Palm Beach Report

INSHORE

   The fishing has been great along the beaches of the Treasure Coast, and there has been a good mix of tarpon, snook, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, small pompano, whiting and croaker. A 2-ounce silver spoon seems to be the bait of choice for tarpon at this time.

   In the Indian River, the snook bite is on fire aroudn the bridges. Fish the shadowlines really late at night or very early in the morning. It hasn't only been good numbers, but also big fish! There are tarpon on the outerskirts of the shadowlines.

   In the flats on the east side of the river, around Bear Point and Little Mud, anglers are catching trout and all types of snapper. The best bite is in 3 feet of water.

   Redfish are biting on the west side of the river.

   The mullet run is in full force throughout Palm Beach County - from Jupiter to Boca Raton. As a result, there are a lot of bluefish in the surf along Jupiter, as well as at the Jupiter Inlet. Cutbait with 2-3-ounce sinkers are working best.

   Bluefish, jacks, pompano and kingfish are all being snagged from the Juno Beach Pier.

   There are plenty of mullet in the Intracoastal Waterway and Loxahatchee River, too, and the night-time snook action has been incredible. Try placing a dead bait at the bottom around the edge of mullet schools. That trick seems to be working well.

   There's no shortage of mullet in the Boynton Beach Inlet or in the surf, which has drawn some nice bluefish, jacks and snook to the area.

   There's plenty of the bait in the Intracoastal as well; not just mullet, but also pinfish and small threadfin herring. This has led to some pretty good snook action around the bridges. There's always a decent by-catch, too.

   They are still seeing a ton of mullet at the southern tip of the county in Boca Raton, not only at the beaches but in the Intracoastal. As a result, big snook are being reported around the bridges of the Intracoastal.

photo courtesy of christinaweberfishing.com

FRESHWATER

   Fish the outside edges and grasslines for the best bass action on Lake Okeechobee. The water level is plenty high, so you can navigate the entire lake, but this is where you'll find your numbers.

   Get on the water well before sunrise and prepare to head back tot he dock by 10 a.m., because the bite is off by that point. The window gets gradually larger each week and it should drastically improve in the next month but, for now, that's what it is.

   Live shiners and artificial lures are both working well, so decide what type of fishing you want to do and have at it; it's really a matter of personal preference and comfort level.