From Todd @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

Catch 365

"Money Minnow is well...money!"

Today's tip is another good one from Eric at The Freight Train Fishing Charters. 

The Yum Money Minnow is a great lure for provoking strikes from snook, trout, and even redfish when other lures just aren't working. It is best rigged texas style on a lightly keel weighted worm hook. This keeps the bait weedless allowing it to be fished through heavy cover and even down in the grass where the fish are sometimes hiding.

In clear water situations go with the more natural baitfish colors. In dirty or stained waters try brighter colors to stand out more.

Sebastian Inlet Report

01-31-14 FRIDAY: BLACK DRUM, SEA TROUT, BLUES AND A COUPLE OF FLOUNDER AND SHEEPSHEAD 

We have another wet morning at the inlet, there is a good chance of rain off and on today and Saturday but at least it's warm. Sunday's forecast is calling for clearer skies and a temperature of 80. This morning winds are blowing out of the North at 13 mph and gusting to 16. Be sure to take rain gear if you head to the inlet today or tomorrow, sometimes the rain invigorates the fish and improves the bite.

We've had a mediocre bite this week. A few good sized Black Drum came over the rails, a lot of smaller Blues, a Flounder or two, a couple of Sheepshead and Sea Trout were active on the flats. Yesterday, Tommy Turowski of the Inlet Bait and Tackle Shop threw out a mirrolure from the rocks when a big Trout moved in, then he snagged some seaweed and spooked it! 

There are a lot of activities coming up at the Sebastian Inlet State Park. Every Wednesday in January and February, you can take a Ranger guided kayak tour from 1:00 - 3:00. Meet at the Inlet Marina, just north of the inlet. You can bring your own kayak and pay a $3.00 launch fee or rent a single or double at the Marina for $20 for two hours which includes paddles and life vests. This is a weather-dependent event. Call the State Park ahead of time to ensure the activity is happening. On Saturday, Feb. 1st take an adventure to find clues and locations around the Park, Geo Caching using a GPS or Smart Phone. February 4th from 1:00 - 3:00 you can attend a surf fishing workshop at the Sebastian Inlet Fishing Museum. Learn the basics of surf fishing, rod and reel selection, standard Pompano rig, choosing bait and more. On Saturday the 8th, take a Ranger guided stroll along side of the Inlet learning the local history and plants, animals and birds that inhabit the area. Every Sunday in February and March, you can have breakfast with a SISP Ranger at 9:00 a.m. at the Inlet Grill and Gift Shop, who will answer any questions you have regarding the Park. For more information on Park activities, visit their web site at www.floridastateparks.org/sebastianinlet. 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

The inshore fishing has been great to the north of Harbor Branch, with Redfish and Speckled Trout. These fish were caught using DOA, and Gulp jerk baits. The snook fishing in the night time has been heating up with fish being caught on the incoming tide in the inlet. These fish were caught on Buck tail Jigs, and diving plugs.

From Capt. Charlie @ Fishing Center - Ft Pierce

What a crazy month for weather along the Treasure Coast. It was like being on a roller coaster ride with the ups and downs in temperature this month. Winds and rain made it a challenge each and every day out on the water. I am hoping that February is a little more kind to us! The only thing that remained constant was the fish bite. The fishing has been good for anglers, but getting the opportunity to fish was the key. Good luck in February!

Snook season opens February 1st and anglers have been preparing for opening day to get their first chance of 2014 to get a slot fish. Make sure you have check your license and snook permit! The inlets and jetties are a favorite area to target snook along with the bridges around the area. DOA Bait Busters and Terror Eyz are favorites around those areas for snook. Feather jigs and live bait are also high on the list. The big trout are in the river now. This time of year can produce big gator trout from 25" to 30". Top water lures, CAL jerk baits and DOA shrimp are favorites with trout anglers along with live bait. Fishing the sand bars and flats later in the mornings when the fish are sitting in sand holes to warm up can be very productive. We have been catching redfish around docks and mangroves lately.

