2019 HUGE Snook Championship

So Happy To See This Area Doing Well!!! Wade Fishing For Snook

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

The rains have subsided, and sunny days are providing sight fishing opportunities in the Indian River, with some of the cleanest water conditions we’ve seen . There have been plenty of Redfish around, with Gulp Shrimp being the best bet on spinning and Rattle Shrimp the best bet for fly anglers. Seatrout are also quite abundant, with some pretty large fish among them. DOA CAL jigs and suspending plugs such as Mirrodines and Rapala Rattle Mullet have been producing the best. Surf fishing and offshore have been pretty tough the last few days with the rough conditions, but the coming west winds should knock it down a bit and clean things up. Snook fishing in both inlets has been very good, and Redfish have also been prevalent in Sebastian, with flare jigs working best for both. 

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

In the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers anglers working the bridges are  catching black drum and croaker using shrimp on a jig head or shrimp on bottom rigs.

That same set up is also producing a good bite on Spanish mackerel and bluefish in the rivers.

Along the beaches in the Jupiter area there has been good action on pompano. They’ve been hitting on Doc’s Goofy Jigs, clams and Fishbites. Be advised that there is a beach renourishment project in progress on Jupiter Island. This is creating some cloudy water and can make fishing for pompano in that area difficult as the fish can’t see the baits. Head north or south of that zone for the best fishing.

In the Loxahatchee River, there have some pompano, some black drum and a few sheepshead being caught.                          

There have also been good numbers of ladyfish. Though not big, they are still a blast to catch. They’re being caught on live shrimp and jigs in the main body of the river where it’s a little deeper. Snook season opens on Friday. If targeting these prized fish best bets are to work the areas around bridge pilings as the water temperature will be warmer. Also, whether using artificial or live baits work them much slower than normal as the fish are not nearly as aggressive in the cooler water. Remember slot size is 28 to 32 inches and it’s one fish per angler per day.

Anglers at the Boynton Inlet have reported catching croaker, sheepshead and mangrove snapper using live shrimp, blanched sand fleas and live crabs.

It’s been slow fishing in the Intracoastal Waterway and around the Lantana Bridge with the cold weather. A few jacks, sheepshead and pompano were caught under the bridge on Monday using blanched sand fleas and cut shrimp.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Though it has been cold the bass fishing has been pretty good. Using live bait, anglers working the outside grass lines in clear water have having a blast.

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

As the rain keeps coming down and the wind keeps blowing this Sunday night, I am actually going to post something positive about our local surf action from this weekend. I started out early Saturday morning looking for some decent water to target some pompano and found the water wasn't the issue, beach conditions were. I looked at Surfside and BlueHeron up near Fort Pierce Inlet and found last weeks winds had eroded those spots to the point of getting my cart to the surf was almost impossible. The wind was starting to increase by mid morning so I opted not to try Middle Cove and Dolemans due to the conditions. One last stop at Tiger Shores proved to be the right one as the water color was perfect and the wind had actually backed off to make conditions fishable. I was fortunate enough to catch blue runners, bluefish, and 5 big pompano in a couple of hours and was headed home before the rain started. EZ Flea , Yellow Crab and Shrimp Fishbites caught the pompano along with some salted clam strips. The pompano were all nice sized ones with the largest weighing at just over three pounds. It is nice to know there are some fish spread out along the local beaches and we just need Mother Nature to give us a chance. Do not be afraid to check out some other beaches other than the one you have chosen to start at as conditions such as wave heights, currents, trough locations, and seaweed amounts can be totally different from one location to the next. Good luck this week and lets keep our fingers crossed in hope that conditions improve.

Angler Action Foundation Executive Director Brett Fitzgerald stops by to...

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Fishing the inlets has been a good bet, with Snook activity good, Tarpon in Ft. Pierce at night, and Sebastian producing large Redfish. The surf has still produced good numbers of Bluefish on spoons and Jigfish metals despite the conditions, and Tuesday the winds go west, which should help. Inshore, there are still plenty of Redfish and Seatrout around, and the recent rains should draw fish to the culverts and around the relief canals. 

Sebastian Inlet Report

                                  

REDS, SNOOK, SHEEPSHEAD AND BLUES ARE BITING

Check out one of our favorite photos submitted and our featured angler of the week – Sabita – with a really good looking Black Drum she caught off the North Jetty with her dad.  

