SPRING POMPANO ABSOLUTELY SLAMMING THESE BAITS (TOURNAMENT & PRIZE GEAR)

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart / Vero Beach

 The inlets have been fishing well for Snook, but mostly on live bait due to the really clear water. Surf fishing continues to produce more and more Snook, but seaweed has hampered efforts the last few days. Hopefully that will clear soon. The Indian River has fished fairly well of late, with more Seatrout showing up on the flats, as well as the spoil islands. Soft plastics, such as the new Sebile Hyperlastics Minnow Pro and the DOA CAL have all been producing well. Redfish numbers have also continued to improve, mostly along shorelines. Soft plastics again are doing the most damage. There are also still good numbers of larger Snook in the IRL , and the water overall is quite clear, so sight fishing opportunities are out there for those putting in the effort. 

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The weekend is here and hopefully the pompano bite will continue . I fished with my son Randy on Wednesday for a few hours and managed to back up Mondays decent bite with another cooler full of nice pompano . I want to highlight the fact to change your baits when you are not getting any bites with a particular Fishbite scent or color. The fish on Monday were all over the Electric Chicken scent and color and I will tell you that on Wednesday that scent never got a bite. Only after to changing over to the EZ Flea bait did the action start. Once they did start to bite we switched all of our rods over to EZ Flea and this move accounted for a pile of big pompano. Our short rods, 50 to 60 yards off, caught 50 percent of our pompano . Springtime tactics and tackle change in the spring . The wave action subsides and the water will get clear so a little tip like removing your floats will produce more strikes from now until the end of the season. Randy caught a bonefish the other day and that just tells me the water on the bottom is pretty clean. The phrase, " no bling in the spring " will improve your catch rate by fishing with plain hooks and maybe just a red bead. Most rigs have the hooks added by using just a loop put through the eye so its easy to take the floats off and easy to put them back on when the water clouds up. I will be doing a seminar at the Snook Nook in the next couple of weeks and the theme is Spring Surf Fishing and I plan on covering all of these methods and more . Alec will be posting a date in the next couple of days if you want to attend or you can watch on Facebook live as it will be streaming also. Seating is limited to 35 so once Alec posts it on the Snook Nook website register before it fills up . The weekend forecast looks real fishable with Southwest winds and seas running 2 to 3 feet.

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

 

Inshore

The pompano bite is still excellent from Hobe Sound up to Fort Pierce. Like last week the bigger fish are being found in the northern areas while there are anglers limiting out off the beaches around Hobe Sound. Pink shrimp- and crab-flavored Fishbites are working well as are sandfleas.

In the St. Lucie River the snook bite has been really good. Though there have been a lot of shorts, there are also bigger, slot-size fish being caught. Live bait including threadfin herring and croakers, which can be found at the Snook Nook, are working best.

Also, in the St. Lucie River the mangrove snapper bite has been good around the bridges and most structure as well as along the rocks at the St. Lucie Inlet.

The powerline poles and channel markers have been holding some nice black drum and sheepshead. Fiddler crabs, also available at Snook Nook, have been the best bait.

The fishing along the beaches in Jupiter has been fantastic the past week.

Anglers are catching pompano, ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, snook and jack crevalle. 

With the fish targeting the schools of glass minnows running along the beaches, lures that mimmick them are a good call. Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow, Rapala X-Raps or rubber shad will work just make sure they're on the smaller size. Throwing a spoon is also a good option.

For the pompano try a Doc's goofy jig.

There have been a few snook, jack crevalle and pompano caught in the Loxahatchee River the past week, but there hasn't been much bait up there.

At the Jupiter Inlet, a couple slot-size snook have been caught.

Like last week, there have been schools of small greenies and sardines around the sandbar at the mouth of the Boynton Inlet. This week there have also been schools of ballyhoo in the mix.

Along the beaches around Lantana, both north and south, anglers are catching permit and lane snapper. They are being caught on shrimp and sandfleas. Also in the mix have been some nice-sized jack crevalle and a few monster tarpon up to 100 pounds. They are both hitting top water lures and two-ounce spoons in the mornings.

In the Intracoastal Waterway from the Boynton Inlet north to the Royal Palm Bridge, anglers using shrimp and cut sardines are catching snapper, small permit, Southern sennets, bluefish, sand perch and black drum. The key has been targeting the deep holes and rock piles.

The snook and tarpon action has been good at night around the bridges and lighted docks in the ICW for anglers using small glass minnows and shrimp flies on five- to 10-weight fly rods. They are also being caught on live shrimp, small sand perch and small Rapala minnow lures worked along the shadow lines.

Anglers at the Lantana Bridge have been catching sand perch and croaker on cut shrimp.

Lake Okeechobee

As the spec bite continues to dwindle, the bluegill and shellcracker bite keeps picking up. Crickets and worms are working best and anglers fishing the banks of the Kissimmee River are having a blast catching these tasty panfish. 