 Most are 16" - 20" with some nice upper slots in the mix. I love seeing the juvenile reds this time of year. It's our summer crop that will be upper slot fish later in the year. DOA shrimp, CAL paddle tails and live baits are popular with fishing for the reds. 

Docks and bridges have been loaded with sheepshead and black drum. A popular winter duo to target this time of year, they are always willing to eat a live or dead shrimp for anglers. You can find some nice size fish throughout the winter months. There have been lots of Spanish mackerel around the inlet and turning basin lately. They are some nice size fish in the mix and provide some tasty table fare for anglers. Small shiny jigs work best for the macks. We have even caught a few croakers and whiting in the river lately. It's been a good variety of fish to keep anglers busy.

Keeping our fingers crossed for good weather in February!

Sebastian Inlet Report

01-30-14 THURSDAY: BLACK DRUM, BLUES, SEA TROUT, SCATTERED POMPANO AND SHEEPSHEAD 

We have a cold, wet morning at the inlet. The wind isn't too bad, it's blowing out of the Northwest at 5 mph, but we have a pretty good chop on the water. Even so, we have a few anglers out on the north jetty trying their luck. Tommy Turowski at the Sebastian Inlet Bait and Tackle Shop reported some nice Sea Trout being landed on the flats, a few Black Drum, smaller Blues, small Pompano and a stray Sheepshead every now and then. 

Inlet regulars Mike Ricciardi and Tony Swiderski braved the elements on the north jetty yesterday morning and Mike reported that conditions were pretty rough. The north wind was relentless and made the currents strange, keeping the sand churned up and losing the water clarity that we had been experiencing the past few days. Mike reported that Tony had a very large Black Drum on the line but he couldn't land it, as it wrapped itself up in the rocks. Birds were working the inlet and a lot of Blues were active. The Blues were in the smaller range of 10" - 15". The minimum size for Blues is 12" to the fork of the tail and the bag limit is 10 per person per day. After getting beat up by the wind, both men left he north jetty before noon.

Sebastian resident Brian Muhl fished the south jetty where he landed one nice Black drum and several keeper Blues using a surf rod with shrimp and clams. 
Our angler of the day is Bill Hammell of Palm Bay. Bill landed this nice 7.25 lb. Flounder off the south catwalk using a mud minnow.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Inshore was a little slow with the wind but reports of a few reds and trout around up to the north around Harbor Branch.The south jetty has had some bluefish and a few flounder around with a few snook at night,Don't forget snook season opens this weekend it should be very good. 

One Man Fishing Show - Winter Tarpon in the Salt Marsh

From Todd @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

Catch 365

"Let it Slide"

The slide rig, also known as Carolina rigs, may be one of the best all around fishing rigs. It can be customized to fit fresh and saltwater applications and a huge variety of depths.

Making a slide rig is easy:
1. Slide a egg sinker on your main line, it is allowed to float freely.
2. Tie on a swivel, this will keep the swivel from sliding down to the hook.
3. To the other side of the swivel rod on appropriate length leader.
4. End with hook of choice and the rig is ready to go!

Pro Tip: Always try to use the lightest weight possible. Lighter sinkers will spook the fish less and allow a better feel for those subtle bites.

"Creative Coloring"

While lure companies make A LOT of different colored lures, sometimes they don't make JUST the color your looking for.

When it comes to soft plastic swimbaits here is a trick Eric Gates from The Freight Train Fishing Charters uses to get specific colors he is looking for.

Start by buying your favorite brand of soft plastic swimbait in a plain base color (White is always a great starting point). Grab some assorted color sharpies and get creative with your colors. Add scales, stripes., gills, fins, spots, etc to really make your baits come alive.

Also, this is a great way to avoid buying a huge amount of production colors. A couple packs of white swimbaits and a few sharpies can provide countless color combos.

