Scouting Around Palm Beach/Martin County Area

INSHORE

     There haven’t been too many people fishing along the beach this week, as the rough conditions have made it pretty unproductive.

     A few black drum were snagged in the surf along Jensen Beach, along with whiting and croaker. Some Spanish mackerel have also been reported, and you can still find a few snook and tarpon inside the inlets.

     Those fishing in the Indian River are catching snook around the bridges at night, and there are always plenty of jacks around. Pompano are chewing on the east side of the river in the open water near mangroves, and there’s a decent flounder bite near the power plant.

     The beaches of Jupiter have been pretty quiet this week due to the conditions, but the next few weeks should be good for pompano, jacks, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Some nice bluefish and redfish were caught from the jetty at the Jupiter Inlet this week.

     The surf fishing has been pretty quiet through most of Palm Beach County this week, but the Intracoastal fishing in the central and southern portions of the county has been excellent. Snook, jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, redfish, spotted sea trout and flounder have all been reported this week. These are being caught in and around back canals, flats, bridges, docks and mangroves.

     Bridges have also been good for landing jacks, Spanish mackerel, moonfish, pompano and sheepshead.

FRESHWATER

     If the winds and rough seas are keeping you away, try bass fishing. Not only do these types of conditions not hurt the freshwater bite, it oftentimes improves it.

     On Lake Okeechobee, the bass have made their way back into the grass and good numbers are being caught. Live shiners are working better than artificial lures. Good numbers are being caught in the morning hours, especially at and around first light, and even though it does tail off as the day goes on, you can definitely find fish throughout the afternoon and evening.

     For those in central and southern Palm Beach County who don’t want to make the trek out to the Big O, give the Lake Ida/Lake Osborne chain a shot. The lakes and their canal systems run through much of the area, and if you have a boat, you can really catch big numbers of bass, including peacock bass, which are great fighters.