Banana River Lagoon

Capt. Jim Ross

Banana river redfish can be found near mangroves around the 1000 island area.
Banana river redfish can be found near mangroves around the 1000 island area.

It’s been a relatively good year for this body of water overall compared to the last two or three. Brown algae blooms are still evident in many areas but the severity hasn’t been as bad as in years past. Tarpon are striking live baits in residential canals and dredged areas. Live pilchards, mullet or pogies are your best options to get them to strike. Rig these on a VMC 7385 coastal black 7/0 sized circle hook and some 50 to 60-pound test Sufix fluorocarbon leader. Ladyfish, small trout, and jack crevalle should be feeding on glass minnow and fingerling mullet pods in the deeper flat on the west side of the river. Redfish and snook can be found around many of the mangrove covered shorelines in the 1000 island area. Live baits and soft plastic jerk baits like the Saltwater Assassin 5-inch shad or vapor shad are good choices to use on these fish.

Capt. Jim Ross
W-321-636-3728
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