Tuesday, July 1, 2025
From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach
INSHORE- Catch and release snook fishing remains the best bet inshore right now. A fair number of snook in the Loxahatchee right now, but a bulk of the snook have pushed towards the inlets to spawn. Bridges closer to the inlets have been holding a decent number of snook at night. Fish outgoing tide with flair hawk jigs and bigger swimbaits for a good chance at a bigger bite from a full grown snook. The snook have also been hanging around docklights. The dock light fish tend to be a bit smaller size wise; but make up for it with better numbers a lot of times. Shrimp lures (DOA, Vudu, Savage) tend to be a great choice for the snook around docklights. A decent number of jacks and the occasional tarpon will be mixed in with the snook in the lights as well. A few mangrove snapper hanging around the bridges as well, with the best bite on them coming at night. Live shrimp and small live pilchards are great bait choices for the mangrove snapper.
SURF/PIER- The surf fishing remains a bit quite overall, not uncommon for this time of year. Catch and release snook fishing has picked up a bit, and should only improve as we move into the heart of summer. The snook fishing remains good on the Juno Beach Pier. Best bite on the pier snook will be early in the morning and then again at closing time. If the snook are fired up and floating in the bait schools then a flatlined live bait is the way to go. If the snook aren't as active; try fishing the bait on the bottom under the pier. A handful of jacks still cruising the beach, along with some schools of tarpon. A handful of croaker and sand perch biting in the first trough. Small pieces of fresh shrimp is the top bait choice for them.
Snook-Nook Fishing Report
Our summertime Snook fishing is in full swing here on the Treasure Coast. If you’re looking to try to catch a trophy sized Snook, this is a great time of the year to give it a shot! There have still been good numbers of Snook schooled up in the inlet. Look for the schools around the south detached jetty, along the beach by the Hole in the Wall, in the Crossroads as well as on the beaches to the north and south of the inlet. Fishing live baits such as Croakers, Pilchards and Threadfins have been the most effective baits in the inlet. It doesn’t hurt to try fishing dead baits around the inlet such as a dead Threadfin when the fish aren’t eating the live baits as some of the lazier fish tend to be more inclined to eat those. Some of the schools haven’t been as cooperative when it comes to getting bites from them, but if you find yourself in that situation, it is best to move onto trying to find the next school. We’ve been getting a steady supply of Croakers here at the shop and should have a steady supply throughout the summer weather permitting. Don’t be afraid to shoot out the inlet to fish some of the nearshore wrecks and reefs this time of year as they will commonly be found out there. Fishing bridges and docks in both the St. Lucie and the Indian River should result in a few fish as well. The concrete blocks underneath the causeways have been holding some big Snook, be sure to have some heavy tackle if you plan on going to battle there! When we get the high afternoon temperatures, the water will heat up a good bit as well. When that water heats up you will want to focus on areas with deeper water and moving current as the fish will tend to move to those areas. If you’re looking to fish in the evening into the night, the dock light fishing has been pretty good. You will see that the fish may feed more at night in the lights due to the water temperatures cooling down after the sun sets. Anglers fishing from shore can look to get in on some Snook action on the beaches, at the Jensen Causeway, at Indian Riverside Park, the Ft. Pierce jetty and wading north of the power plant in the mornings and evenings. At the causeway they have been feeding pretty consistently on shrimp and crabs that have been flowing through on the outgoing tides in the evenings. Free lining crabs or shrimp as well as fishing a shrimp on a jighead will give you a good shot at hooking up. If you are looking to fish artificials; NLBN paddle tails, Vudu or Thumper Shrimp and Yozuri Crystal Minnows have all been solid choices.
Anglers fishing live shrimp have been able to pick away at Mangrove Snappers around structure here inshore. If you’re looking to weed through some of the smaller ones, fishing a small pilchard or pinfish on a jighead is a great strategy to catch some of the bigger ones mixed in when they’re around. We typically see our biggest Snapper here inshore during the summer months. Those fishing live shrimp have also run into Flounder, Sheepshead, Black Drum and a variety of other species. Keep in mind that July is typically the toughest time of the year to get live shrimp. The water heats up in the gulf and the shrimp will bury themselves in the mud to stay cool, when that happens our shrimpers aren’t able to catch them. The few shrimp that are caught are very small and face higher chances of die off on the ride over due to the warm water. Please be patient with us when it comes to the live shrimp as we are at the shrimper’s mercy, feel free to call the shop for updates when the shrimp supply becomes difficult.
