Sunday, December 11, 2022
""SNOOK-NOOK TENT SALE ""
Friday, November 18, 2022
Beach Fishing Seminar
If you would like to attend and receive a Free Capt Paul Pompano rig please text your name to
609-903- 8243 or email the same information to dsperco@yahoo.Com . This is a two event day as Fishbites Brett Burford and Billy Carr will be there holding their “Buy 2 bags , get one free” promotion.
Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area
Come see Capt. Paul his Seminar at Bass Pro on December 3 . You can still pre register by texting your name to 609 903 8243 or emailing that information to dsperco@yahoo.Com . Anyone who pre registers will receive a fee Capt Paul Pompano rig .
From Todd,Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach
SURF/PIER- Despite much nicer conditions along the beach this week the surf fishing remains on the slower side. The water is still an off color after the storm; which is no doubt not helping the fishing. The Juno Beach Pier is back open, with only limited reports coming through. When catfish lead off what's being caught at the pier...you know things are not great. The Juno Beach Pier has also had a few small jacks and ribbonfish around. With any luck NE winds will help get some more Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, and Pompano headed in our direction. Have heard a handful of rumors (We won't call them reports so much!) of some decent pompano fishing starting in Jensen Beach and headed north.
Sebastian Inlet Report
North side closed but south side anglers catching snook and jacks
And now for Wayne “Snookman” Landry’s brief but informative fishing report:
“Good morning, all my Sebastian Inlet friends and anglers! I hope everyone made it through hurricane Nicole without any damages or down time. We were spared again, but Sebastian Inlet State Park didn’t fare so well, especially the North jetty. The hurricane undermined the concrete walkway slabs leading to the South jetty. Use caution walking to the South jetty and avoid walking on the jostled slabs. Use the sand path that parallels the walkway. Seaweed and sand blanket the T-dock but we are cleaning it today. The entire North side of the park is closed until further notice. There is no water, sewer or electrical service yet. For updates on its reopening, call the south ranger station at 772-589-9659 or visit the state park website www.floridastateparks.org/Sebastian-Inlet.
Now, on to the fishing report: Fishing at the inlet as a whole has been limited, south side only. On Saturday, I noticed a lot of finger mullet and smaller baitfish all around the north jetty on the webcam, which is operational again. Fish were busting them up in the north surf and inside the inlet and it looked like the boaters were having a great time! Incoming tide was when all the action was going on, and also the south jetty anglers were catching small snook and jacks on live finger mullet along the jetty shoreline, incoming tide. The only other area producing any fish was the T-Dock. Boaters were catching small snook and jacks on live baits on the first part of the outgoing tide. The water back here and most everywhere is still very dirty and weeded up. It's going to take some time to clean back up and get back to normal.
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report
The most productive zone in the forecast is the surf. Relatively calm conditions allowed anglers to wet a few lines, and for some, the pompano bit. Spanish mackerel are also in the surf zone. Snook are there, too.
There is still flooding in the St. Johns River north of Lake Harney near Geneva but the water levels are receding and should be better by the weekend.
Closures & regulations changes in effect: Anglers are reminded about these fishery harvest closures currently underway and ones about to begin and end.
- Flounder: Harvest closed from Oct. 15 through Nov. 30. Harvest re-opens Dec. 1.
- Hogfish: Harvest closed from Nov. 1 to April 30, 2023. Harvest re-opens May 1, 2023.
- Spotted seatrout: Harvest closed from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin & Palm Beach counties. Harvest re-opens Jan. 1, 2023.
- Snook: Harvest closed from Dec. 15 through Jan. 31, 2023. Harvest re-opens Feb. 1, 2023.
- Grouper: Harvest closed from Jan. 1, 2023 through April 30, 2023. Harvest re-opens May 1, 2023. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, scamp and six other lesser species.
- Redfish: Harvest of redfish is banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon beginning Sept. 1.
- Alligator: Hunt season open Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.
- Lobster: Regular season opened Aug. 6.
- Dolphin: New fishing regulations began May 1 for state waters. Bag limit is now 5 fish per day per angler; Vessel limit is now 30 fish per day. Captain & crew may not be included in limit.
