Gator Trout On the Banana River Lagoon

Catching Big Spotted Sea Trout with a Fishing Guide in Florida

Serious anglers come in different packages and flavors like the day that Captain Richard Bradley took out a young angler and his dad out on the Banana River Lagoon for large sea trout. "This kid was serious about fishing!" explains Captain Richard. "From the moment we hit the water he had those intense crazy eyes that I see in many adult anglers. He had not developed the motor skills to cast accurately so I took him and his dad live baiting for large sea trout in the shallows of the lagoon. His enthusiasm and concentration made up for any lack of skill and Zach took home a whole cooler of big trout and a whopping 7 pound trout to be mounted on the wall to boot."

Zachary Blankenship took his dad and Captain Richard out for a day on the Lagoon this windy May day and limited out in Sea Trout while catching this 7 lb. Trout for the dinner table.

World renowned for large sea trout, the Banana River Lagoon is a 20 mile stretch of saltwater between world famous Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Center's Merritt Island. Sea trout change habits as they grow. Large Trout frequent the shallowest parts of the lagoon during the winter and spring before and during the spawn. Small immature trout like the drop offs on grassy 3 - 6 foot tidal areas. Look for big trout in the summer months in cooler areas near shade of possibly where tidal flow is present.

During the spring and summer and fall, trout can be found around their food source which is mainly shrimp in the grass or schools of mullet. Gator trout will eat nine inch mullet eagerly but may have difficulty chocking it down. They're fun to watch when they try and take a mullet that seems half their size, but give them a chance and they're likely to do it.

Hello Friends,

Huckleberry Finn on the Banana River What a wonderful place for a young kid to grow up as I did on the Banana River Lagoon on North Merritt Island. Waking up in the morning and sliding my jon boat out before school for snook along the mangroves during the warmer times of the year or riding my bike down to Kelly Park turning basin for spotted sea trout in the winter. I'm convinced Huckleberry Finn didn't have as much fun as my friends and I on this saltwater lagoon on Florida's east coast.

As I've grown older, I often think about those pre-teen adventure years of catching sea trout and snook while I'm poling anglers on my flats boat along the shallow grass flats. I still think back of how it was to simply pull my jon boat behind me while casting topwater lures and jigs for redfish and trout and swimming when when it got too hot to fish. Manatees, dolphins and an occasional shark encounter made the adventures more memorable and added a truly Floridian flavor to each daily adventure.

While I might not be a barefoot "spring chicken" anymore, you can still find me wading the shallow water flats with my customers and talking to them about "the good life" growing up around the Banana River Lagoon. Come join me for a day of fishing adventures and we'll play in the saltwater lagoons and ocean while looking for mermaids, sea monsters and maybe a few fish.

~~Huckleberry Finn~~
Captain Richard
Lagooner Fishing Guide

Fishing Guides, Charters, Boats and Captains in Florida

If you are traveling to Central Florida's Orlando, Cocoa Beach and East Coast you can contact me by filling our one of our online forms or calling me at the phone number listed on the top of this page. I promise you I will contact you shortly and you'll have a great experience on the water with a true full time Florida fishing guide.

Captain Gina
Florida Fishing Guide for Lagooner Fishing Guides

Learn more about Lagooner Fishing Guides by clicking on any of the links and reading about the fishing possibilities east of Orlando, Florida on the Atlantic Ocean and the vast shallow water lagoons on Florida's East Coast.

Banana River Information

Banana River Snook Guide

Banana River Fishing Guide Service

Banana River Fishing Trip Guide

Banana River Fishing Guide

Banana River Sea Trout Fishing

Banana River Redfish

Banana River Tarpon Fishing

Banana River Boat Ramp Information

Redfish In the Banana River

Banana River Fishing Information

Florida Sea Trout Regulations

Not less than 15" or more than 20" (statewide) except one fish over 20" per person. 4 per harvester per day South Region 5 per harvester per day N.E. and N.W. Regions.
Season Closure: Nov. & Dec. S. Region / Feb. N.E. and N.W.

Florida Sea Trout Record 15lb., 6 ozs.

We believe in catch-and-release but have no problem keeping fish for the table if it's not wasted.

Trout Links & Information

Seatrout are often refered to as gator trout when they are large (over 6 pounds). Lagooner charters specialize in finding and catching large seatrout in shallow water areas. Here are some facts about these gamefish:

Matures during first or second year and spawns INSHORE from March through November; often in association with seagrass beds; lives mainly in estuaries and moves only short distances; adults feed mainly on shrimp and small fish.