still…not a good sign. Most of the floating fish I’ve seen are in the residential areas of the Banana and Indian River, so lawn fertilizers and pesticides being run off into the lagoon from the rain may play a part in it. If you live near or on the River, you may want to think twice about what you spray on your lawns.

On the bright side, the sea grass that we lost due to bad algae blooms in the past few years has grown back thick this year. I’m just hoping these small signs of algae bloom remain small.

For the guys and girls that did brave the heat this month, they were treated with light winds and good fishing. Regulars from South Carolina Carlos and Jennifer were some of the brave ones to fish this month. Jennifer is 8 months pregnant and wanted to fish one more time before having their baby.

Hunter from North Florida got his first tarpon this day.

When the timing is right and the stars align, bigger tarpon can be found in the Lagoon system. Charlie from Cocoa Beach, FL. got to pull on a grown one that ate a D.O.A. Baitbuster.




I also got to pull on one as well

Jamie from Jacksonville got a tarpon on a popper fly first thing in the morning when the fish were happily blasting small minnows on the surface.

Don from Jacksonville was flying these small tarpon all morning using a 3″ D.O.A. Shadtail.

Big redfish start to group up this time of year as well and Savannah from Cocoa Beach wanted to catch one, so she did.

…and some photos fishing with friends.

A snook that ate a D.O.A. TerrorEyz while fishing with my buddy Robert

Chris Meyers

Rick Worman

Welcome to this months fishing report for the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon, and Banana River Lagoon. Water conditions in all 3 Lagoons are high and dirty due to all the recent downpours. The fish have been pushed way in the back country which is where I prefer to fish anyways to get away. Clean water has been hard to come by but with a trained eye and a good pair of Amber polarized sunglasses, you should be able to get some sight fishing in.

The mullet have started their Fall migration up and down the beach and in the Lagoons around the Space Coast which has made fishing really good this month. Tarpon, Redfish, Snook, Jacks, Sharks, Bluefish and Spanish Macks have been following the bait off the beach.

Inshore, the redfish have been fired up and plentiful, juvenile tarpon are still lingering around, sea trout are starting to lay around in the sand, and some snook can be seen cruising along tight to the mangroves. Conditions for sight fishing is excellent if the sun is out. Fish have been aggressive and happy to eat if you can put a fly or lure in front of one.

David and his father Jim from Louisiana got into some good redfish action on topwater lures.

Alex from North Carolina got his first Tarpon on fly.

Jack from South Carolina got into some good tarpon action this day. Watching them smash surface flies was so much fun. We also got to witness a spectacular rocket launch from the ramp that morning.

Adam from Minnesota fish with me for 2 days. This was his first time sight fishing from a skiff and only his 2nd time in the saltwater. He did very well presenting flies.

My buddy Honson came up from Miami to target big redfish on poppers. He got his biggest redfish on fly, congrats buddy!

Fall is here which means cooler weather and excellent fishing! One of my favorite seasons to target big redfish.

Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com
www.NativeFlyCharters.com

Welcome to the Native Fly Charters fishing report for Oct./Nov. 2015.   Water conditions remain murky except for a handful of areas which are clean enough for great sight fishing opportunities.  With the warm temperatures still lingering around, the tarpon and occasional snook have been cruising around the flats along with redfish, sea trout, and black drum.  Millions of bait on the flats has been making it tough for fish to aggressively take flies/lures, but if you put it close enough to the fish and move it how they like it, you might get lucky.

The water is expected to clean up when temperatures drop making sight fishing excellent, redfish should start to school up along with black drum, and the sea trout will lay up in the shallows making prime targets for fly anglers.

Zach drives down from Georgia a few times a year to fly fish for whatever is good at the time. This time it was Black Drum. After what felt like hours of making some good presentations to schools of drum, he finally got one hooked up which make it his first black drum on fly.

Brad from Colorodo got into some hard fight Jack Crevalle action while in search of snook in the mangroves.

Christoph from Germany had a great experience for his first time fishing in saltwater. Although he caught multiple species, the redfish gave him the most trouble.

Ina from England, also his first time fishing in saltwater. Conditions were a bit windier so we hid in the backcountry where he went 2 for 8 on small tarpon.

Paul and his son Arleigh from Montana got some redfish on a tough windy day.

Milton from Georgia joined me for 2 days of fly fishing. Day – 1 had clean water and plenty of shots at spooky fish with a few eats. Day 2 – fewer shots, windier conditions and only a couple eats. One of those days where the baitfish were so thick, all of the predators were full from feeding and did not want to take a fly unless you make them “reaction strike” it.

Cory from Orlando wearing out snook and redfish off the beach.

This month’s weather has been very weird for the time of year. Hot Summer-like conditions in December doesn’t help with the water clarity in the Mosquito Lagoon, North Indian River, or Banana River Lagoons and it also has the fish all confused with their seasonal patterns…I mean, I was still seeing tarpon on the flats which is rare in December!

The fishing has been hit or miss, fish have been moving around a lot on a daily basis and not really staying put in a general area. Redfish, Sea Trout, and Black Drum made their presence this month and were excellent targets on the fly, when the wind cooperated that is. Thankfully, as I write this blog, we are finally getting some cooler temperatures which should help clean up the water and put the fish in a better mood which makes me in a better mood.