- Tilefish: A commercial fishing closure is in place beginning July 6 until Dec. 31, 2022.
Mosquito Lagoon
Speckled trout, redfish, black drum, jacks are all on the catch list in the shallow waterway. Use live shrimp. They can be freelined or fished under a popping cork. Sometimes, that extra action can trigger trout to feed on sound thinking that other trout nearby are feeding.
Surf
This zone has been the hot one this week as anglers are reporting catching pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, jacks, blue runners, snook, sharks and more. High tides mean no long casts necessary. The fish are over the bar and near the trough. For those who aren't crazy about macks, try this: Only take as many as you will eat fresh that day. Leave the skin on when filleting. Broil skin down in an oven for 10 minutes flavored with butter, lemon, favorite spices, or if in a grill, wrap fish in tin foil after flavoring and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with cheese grits, string beans and tartar sauce.
Sebastian Inlet
Spanish mackerel are the catch in this region. Gotcha plugs or diamond jigs are the best to throw at these toothy fish. The other key to catching them is to reel fast. Mackerel love the chase so the faster one reels, the more successful he or she is. Snook can be caught on the rocks off north jetty with live bait. Flounder can be caught around the T Dock, but the season is closed for harvest right now, so let them all go until the end of November.
Indian River Lagoon
Small tarpon can be caught and released in the Thousand Island area of the Banana River Lagoon using small swim baits or small live baits. Snook can be caught around structure like seawalls, docks, causeways and channel edges. Redfish have been biting in the same areas, but remember, all redfish must be released in the entire lagoon system according to FWC regulations.
- report courtesy of Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.
From Todd,Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach
SURF/PIER- Dirty water in on the beach has fishing a bit slow this week. A handful of pompano around, and that should only improve as the water (hopefully) begins to clear up a little. A few bluefish around, with the best action on them coming late in the afternoon into the evening. Cut sardines and mullet are a good bait option for the blues; while a silver spoon or diamond jig typically works good lure wise. The Juno Beach Pier continues to produce a fair number of Spanish Mackerel. White crappie jigs continue to produce the most action on the Macs. A solid number of sharks around these days for those looking for something bigger to pull on.
Snook-Nook Fishing Report
Inshore Fishing Report
October brought us a few early cool fronts which is a great sign for our winter inshore fishery. Species you will see making the inshore catch list in November include Sheepshead, Red Fish, Black Drum, Triple Tail, Pompano, Croakers, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Snook and more! If it is too rough offshore and you are looking to fill the cooler, you will have plenty of opportunities inshore this time of year.
Our late fall and winter Sheepshead fishing is typically excellent. We have already been hearing about a lot of them being caught. The best places to look for Sheepshead are on structures that have barnacles on them. These structures can include: dock pilings, channel markers, submerged mangroves, sea walls and concrete. Live Shrimp on a jighead or fished with a split shot will give you a good shot at them along with a variety of other species. Live Fiddler Crabs are another excellent option for targeting Sheepshead, it is pretty tough for them to pass up! We are hoping to have Fiddler Crabs in stock throughout the winter. One of the best ways to fish them is on a Hooked On Jigs football head jig, ask one of the staff members to show you one next time you stop in!
We have had a really nice Redfish bite here lately, unfortunately Redfish were closed for harvest and are only catch and release as of 9/1/22. They are still an awesome fish to target and a species that we really haven’t seen much of in our area over the past few years. The majority of the reds that have been caught have been around the Stuart Causeway. The most productive method there would be fishing live shrimp on a jig head around the bridge columns. Live Croakers, Finger Mullet and cut mullet are baits that will too. There have been a few caught at the Jensen Causeway, towards the power plant and you can also expect to see some caught on docks throughout the river this time of year as well.
The Black Drum bite has started up and we can expect it to only get better as we get later into the season. You can expect to find them around the causeways: The Stuart Causeway, Jensen Causeway, 10 cent bridge and Roosevelt Bridge. Live shrimp and crabs on the bottom will be your most productive baits for targeting Black Drum. Similarly to targeting Redfish around the causeway, you can fish a Shrimp on a jighead with the weight of the jig depending on the current around the bridge columns and you should be able to run into a few!