The bass bite has come back up since last week. Live shiners are working best (better to feed than fool), but if you're going with an articial bait, Senko worms in dark colors, worked just inside the outside grassline, are your best bet. Though King's Bar has been a hot spot, mostly just look for the cleanest water right now.

Loxahatchee Reserve Report

Though the water temperatures dropped into the low 70’s in the past week after a few cool evenings, the bass bite remained hot in the reserve. As the week progressed, temperatures recovered to the mid- to high 70’s. Cooler windy and cloudy days produced strong top water and shallow water bites with dark Senko-style worms and even crank baits offering reliable results. The larger bass seemed to be much more active as the wind picked up. Sunny days resulted in more small bass and short strikes, but the fish were still hitting.

Though the cichlid bite can be annoying for the bass fisherman, some enjoy the sport using ultra light gear and very small lures. Cichlids are extremely plentiful right now, hit hard and fight nicely for their weight and size.

For those without access to a boat, the new fishing pier seems to be complete and there have been some impressive results already.

Want to know where the schools of glass minnows are? Look for the birds diving on them.

post courtesy of Palm Beach Post

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart / Vero Beach

Good morning everyone. The absolutely gorgeous conditions we’ve had the last few days have been a welcome improvement, and some fisheries have perked up because of it. Larger Snook continue to inhabit the shallows, elevating the heart beats of everyone stalking them. Few eat, but those that do are memorable, with live bait and soft plastics being the best bets. Some quality Seatrout have also been caught, although the overall numbers have been down. The surf is still clearing up a bit from the weekends heavy winds, but some Whiting are being caught on sand fleas and Fish Bites, along with a few Bluefish on spoons and jigs. Nearshore, schools of larger Jack Crevalle have been roaming off the beaches looking for bait schools, and have been taking a bit of everything, with topwater plugs providing some explosive strikes. The inlets have continued to produce Snook on flare jigs at night and live bait during the day for those putting the time in, as well as a few Tarpon.

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

Finally got a chance to get out on the beach today after returning home yesterday from attending my niece's (Sam Johnson) wedding in Kansas, and I am happy to say the reports that folks sent me last week and this weekend were on the mark. I looked at a couple of beaches on the south end of Hutchinson Island this morning and decided to take a ride north on A1A. The water color at Normandy and Beachwalk was definitely fishable but I wanted to see how it was up near Fort Pierce. Porpoise , Coconut, Blue Heron , and John Brooks all had nice color so I set up in that area but never had a bite until the tide changed around 9 am . I caught a blue runner and a bluefish around 9 am and after that I only had bites from the pompano. It was not an all out blitz , just a steady pick, but the fish were all nice sized and here was no need to measure them . Electric Chicken Crab Fishbites was the hot bait that accounted for 75 per cent of my pompano. Most of the beaches north of the Power Plant have relatively deep second troughs that are closer to the beach than those from the Jensen Traffic circle south to Santa Lucea. You can actually over cast some of the pompano on those northern beaches as some of my bites came only 50 to 60 yards from the shore break. I always stagger my distances on those northern beach accesses to find where the pompano are running the trough. My good friend Chuck Frith from Jensen Beach met me later in the day and after not having a bite for an hour and a half had a fast 45 minute bite turn on for him and he put 3 nice pompano in the cooler and had a big permit run him down the beach 150 yards before breaking off. Chuck caught his fish on Electric Chicken also. It was great being back on the beach and reports from the south are still talking about big schools of pompano that haven't reached our area yet. Could be some great fishing right through May. Good luck and catch em up.

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Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

 Inshore

Along the beaches in Martin and St. Lucie County there has been a good spring run for pompano the past week. Though up towards Fort Pierce has had the bigger fish, anglers working the beaches in Hobe Sound have been catching their limit. Pink shrimp- and crab-flavored Fishbites and sand fleas are working best.

After being closed because of the amount of trash left behind, the relief bridges on the Jensen Beach Causeway have been reopened on a 90-day trial basis. As an incentive for anglers to do the right thing, the Snook Nook is offering two dozen live shrimp for every bucket of fishing-related garbage that is collected and brought to the shop.

Snook have been hitting live bait worked along the bridges and docks in the St. Lucie River.

There have been a few flounder reported being caught up by the power plant as well as at Indian River State Park. Shrimp on a jig head is working best.

Around the Boynton Inlet, over the sandbar, there have been small numbers of greenies and sardines as well as a light mullet run.

Anglers fishing live mullet off of the north jetty have been catching a few snook.

Fishing the inlet at night, permit up to 30 pounds are being caught using live crabs or whole squid during the outgoing tide.

At the Lantana Bridge, anglers are catching croakers, sand perch, small permit and snook. Frozen shrimp are working best for the croaker and sand perch and live shrimp are best for the permit and snook.

Lake Okeechobee

Though not "on fire" yet, the bluegill and shellcracker bite has definitely started ramping up. Anglers using worms and crickets are having a blast catching the tasty panfish along the banks of the Kissimmee River as well as in the Buckhead Ridge area.

