The Indian River Lagoon is fishing the classic early-summer pattern this week, with low-light periods producing the most consistent action. Redfish are schooling on the flats and working the mangrove shorelines and spoil islands on the higher tides, eating cut bait, live shrimp, and gold spoons. The morning topwater bite has been strong before the sun gets high.
Spotted seatrout are reliable on the deeper grass edges and potholes, with the better gator trout coming early on topwater and soft plastics. As the day heats up, the trout slide to the deeper grass and the bite favors live shrimp under a popping cork.
Snook are around the inlets, docks, and shoreline structure in good numbers — but the Atlantic season is closed, so all snook must be released. They provide excellent catch-and-release sport on flair-hawks and live bait worked through the current.
Black drum are holding around the bridges and docks on dead shrimp, and mangrove snapper have moved onto the structure in fishable numbers. Jack crevalle and ladyfish roam the lagoon and keep rods bent when the gamefish go quiet, while a few tarpon are showing in the inlets.
Summer heat makes the dawn and dusk windows the ones to target. The redfish and trout bite on the flats should stay productive through June — fish the low light, keep the snook gear handy for release fun, and watch the afternoon storms.
Spots & Access This Week
The lagoon is fishing well on the early tides, with redfish tailing the flats and snook holding tight to the spoil islands and mangrove edges. The Wabasso Causeway ramp puts you on the productive flats between Wabasso and Sebastian, while the Main Street ramp in Sebastian is the quickest access to the inlet, the Sebastian flats, and the spoil islands along the ICW. Round Island Park south of Vero Beach is a solid launch for the southern lagoon flats and mosquito-impoundment shorelines.
Around the inlet, snook and the occasional tarpon work the moving water, and trout are scattered across the deeper grass on the higher tides.
This Week’s Tip
Get on the flats at first light and look for tailing and waking reds before the sun gets high and the water warms — a weedless soft plastic or a gold spoon eased ahead of a tailing fish is hard to beat. Work the spoil-island points on the moving tide for snook with whitebait or a twitchbait. Summer lagoon water gets warm and the fish slide deep by midday, so the dawn window is the play. Catch-and-release stewardship is especially important in the lagoon’s recovering system — confirm current FWC regulations before keeping anything.