Adam from Rockledge, FL. got out on one of the better day. Slicked out conditions made it easy to spot big redfish finning on the surface from a good distance. These fish weren’t that easy to feed a fly to this day, but this fish seemed to like how Adam presented the fly. This is Adam’s biggest redfish to date.

Ed from Atlanta, Ga. fed a few fish using topwater lures all day.

A windy day for Tom from New York. We had to tuck way back in the islands where he caught a mess of Sea Trout, a little redfish, and a couple black drum all on fly.

First time saltwater fly fishing for Amanda from Colorado. She had some fun with Sea Trout and sight fished a nice Black Drum that broke her off on a mangrove halfway in the battle, which was a heartbreak….but Amanda never stopped smiling.

I always enjoy having Brad from Colorado on the bow. I’ve watched and coached as he progressed as a fly angler. This day was a good one….lots of shots, lots of refusals, and lots of laughs.

Paul from Portland Oregon caught his first Sea Trout and his first Redfish this day. He did a great job casting in the gusty winds.

My buddy Alex doesn’t get too much bow time…this day he did.

Thanks to everyone who I have fished with for making 2015 a great year for Native Fly Charters! Also, thanks to all the companies that have supported me this year and I look forward to working together for years to come. I have some good stuff coming for 2016 including new camera gear that will produce some fancy images I think you all will enjoy so stay tuned for that in the next blog entry.

Also, I will be updating my website for a new look this year so keep an eye out for that…some changes have already been made in the main site.

Thanks again and Happy New Year!!!

Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com

Been backed up on the office work lately, so this is a just a photo report of this months action.

Angler from Maine with his first redfish on fly.

Regular client, Chip from Vero Beach, FL. with a Mosquito Lagoon redfish

Mark got to experience a great day on the Mosquito Lagoon casting at tailing redfish and catching his first on fly.

Guides day off

Trying to catch up on office work so this is just a quick photo recap of this months catches.

Joe from Connecticut with some beautiful Mosquito Lagoon redfish caught on D.O.A. Lures and Fly.

Martin from South Carolina

Mike had a great day on the Mosquito Lagoon, he was even greeted by a Bald Eagle.

Almost caught up on the office work, so this is the last quick photo recap of this months catch, next month will be a full report.  Thanks for bearing with me!

Rob decided he wanted to take his chance on Cobia fishing off the beach in the Atlantic Ocean. It was a slow day, only had 1 shot at Cobia and 1 triple tail, was super nice out there so we had to try it.

Dave from Palm Bay, FL. picked a tough day to fish the Mosquito lagoon with bad water clarity. Few fish were caught.

I’d say that Bob had a great day this day considering that it was his first time fishing in saltwater. He got a nice redfish on spin tackle and a giant black drum on fly.

Christer from Sweden wanted to catch his first Tarpon on fly while in FL. He landed 2 out of 6 on Tarpon and got a few Sea trout.

Jack from Stuart, FL. with a nice sight fished snook on fly

Tom from Oregon didn’t get any tarpon to the boat but jacks kept him busy.

Nicole from Canada had Tarpon on her mind, she landed her tarpon and got a nice snook as well.

Nick from D.C. with a healthy Mosquito Lagoon Redfish.

Sorry, I’ve been slacking hard on my monthly blogs.  It’s been a busy start of the year for me with charters and my 2 little ones running/crawling circles around me.  I’m back on track now and with good news and bad news.

The bad news is that we had a massive fish kill in the Indian/Banana River Lagoon a few weeks ago due to Brown tide/Algae Blooms.  It was a major one stretching from Port Canaveral down to Melbourne area killing millions of fish including our favorite game fish like Redfish, Sea Trout, Black Drum, Snook, and Tarpon.
photo were taken from the web:

This video by Dylan Hansen explains it best, please take a look at it if you have the time:

The good news is that this brown tide/algae bloom did not effect the Mosquito Lagoon or northern parts of the Indian River. Fishing up there remains good and water quality is improving a bit but we are not out of the woods yet. This massive fish kill got the attention of the media nationwide and is an eye opener for recreational fisherman, guides, residents, and visitors. Hopefully things will be done to help prevent this from happening again. If you watched the video above, it has some good information on where to start and what we can do to help prevent another massive fish kill.

Moving on to the fishing report. This month has been EXCELLENT for sight fishing. I have been fishing an area in the Indian River with clean sand flats that hold big Sea Trout, Redfish cruising shorelines, snook in the mangroves, big jacks busting in the deeper water, and bonnethead sharks that are willing to take a fly.

Mosquito Lagoon has also been good this month. Lots of shots at redfish in very shallow water putting your finesse casting skills to the test.

Scouting days are always fun with friends..
photo credit: Dominic Agostini www.dominicphoto.com



Dominic can catch fish on fly too:

Zach from Georgia got to feel the real power from a Jack Crevalle on his 8wt.

Regulars Brian and his wife Allison from Connecticut joined me for 2 days of perfect sight fishing conditions. Always fun having these two on the skiff.