Sebastian Inlet Report

                       
01-29-14 WEDNESDAY: BLACK DRUM AND BLUES 

We have a lot of clouds over the inlet this morning. We expect a gray day today with a good chance of rain. Go prepared for wet conditions if you head to the inlet today. Not only for chances of rain, also for waves that could be crashing against the jetty. Currently, winds are blowing out of the North at 23 mph, gusting to 28 and there is a moderate to heavy chop on the water. There is a small craft advisory in effect through Thursday afternoon. 

The bite picked up a little yesterday, even some fish fit for the table were landed. Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach sent in an update that the early morning bite was slow, but around 9:30 when the tide switched to outgoing, a few Black Drum came over the rails. At least six were landed by inlet regulars using shrimp and clam combos, until 12:30. Mike and Tony Swiderski of Sebastian landed two good sized Drum each, "Granny" of Melbourne landed one that was 20" and Luis and Zee Segura of Palm Bay landed the largest one at 30". The only other fish that were landed off the north jetty were small Blues for anglers using silver spoons. 

Our first photo is of Zee and Luis Segura of Palm Bay with the 30" Black Drum Luis landed yesterday. Nice catch 

Tony Swiderski and Mike Ricciardi are featured in our second photo with their two Drum each that were landed off the north jetty yesterday. 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Inshore had a few reports of some reds up around Vero shores and the spoil islands. The pompano fishing has been good around J.C. park on the incoming tide with sandflease. Don't forget snook season opens this weekend.
Inshore pompano on the sailfish flats.  Trout have been thick with lots of clean water up around nettles island and the Jensen causeway. 

From Todd @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE- Fishing around Munyon Island improved greatly over the past few weeks.  Spotted Seatrout, Snook, and even a small handful of redfish have filled into their wintertime hangouts on the grassflats.  Live shrimp, DOA shrimp, and Gambler Little EZ swimbaits are all good choices right now.  The Hobe Sound flats are also holding a good number of fish right now, with reports of ladyfish, jacks, snook, trout and other species all coming in.  Nighttime snook fishing around the bridges is good, especially on an outgoing tide.  

SURF/PIER- The Bluefish invaded local beaches again this week with the cooler weather. Silver spoons, large popping plugs, and cut mullet or sardines will all get the blues attention.  Spanish Mackerel are holding at Peck's Lake in good numbers.  Pompano action remains spotty.  Spinner sharks are scattered around as well.

Sebastian Inlet Report

01-28-14 TUESDAY: SCATTERED BLUES, A FEW BLACK DRUM AND SHEEPSHEAD 

We have thick fog at the inlet this morning. Winds are blowing out of the South-Southwest at 3 mph and the water is calm. The NOAA forecast is calling for a small craft advisory tomorrow morning through Thursday afternoon. Even with the calm water today, things can change very quickly. Always check the NOAA forecast prior to venturing offshore. 

We received an update from one of our Sebastian Inlet District Commissioners, Capt. Michael Rowland who was fishing inshore on Sunday and reported the river was very clear, but not much was biting. Capt. Rowland then went out of the inlet and fished near the beach off the south jetty. Bluefish were hitting and they were landing them from the beach as well. 
Inlet regular Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach fished the north jetty yesterday morning from 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and reported a slow start for the week. The water was clean and clear but he didn't even get a bite. There were two Black Drum caught, one Sheepshead and a few small Blues. Tony Swiderski of Sebastian landed a 29" C/R Snook while fishing a bottom rig with dead shrimp and clams, of all things! You never know what you'll get at the inlet or what you will catch it on. Tony released the Snook right after the photo. 

From Todd @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

Catch 365

 "Work With the Wind"

A light breeze to steady wind, can be a huge asset when fishing inshore flats for snook, trout, redfish, and other gamefish.  Set up a drift at the upwind side of a flat, and let the wind push the boat along.  This allows for the quietest approach and less spooked fish.  Also, with the wind at your back it is easier to make longer casts in front of the boat to cover more water and reach spookier fish easier.  

"X marks the spot"

X-rap that is! The Rapala X-Rap is one of the most versatile and best catching lures on the market these days. Available in multiple sizes and colors, it is a must have lure in the tackle box for fresh and saltwater anglers.