Our friend Tommy at Sebastian Inlet Bait & Tackle has seen a number of massive Redfish, with Snook, Sheepshead and Blues biting too off the North and South jetties.  A few Black Drums as well, and a few days ago, one angler caught a nice Spotted Trout off the seawall by the north catwalk.  Flair jigs are working great for the oversized Reds during the day and at night, use them for Snook.  Spoons are also working well for mainly Blues and Reds.  Best live bait options are shrimp and sand fleas, with the sand fleas proving especially good for Sheepshead.  Seems that our die-hard anglers have been out fishing because of the weather, but more moderate temps and clear skies are expected this week so get out there!

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Sebastian Inlet Report

                                                           

It’s always great to hear from some of our regulars.  Check out this 10.5 lb. Flounder our angler of the week Jason Proctor. He’s been fishing Sebastian Inlet all his life and this Flounder is a personal best.  In about a week span, Jason caught more than 25 keepers – “The Flounder seemed to be really keyed in on the mojaras and pilchards.  It was great to see such a good run of Flounder, best in several years!”

Talked with our friend Tommy at Sebastian Inlet Bait & Tackle this morning.  The weather has been chilly, but glorious.  During the super wolf blood moon last night with cool temps, live shrimp were running on the outgoing tide.  Tommy saw a 40 lb. Cubera Snapper caught out on the North Jetty and weighed a 20 lb. Black Drum for one of the jetty anglers yesterday.  Fishing has been great with lots of Snook, Reds, Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel.  Live shrimp and sandfleas have been working best as bait. 

From Capt. Charlie @Fishing Center-Fort Pierce

Days can be windy and cool, but overall it has been beautiful on the water. Water temps are in the mid 60's lately and that usually means deeper water for better results. As the day warms up, you can fish shallower water when the fish move up onto the grass flats. Expect those weekly cold fronts to move through the Treasure Coast and keep the water cooler this month. Winter is a short time for us and spring will be here soon.
Look for trout to be on the grass flats as the water warms up in three to five feet of water. Our redfish have been hanging under docks along with drum, sheepshead and snapper. Channel edges and bridges have been good for snapper, sheepshead and drum. Mackerel, jacks and ladyfish have been coming in with the tides. 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

I had to check the calendar the last few days to make sure I didn't miss the late winter, spring, and early summer surf seasons. I did check the Discovery Channel and confirmed Shark Week has not started!! You wouldn't know that after the last few days on a number of local beaches as the spinners have been putting on a show. I fished at Middle Cove on Sunday morning with Randy and knew there was life on the beach by the bird play when we came over the dunes . The first action we experienced was a nice sized pompano and we both thought , the game is on. The next bite was a remora, which is never a good sign, and the next five bites all were immediate shark bite offs. The number of spinners putting on a show, chasing fish and free jumping was unbelievable. The loss of rigs and tackle forced up to make a move and the next couple of beaches produced very few bites. I tried John Brooks and Blue Heron yesterday morning in a building northerly wind and guess what, the sharks were there. There were a few pompano taken at Normandy Beach yesterday morning and unfortunately the big surf that is forecast for the next few days is going to make surf fishing pretty tough. As far as the sharks are concerned , I received a text from friend and local surf angler Brad Master who has been having fun throwing big top water plugs to the spinners and doing battle with them. I f you want to fight a big fish from the beach get some big plugs like the Yo Zuri surface cruiser, Rapala XRap, Halco Poppers, or Williamson Popper Pros , replace the treble hooks with individual replacements , and have at it. A small trace of wire leader or heavy 60 to 80 pound test leader material will help prevent some cut offs. Just like we talk about during the Fall Mullet Run, release these great fish in a safe, quick, and timely manner . They deserve to be returned to their domain. 

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

In the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers the sheepshead are thick. Really thick.

Along the channel edges, markers, docks, bridges and pretty much any structure there are “more than you can shake a stick at” as one guide put it.

They are being taken mostly using shrimp on a jighead.

In addition to sheepshead, that particular bait combination is also working well for black drum, redfish, croaker and two more seasonal fish: swordspine snook and fat snook.