We typically will begin to see more opportunities for catching a Tarpon as we get into July. We are starting to see some crabs flowing through the bridges on the outgoing tide, it hasn’t been nearly as many crabs as last year or years past, but definitely a good sign. If you are fishing around the bridges, you will want to focus on that outgoing tide, free line a crab or free line a larger live mullet to give you the best chance at hooking up. Adding a float on your line isn’t a bad idea either to keep your bait up on the surface where the Tarpon have been feeding. We also usually start seeing more Tarpon showing up in the inlet and cruising the beaches in the mornings and evenings in July. Fishing live Threadfins or mullet will give you a good shot at them if you see them around.
Surf Fishing Report
Whiting fishing has been pretty good for anglers fishing from the surf all month, the main issue anglers have had to deal with is some slime weed. If there is slime weed or an abundance of weeds in the water at the beach you choose, it is best to try a different beach as there may not be any weed at the next beach access and the fish have been spread out along the island. Over the past week, the best of the Whiting fishing has come from beach accesses north of Jensen public beach. The majority of your bites will come close to the shoreline in the 5 to 15 yard range. There have been some nice sized Croakers caught from the surf too. Pieces of shrimp and either bloodworm or shrimp Fish Bites have been the ticket to putting these fish in the cooler. You will also want to focus your fishing around the high tide for both the Whiting and Croakers.
The Snook are starting to show up in better numbers on the beaches for those looking to get in on that action. Typically your better fishing for them will be around the high tides too and in the morning or evening. The morning and evening windows will give you a better chance to get a bite using artificials. White paddle tails, Yozuri Crystal Minnows and twitch baits are all solid choices if you’re going the artificial route. It’s always a good idea to have a rod with a sabiki tied on in the event of some bait moving down the beach. You can catch the threadfins or pilchards with the sabiki and free line them right in the first trough, live Croakers are also a great choice to free line. There have been some Tarpon cruising the beaches, but the majority of them have been out of casting range. We do tend to start seeing them come a little closer when the bait schools get up close to the beach.
Sebastian Inlet Report With The Snookman
A fabulous day of fishing at the newly-reopened north jetty
“Good morning, all my AWESOME Sebastian Inlet fishing friends and jetty visitors. Yesterday (June 30) was a grand day for the reopening of the north jetty! It was a fantastic turnout, to say the least! The weather was great, the water was clean and clear, and the fish were there in abundance. There were about 150 people or more that showed up to fish or just sightsee; it was fantastic! It was reminiscent of opening day of the fall snook season when the fish were biting well… and they stayed all day, too! I have to say, though, it is really nice to have the jetty back open because that is where we get the most fishing action. The north jetty offers deeper water, and access farther out into the ocean, not to mention the abundance of more and better structure for the fish. Thank you to EVERYONE involved in the rebuilding of the jetty walkway area and the surrounding dunes and foliage. It was a job well done by all. So, without further delay, here is your HOT fishing report!!
North jetty: As I mentioned, the jetty was PACKED on Monday, and the fish were everywhere! On the walk out to the jetty with everyone, there were some small schools of large jack crevalle, 15 to 20-pounders chasing mullet and mojarra along the seawall and making quite the commotion. A couple of the ‘young guns, I call them, were tossing large swim baits at them and hooking up, but none were landed as the hooks pulled out. That got everyone excited right off the bat! Once everyone claimed their spots, the tide came in nicely, and the fish started being hooked up, and come over the rails. Most of the fish were caught on live shrimp, black drum, redfish, black margates, sheepshead, and spadefish. For those fishing with live greenies and small crappie jigs and tiny swimbaits, the lookdowns were on fire! There were quite a lot of them caught! Not much to them, but they are VERY tasty to eat, and there are no limits or restrictions on them. For those fishing silver spoons out far, and vertical jigs, there were also quite a few nice bluefish in the 15 to 16-inch range caught. The snook were non-existent due to the abundance of all the huge goliath groupers harassing the schools and chasing them around. Only two were hooked and the groupers ate both of them, and one redfish. The groupers were trying to eat EVERYTHING being netted. My suggestion: Please DON'T target the snook during the summer so the groupers don't eat them all! Let them do their spawning thing; there are other species to catch that you CAN keep. That's pretty much all for this side.
South side: Over here the water was pretty dirty, but not as dirty as it had been; it cleaned up some. At the tip they were catching black margates, spot tails, some sand perch, and a couple small whiting, and of course the pesky puffers and ever-present catfish. Once the tide started coming in, people on the south jetty moved to the north jetty. The water over there got pretty dirty, so they left.
T-dock area: Back here the fishing has picked up, especially during the high tide phases. Small mangrove snapper are starting to show more as the water keeps warming up. I had some reports of a few keepers being caught on live greenies, and cut mojarra, and shrimp around the dock pilings. And as always, when the water gets a tad dirty, the puffers are abundant for the bait fishermen. On the outgoing tide when the greenies show up, there have some nice Spanish mackerel being caught on the live greenies, and small week of June 30 2025
swim baits. Other than that, it is still a bit slow.