Fish it with a fast retrieve, slow wobble, erratic stop and go jerk action, or a stop it with long pauses and let it suspend; and it will undoubtedly draw up the fish.

"Don't be tricked by diameters"

Fifty pound braided line may have the same diameter as ten pound mono, but that doesn't mean it is the right choice for a spinning reel rated for ten pound test. When spooling a spinning reel with braided line, especially a smaller sized reel, choose a braid with pound test more in line with the manufacturers recommended line test.

This will increase casting distance, increase line capacity, and increase the life of your reel. If you do choose a heavier pound test than recommended by the manufacturer make sure to set the drag at a lower level.

THE SHALLOW SEASON

Sebastian Inlet Report

01-27-14 MONDAY: BLUES, JACKS, SPANISH MACKEREL, SHEEPSHEAD, POMPANO AND SEA TROUT 

We have a beautiful morning at the inlet, winds are blowing out of the Southwest at 6 mph, gusting to 8 and there is a light to moderate chop on the water. We have mild temperatures forecasted for the week, but we could see some rain. Go prepared if you head to the inlet. 

A variety of fish were landed over the weekend, but none in abundance. Black Drum, good sized Sea Trout, smaller Blues and Flounder, medium and large Sheepshead were landed. They were catching some good sized Pompano from the south beach as well, according to Tommy Turowski at the Inlet Bait and Tackle Shop. 

We received an update from Rich and Trilby Saldana of Melbourne who fished the inlet Thursday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:45. Rich reported not many people were left on the north jetty at that time because it was so cold, but he and Trilby did pretty well. They landed a total of 18 fish including Blues, Jacks and seven 13" - 14" Spanish Mackerel using pilchers and lures. 
Our first photo today is of Jerry and Tina Goerler of Lake Mary. Jerry landed this 28.5" C/R Red off the south jetty using clams. The Red was released unharmed after the photo. 

There are a lot of activities coming up at the Sebastian Inlet State Park. Every Wednesday in January and February, you can take a Ranger guided kayak tour from 1:00 - 3:00. Meet at the Inlet Marina, just north of the inlet. You can bring your own kayak and pay a $3.00 launch fee or rent a single or double at the Marina for $20 for two hours which includes paddles and life vests. This is a weather-dependent event. Call the State Park ahead of time to ensure the activity is happening. On Saturday, Feb. 1st take an adventure to find clues and locations around the Park, Geo Caching using a GPS or Smart Phone. February 4th from 1:00 - 3:00 you can take a surf fishing workshop at the Sebastian Inlet Fishing Museum. Learn the basics of surf fishing, rod and reel selection, standard Pompano rig, choosing bait and more. On Saturday the 8th, take a Ranger guided stroll along side of the Inlet learning the local history and plants, animals and birds that inhabit the area. For more information on Park activities, visit their web site at www.floridastateparks.org/sebastianinlet. 

From Henry @ Snook-Nook - Jensen Beach

Finally  I can take off my jacket. Been a cold week and it depends on whom you talk to if is good or not so good for fishing. Pompano anglers are happy, this is the first week I have heard about limit catch's.  Please don’t ask our Snook anglers the season is closed any way. Then there is me, Cold.