Stone Crab season has opened up which means you will see stretches of crab trap buoys lining the channels of the river. All the crab trap buoys provide a great opportunity to look for some Triple Tail. You can cruise down stretches of traps on clear days and see if you can spot one. If you do, you can pitch them a live shrimp on a small jig head or free lined and they will typically be all over it!
October brought us some great inshore Pompano fishing. The majority of that action came from the Jensen Causeway east side relief bridge (The Mosquito Bridge). A lot of anglers were able to successfully catch their limits multiple days. 1/4oz-3/4oz Pompano Jigs depending on the current with a teaser produced the majority of the fish. Pink jigs with a chartreuse teaser and chartreuse jigs with a pink teaser have been the hottest colors here lately. We can expect the inshore Pompano fishing to continue to improve with more cold fronts. You can also expect to start finding them by the Stuart Causeway, on the Sailfish Flats and in the inlet.
You can still expect to find plenty of Snook action as we have reached the tail end of the mullet run. A lot of these fish are fattened up from the mullet run and summer spawn and are a bit more lethargic especially on the cooler mornings. Fishing slower presentations such as live shrimp, artificial shrimp and slow rolling swimbaits are great presentations to get you a bite in these conditions. As the sun gets a bit higher, they will be more willing to chase a live bait such as a Croaker or Pilchard. You can expect to find them around docks, the bridges, on seawalls and cruising mangrove lines. A lot of anglers will find success around the bridges in the evening and at night fishing the shadow lines.
Surf Fishing Report
The surf bite is starting to tick in the right direction, we have been hearing about a lot of juvenile Pompano being caught from 75-100 yds off the beach which is common for us here this time of year. There have been schools of bigger Pompano being caught in the Sebastian and Melbourne region north of us. As we continue to get cold fronts, these schools will begin to push south and be right off of our beaches. Electric Chicken Crab and Sand Flea flavored FishBites have been the hot FishBites flavors for the Pompano. You can catch them fishing with baits such as Clam and Sand Fleas as well. It is extremely important to have the proper equipment to be able to reach these Pompano at times. You will want to have an 11’-13’ rod to be able to sling your bait out to the deeper troughs. Long cast spinning reels such as the Penn Spinfisher VI spooled with 15-20 lb monofilament will also make a huge difference in increasing your casting distance. The proper sand spike will also make a big difference, longer sand spikes will help with your line entry and bite detection. Capt. Paul Sperco sat down with Jeff Weakley from Florida Sportsman to discuss the equipment he uses when he hits the beach, you can check it out here: https://www.floridasportsman.com/onlineexclusive/saltwater-pro-tips/videos/465178/penn-sealed-saltwater-reels-durable-reels-for-surf-pier-and-other-saltwater-fishing/465322?fbclid=IwAR3q3jk2abd1qTsxuiTzRqObgFT2dfbCp2Kib3LxKlZMDHIZLhHxiMVl73A. Capt. Paul is in the shop on Thursday mornings from 6am to noon and is always happy to provide any tips or advice.
There has also been some steady Whiting and Croaker action going on in the first trough. Pieces of shrimp or bloodworm flavored FishBites have been producing the most action. If you are looking to target them, try to aim for the high tides.
If you are looking to cast artificials, the Spanish Mackerel have been showing up in good numbers off the beaches. You can throw spoons, Gotcha Plugs or Gulfstream Flash Minnows to have a good shot at them when they are around. You can also expect to catch Bluefish and Jacks fishing this same method this time of year.
Sebastian Inlet Report
Cooler water bring in frisky fish, the best time of year to fish the inlet
Our Angler of the Week! Augustine Chan writes: "i was casting a Rapala X-Rap XR10 (8 lb. Fireline, Daiwa 2500 reel, 7'6" medium light rod) on the ocean side of the North jetty for jacks and mackerel when the big bluefish struck my lure. I fought the fish for a few very exciting minutes when I finally brought it up (with the help of a landing net courtesy of friendly regulars. It's nice to know there are always friendly regulars around to help me with unexpectedly large catches). It weighed 8 lbs. on my grip.
