Scouting Around

                                           photo courtesy of Chris Bishop 

INSHORE

Snook season opened Tuesday morning and anglers haven’t wasted any time getting after them. Remember that the size limit for snook is 28-32 inches and the daily bag limit is one per person.

There has been a lot of bait running the beaches from the Treasure Coast down through southern Palm Beach County, and there are a lot of predatory species — including snook and tarpon — in those schools. Your best bet is fishing the shallower edge of the schools.

Anglers in Martin County are catching snook, flounder and snapper at the bridges of the Indian River throughout the day.

The inlets and Intracoastal Waterway bridges in Palm Beach County have been great for snook fishing this week as well. Tarpon are also in the mix.

In addition to snook, tarpon and snapper, sheepshead are chewing around the Intracoastal bridges from Palm Beach to Boynton Beach during the day. At night, add mangrove snapper to the list.

Bridges and dock lights ate night are also great spots for hooking snook.

FRESHWATER

The bass fishing really seemed to pick up a bit on Lake Okeechobee this week. The early-morning (first light) bite remains strong, with big numbers of fish being caught around the offshore islands. A few fish over 5 pounds were reported.

The bite lasts until about 10-10:30 a.m., although you’ll want to finish your morning trip by fishing the outside edges and back in the grass. Several guides said they were catching upward of 40 bass on their morning (four-hour) trips.

Live shiners are working better than artificial lures, but experienced anglers who prefer working with artificial lures are having success.

 report courtesy of Palm Beach Post