Though the spec bite did pick up over the past weekend with the cool front it has definitely backed off and that trend should continue.

Though the bass bite has been a bit slow, anglers are still getting their share using wacky-rigged senkos, flukes and, of course, live shiners. The bass are slowly making their way out of the grass, but not quite on the outside edge yet. Hot spots have been Eagle Bay and Tin House Cove.

Lake Osborne

Sunshine Bass have been hitting live shad on eighth-ounce jigs in the deeper parts of the lake. The peacock and largemouth bass bite has tapered off some, but they can still be caught tossing live bait or top water plugs around the docks in the early mornings.

Loxahatchee Reserve Report

Water temperatures in the reserve have stayed just shy of 80 degrees with clear to semi-clear water conditions. The post spawn bite remained strong. Fishing has been great on days of mostly cloudy skies with some noticeable breeze which brought out the two- to four-pound largemouth bass as well as the cichlids and a few bowfin. Recent clear-sky days, with no wind, has made fishing more difficult with the smaller bass hugging the weed line. The bass bite has been best on topwater lures and dark-colored senko-style worms fished with a lightweight Texas rig. Cichlids were easily caught using live worms.

West Palm Beach Fishing Club annual Marine Yard Sale

The event will be held at the club's historic headquarters at 201 Fifth Street in downtown West Palm Beach from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 17. There will be huge variety of used items for sale including fishing rods and reels, marine hardware, diving gear, fishing lead, dock lines, gaffs, cast nets, offshore and inshore fishing lures, boat propellers, fly fishing tackle and many more marine related items. Proceeds support the youth education and marine conservation efforts of the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation, the Fishing Club’s charitable affiliate. For additional information contact the Fishing Club at 561-832-6780 or visit https://westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/

From Todd, Trey & Nick @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing has been very good inshore this week.  A fair number of springtime mullet and also a decent number of pilchards have the snook fired up; along with a decent number of bigger jacks and a few tarpon. Look for the best action to be at sunrise, sunset, and on good moving tides.  The Loxahatchee River and ICW are both holding a good number of snook.  The bridge snook bite has also popped off pretty good this week.  Flair Hawk Jigs and swimbaits have been the ticket at night for the snook.  

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SURF/PIER-  The beach absolutely fired off this week in a big way!  Pompano showed back up in good numbers and ready to bite.  Best fishing for the pompano has bounced around from south of the Juno Beach Pier to north of the Jupiter Inlet.  Good numbers of the Pompano though seems to be in/around the Jupiter Reef Club.  Fishing from the beach for the pompano has been best with sand fleas, FishBites, and Fish Gum.  From the Juno Beach Pier or the boat the same baits will work well, and Doc's Goofy Jigs are also catching the pompano well.  This week also saw the arrival of some large schools of glass minnows.  The minnows have the Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Jacks, Snook, and the Blacktip Sharks fired up.  Small swimming plugs, small spoons, and metal jigs (Keep them small to resemble glass minnows) are the ticket around the minnow schools.  The Sharks have been biting topwater poppers really good.  Watching a shark blow up a topwater is super cool to see! 

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From Todd, Trey & Nick @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing remains good inshore.  A cool front this weekend will no doubt though slow it down a bit.  THe jacks are showing up inshore in fair numbers.  A few tarpon remain scattered in the Loxahatchee River.  Other inshore action has been a bit slow.  A bit spotty inshore, but expect conditions to begin improving soon.  

SURF/PIER-  Pompano fishing has remained good over the past few weeks.  Sandfleas, clams, and Fishbites remain the top bait choices for the pompano.  Doesn't like like an ideal weekend for the beach, so consider trying the pier.  If the water doesn't get too dirty, the pomps could bite really good this weekend.  The Juno Beach Pier has been producing a scattering of Spanish Mackerel,  as well as a few late season bluefish.  Starting to see a few early season snook showing up.  Won't be an ideal weekend for the surf, but once it calms back down it should be really good.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart / Vero Beach

We’ve got a few nice days before the winds pick up over the weekend, so get out if you can. Fishing along the surf has improved, with Bluefish being caught up and down the Treasure Coast, and Whiting active in the northern portion. Spoons, jigs, and topwater are all accounting for Bluefish catches, while sand fleas, shrimp, and Fish Bites have all been effective for the Whiting. There have been Spanish Mackerel and Pompano being caught on the beach near the power plant as well. In the Indian River, larger Snook continue to be caught, many by those working the flats, but also along some of the deeper shorelines. Fly anglers have had a good bit of success, as have those tossing soft plastics. There are also a reasonable number of Seatrout around as well, particularly around the drop offs of the spoil islands, taking soft plastics and live shrimp. Redfish numbers still seem low, but those putting time in poling shorelines are still getting a few, particularly in the Fort Pierce area.