Though the swordspine and fat snook are smaller subspecies of snook and never reach ‘keeper length’ they are fantastic fighters and fun to catch.

They are also being caught on small live baits including pilchards.

There has been a good pompano bite from the Juno Pier down to MacArthur Beach State Park.

In the Lake Worth Inlet, anglers are having a blast catching hard-fighting jack crevalle. Even not catching them, they are putting on quite a show tearing through schools of ballyhoo.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE:

The bass bite has been good lately on both live shiners and artificial baits. For artificial, flippin’ and pitchin’ have been producing as well as some top-water plugs. If you can locate where they’re bedding down, Senkos have been working.

The spec bite has been picking up at night, but it’s been a bit scattered. They’re being caught using minnows in deeper water in the Kissimmee River as well as with jigs in shallow water. If going with a jig in shallow water try chartreuse or white if it’s sunny out or go with a darker color if it’s cloudy. Some guides think this year’s big run on them could be a bit later that usual.

LAKE CLARKE AND LAKE OSBOURNE:

The recent cooler weather has helped boost the black crappie bite. Anglers using jigs tipped with live minnows and grass shrimp are having good luck working the thick weed cover adjacent to deeper water.

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FREE Seminar With Capt. Paul Sperco

The Seminar season is here and after receiving a phone call yesterday it appears I will be doing a Pompano Seminar at the Port St Lucie Bass Pro Shop next Saturday, the 19th. I will confirm the exact time later today and be sure to post it. The tentative time is 3:30 PM and the admission is free. I will be covering some new topics like natural bait preparation, reading the beach and water color, spend a little more time on distance casting techniques , and will go over some of our local beaches that have changed the trough areas due to previous storms and sand shifting. Tackle, techniques, current hot spots, and a few other species will all be covered also. The Pompano Seminar is the most popular one that I do all year and I hope to see you there.

                                         2250 Gatlin BlvdPort St. Lucie, FL 34953

                                                           (772) 785-7600

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

                                                                        
The big news inshore this week was a nice push of pompano into the Loxahatchee River (and a few into the ICW up north as well).  The pompano are biting sandfleas, shrimp, and Doc's Goofy jigs the best.  Sounds like the traditional river  jig colors (orange, pink, yellow) are working best for the pompano; with 3/8oz being the top size.  Look for the pompano to "skip up" behind the boat while running,  and set up in that area for best results.  The black drum and sheepshead continue to bite fairly well around boat docks and seawalls in the ICW, especially those with acess to some deeper water close by.  Snook fishing has been a bit slower this week.  A handful of tarpon reports starting to trickle in from Palm Beach Inlet.

SURF/PIER-  Very tough week along the beach and at the pier this week overall.  The Juno Beach Pier has had a small handful of Spanish Mackerel around, but for the most part they are turning down most lures in favor of bait (sardines).  Kingfish action slowed as well at the pier this week, with just a few being picked off on trolley rigs.  A handful of pompano are being caught north of Jupiter Inlet, but overall slower pompano fishing this week.  Bluefish were biting cut bait at Hobe Sound Beach earlier in the week, but large swell later in the week slowed that down as well.  Just kind of a tough week overall along the beach.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Fishing in the Indian River has still been good, with plenty of Redfish around, and some larger Seatrout. Both species have been taken on Hook Up Jigs, DOA CAL jigs, and Gulp Shrimp. Fly anglers have been scoring on crab patterns for Redfish, and Clouser Minnows and Seaducers for the Seatrout. There have also been Pompano caught intermittently on jigs. Fishing the inlets for Snook has been good as well, but closed season lasts a few more weeks. In the surf, fishing for Pompano has been good on sand fleas and clams, and there’s still plenty of Bluefish around taking spoons. 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

I do not have a lot to report as far as our local surf fishing . Work has been getting in my way of chasing some pompano and I have not received many reports from fellow anglers this week. I was able to fish for a couple of hours on Monday and caught a couple of pompano right after first light. I was at Blue Heron when I received a call from one of my commercial pompano friends who said he was catching some at Middle Cove. I ended up being late to the party as the bite pretty much shut down by the time I arrived. I saw friend and fellow surf fisherman Don Brooks and Don had a couple of really nice pompano in his bucket. He got there early enough to take advantage of the bite. This has been the pattern this winter of decent early morning activity and then they seem to bite again late in the afternoon .I did receive a report of very good action late yesterday from a couple of the beaches near Fort Pierce Inlet. A warm up is predicted for this weekend before the next cold front arrives Sunday evening. 

