Episode 21 | Offshore Fishing New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing with Capt. Josh Baker

We got to our hotel after fishing with Chad Nelson in Miami. It was a nice Marriot that Josh had found for us. He even hooked us up with a discount! We were spending the next two nights in style, baby! We unloaded the Jeep, completed our nightly footage uploading routine, and went to bed.

Day 1: Offshore Fishing New Smyrna Beach, FL

We woke up early the next day and drove to Josh’s house to hop in his truck and go launch the boat. The weather was looking good for our 25 mile offshore run that we were planning on making for the day.

We gassed up the boat, grabbed some waters, launched, and began our 25 mile trek offshore.

It was an epic experience to watch the shoreline disappear behind us. I gotta say, we were a little bit nervous. Neither of us had made that long a run offshore.

“This is going to be a little bit different than Bass fishing.”  – Josh

Josh Gets a Mahi in the Boat to Get Things Started

After getting to our first location, the weather was a little worse than expected but we hung around long enough to see a random Mahi cruising and captain josh was able to hook up and get him in.

After that, we knew we were at least getting dinner that night. 🙂

I Get the Mahi Fish of My Dreams

We bounced to our next spot and i was able to hook up to a Cobia and get it boat side, but it popped off before we could land it. As soon as it popped off, a big bull Mahi showed up and we flipped a frozen bait to it. Before long, I was hooked up! I was so excited because that was the species I really wanted to catch offshore that day.

For the next five minutes, we attempted to net and gill it as we forgot the gaff. We finally got it in and I couldn’t have been more excited. It was the fish of my dreams.

After that we stayed in that spot and caught some bait on Sabiki rigs and a few snapped bottom fishing.

Using Pilchards to Catch Sport Fish

We were using frozen Pilchards as bait. These are great live baits and are very easy to catch. Pretty much every sport fish out there have a hard time resisting these guys. And, they can be caught easily. Pilchards can be caught off the beaches, in the bays, the grass flats and canals. They have a reputation for being a great option for catching Snapper.

Also, in the video, you’ll hear Josh explaining circle hooks for the win.

Our Final Spot Was a Fish Frenzy!

We decided to pick up and move again to our final spot where we were sitting on top of a wreck and began immediately crushing fish.

Alex hooked up to a giant Red Snapper on a freeline!

It’s too bad these were out of season and we couldn’t keep it. Still, absolutely incredible.

Then, I caught a massive Barracuda on line that didn’t even have a steel leader.

It was just insanity. So. Much. Fun.

You gotta hear the funny story Josh tells on the video about me getting worked by a massive Grouper.

Holding that Monster Barracuda was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Holding that Monster Barracuda was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Josh share with us, “I like to put people on a fish of a lifetime. Making memories for other people is why I really enjoy fishing.”

Well, mission accomplished, Josh. That was a moment I’ll cherish my entire life.

Fresh Mahi Tacos at Josh’s House

We called it a day on the water, headed back in, cleaned up, and went to Josh’s place. His wife and him cooked up the Mahi and served us fresh Mahi tacos which was one of my favorite fish meals I’ve ever had. It was an amazing day and we couldn’t have been more happy with the species and size that we had caught.

Day 1 could not have been any better.

DAY 2: Mosquito Lagoon Fishing

We woke up the second day with hopes of having a repeat of day one with Capt. Josh. For this day, we were headed inshore to target Redfish and Speckled Trout. And were were going to do it in the famous Mosquito Lagoon.

After we met Josh at the ramp and launched the boat, there was a little put down the inner coast we made to get to our first spot where we begin fishing.

Catching Beautiful Speckled Trout

We tried throwing a cast net for bait to get a few more. But, it didn’t take long before I was hooked up to my first Speckled Trout. It was a beautiful little fish and our first fish of the day.

After that catch, the fishing was slower. We moved spots a few times with no luck. Then we went to a different location completely where Alex ended up pitching his first Speckle Trout.

We Spent all Our Luck on the First Day

All we caught during the second day was a couple of Speckled trout. But, we still enjoyed every minute of it and spending time with Capt. Josh. We were able to get him off the water early on Father’s Day so that he can go celebrate with his family.

Another Inspiring Angler

Josh was an incredibly inspiring guy for Alex and I to meet. He suffered an injury that almost prevented him from participating in this sport that he loves so much and from fire fighting. But, he came out on top. He proved to us, way on top! Good luck keeping anglers like Josh away from water. That’s all I have to say.  

Look this guy up! He is a stud and will put you on fish. Find him at Fishbehavin.com.

Headed to Tampa

After we parted ways with Josh we headed to Tampa and more specifically the St. Petersburg area one of my favorite family vacation spots. We got in, grabbed food on Pass-A-Grille Beach and called it a night, planning for an epic day of Tarpon fishing the next afternoon.

Current Species Count:

We’re gunnin’ for 20+ over the course of the tour. Here’s the list, so far:

1. Steelhead
2. Largemouth Bass
3. Spotted Bass
4. Rock Bass
5. Silver Red Horse Sucker
6. Quillback Suckercarp
7. Skipjack
8. Blue catfish
9. American Shad
10. Spotted Gar
11. Mooneye
12. Asian Carp
13. Pumpkinseed
14. Smallmouth bass
15. Bluegill
16. Brown Trout
17. Striped Bass
18. Rainbow Trout
19. Freshwater Drum
20. Speckled Sea Trout
21. Red Fish
22. Gafftop Catfish
23. Hardhead Catfish
24. Whiting
25. Sand Trout
26. Croaker
27. Summer Flounder
28. Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
29. Tilapia
30. Snook
31. Bonito
32. King Mackerel
33. Spanish Mackerel
34. Cero Mackerel
35. Jack Cravalle
36. Trigger Fish
37. Barracuda
38. Red Snapper
39. Mahi

This is the ANGLRTOUR.  –Jacob Jesionek

About the ANGLR Tour

Follow Jake and Alex, collegiate Bass anglers, fish biologist, and vloggers, on an epic two-month fishing trip. They’re on a journey to catch 20 species, 10 state fish, and win the 2018 FLW college national championship on Red River, LA.

Will they be able to complete their whole challenge? Follow along as they catch bass, kayak fish Texas Bass Lakes, inshore Tarpon fish, have dinners with Bassmaster elites, jack Smallmouth Bass in Michigan, and Striped Bass fish Cape Cod. They’ll even have a Hobie vs. Bonafide kayak fishing challenge on Sam Rayburn. They’re vlogging, blogging, and recording it all right here.

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