From Capt. Charlie @ Fishing Center Ft. Pierce

The past several years, January has been a cold month around the Treasure Coast.  Hopefully this will be a mild winter and you won’t have to worry about the water temperatures as much this year.  Fishing in deeper water will provide you with better results on most days.  Working your lures and baits much slower will also give you more success.  Fish tend to become lethargic in cold water and are slow in moving to strike at a bait.  Finding water that is a couple degrees warmer than the surrounding area can also give you an edge on finding fish.  We had great results last year on fishing deep sand holes on the flats that were being warmed by the sun.  We will certainly be doing that again this year.

January is typically a windy month.  You might enjoy one or two days a week that is calmer, but expect it to be windy.  The river can be rough some days, but you can still fish most days if you plan your trips carefully.  It is a great month to fish in spite of weather conditions that might not be to your liking.

Bridges will continue to produce sheephead, black drum, croakers, sand perch and bluefish.  Most of the anglers on the catwalks prefer live or frozen shrimp for these fish.  The inlet and turning basin will be full of bluefish, jacks and mackerel this month.  Live or dead bait on a jig head will give you plenty of action along with silver spoons or shiny lures.  Around seawalls, channel edges or deeper structure you can find grouper for catch and release action in January.  Snook action around the jetties and bridges will be active mostly at night for anglers using feather jigs, TerrorEyz and live bait.  Snook closed on December 15th, so it will catch and release on them.

Redfish can be found around docks and sitting on the flats on warm, sunny days.  DOA shrimp, Terror Eyz or CAL jerk baits work great for wintertime fishing.  Docks will be loaded with sheephead in January with nice sized fish.  Pompano fishing will depend on water temperatures for their location, but they will be in the area throughout the winter.  Surf anglers will be targeting these fish on days when the beach is fishable.  Flounder should be found around the jetties on the beach side and on sand flats around the inlet.  If you can find warmer water on the flats, you will most likely find trout feeding in those areas.  Last year, we were rewarded many days as the sun would warm up a patch of water and get the fish actively feeding.  CAL jerk baits were very successful on the trout.  Ladyfish will be all over the river for fun action for the little ones.

January Tips:  Dress for the weather.  We might get one or two days each week that might be warmer, but most days will be on the cooler side.  There can be a 30 degree swing in temperature on some days.  Dressing in layers can keep you comfortable throughout the day in January.  Once you become cold, it's hard to warm back up again.  Keep yourself comfortable and enjoy some good fishing in January.  Stay warm and safe and enjoy the winter!