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

There’s still a decent pompano bite along the beaches in Martin and St. Lucie Counties.

In the St. Lucie River best bets are working the docks, bridge pilings and channel edges for black drum, redfish and sheepshead. With the west winds lately the west side of the river along Indian River Drive has been a good option.

Along the beaches, up to Hobe Sound, there have been good numbers of pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel.

In the Loxahatchee River, bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevalle, a few pompano and even a few flounder are being caught along the docks, bridge pilings and channel edges.

Surf fisherman working the beaches between Boynton Inlet and the Lake Worth Pier said the action has been slow the past week. They’ve been catching some small whiting on cut shrimp and a few jack crevalle hitting surface plugs and poppers in the early morning.

Anglers fishing the north jetty at the Boynton Inlet reported catching mangrove, dog and schoolmaster snapper using live shrimp and small live sand perch for bait. Also, sheepshead up to eight pounds have been taken using live crabs during incoming tide along the inside of the north jetty.

Fishing live shrimp on eighth-ounce jig heads and casting root beer grub tails on quarter-ounce Cotee jigs has been producing spotted sea trout, mangrove snapper, snook and a few redfish for anglers working the docks around Ocean Ridge, Hypoluxo Island and Manalapan.

There were some small blacktip sharks caught by anglers fishing large chunks of mullet around the Lantana Bridge. Also sheepshead and large pinfish have been hitting shrimp and clam strips.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE:

Despite the cooler weather the bass fishing has been good using live shiners. If going with an artificial, however, Senkos and small creature baits have been effective. Top spots have been the J&S Canal/Henry Creek area and King’s Bar.

Though still not red hot, the spec bite has started to pick up. Anglers using minnows and working the Indian Prairie Canal and the Kissimmee River in depths of 8 to 14 feet are having the best luck.

OTHER FRESHWATER FISHING:

Working the canal system along the Turnpike, 441 and the Arthur Marshall Conservation Area, anglers are catching largemouth and peacock bass and some pickerel.

In Lake Osbourne they are also catching largemouth and peacock bass as well as sunshine bass, black crappie and clown knifefish. Fishing live bait including shad, shiners and minnows around lilly pads, thick weed edges and bridges is a best bet.

Sebastian Inlet Report

Conditions at the inlet have been ideal, great fishing, great weather and this week. For the latest on what’s biting, what lures and bait are doing the trick and prime spots, go see Tommy and Sara at Sebastian Inlet Bait & Tackle, or call (321) 768-6621 – anglers have a ton of options this time of year.  We’ve seen a great number of folks after Flounder and Sheepshead just West of the bridge, and there’s been some great action on the South Jetty for those of you who want an alternative to the North Jetty.  We’ve got Reds, Black Drum, Snooks, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, and more.

A shout out to angler of the week this week – Steve Eckelman!  Thanks for sending in your pic.  Steve caught this 31” Snook after catching and releasing 7 or 8 over the last four trips to the North Jetty.  Keep at it and you’ll be rewarded!

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County

I'm sorry to say that the surf bite this weekend did not keep pace with the epic sailfish numbers that were recorded in the Pelican Billfish Tournament. There were close to a 1,000 sailfish released during the tournament, with over 700 on Thursday alone. I recommend you go online and read the articles Ed Killer wrote during the week about this incredible fishing. As far as our surf action is concerned, pompano, whiting, croaker, and jacks were all on the catch list. The fish are spread out and there does not seem to be any one area or location that is producing large numbers of fish. I went from Blue Heron up to Round Island and managed to put together a decent catch of pompano on Saturday. EZ Flea Fishbites and clam strips were the preferred baits and the best beach action seemed to be at Round Island in Fort Pierce. My son Randy and I fished today at Blue Heron and Middle Cove beaches with Blue Heron producing most of the pompano. The best action seemed to happen between dawn to 9 am, and EZ Flea and Pink Shrimp were scents that produced today. The whiting, as usual, preferred the Orange Clam scent. We are forecast to get some northwest wind tomorrow and that should help get rid of some of the weeds that have made some beaches difficult to fish recently. The Round Island area did not produce today so hopefully some of those fish will make their way south into our immediate area. I also wanted to let everyone know that the Surf Fishing for Pompano Seminar I will be presenting at Bass Pro Shops in Port St Lucie next Saturday, January 19th will be at 3:30 PM in front of the Aquarium, so if you get a chance, stop on by. 

