Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

Inshore fishing:

On the beaches from Martin County (which recently reopened to everyone and not just residents) up to Fort Pierce there has been good action for whiting, croaker and pompano. Working the first trough, the whiting and croaker are being caught using bloodworm-flavored Fishbites on a two-hook rig. The pompano are being taken on pompano rigs using sand flea- and crab-flavored Fishbites.

Snook and tarpon are still cruising through the troughs as well in those areas. Best bet for the snook is still to use a small croaker.

Also, off of the beaches in the Jensen Beach area have been some bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Throwing a shiny spoon has been working.

In the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers anglers fishing from the bridges are catching snook, some black drum, sheepshead and a few flounder on the flats off the Jensen Causeway. Most are being caught using shrimp on a jighead during the outgoing tide. Snook are also being taken during the incoming tide using live pilchards as well as a night using Flair Hawk jigs.

Anglers working the inside of the Lake Worth Inlet are having a blast catching tarpon, snook and jack crevalle. All three are being caught using live pilchards on light tackle.

Lake Okeechobee:

The bass bite has been best from first light to about 45 minutes after. With the shad spawn still going on, anglers working the outside grass line along the Kissimmee grass are having good luck. Using white swim jigs and white spinner baits many are catching around 20 buck bass per session. After that bite backs off pitching blue and black senkos into the Kissimmee grass, with some round reeds mixed in, has kept the action going.

There is still a good bluegill bite and they are mostly being caught using crickets.

The lake is still extremely shallow so anglers and boaters should be cautious and aware of their surroundings and depth.