On Thursday evening, I received a text from fellow Salt Strong insider Bill Olson asking if I wanted to go fishing with him on Friday in Mosquito Lagoon. Since I had taken the day off, I asked Tania, and she said she didn’t mind if I went. I was excited to explore with Bill, and we both hoped to find some big reds.

I meet up with Bill at 6:00 am in Fellsmere right off 95. Once we got on the road together, we had about an hour’s drive north to get to the south end of Mosquito Lagoon. It was a cold and overcast morning when we launched the boat and departed the dock at about 7:15 a.m.

Bill used Salt Strong’s smart fishing spots to make a plan for us the night before, so we headed to the first spot. When we started fishing, I got cold enough to put a sweater on. The air temp was 56°, and the water temp was 62.3 °. I was looking forward to the sun coming out, but little did I know the sun would not come out all day, but it did warm up some.

We had a slow start to our day. We burned through nearly all the spots Bill had selected with no luck. At about 10:00 a.m., we saw a large variety of birds feeding on bait, so we headed over to them to see what we could find. It was an amazing experience watching all the pelicans and osprey diving on the bait and multiple Great Blue Heron feeding.

We fished the mangrove island until all the birds moved on. At this point, we continued to work the island. As we came to a point on the island, I finally caught the first fish. I was throwing a gold digger color power prawn jr, which was hit as soon as it hit the water. I ended up landing decent trout.

We continued to fish in this area for a long while with little action. We were hopeful we were in the right area as we saw a few guides with clients fishing in the same area we were in. Unfortunately, besides losing many paddle tales to puffer fish, we didn’t put any fish in the boat in this area.

About noon, we decided to make a change and see if we could find the fish. With the increasing NE winds and the current change, we moved and started working on the river’s east side. We found a promising area, and we worked hard—this change of plans paid off for us. We finally found some fish. We caught two trout, a rat redfish, and three snook in this area. This was my very first personal inshore slam. Unfortunately, Bill was unable to find a redfish to get his slam, but he was close with one trout and two snook.

We returned to the dock around 4:00 p.m. and ran into Tony, one of Salt Strong’s fishing coaches. We chatted with him and found out he found the bull redfish. However, our days were similar, with the bite being slow.

Once the boat was loaded, we started our long trek home! I enjoyed spending the day with Bill, talking to him, and getting to know him better. I enjoy the fellowship I have every time I go fishing with fellow insiders and as the president of the Treasure Coast Local Chapter of Salt Strong, I am looking forward to many more trips with fellow insiders of our chapter.

Reflecting on a memorable day in Mosquito Lagoon with Bill Olson, from the cold morning to the joy of landing an inshore slam, I’ve decided this will be my last fishing report of 2023. The holiday season calls for time spent with loved ones, creating memories off the water. Tania and I send our best wishes to all fellow anglers, hoping your fishing adventures are safe, blessed, and full of tight lines and good times! Until next time, keep casting and chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now holds monthly meetings in Fort Pierce on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings are exclusive to inside members, who receive various perks, including 20% off tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. Monthly tournaments and guest speakers are also set to feature. To become an inside member, click the link below to receive a FREE pack of Slam Shady or a 10-Day Test-Drive of The Smart Fishing Spots App and The Salt Strong Insider Club. They ship you $35 worth of FREE Lures, an “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” Book (Physical copy), and decals – Yours to Keep Even If You Cancel!