And now for the fishing report, courtesy of Wayne "Snookman" Landry:
Good morning, fishing friends and family! I hope you all had a great weekend and got out to fish as the weather was fantastic. The inlet was abuzz with fishing action last week. It didn't really matter where you fished because fish were caught just about everywhere in the inlet. Most of the action though was at the north and south jetties, with several species being caught. The water has cooled down and cleaned up pretty nicely and has made the fish frisky. Greenies and mullet have attracted and kept the predators interested, as it is the best time of the year, fall, for great fishing at the inlet.
North Jetty: Snook fishing most of last week was excellent, with the majority of the fish caught on the high tide on live shrimp. Many slot-sized fish were caught, along with shorts and oversized specimens as well. Keepers were averaging 29 to 32 inches, and plenty were taken home. That bite lasted from Monday thru Friday and slowed dramatically Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday being a croaker-only day; that's all they wanted, and not very many were landed. All last week boaters hammered the snook with live pigfish and croakers and pinfish. I saw nice black drum, sheepshead and even nice pompano landed. The drum and sheepshead were caught on dead fresh shrimp, and the pomps on the small yellow ‘goofy jigs’. Drum were averaging 15 to 24 inches, the sheepshead one to two pounds, and the pompano 15 inches or so inches. At the beginning of the week, Spanish mackerel were hitting small jigs, silver spoons and greenies. Quite a few fish were caught with some folks getting their limits. The average size of the Spanish was about 16 to 18 inches, with a few I saw pushing the three to four-pound range. The inlet also had the ‘men in grey suits,’ aka the SHARKS! Large bull sharks have been looking for a quick meal. I saw a few boaters have their snook bit in half, and a few anglers hooked sharks on the jetty while fishing live jacks on the incoming tide. A few snook were also eaten on the jetty as well by the sharks. These majestic animals were in the six to seven-foot range.
South Jetty: Fishing here was on fire Friday thru Sunday for the snook on the incoming tide! Lots of fish being caught on just about everything live that you tossed at them. Live croakers seemed to be the better bait. The fish were all along the jetty and rock shoreline from the tip to all the way west of the catwalk. Lots of smaller fish are over here, but also there were plenty of ‘slots’ taken. There were the big girls present as well to make it interesting. Some redfish were caught as well in the mix, but remember, they are catch-and-release only during this time of year. Large jack crevalles and Spanish were in the mix on the outgoing tide at the tip on spoons, jigs and live baits. I also heard of some nice flounder caught, and kept (which was a no-no, as the season for them is closed until December 1). You can catch them; just releasee them. I heard of spotted seatrout caught, but as of Nov. 1 they too are closed for harvest, and don't open ack up until Jan. 1.
Catwalks, both sides: The North side is still closed. The South side has provided a decent sheepshead, both tides with the incoming being the better tide to fish. The water is higher and cleaner. Sheepshead are biting live fiddler crabs - their favorite food. They will bite small pieces of dead shrimp too, but prefer the fiddlers. The snook bite at night has been rather good for the jig anglers, but has slowed a bit. Please remember that the fenders are off-limits anytime. There are ‘no trespassing’ signs posted to warn you it is prohibited. We’ve received complaints of people going out there at night, so be aware. If you are caught trespassing, you will be cited.
Surf, both sides The north side surf has been slow due to NNE winds, low tides and low water on the beach to fish. The South side has been much better as the south jetty partially blocks the wind and waves coming on shore, and there is a deeper trough over there. With the water cleaned up a bit and cooled down, I had reports of some pompano being caught along with whiting and a bunch of croakers in the area, which can be used for snook bait right where you catch them.
T-Dock: The fishing here has been fairly good for the sheepshead. There are some nice fish being caught around the dock pilings on live fiddler crabs. Most of the fish are around 12 to 14 inches. Either tide is good with the incoming being better. Spanish mackerel are being caught on small white jigs and smaller silver spoons. The snook bite has been fairly good as well. Plenty of fish being caught from the dock, boats and the shoreline on live pigs, pins and croakers with the incoming tide being the best for them.