Alex and Brandon from Maine chose a day where the winds were blowing a stiff 20-25mph. We had to hide behind high trees where we were greeted with plenty of shots at fish.

…and here are some flying spinner sharks just for fun.

I’ll try to stay on top of my blog game from now on, again I apologize for slacking. In the meantime, get out there and enjoy the outdoors!

Capt. Willy Le
321-303-7805
nativeflycharters@gmail.com
www.NativeFlyCharters.com

Well, I did it again and slacked on updating my monthly blogs. So here’s May, June, and July in a nut shell. Sight fishing for Redfish, Tarpon, and Sea Trout has been good to excellent! I’ll let the photos do all the talking.

Happy New Year and welcome to the Native Fly blog/fishing report for the East Central region of Florida. It’s been a very busy few months and into the new year for me. Fishing has been pretty good, even in the worst weather conditions. Water clarity has been cleaning up very well since Hurricane Matthew and water levels are down the normal depths this time of year which makes great sight fishing opportunities.

Redfishing has been excellent with lots of tailing activity, shrimp and crab patterns are working well with this behavior but then again, when they are tailing, they pretty much eat anything you throw at them if they can see it.

Seatrout have been showing up in pretty good numbers. They’ve been difficult to find for the past few months, but with the cleaner water and cooler temperatures, I’m starting to see more on the flats.

Black Drum have been pretty plentiful on the flats as well, but hey are usually around for a short while until they get hammered, then they move on.

Austin and Matt started off the first day of 2017 with beautiful weather and great sight fishing opportunities!

Ken from Stuart, FL. caught his first Redfish on fly this day, and later on caught a few more.

Chip, a regular client from Vero Beach, FL. brought along his friend Riker for his first Mosquito Lagoon experience. Lots of good tailing action this day.

Charlie and son Bo had perfect conditions for tailing redfish

Another regular, Tom from Melbourne, FL. had a great day!

Matthew from Virginia was pretty pumped about his first Seatrout and Redfish on fly.

Steve and Joel from Canada

Ron and Art from Virginia sight casting them using 3″ D.O.A Shadtails

Slick conditions and tailing fish for Ed from California

A windy day for Chad from Ohio, but that didn’t stop him from catching a few on fly.

Regular client Martin from South Carolina battled some wind to catch a few on ultra light spin tackle

Amazing day for Mark from Port St. Lucie, FL. Conditions were right to run the beach, and the last minute decision paid off with Marks biggest tarpon on fly and also getting some shots at big schools of black drum but they were not in the mood to eat when we got on them.

Nate and Austin making some great casts at single and grouped up tailing fish.

Jon on some Black Drum

Redfish action shots…

Capt. Willy Le
NativeFlyCharters.com
321-303-7805
NativeFlyCharters@gmail.com

Greetings to all my friends and anglers.  This has been an excellent year for sight fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon.  The water has finally cleaned up very nicely and the fish seem to be pretty happy about it.

Right now, Redfish, Snook, Sea Trout, Black Drum, Tarpon and Jack Crevalle are what you can expect to catch out there with a well placed fly or artificial lure.

Here are some photos of recent trips

Martin from Oklahoma with his first ever snook that he sight fished along with a few more.

Jeff from Idaho got his first redfish and sheepshead on fly this day along with a few more.

Ed Zyak with a nice largemouth bass

Brandon making some great casts on a windy day

Hilary from England had a great day slamming it on fly

Jeff and his son enjoying a great day of sight fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon

Marine artist Brad Mcminn had a pretty good day casting at tailing redfish and laid up trout

Ed Zyak putting on a clinic usung D.O.A. Lures

Happy New Year everyone! 2017 has been a great year for Native Fly Charters thanks to all my regulars and also new anglers that fished with me for the first time. Some of you experienced some excellent days of sight fishing and some of you had to experience days that weren’t all that great due to weather of just slow fishing, but that’s how it goes and I wish I can control that! Congrats to all of you that got your first Redfish, Tarpon, Snook, or Black Drum on fly this past year, and even some Inshore Slams and Grand Slams. I look forward to having everyone back on the bow again for 2018, hope you all have a great year! – Will

Here are some photographs of what went on in the last few months…

This was Hilary’s first time fly fishing in the salt. She adapted very well and was very persistent which paid off in a redfish/snook/trout slam! Yeah Hilary.

Some friends from the industry came in to town for the International ICast/IFTD trade show in Orlando, FL. After the show, they needed to wind down and enjoy a day on the water.
Kristen Mustad(Nautilus Fly Reels) and Oliver White(Bair’s Lodge and Abaco Lodge Bahamas)

Chris and Brooks cooling off on a hot Florida Summer day(Cortland Line)

Chip had some pretty good days with me this year…

Scott from Indiana hopped out with a 6wt and snuck up to a snook laying under the mangroves.

Chanan came down from NYC to tug on some big fish. Summer time is a good time to come down and target big redfish and tarpon off the beach.

Summer is also a great time for the juvenile tarpon inshore



…and a good time for big snook…



…but watch those storms!

A few of my favorite shots…

– Capt. Willy Le
www.NativeFlyCharters.com