Surf area, both sides: On the north side, the water was silted up and there weren't any anglers fishing; just swimmers having fun. The south side remained a bit silted as well, but there were a few pockets of clean water around. For those fishing cut shrimp and live sandfleas, there were a couple nice pompano caught that I know of, along with some whiting. And again, the pesky catfish and once in a while bonnet head sharks to keep it interesting, along with a few bluefish.
That's it in a nutshell! It is awesome to have the north jetty back open while fishing is hot. It is a blessing. This week is supposed to be riddled with afternoon thunderstorms, so get there early and catch some dinner. The high tides will be in the afternoons, but the fish are there to be caught. I wish everyone a safe and wonderful week!” — Snookman.
Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area
A calm surf , clean water , no weeds, an incoming tide , and some Saharan Dust was just the right formula for a pretty good whiting bite here in Jensen Beach this morning. Randy and I fished for a couple of hours and managed a nice cooler of nice whiting . We got to the beach a couple of hours before high tide and as is the case when the beach you are fishing does not have a pronounced near shore trough, the key was to cast your bait 20 to 25 yards to the slightly deeper water where the whiting were sitting . As the tide continued to rise we shortened our casts with the change in the water depth . When we decided to leave the fish were right at our feet. Pilchards and glass minnows made their appearance today also and the anglers that were targeting catch and release snook had bent rods all morning. Bloodworm Fishbites tipped with a small piece of shrimp continues to produce. Talked to a couple of friends that were north and south of me and it seems like the bite was good up and down Hutchinson Island . The forecast for the week looks pretty good up until the holiday weekend when the “weather “ folks are suggesting we may have a system off of our coast that wiil bring us some wind and rain . . We will see what happens but let’s hope our conditions stay with us .
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Sebastian Inlet Report With The Snookman
The action is at the south side (perch, whiting, margate, pompano, blues, jacks, etc)
“Good morning, my Sebastian Inlet fans! I hope everyone had a great weekend despite the afternoon rains. This week is supposed to be about the same, so get out early. Let’s begin with good news: No, the north jetty hasn’t yet reopened, but the T-Dock is finally reopened on Saturday. Also, snook season is CLOSED until September 1. In the interim, snook are catch-and-release only! Now, for the report:
North Side: Restricted access (due to construction at the north jetty) has limited the fishing activity. On the outgoing tide, fishing has been slow. Most of the action has been on the incoming tide along the rocks west of the tide pool. Small mangrove snapper and sheepshead are being caught on live and dead shrimp. Under the bridge, small snook are being caught on live mojarra, if you can find some. West of the tide pool along the mangrove shoreline area there are snook being caught also on live baits. Also, sheepshead and snapper are being caught as well. Try live or dead shrimp.
South side: This side has been where most of the action has been, mostly on the incoming tide. At the tip, it has been all about the pompano being caught on small goofy jigs. They are still around because the water is still cool enough for them, plus it has been pretty clean, which they like. The snook bite had been pretty good, too, for those fishing live mojarra, shrimp and threadfins. Most of the fish have been under slot size, but a few keepers were caught. Boaters fishing in the area have been doing well. As mentioned, snook season is CLOSED until September 1, catch-and-release only! The outgoing tide on this at the tip of the jetty has been producing black margates, lookdowns, nice sand perch and a few whiting and pompano on sand fleas and cut shrimp. Jack crevalle and blue runners and some small bluefish round out the species being caught on small jigs and spoons.
T-Dock Area: Back here, bigger snook have been caught on live mojarra, shrimp and croakers on the incoming tide. Now that the T-dock is open, expect the snapper and sheephead bite to pick up fishing around the pilings on dead shrimp and cut baits. It's the time of the year for them. Either tide is good. Also expect to see some Spanish mackerel to start showing up with all the tiny minnows around the dock. Very small jigs and swim baits will attract a bite from them. Jack crevalle and bluefish are possible as well.
Surf Area, both sides: The south side has been where the action has been slow, but fish are being caught. Pompano, whiting and bonnet head sharks are being caught, along with a few bluefish that are lingering due to the cooler water temperatures (77 as of this report). Sand fleas and shrimp are the baits of choice. Surf on the north has been slow, largely due to low tide in the morning. There isn't enough depth to bring the fish in. It's been clean though. There haven't been a lot of mullet running the beaches like there was, but be on the lookout for any and there might be snook, tarpon and big redfish around them for some action.
That's it for this week. I wish I had more, but when the north jetty reopens (in July), it will add to the action, since it is the hub of the action is this time of year. Have a great week everyone!”