Cooler temp have lowered the water temps and now the Pompano have mover in to surfs edge, this week end it has been limit catch's for the surf anglers. Many reports from County Line access north, so good that they had to be south also, for the medium cast to the long, Pompano. Clams and Sand Fleas were preferred but Fish Bites were in the game. Plenty of Whiting and Croaker, yes you needed a bucket to bring home your catch. Interesting Blue Fish were not the target, Temps were right, seas were polite but I guess not one was interested. Cut baits and spoons would be the bait but not for Pompano, they stole the show this week. Anytime before three was a good time and I believe the anglers just tired not the fish.
Finally the Spanish Mac’s decided to eat Saturday, one cast one fish, back to normal. River it is cold making a lot of Pompano anglers happy, all one had to do was count the boats in Hells Gate
or just north of inlet across the Sail Fish Flats and in the true Pompano tradition their comments were, well there was a few. in this cooler clear water if you were not catching maybe your leader is to heavy, the water is clear go down in size, you may have to go to 15lb that is the reason one angler on the bridge is catching and the rest are watching. Reds were tight on the shore line, look around the those long docks, look at the treed shore lines and fish a bait across the bottom. Trout are a hard catch, five feet of water and down on the bottom, a jig with a shrimp on it presented slowly, they will pick up your bait not grab it, so if your bait stops set the hook.
Plenty of Flounder all week anglers are fishing in their zone but then the Blue Fish eat any thing that moves, it is a hard mix that is the reason it is called fishing not catching, have a great week...............Henry

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

                                                                        Photo courtesy of Larry "Fishman" Finch

Ft Pierce
Inshore yesterday was ok for those who did not mind the wind the pompano  fishing was steady around the inlet on the incoming tide on sandflease and jigs. The reds are around up to the north still with a few bigger fish most fish are 18 to 20inches.

Stuart
the Pompano have finally showed up, good reports from the Fort Pierce inlet yesterday and sounds like they should be down here today and tomorrow, pink and yellow pompano jigs and sand fleas seem to have been working well.  Trout, Redfish and a few smaller snook have been caught to the north in the river the past few days as well. 

From Native Tackle - Sebastian Inlet

                                                                 photo courtesy of Jerry McBride


INSHORE  

The pompano bite has picked up....fish with a Doc's goofy jig around the clam leases and back at the Wabasso bridge. The trout bite has slowed down a little from last week but some anglers are having good luck around the edges of the flats, bridges and the spoil islands.  When the weather and water gets cold....fish a little deeper and/or fish the flats when the sun is out.  A lot of sheepshead, and black drum being caught, fish the docks, bridges and close to the inlet.  Fish the mangrove edges for redfish.  Jacks and blues have been abundant this week, use a got-cha plug and/or silver spoon. A lot of anglers targeting the flounder have been disappointed with a few being caught but they have been on the smaller size. Reports of the mangroves being prominent still around the docks and bridges! A few tripletail reports.....fish the channel edges by the markers. 

INLET  

Black drum, pompano, spanish mackerel, sheepshead, blues some redfish, trout, shark and margate has been the action at the inlet this past week!

SURF 

Spanish mackerel, blues, some jacks, pompano, shark, whiting was reported this week! 

From Todd @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

Catch 365

"Hold Em Horizontal...or Vertical"

Nope, not talking about taking care of big female snook by holding them horizontal; today we are talking about your fishing rods. While fishing reel care and maintenance gets a lot of attention, often times rods are overlooked.

To help extend the life of a fishing rod always try to do the following:

1. Rinse, wash, and dry entire rod after use in saltwater.
2. Store out of direct sunlight, and if possible in a cool dry room.
3. Avoid storing rods in a hot car for extended periods of time.
4. Try to keep the rods in some type of rack. Leaning rods against a wall, especially for long periods of time, can actually warp or cause a "set" in the blank.


Inshore- Not a lot to write about this week.  Snook action slowed way down with the cooler weather.  The Hobe Sound flats are still holding a mixed bag of jacks, ladyfish, and a stray pompano or two.  Munyon Island has a few spotted seatrout hanging around.

Surf/Pier- Cooler weather this week did help push some fish down the beach.  Bluefish made a nice showing, and have been ready to strike a silver spoon or noisy topwater.  Spinner sharks are following the bluefish in decent numbers.  The Spanish Mackerel have filled into Peck's Lake good.  Clark spoons, Gotcha lures, and Gulfstream flash minnow jigs are all catching the Macs.  Bring some glass minnows or ground chum 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Fishing in the inlet was pretty good yesterday, there was a good Pompano bite reported with a few Flounder in the mix using pompano jigs.  There has been a few scattered Redfish to the north in the river, as well as a couple smaller Snook caught as well, the Trout fishing has been okay in the deeper holes and drop offs.