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE-  The best reports inshore continue to be from those targeting black drum and sheepshead around seawalls and boat docks in the ICW and Loxahatchee River with live shrimp.  Mixed in with the drum and sheepshead will be a few snook and the occasional redfish.  A basic slip rig is good for presenting the shrimp, as is a small jighead (The "yellowtail candy" jighead works very well for this).  Best docks will have a fair amount of structure and some deep water either under or close to the dock.  The Munyan Island and Hobe Sound flats continue to produce a few fish, with Hobe Sound probably being the little better choice of spots.  No reports to speak of on pompano inshore this week, but this front could push some of them inshore.  Keep an eye out for the pomps "skipping" out behind the boat wake; and keep a Doc's Goofy Jig ready in case you see some.  Catch and release snook action had popped off a bit with the warm weather, but expect this cooler weather to slow them back down a bit.

SURF/PIER-  The surf fishing could really benefit from a few good strong cold fronts.  Reports from farther north (Fort Pierce to Vero Beach) sound very good; but our fishing has been a bit slow to start the week.  Although, reports did seem to improve slightly Wednesday night after a day of north wind.  Best surf reports for our more local area continue to be from Jupiter Island/Hobe Sound.  Bluefish and jacks will be the most consistent; especially early in the morning and then again late in the afternoon.  The GT Ice Cream and "Pelicans" continue to be big producers for both.  POmpano action remains a bit on the slow side overall.  The Juno Beach Pier has been producing a very few Spanish Mackerel, occasional Kingfish, and some Bonita (If Bonita on the pier in January doesn't make you scratch your head a bit I don't know what will!)  Diamond jigs and swimming plugs (Rapala X-Raps and Yo-Zuri Mag Minnows) remain solid choices on the pier.  As in the surf, the best action from the pier will be early in the morning and then again late in the afternoon.  

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

The weekend is here and we are coming out of our "cool" front from yesterday and hopefully our surf action will benefit from the temperature drop. Our surf bite has been quiet this week and its not just our local beaches. Fort Pierce, South Hutchinson Island , and Hobe Sound beaches had spotty action at best. Whiting, bluefish, croakers, and a couple pompano were caught in slim numbers and this can only get better. The one positive note is the size of the whiting being caught. I caught half a dozen the other morning and they were all big whiting. I was targeting pompano so I moved on to try a couple of other beaches but I am sure the bite continued after I left. The northern beaches like Blue Heron, Avalon, and Round Island are all producing whiting. Orange Clam and Pink Shrimp Fishbites along with some clam strips are catching the whiting and croakers. The bigger fish are being caught on the long rods from 60 to 80 yards off of the beach.

The Seminar season is here and after receiving a phone call yesterday it appears I will be doing a Pompano Seminar at Bass Pro next Saturday , the 19th.I will confirm the exact time later today and be sure to post it. The tentative time is 330 PM and the admission is free. I will be covering some new topics like natural bait preparation, reading the beach and water color, spend a little more time on distance casting techniques , and will go over some of our local beaches that have changed the trough areas due to previous storms and sand shifting. Tackle, techniques, current hot spots, and a few other species will all be covered also. The Pompano Seminar is the most popular one that I do all year and I hope to see you there.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Fishing for Pompano in the surf has been excellent of late, both on sand fleas and goofy jigs. Bluefish have also been plentiful, with some Spanish Mackerel mixed in, both taking spoons pretty reliably. In the Indian River, redfish have been plentiful, but the clearer water has made them a bit more difficult. The 2 3/4″ size DOA Shrimp have produced the best, with Storm Mangrove Minnows also performing well. With the impending cooler temps, Sea Trout fishing should fire back up along the drop offs and deeper mangrove shorelines, with Yo-Zuri Suspending Twitchbaits and Mirrodines being safe bets, as well as DOA CAL shad tail jigs. The inlets are still producing Snook at night on flare jigs, but remember the season is still closed. 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

