Kayaking on Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River has become an increasingly popular pastime among anglers and people seeking respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Kayaking doesn’t require a lot of money to get involved in, compared to the price of buying and operating other boats, and the fuel savings are obvious.
Experienced anglers kayaking in the shallow waters of the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River have discovered the benefits of being able to access truly “narrow” waters where schools of redfish and solitary “alligator trout” frequent.
Fishing hotspots abound in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River estuaries, but often the most productive areas are in waters that often do not exceed 6 inches in depth. These spots are only accessible to wader anglers from land, from anchored boats, or by shallow-water canoes and kayaks.
The relatively new addition of non-motorized zones on the Mosquito Lagoon and Banana rivers has resulted in a whole new group of dedicated kayak and canoe fishermen who prefer paddling to sonar.
Launching a kayak is a simple process that can be performed by one person, anywhere you can park your vehicle near the water.
The WSEG boat ramp in the Mosquito Lagoon non-motorized zone is a popular launch area that opens up to a huge fishing area that is rarely overcrowded with anglers.
Unimproved dirt road access is located on North SR 3, approximately 3 miles north of the Haulover Canal. A small WSEG boat ramp sign marks access to the dirt road.
Because the WSEG launch is in the western non-motorized zone, only canoes, kayaks, and shallow-draft boats with (engines off) are allowed in the area. The only ways to navigate this area is by paddling, drilling, or using your electric trolling motor.
Kayakers using this cast can fish in the thin waters behind the clinkers on the west shore of Mosquito Lagoon between the mainland and the Loot Islands.
If you feel like paddling, you can cross the ICW to the east side of Mosquito Lagoon, where the wide grass flats meet.
Fishing is fantastic in these two areas most of the time and a kayaker can feel lonely there.
Kayakers exploring this area should carry a handheld GPS with them to mark the exact location of the WSEG ramp; especially if you plan to explore the eastern plains. Because the boat is completely protected by a small barrier island, it is almost impossible to see the ramp from the water.
To access grasslands and other great shallow water fishing opportunities; Mosquito Lagoon kayakers can also make use of the shallow water launches at Bio Lab Road, Haulover Canal, Beacon 42 ramp, and Eddy Creek at Canaveral National Sea Shore in parking lot # 8.
If you like to fish in the Indian River Lagoon, one of the most popular kayak launching areas is the Peacocks Pocket Ramp at Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve.
This area is accessible from the Max Brewer Memorial Parkway (State Highway 402) at any of the three entrances and offers anglers by canoe or kayak great shallow water fishing opportunities for schools of black drum and redfish.
There are also shallow-water motorboats at Mims and Scotsmoor Landing, where kayakers can dock to fish on the grassy plains of the northwest Indian River Lagoon.
The Boyscout Ramp, the northwestern shore of the Haulover Canal, the Shiloh Marsh Road, and a hidden stream next to NASA’s geodetic “bubble gum” globe are also good places to access the eastern plains of the Indian River Lagoon.
At the Mims Fish Camp 72 shallow water launch, there is a narrow channel that hugs the west bank of the Indian River that kayakers can easily access to fish most of the year.
During the warmer months, the channel provides cooler water temperatures where redfish, sea trout, snook, and occasionally minnows lurk. During the cold spells of winter; Sea trout, black drum and redfish seek refuge in the warmer depths of the channel.
The sprawling seagrass flats located just north and west of the Mims to Scotsmoor, Florida Rail Bridge. And the seagrass plains that start just north of the Haulover Channel and continue south to the rail bridge on the east side of the Indian River are also great shallow water fishing areas for kayakers looking to catch a great redfish. Nordic or alligator sea trout.
Kayaking through Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River in search of trophies of sea trout, alligator, redfish, oversized black drum, snook and tarpon has become such a popular pastime that in recent years they have been formed several kayak clubs to promote the activity.
If you’ve never tried leisurely kayaking the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River estuaries, you’re missing out on a wonderful blood pressure-lowering activity and the prospect of great fishing opportunities.