Sebastian Inlet Report

           

01-24-14 FRIDAY: BLUSTERY AND COLD AT THE INLET THIS MORNING 

Conditions are less than desirable today, to put it nicely. Winds are cranking out of the North at 26 mph and gusting to 32 and there is a moderate to heavy chop on the water. A small craft advisory remains in effect through this evening and will probably continue. Always check the NOAA forecast prior to venturing offshore. The NOAA forecast can be found on our web site page below our first photo. There is only one person on each jetty this morning, so not much to report except a recap of the week. Monday was slow, but not awful, Tuesday and Wednesday the bite was pretty much non-existent but picked up Thursday, but not many fish were considered table fare. A few Black Drum were about the only thing that was worth taking home. 

Our first photo today features Mark Moen who landed the large Black Drum using live shrimp. Mark released the Drum unharmed right after the photo. 
Heidi Scott of Sebastian sent in our third photo of her grandson Liam Scott of Cornwall, NY. Liam was in town visiting over the holidays and as usual, fished the inlet. He has become a non-resident regular at the inlet! Liam is featured with a juvenile Grouper which he released right after the photo. While pulling alongside the Tide Pool for more bait, a raccoon paid them a visit in our fourth photo. Very nice Liam!

Our 2nd photo features Ilene Dyess with a 20" Black Drum.They arrived on the south catwalk around 8:00 p.m. and before long, it got too cold for them so they headed down to Coconut Point. As they arrived, a few men were leaving with a bucket full of Black Drum: they saw this as a very good sign! Before long, the couple started landing keeper Drum and ended up with a total of nine! 
Photo 3 is Melinda Colon who landed her 18" Black Drum  along with an 18" Bluefish and a 12" Pompano. 
Photo 4 features inlet regular Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach with two good sized Pompano he landed fishing near the beach.

Photo 5 is of Justin Mitchell of Kissimmee. Justin landed his Redfish in the inlet using live shrimp. The Red was released after the photo. 
Robert Pumarada took his sons to the inlet to fish and enjoy the nature and beauty. His boy Dylan landed his first Flounder around 10:00 a.m., but it was an inch short and returned to the water. Later that morning, Dylan landed a 14" keeper Flounder. A nice 26" Red was landed by Robert and enjoyed by all. 


The SISP will be giving a workshop on Flounder fishing at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, the 25th at the Fishing Museum on the south side of the Park. The class is free, but Park entry fees apply. 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Inshore yesterday the fishing was good with a few redfish around Vero shores to the first bridge in Vero  D.O.A CALS in the copper crush have been the best bet along with plum crazy. The trout fishing has been ok in the 3 to 6ft of water around the islands north of north bridge.The pompano fishing has been steady around the inlet and J.C park on the incoming tide sandflease and little pink  jigs have been working very well,Don't forget snook season is right around the corner so come on in and get ready do not wait till the day before we have First light, Fat magnum and T&L custom jigs it should be a good season.

Catch 365

"When to go big..."

In some situations a big bait or lure is the only way to go. The trick is knowing when to break out the big lures and leave the small stuff in the tackle box. While many different situations may call for a big lure or bait, here are a few very key ones.

1. Schools of large baitfish are the predominant forage in a given area. No sense in throwing a crappie jig when the fish are eating 10" mullet. 
2. A weather change is coming, especially a large front. Ahead of a front fish want a large meal. With a full belly they can lazily lay around and wait for the weather to improve.
3. Lastly(though not always the case)..."Big Bait, BIG FISH." Big fish are lazy, they don't want to move much so eating once is better than eating ten times a day. Fishing a large bait slowly in the area of big fish won't ensure a bite; but the bite that comes is usually a BIG one!

Sebastian Inlet Report

                              










01-22-14 COLD DAY AND THE BITE IS SLOW! 