So, there is the ‘beef,’ my friends! Supposed to be a really nice week weatherwise except for a big swell making the surf kind of messy. Get out there and do some fishing or some lounging on the beach and enjoy the oceanside outdoors! Cheers. Snookman
Monday, October 24, 2022
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area
Saturday, October 8, 2022
From Todd,Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach
INSHORE- Snook fishing remained strong inshore this week. Finger mullet schools are still around in good numbers and the snook aren't far behind. The mullet will move best during lowlight periods and at night. A Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil or Mag Darter remain top lure choices. Still a lot of freshwater coming out of the spillways, but overall hasn't slowed the snook fishing down too much. Still a god number of tarpon mixed in with the snook. Other inshore action has been on the slower side.
SURF/PIER- Dirty water and rough conditions kept surf fishing a bit slow. Still a fair amount of mullet coming down the beach: Still a few tarpon and snook mixed in with them, but bluefish are starting to make up a bulk of the action. Definitely time to start moving away from the soft plastics on the beach and moving towards spoons and plugs. The Spanish Mackerel have been biting very good at the Juno Beach Pier. A bobber rig with a Clark spoon is a solid choice for the macs. A few redfish were caught at the pier in the dirty water as well this week. Pompano (mostly shorts) have also been around in good numbers this week. A bright colored Doc's Goofy jig is the lure of choice for the pomps.
Sebastian Inlet Report
Good morning, fishing fanatics. I hope everyone fared well through the storm and had little or - even better - no damage. We dodged a bullet! My heart and prayers go out to our neighbors in southwest Florida in their recovery efforts.
Now for data on Ian’s effects on our coast. I was monitoring the web cam weather station Wednesday night from 11 p.m. through 1:20 a.m. Thursday before the station went down. At 11 p.m., the winds were 40 to 45 mph, with gusts to 61 mph. By 12:30 a.m., winds were 60 to 67 mph, with gusts to 81 mph. And that lasted until 1:10 a.m., when they went winds dropped to 51-52 mph, with 61 mph gusts. Then, the weather station went down. Repairs may take time, as the gusts tore the main power and computer box from its mount.
Now, for fishing report: Go fishing! Sebastian Inlet State Park opened at 8 a.m. Saturday and the jetty opened an hour later. The inlet is alive with all kinds of mullet: finger mullet, medium mullet and the bigger ‘smoker’ and roe mullet. There wasn't a single place where there wasn't mullet, and fishing was off the charts! Especially the north jetty and surf area. There were mullet as far as the eye could see! Lots of snook were caught, but most were between 18 and 24 inches and had to be released – but, man, were there a ton of them being caught. I didn't see too many oversized snook caught, but I did see several slot fish taken. Along with them were an impressive number of small redfish caught. Most were also between 18 and 24 inches, but anglers can't keep them either, as their season is closed. Plenty of ladyfish were hooked and some landed, as they do a lot of jumping when hooked and usually come off the hook. I also saw a lot of small tarpon rolling around, and some were landed. Most were between five and 20 pounds - small but fun! Jack crevalles, Spanish mackerel and blues were in the mix as well. I saw a few sharks harassing larger mullet schools, too. Overall, it is a very fishy time at the inlet right now. I also received a report of a nice flounder hooked and lost on the north surf pocket. It is time for them to start arriving now that water temperatures have dropped down to around 80 degrees.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Saturday, September 17, 2022
From Todd,Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach
INSHORE- Snook fishing popped off pretty good this week. The finger mullet started to show up inshore in fair numbers, and the snook (along with tarpon, jacks, and ladyfish for that matter) are tagging along with them. Look for the best action to be at night as the mullet move more comfortably under the cover of darkness. Moving water (incoming or outgoing) is key, and it's kind of a guessing game on where when the mullet will come through. Topwater plugs (like a Yo-Zuri Topknock), swimmning plugs (Rapala X-Rap), or swimbait (3 and 5" NLBN) are all great lure choices for the snook. Fish the baits with the current, and focus on ambush spots and current breaks. If you find yourself fishing in the middle of big mullet schools; focus on fishing the outside edges or underneath the school. At that point it's all about making the bait look different (IE a injured baitfish on the edge of the school).