Fishing is a great activity to experience and whether you fish the fresh water lakes and ponds, troll offshore for sailfish, dolphin, and wahoo, or walk the sand like I do for pompano, whiting, and bluefish, you should always appreciate the days when it just seems too easy and the fish are jumping in your cooler. The surf results of this past weekend had a lot of people scratching their heads as it seems most of our species that provide great surf fishing took the weekend off. Yesterday, Sunday, in particular had folks moving from beach to beach trying different techniques and baits, or just gave up and put their rods in the vehicles heading home early. I fished at a couple of beaches on the northern end of Hutchinson Island yesterday and at noon I put up the white flag after not having a bite from daylight on. I spoke with other friends and anglers that fished at locations like Porpoise, Blue Heron, Middle Cove, Walton Rocks, Normandy, Tiger Shores, Stuart, and Bridge Road beaches and everyone had the same poor results. I was lucky enough to put a double digit catch of nice pompano together on Saturday but I spent almost seven hours doing it. Fishbites, clam strips, and natural sand fleas accounted for the pompano fished on the long rods. The water on Saturday at the northern end of Hutchinson Island was a beautiful blue color but the same area I returned to on Sunday had turned to an off-color green. The only area that produced a few fish yesterday was the Round Island Beach area north of Fort Pierce Inlet. I will look again today and if the fish turn back on I will post the results this evening. Catching fish is always the target when putting bait in the water but after having a couple days of tough fishing the best takeaway I had was feeling lucky to be living in an area that has beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and an outdoor environment that makes you smile - even when the fish don't cooperate. Good luck this week and catch em up.

Sebastian Inlet Report

Fishing has been TREMENDOUS..and the weather has been gorgeous, plan a visit to the inlet this week!  Brand new fishing report this morning from our friend Tommy at Sebastian Inlet Bait & Tackle:  lots of Snook, Reds, Flounder, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish.  Anglers are mostly using live shrimp for the Flounder and sand fleas for Drum and Sheepshead.  Larger live shrimp for the Snook and Reds.  Try for Snook, Reds, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish and Drum off the North and South Jetties.  Your best bet for Flounder and Sheepshead is West of the inlet.

A big thanks for our featured anglers of the week – Tiffany Kelley and Felipe Gonzalez of Ocoee – for sending in their pics.  Regulars at on the North Jetty who spend almost every weekend there, they recently caught these beautiful Reds. 

                           

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 The Hobe Sound Flats and boat docks (Mile Marker 40-44 in the ICW) remain our best bet on the inshore side of things.  Good mixed bag action for ladyfish, jacks, sheepshead, a few spotted seatrout, and maybe even a redfish or two.  Live shrimp will be the top producer on the natural bait side of things; while a Vudu Shrimp, DOA Shrimp, or DOA Cal paddle tail will work well on the artificial side of things.  The Loxahatchee River has had a few good days of pompano fishing, but its hard to pinpoint when/where its going to happen.  Sandfleas, Fishbites, and Doc's Goofy Jigs have been the ticket for the pomps when you do find them.  Milder weather has kept the catch and release snook fishing going pretty good, especially at night around bridges and docklights.  A few reports from Munyan Island coming in for spotted seatrout and very occasioanl redfish as well.
SURF/PIER-  Kind of an interesting week to start the year along the beach and at the Juno Beach Fishing Pier.  The surf south of Jupiter Inlet has been a bit spotty; while action to the north of Jupiter Inlet remains a bit more consistent.  Regardless of which direction you head low-light periods (early morning/late afternoon) will be best for bluefish, jacks, Spanish Mackerel, pompano, and sharks.   For fun topwater action early in the morning or at sunset on the jacks, bluefish, and sharks try throwing a GT Ice Cream, Yo-Zuri Surface Cruiser, or Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil.  For more consistent bites opt for a swimming plug (Rapala X-Rap, Yo-Zuri Mag Minnow, Yo-Zuri Longcast), diamond jig, or a Gator Spoon. The pompano that have been around (again primarily north of Jupiter Inlet) are biting best on sandfleas, clams, and Fishbites.  The Juno Beach Pier has been producing some nice size Spanish Mackerel, a few keeper size Kingfish, and surprisingly a good number of bonita.  The Spanish Mackerel are being caught best with small to medium size swimming plugs (X-Rap or Yo-Zuri Mag Minnow), white crappie jigs, or the bobber rig with a Clark spoon.  For the kingfish and bonita try throwing a bigger swimming plug (Daiwa SP Minnow or Rapala X-Rap in size 12 or 14).  Best bite for them has been first thing in the morning, with a few pushing around again late in the afternoon. 

