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Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Mosquito Lagoon: the northern Indian River Lagoon inside Canaveral National Seashore, where red drum are catch-and-release only.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 10:13 PM
Air / High
77 / 79 F
Wind
NNE 16 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8721223, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Mosquito Lagoon lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNE around 16 mph, steady pressure near 1017 hPa and a high of 79. Tides: high 9:46 AM and 10:13 PM, low 3:57 AM and 4:50 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 78 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Spring and early summer put redfish on grass flats, shorelines and oyster bars; on the Gulf, fish below spawning age stay inside the bays (TPWD). Sight-cast to tailing and cruising fish or drift live shrimp under a popping cork.

Speckled troutExcellent

Spring brings seatrout back over shallow seagrass, and the spawning season (April to September in Louisiana and South Carolina) keeps them feeding. Popping corks with live shrimp, free-shrimping on the drift and casting to working birds are the main tools.

Tomorrow: Similar at 77 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Florida requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $17.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Florida licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing redfish (red drum) here? Check the size and bag limits with FWC before you keep anything. The season dates for Florida, read off the agency, are on the Florida seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8721223 (Turtle Mound, Mosquito Lagoon). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW3:57 AM-0.0 ft
HIGH9:46 AM0.5 ft
LOW4:50 PM-0.0 ft
HIGH10:13 PM0.4 ft
Sat
LOW4:44 AM-0.0 ft
HIGH10:36 AM0.5 ft
LOW5:35 PM-0.1 ft
HIGH11:05 PM0.4 ft

New Smyrna Beach tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low79 / 64 F
WindNNE 16-20 mph
Pressure1016.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain61% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset07:29 / 18:45
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~78 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Mosquito Lagoon this week

The best day on Mosquito Lagoon this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” good at 4/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
Minor period
4:20 AM-5:20 AM
Sun
07:29 to 18:45
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 17 mph
Rain chance
5%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Mosquito Lagoon: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: late-summer and fall bull run; inshore all year

Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), called redfish across the South, is a bronze inshore drum with a black spot near the tail, fished on grass flats, oyster bars, marsh creeks and beaches from the Chesapeake around Florida to Texas. Spring and early summer put redfish on grass flats, shorelines and oyster bars; on the Gulf, fish below spawning age stay inside the bays (TPWD). Sight-cast to tailing and cruising fish or drift live shrimp under a popping cork.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Shallow bays spring and summer; deeper water in winter

Speckled trout is the anglers' name for the spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), a spotted member of the drum family that lives in shallow bays and estuaries from the Chesapeake to Texas. Spring brings seatrout back over shallow seagrass, and the spawning season (April to September in Louisiana and South Carolina) keeps them feeding. Popping corks with live shrimp, free-shrimping on the drift and casting to working birds are the main tools.

When to come: the Mosquito Lagoon calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 78 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~78 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Mosquito Lagoon today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 18 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Florida requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Florida saltwater license required. FWC (eRegulations, updated July 20, 2026), Indian River Lagoon region: red drum catch-and-release only; spotted seatrout 15-19 inches, 2 per harvester, closed Nov. 1-Dec. 31; snook 28-32 inches, 1 per harvester, open Feb.-May and Sept.-Dec. 14, snook permit required for harvest; black drum 14-24 inches, 5 per harvester, one over 24 allowed.

Access

Canaveral National Seashore (NPS, updated March 9, 2026): Apollo Beach boat ramp (24 hours, east side), Apollo District Parking Lot 5 ramp, Seminole Rest paddle launch (sunrise to sunset, no fee) and the Eddy Creek launch in the Playalinda District. Outside the seashore: Beacon 42 ramp (24 hours) and other refuge ramps ($10 cash daily fee; Bair's Cove closed for repair), River Breeze Park in Oak Hill (free, 24 hours) and Menard-May Park in Edgewater.

About this water

Northern Indian River Lagoon in Volusia and Brevard counties, FL; about two-thirds of Canaveral National Seashore lies in it (NPS). NOAA tide station 8721223 (Turtle Mound, Mosquito Lagoon).

Fishing Mosquito Lagoon: the full guide

What the Park Service says

The National Park Service says Mosquito Lagoon is the only known estuary where red drum and weakfish spend their entire life cycles, and one of only two known places where red drum, weakfish, spotted seatrout, black drum and silver perch all spawn. It has gained national acclaim as a place to fly fish for red drum, and anglers also seek snook and sheepshead. About two-thirds of Canaveral National Seashore lies in the lagoon.

Seagrass and boat traffic

NPS reports that fishing pressure has increased dramatically and that flats boats now run into shallow seagrass that was once inaccessible, trying to flush schools of red drum, which may disturb spawning and nursery areas. The park is studying boating patterns to decide whether more protection is needed, and it is reconnecting old mosquito-control impoundments to the lagoon. Slowing down over shallow grass helps protect it.

FWC's lagoon rules

Mosquito Lagoon lies in FWC's Indian River Lagoon region, whose northern edge is Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach. There red drum are catch-and-release only, a rule in place since Sept. 1, 2022. Spotted seatrout in the region must be 15 to 19 inches with no over-slot fish, 2 per harvester, and the season is closed Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. Snook in the region must be 28 to 32 inches, 1 per harvester, open February-May and Sept. 1-Dec. 14, and harvest needs a snook permit.

Common questions

Can I keep redfish from Mosquito Lagoon?

No. The lagoon is in FWC's Indian River Lagoon region, where red drum have been catch-and-release only since Sept. 1, 2022.

When is spotted seatrout season closed in Mosquito Lagoon?

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. The rest of the year the limit is 2 fish per harvester, 15 to 19 inches, with no fish over the slot.

Where can I launch on Mosquito Lagoon?

NPS lists the 24-hour Apollo Beach ramp and Parking Lot 5 in the Apollo District, Seminole Rest for paddlers and Eddy Creek in the Playalinda District; River Breeze Park in Oak Hill is a free 24-hour county ramp.

Is fishing good at Mosquito Lagoon right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

St. Johns River33 miSaint Johns River37 miClearwater Lake48 miLake Tohopekaliga53 miLake Harris61 miSebastian Inlet66 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8721223 β€” Turtle Mound, Mosquito Lagoon
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 12 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 28.7700, -80.8000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.