Sebastian Inlet Report
This week’s fishing report by “Snookman” Wayne Landry: “Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fans. Fishing at the inlet for the past week and the weekend has returned to a normal state for this time of the year. The snook bonanza we had the first five days of the opening season has gone away, and they are back to being tough to catch. I figured this would happen; it always does. If you are in the right place with the right bait at the right time, you might catch one. The bait scenario at the inlet has changed as it always does this time of year. The greenies and pilchards have mostly left and been replaced by mullet, which have started coming down the beach — a mix of fingerlings and bigger mullet. Also, pigfish and pinfish are starting to come out of the inlet, along with river shrimp for them to feed on. The mojarras have also pretty much gone as well, they are a spring/summer bait. And without further ado, here is your report.
North jetty:. The hot topic here has been the cubera snappers which have been putting on a good bite on cut baits and live mullet. Most fish are caught at the tip on the outgoing tide. Fish up to 33 inches are being caught, with the average being 28 to 30 inches. The mangrove snapper are still biting as well on cut baits and small greenies if you can get some, as they are not as plentiful as they were. Most fish caught are between 11 and 16 inches. They, too, are caught at the tip on the outgoing tide fished right in the rocks, also all along the jetty pilings on the incoming tide, same baits. There have also been many jack crevalles caught on the outgoing tide at the tip for those tossing spoons, jigs, live baits and cut baits. These fish have moved in due to the rough conditions from the offshore storm swell and the presence of the mullet. Snook fishing is back to normal but you must work for one. Most are caught at night now, and during the late evening tide. Also, early in the morning is producing fish, too. The night anglers are getting them on flair jigs, and the new hot bait: the NLBN swim baits. On the ocean side of the jetty, during the swell and high tide with the mullet coming down the beach, look for snook on the beach side in the pocket area when the water is rough. They like to ambush the mullet in the pocket area and along the beach. I saw three to four keeper snook caught Saturday in that area. Fish live mullet and your favorite swim baits for a hook-up. Also, while I was down a couple of days last week, I saw two large schools of monster redfish about 100 to 150 yards off the north tip. Both times they surfaced, milled around, then went back down and vanished. Nobody hooked any. The school measured about 30 yards across, with possibly 2000 fish or more.
South jetty: The fishing has remained good, with the snook being the topic on the incoming tides all along the rock shoreline. Most of the fish here are smaller, which are a blast to catch, but there have been plenty of keepers. The best baits have been live pins and pigs, and large live shrimp, if you can get some. Also, smaller redfish are being caught as well, but remember, they are now catch-and-release only. On the outgoing tide at the tip there are a lot of jack crevalle, blue runners and catfish being caught, as the water is much dirtier than the north side. A few snook are being caught on live baits in the eddy at the southeast section and the beach pocket. The late evening incoming tide is producing snook for the jig and swim bait guys.
Catwalks, both sides: Fishing has been slow, with the small baitfish going away. Small mangrove snapper are still being caught, along with some black margates and jack crevalles on cut baits fished around the pilings and fenders.
T-Dock area Anglers are catching small mangrove snapper on cut baits. Most are too small to keep, but quite a few are keepers. Also, there are still mutton snapper being caught, but they are just shy of the 18-inch minimum to be kept. For those tossing small jigs and spoons, there are plenty of jack crevalle and some Spanish mackerel being caught. Snook fishing has been hit-or-miss. Catch them on the incoming tide on live pigs and pins; nighttime on both tides the snook can be caught on plugs and larger swim baits.
