Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

Inshore fishing:

Along the beaches in the Jensen area there has been a good pompano bite the past week. Not huge numbers, but nice-sized fish. Bring the big, 12-foot rods if you have them as they are not in the first trough but a ways out. They are most likely avoiding the spinner sharks that are cruising the beaches the past week. The pompano are being caught on crab- and sandflea-flavored Fishbites.

The spinner sharks are following the schools of glass minnows which started showing up last week and are now in the area in force.

At the Roosevelt and Stuart Causeways there has been some excellent snook action. There have some big ones that are likely feeding before the spawn. Use big swim baits or jigs like a flare hawk as they are hugging the bottom some because of the freshwater up near the surface.

Working the beaches from Jupiter Inlet to the Juno Pier, anglers are catching snook on lures resembling sardines or using live pilchards, croaker or sand perch.

In the Loxahatchee River, snook and jack crevalle are being caught around the dock lights.

Boynton Inlet anglers have been catching croaker, whiting and sand perch using cut shrimp. Snook, snapper and tarpon have been hitting live shrimp and pilchards fished on the bottom.

At the Lantana Bridge, anglers have been catching sheepshead, small permit, sand perch and croaker using cut and live shrimp

Lake Okeechobee:

Using live shiners and working the Kissimmee grass, one charter captain got his client into well-over a dozen largemouth bass Wednesday morning. Most were averaging three and a half to four pounds, but they did land a nice six and a half pounder and had one lunker get away.

Though not quite as good as live bait, the artificial bite was also working with eight largemouth bass up to four and a half pounds caught on swim jigs.

Hot spots were Taylor Creek and the Indian Prairie canal area. Working the canals along the turnpike and State Road 441, anglers are catching peacock and largemouth bass on topwater lures and 3″ silver Rapala plugs during the sunrise and sunset hours. On Lake Osborne, and its adjoining canals, sunshine bass, clown knifefish and catfish have been hitting live shad on quarter-ounce jig heads.