Bundle up if you head to the inlet today. The temperature is in the mid 40's this morning and will only make into the mid 50's. Winds are blowing out of the North-Northwest at 10 mph and gusting to 14. The water is choppy and there is a small craft advisory in effect through this afternoon. Even with the cold weather, we have a dozen people out fishing the north jetty this morning. Hopefully, the bite picked up and it will be worth it!

The bite has been on the slow side the past few days. A few Black Drum, Sheepshead, Pompano, small Flounder and Blues have been landed, but they've been few and far between. The patient anglers have been landing one or two fish during a morning or afternoon session. Some fish will go to deeper water for warmth when it's cold, or to sunny, shallow flats. Fish slow down when the weather and water get cooler; present your baits slowly and methodically. 

Our first photo today features Mike Kane of W. Melbourne. Mike and his wife recently moved here from Alaska (he's probably one of the folks out on the jetty this morning; you won't find any native Floridians)! Mike fished the north jetty and landed his first Black Drum. on sand fleas, he also landed a Spanish Mackerel.
We received an update from Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach who fished the north jetty again yesterday. Mike won the "fishing lottery" yesterday morning. He fished from 6:30 - 11:00 and landed the only legal sized, edible fish! 
Photo three features Justin Mitchell of Kissimmee who landed and released a Sheepshead using live shrimp. Nice catch Justin!


Fred Bartleson fished the north jetty yesterday several hours without a bite and reported that on his way off the jetty, he saw a Pompano rig baited with clams that somebody had left just lying there. As he approached, a Least Tern got to it first, trying to get to the clams and got hooked through the tongue and wing with a 3 oz. sinker attached. The bird flew away furiously trying to dislodge the hooks but the sinker was exhausting him. Fred followed the bird down the beach past third peak, where the other birds were starting to pick on him. Fred captured the bird and took it to the Bait and Tackle Shop where SISP Rangers came with wire cutters and removed the hooks. They took the Tern to their "bird house" to recuperate. PLEASE be careful with your fishing gear, particularly baited hooks, our wildlife is a precious resource! Fred, you're the man, awesome job!

Sebastian Inlet Report

                                         

01-21-14 TUESDAY: SLOW BITE AGAIN..........

We have another beautiful morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the West-Southwest at 6 mph and gusting to 8. The water has a light chop but that will all start to change this afternoon. Winds will increase and NOAA has issued a small craft advisory from 1:00 p.m. today through Wednesday afternoon. We have another cold front coming through and the temperatures are forecasted to dip into the 30's tonight and tomorrow should be chilly most of the day with temperatures in the low to mid 50's as a high. 

We received a couple of updates that indicated the Sunday and Monday were slow days at the inlet. Brian Kircher fished all day Sunday and half day on Monday and reported lots of small Flounder, one small Snook and a variety of undesirable table fare. Brian said it was slow, but he has seen it worse. He was particularly impressed with the Toadfish that ate a mud minnow almost as big as it was! Brian also wondered if we had any information on the shrimp running. January, February and March are peak months for sport shrimping, if anybody has knowledge of shrimp running, please write in so we can publish it. 
Mike Ricciardi fished the north jetty yesterday and reported that the fish took a holiday too. Practically nothing was landed by many inlet regulars who were out yesterday. All Mike heard of were two Black Drum and one Sheepshead, but it was a beautiful day to be out near the water. Mike got a photo of two young anglers leaving the jetty as he arrived. The young men fished overnight using chunked mullet and landed a couple of Black Tip Sharks. The largest one is featured in our first photo and weighed about 100 lbs. John Nguyen of Kenebunk, ME hooked up with the Shark and Daniel Jeffries of Palm Bay helped him land it. 
Our third photo features Thomaq Qafzezi and Ben Skowronski of Sutton, MA with several nice Black Drum they landed off the north jetty. The men were using shrimp.
Vero Beach resident Caesuphas McKenzie landed the Black Drum in our fourth photo using clams. 

Our last photo today features Lionel Ramkissoon of Kissimmee with a Black Drum he landed  using clams.