Surf area, both sides: The south surf is slow due the big swell from the offshore storm clouding the water, as well as seaweed. Snook and redfish are possible this time of the year if you find any bait schools swimming the beach. Jigs, swim baits and any live bait will produce a bite. Also, there are many nurse sharks swimming the beach, so they are a possibility as well. The surf area north is a happening thing, especially if you find mullet schools present. My beach comber fishing friends have reported that the snook and tarpon bite has been good in the early morning and the late evening, with plenty of snook and big tarpon on live baits and swim baits. If you find clean water, nice whiting and croakers are a good bet on cut shrimp and fish bites, but be aware, the pesky catfish are around, also.
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Their On The Way
Mullet Run 2022
photo courtesy Rachel Balombini/ReelReportsWord is that larger pods are up near Satellite Beach, I've been seeing a few small ponds of fingers in the ICW
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County
Remember you must have a snook permit, it's one per person per day and they must be at least 28 inches, but not over 32 inches.
The snook bite is still red hot at the St. Lucie Inlet with plenty of slot and overslot fish being caught.
The docks along the St. Lucie River have been holding snook as well with the early mornings and late afternoons being the best time to target them.
The Stuart and the Jensen causeways are still good for snook during the outgoing tide.
Snook are also still cruising the beaches and are being caught by anglers at the Ft. Pierce Inlet.
Though mullet and pilchards will work, live croakers are by far working the best and are available at the Snook Nook.
Mullet are being found along the west side of the river up near the powerplant.
At both causeways there is still a good tarpon bite during the outgoing tides. Use live crabs or mullet.
Around the powerplant up to Ft. Pierce, there have been reports of flounder and a few redfish being caught. Live shrimp and pilchards are the best bet.
Working the beaches from Lake Worth down to Ocean Ridge, surf anglers are catching permit, palometta, jack crevalle and snook.
For the permit, live crab on a five-ounce surf rig are bringing fish up to 25 pounds.
Cut mullet, shrimp or sand fleas on a standard pompano rig are working for palometta.
The snook and jacks have been hitting two-ounce Gator spoons at sunrise along the shore reefs just south of Lantana and again just south of the Boynton Inlet.
In the Intracoastal Waterway around the Boynton area, there has been good action for both snook and tarpon.
Big tarpon, up to 90 pounds, have been holding around the rubble piles throughout the ICW. Use live herring, greenies or sardines free lined back to the rolling fish.
Snook action around all the area bridges has been on fire this past week. Using live pinfish, small grunts and herring fished on the bottom has been very effective. Also using two-ounce bucktail jigs, flair hawk jigs, D.O.A. TerrorEyez and Rat-L-Trap lures bounced or retrieved slowly near the bottom will also work well.
There are still bonefish being caught on the flats near the Boynton Inlet. Small jigs tipped with shrimp during the first two hours of the falling tide has been best.
Lake Okeechobee
With the heat of summer, the bass fishing is still a bit tough.
That said there's still a decent bite during that first hour in the morning on swim jigs. After that switching to flippin' frog-style baits or pitchin' a black and blue junebug can keep things going a little longer. King's Bar, Tin House Cove and Third Point have been the better spots.
Though the shellcracker bite has backed way off since the last full moon, if you're looking for panfish-style action, the cichlid bite has been excellent in the canals along the lake. They are good eating and there's no size limit or numbers limit. Red worms, wigglers and crickets. They're moving water from the rim canal into the lake and, though a lot of folks don't know about it, there tarpon in those areas and they get active. They can be seen rolling in the J&S Canal by the hundreds some days and are up to 60 pounds.
Snook-Nook Fishing Report
Tarpon fishing has begun to pick up inshore for us. Fishing live crabs on outgoing tides around the causeways has produced the most action, larger live mullet will do the trick as well with the fish being anywhere from 40 to 100lbs. We have also heard reports of Tarpon feeding on shrimp at night at the Roosevelt Bridge. Anglers have been finding some success fishing the crossroads and the inlet with live mullet and crabs. If you are looking to fish artificials, the top baits have been the Hogy Slowtail swimbait, NLBN 5” Purple paddle tail and the 8” NLBN Purple paddle tail and straight tail.
