Sebastian Inlet Report

06-17-15 WEDNESDAY: C/R SNOOK, REDS, MANGROVE SNAPPER AND A SMALL VARIETY OF OTHER SPECIES 

We have another beautiful morning at the inlet. Winds are barely blowing out of the South-Southeast at 3 mph, gusting to 5 and the water is calm with a light ripple on the surface. The water is very clean and clear. We're going to see another hot day today with high humidity, be sure to take plenty of water, sunscreen and insect repellent with you if you head to the inlet today. No wind usually means the no see 'ums will be out and biting.

Fishing has been slow to fair, depending on the day and time. Big C/R Snook have been more active during early mornings, dusk and evenings. During the hottest part of the day, they are hiding out in the cooler spots. It's the same story with most of the Reds that are being landed. Mangrove Snapper have been hitting all day but inconsistently. Jacks of all sizes can be found all day as well but nothing is coming over the rails in huge numbers. A few mid-sized Flounder have been landed on the south side.

Our angler of the day is Donte Williams. Donte fished the north side and hooked up with a large fish using a live Jack Crevalle as bait. Donte is "walking the dog" in our first photo. Donte has something REAL big on the line and realizes it's one of the huge Goliath Grouper that lurk under the north jetty. Photo two is of Donte's fishing rod bent practically in half! The big fish broke off after a lot of anticipation, excitement and exhaustion!

The information below is from the FWCC web site:

Catching and Releasing Goliath Grouper
What to do when you've caught a goliath grouper?

Harvest and possession has been prohibited in both state and federal waters off Florida since 1990.

Must be immediately returned to the water free, alive and unharmed.

Photographs can be taken but only during the active act of release. Photographs or any other activities such as measuring the fish should not delay release in any way.

Large goliath groupers should be left in the water during release. The skeletal structure of large goliath grouper cannot adequately support their weight out of the water without some type of damage. If a large goliath is brought on-board a vessel or out of the water, it is likely to sustain some form of internal injury and therefore be considered harvested.

Removing smaller goliath groupers from the water to remove hooks is not necessarily a bad practice, but this process must be done with care, using proper fish handling techniques, and return the fish to the water as expeditiously as possible.