During the summer months, the other hazard of targeting this area is the insect life.

Be sure to bring plenty of repellent with you. Otherwise, the mosquitoes may simply carry you away.

Under the roads connecting to the lagoon are a number of culverts, used to flush these canals on a regular basis so as to help control mosquito populations. This region gets almost negligible tidal fluctuations, but they are usually enough to cause water to flow through these structures, in and out of the canals.

Invariably, the small channels leading into the pipe mouths are a bit deeper than surrounding waters and offer havens for trout, along with redfish and occasional snook.

Whenever you happen upon one of these structures, they're worth being the target of a few casts.

FLY TACTICS
As I mentioned, on this trip we chose to chase the speckled trout with fly-casting gear. A good setup for this fishing is a 6- to 8-weight rod and matching reel.

As with most shallow saltwater situations, a weight-forward floating line works well, coupled with a leader that matches the length of the rod.

Since water depth is not a concern, lightly weighted flies like a Lefty's Deceiver or Bendback can be used, along with Clouser Minnows.

Most days, in fact, the color of the offering seems more important than the exact pattern. Lighter color patterns having chartreuse in them are hard to beat here.

SPINNING GEAR
On windy days -- or if you simply don't care to beat the air and water into a froth with a long rod -- spinning gear works perfectly for this action. Indeed, it allows you to cover more water with longer casts under any conditions. A 7-foot medium action rod with matching reel and 10-pound-test can handle just about any trout you hook here.

Because the water is so shallow, your best bets for artificial lures are noisy topwater plugs or jig-and-grub combos. On top, chuggers, poppers or prop baits all can attract the fish -- though smaller versions of the Skitterwalk or saltwater models of the Zara Spook family of stickbaits are hard to beat.

Beneath the surface, a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jig tipped with a 3-inch chartreuse trailer is generally a killer for seatrout.

If live bait is more to your liking, a shrimp under a popping cork works well. That is especially true when the trout are popping the top, as they were during this trip. Of course, that will entail having a floating bait buck of some type to tether to you and pull along as you fish.

To avoid that inconvenience, you could turn to the new Berkley Saltwater Gulp! baits. Impregnated with scents that are released in the water, the 2- and 3-inch sizes in natural color are outstanding for seatrout. They easier to use than live bait since you don't have worry about keeping them alive. And they are tough enough that you can catch several trout on one before having to change baits. All in all, the Gulp! takes a lot of hassle out of the fishing.

But regardless of whether you cast a shrimp or a Gulp! with the popping cork, the method is exactly the same.

Toss out the rig and let it sit for moment or two. Then give the line a good snap that makes the cork jerk across the surface. The beads attached to the wire running thorough the float give off a clacking sound to go with the pop.

All that ruckus sounds like a trout feeding to others of that species -- obviously, because they often come running to the spot and then hit the bait they encounter there.

SUMMING IT UP
Regardless of what tactics that you employ once you get to the northern end of the Indian River Lagoon, expect to find some enjoyable wade-fishing. You're not likely to have to share the water with a lot of other folks as you wade in a region bypassed by a lot of what the modern world considers progress.