There have still been some Mangrove Snappers caught around the bridges and at the inlet. You can fish live shrimp on a jighead to target them, if you want to weed out the smaller ones, you can try fishing a small finger mullet or pilchard to find the bigger ones. A few Black Drum have been caught at the Roosevelt Bridge on crabs and shrimp. We should expect to see more Drum being caught in the coming months. There have also been a few Permit surprisingly caught at the Jensen Causeway east side relief bridge.
Sebastian Inlet Report
North jetty: Snook fishing was the hot topic here. It was crowded but manageable - everyone played well. Many fish were caught, with a lot of keepers taken home all five days. Incoming tide was the preferred tide, but some were caught on the early outgoing at the tip where the boaters were catching fish on croakers, pins and pigs. Up top on the jetty on the incoming, Thursday's bite was on pins, pigs and live shrimp, and they didn't have to be hand-picked shrimp, either - they bit them all! Friday's bite was LIVE SHRIMP only: they would not hit a pin of pigfish. Saturday thru Monday it was live shrimp again, nothing else. I did see a couple caught with pinfish, though. Sunday and Monday, live shrimp were small and scarce since the shrimp boats didn't go out because of the holiday. Working shrimp boats didn't have much to deliver, and they were small, and everyone was complaining about it, but the fish still hit them if you got it out where they were staging. When shrimp are in short supply, catch pins and pigs, as this time of year. Snook will be keying in on them as they come out of the river on the outgoing tides - along with the shrimp that usually start running out as well. The large mullet schools haven't started coming down the beach yet. If it does this year like last year, it's going to be a super "hot" fall season! Looking forward to that again, it was nuts last year! The other species being caught on the north jetty have been the mangrove snapper. They are being caught at the tip on the outgoing tide on live and dead cut greenies, and alone the jetty pilings on the incoming tide. Also still being caught at the tip on live and cut baits are the cubera snappers. I have seen fish up to 33 inches being caught and heard reports of bigger ones being caught by the boaters at the tip. The Atlantic spadefish are still around as well and will take cut shrimp floated to them with a very small split shot sinker, on the incoming tide. Barracuda are still around for those tossing tube lures or live baits to them, but they are being pretty fussy at wanting to bite.
South Jetty: Fishing has picked up considerably on the incoming high tide. The water is still a bit dirty and weedy, but the snook have moved back in and are biting. I saw several nice keepers caught through the weekend on all live baits and swim baits. Most of the fish I saw were undersized, but you could see the bigger ones busting into the bait fish schools along the rocks. It got kind of crazy over here as for a bit. Outgoing tide at the tip, the jack crevalle, blue runners and sea bream were biting cut baits - a bit further out, snook were schooled and biting live baits.
Catwalks, both sides: For the most part, fishing on the cat walks has dropped off, except for a few mangrove snappers, but most were too small to keep.
Surf, both sides: On the North side, the surf has been producing nice snook and tarpon for those fishing jigs, swim baits and live baits in the early morning and late evening time frame. Mullet schools and glass minnows are coming down the beaches, which will get the fish sparked up. It is that time of year for the bait to come down the beaches. Whiting, croakers and possibly a few black drum would be caught on cut and live shrimp in the deeper trough area beaches, along with some redfish. On the South side, anglers are hooking mangrove snapper and a few pompano along with whiting, croakers and sand perch at the south day-use area just south of the inlet, and between there and the south jetty. Find a good spot with clean water. As always, those pesky catfish are ever present on this side as the water tends to be a bit dirtier than the north side.
From Todd,Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach
INSHORE- Snook season is back open...I mean it's kind of like a holiday in itself right??? Snook bite remains strong in the Loxahatchee River early in the morning on topwaters. The Yo-Zuri Hydro and Topknock Pencil continue to get smashed by snook hanging along seawalls, dock, and mangrove points with current on them. The current is a big key to it. While you can on occasion coax a bite out of a snook on slack tide, moving water will greatly improve your chances! The snook bite also remains strong around the bridges at night. Top of the outgoing tide will likely produce the best results on the snook, especially in areas closer to inlet with cleaner water. Other inshore action is a bit slow. Best bet will no doubt be to focus on the snook.