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

Earlier in the week, before the harsh weather hit, anglers surfcasting along the beaches a half-mile north of Boynton Inlet reported catching pompano, bluefish and whiting.

The bluefish were hitting top-water poppers early in the morning and the pompano and whiting were hitting live sand fleas and cut shrimp on pompano rigs.

Pompano were also being caught in the Intracoastal Waterway and the flats on the north and south end of Manalapan.

White or yellow pompano jigs bounced off the bottom produced the most bites. The fish have been feeding on the flats during high tide, then moving along the channel edges during low tide.

Redfish, small Jacks and a few flounder up to 6 pounds were taken off Lantana bridge on Sunday. The Redfish were hitting cut mullet and small live pinfish fished near the bridge fenders. The flounder are eating live shrimp fished on the bottom near the rock piles and close to the south seawall.

                              photo courtesy of Hai Truong @haitruongfishing.com                                  

Anglers fishing Lake Osbourne and the adjoining canals recently have caught peacock bass on top water Chug Bugs in frog colors during the day and sunshine bass, clown knifefish and black crappie using live shad and Missouri minnows at night.

They’ve also caught channel catfish up to 12 pounds using cut shad fished on the bottom.

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Hitting The Docks!!! Sebastian Slayfest Pt. 3

From Capt. Charlie @Fishing Center-Fort Pierce

The holidays are over and 2019 is upon us already. Winter arrived a little early this year and the cold fronts have cooled the water down quite a bit already. January is traditionally a cold month for the Treasure Coast and the weekly fronts will bring a few days of cooling things down for us to deal with. Wearing layers is essential to cope with the temperature swings that can be as much as 40 degrees or more. Plan your fishing according to the weather forecasts and enjoy the fishing.

Lots of species are in the river this month. Pompano, sheepshead, drum and Spanish mackerel are all winter fish that arrive here as the water temps drop. It’s an awesome time of year! Fishing channel edges can find these fish lurking for an easy meal. I like jigs in these places for our best results. Bridges and docks will also be great places to target drum, sheepshead and redfish. Try a DOA shrimp or live bait when fishing these areas. Don’t forget mangroves for redfish and snook as well. Spanish mackerel will generally come in with the tides and can be found around the inlet areas. Small shiny lures work best on them.

Water temperatures can determine where you fish and how your fish. Winds will give you another factor to adjust to. As temps drop, move to deeper water areas for your best opportunities for catching fish. Channel edges are particularly productive in winter. Fish the grass flats for redfish and trout as the sun gets higher in the mornings. DOA Deadly Combos are excellent tools for searching out trout and reds.

January is typically a windy month and it will continue the tradition if recent weather gives you an insight to the coming month. You might enjoy one or two days a week that is calmer but expect it to be windy most days. Using the right ramps can make your day a little easier in dealing with the weather. There are many ramps around the area that allow you to launch depending on wind direction. The river can be rough some days, but you can still fish most days if you plan your trips carefully. It is a great month to fish despite weather conditions that might not be to your liking. 2018 was an outstanding year for us and I expect this year to be even better!

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

The warm and relatively calm conditions have lead to some pretty good fishing in the Indian River, with pretty fair numbers of Redfish being caught along the shorelines. Gulp Shrimp, DOA CAL jigs, and flies such as the Shrimp Tease have accounted for most of the catches. Sea Trout have also been active along drop offs and shorelines with depth, falling for a variety of baits, including DOA Shrimp, Mirrolure Mirrodines, Yo-Zuri slow sinking twitchbaits, and even some topwater plugs like the Rapala Skitterwalk. Pompano fishing in the surf has been good during the calmer days, mostly on sand fleas, and Bluefish have been taking spoons fairly regularly.                   

Sebastian Inlet has produced pretty fair Flounder catches on live Finger Mullet, and Fort Pierce Inlet is still the place to be to try and boat a Tarpon at night using bait or plugs.