To the angler who loves to fish the beaches, shores, jetties, bridges and piers of Florida.
Inshore
Along the bridges and docks in the St. Lucie River, the snook bite continues to get better with plenty of slot and overslot fish being caught. In this area, live pilchards and croakers are producing the best bite. Stuart Live Bait has pilchards right now and the Snook Nook expects to have live croakers by the weekend.
Up at middle cove, there's been excellent action for trout with even a "gator" or two being caught. Live shrimp on a jig or popping cork or a Monster 3X Shrimp lure will get it done.
Along the St. Lucie and Martin County beaches, the pompano bite is holding steady with Electric Chicken Fishbites working best. Bring the big rods as the action is still happening 70 to 90 yards out.
Also in that area there are still good numbers of whiting and croaker being caught in the first trough. Pink Shrimp Fishbites in combination with pieces of shrimp are producing results.
Along the beaches in Jupiter, at the Jupiter Inlet and at the Juno Pier, the time is right for pompano fishing.
From now through the end of April, schools of the delicious pan fish will be migrating from south to north and moving through the area. The key? Be there when it's happening. Pompano jigs and Fishbites will work and, though they been relatively rare in the area lately, sand fleas work very well.
Around the docks and bridges along the Loxahatchee River and Intracoastal Waterway, the bite for snook is getting really good. Pete Schulz at Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter said this time of year they love to hang out in those areas and wait for the migrating mullet and other baitfish that are moving through. A one-and-a-half- to two-ounce Gulfstream Red Tail Hawk, slowly bounced on the bottom, is pure gold right now and will be for several weeks.
Putting in at Lantana and working his way north through Lake Worth and West Palm Beach, Capt. Pat Smith said the water was very dirty on Monday and Tuesday.
Working the docks, they did manage to catch a few snook using D.O.A. TerrorEyez and a couple of big jack crevalle, including a reel-screaming 25 pounder, on live mullet
The cool front that passed through the area late Sunday has slowed the bass bite down some. That said, working the inside edge of the grassline, in the early mornings or late evenings, has been productive. Flippin' and pitchin' black and blue creature-style baits or either Senkos or Speed worms, also in blacks and blues, has been effective. The crappie bite has backed off a bit. Anglers working the deeper areas of the Kissimmee River with minnows are still having some good luck.
On Tuesday, Capt. Pat Smith had his clients into excellent numbers of peacock and largemouth bass. Working the docks and other structure along the Lake Osborne and Lake Ida chain, they were getting hits using live shad as well as throwing flies. Capt. Pat added that they are beginning to congregate around structure ahead of the spawn.
“There are fish there to be caught, but you just have to be there when conditions are ‘right for the bite,’” Snookman says. “There hasn't been much around for baitfish yet, except for mullet that made an appearance one day last week - but there weren't many. There are mojarra around to be cast netted. They seem to be the bait of choice right now on both sides of the inlet.”
Snookman says fishing at the North Jetty has been mediocre, with wind and cloudy water slowing the fishing down, but fish are being caught, nonetheless.
“Late last week and over the weekend, I saw snook being taken on live baits— mojarra being the top bait for them — with several fish being in the slot range going home,” he says. “There are still many oversize snook being caught as well, most on the outgoing tide at the tip of the jetty. More would probably have been caught, but the large goliath groupers are eating them while the anglers are fighting them, and they always win the battle.”
Wayne says anglers are catching redfish on live baits, shrimp, mojarras and pigfish. Some of the reds are slot-size.
“While I was down last Thursday, a large school of reds came across the north tip at the water’s surface and it was a cool sight to see,” he adds. “They started to bite. Most were too big to keep, but it was cool to see. The black drum and sheepshead have taken a vacation of sorts as the water temperature is warming up a bit — at 74 degrees now — they like it cooler, but some are still being caught on dead shrimp, clams, and fiddler crabs for the sheeps. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are still around for those throwing silver spoons and small jigs and gotcha lures on both tides. Most are on the small side. Look for the bluefish to disappear as the water continues to warm up. Along the rock shoreline on the north side there are small snook being caught on both tides. Most are too small to keep, but the possibility of getting a keeper is there.”
The South jetty is a mixed bag, Wayne says.
“The outgoing tide at the tip is producing black margates, sheepshead, sand perch and an occasional pompano for those using dead shrimp,” he says. “There is also still the possibility of catching small flounder in the ‘pocket’ area just south of the jetty. The incoming tide here is bringing a lot of undersized snook and keeper redfish, all being caught on live mojarras. I did see ‘keeper snook’ taken over here late last week. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are still present here as well being caught mostly on silver spoons fished in the channel.”
Not much is happening at the T-Dock area, except for the possible nocturnal jig bite for snook. Nobody is fishing here during the day, Wayne says.
Both sides of the surf have been hit-or-miss as well due to the wind and waves, Snookman says.
“If you can find clean water with calmer seas, expect to find pompano on sand fleas and dead shrimp,” he says. “Whiting, croakers, and black drum are possible, too. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel can likely be caught as well, by tossing silver spoons as the fish patrol the surf looking for baitfish.”
INSHORE- Snook fishing has been good again this week inshore. We aren't talking huge numbers, but putting in the time should result in a few bites. The topwater bite has been good early morning and on the better part of the tide changes. Live mullet fished along ambush points, along seawalls with current, and under boat docks with access to deeper water are all also working very well. A fair number of tarpon around in the Loxahatchee River this week as well. The tarpon have also been keyed in on the mullet. The jacks showed up briefly inshore, but seem to have pushed out as quick as they came in. Sheepshead action has pretty much dried up, but maybe a late season one or two around. Palm Beach Inlet remains pretty good for the jacks, and also some tarpon at night.
INSHORE- Snook fishing remains good inshore: And as we move into spring (namely more consistent warm weather) it will only improve more. The Loxahatchee River has been holding a fair number of snook. Early in the morning and on the tide changes, the topwater bite has started to heat up. The Yo-Zuri Topknock or Hydro Pencil is a good choice, as is the Rapala Skitter V or Skitterwalk. A slow walk the dog action (don't go too fast on the retrieves yet) is the way to go with the topwater. Live mullet fished along a seawall and under boat docks with fair current flow is also a safe bet for the snook. A fair number of tarpon in the river right now as well, along with a few big jacks. The Sheepshead have really started thinning out in Palm Beach Inlet, but still maybe a few around to find. Speaking of Palm Beach Inlet, the jacks and tarpon have been around pretty heavy. For the jacks a GT Ice Cream or Diamond Jig is a great choice. The Tarpon are a little tougher to pattern, but live shrimp around the Sailfish Club remains a great starting point, especially at night. SURF/PIER- Pompano fishing remained very good this week, and the weather for the weekend doesn't look like it will change that. If anything the pomps may even bite a little better this weekend. No hot spot to speak of on the beach; reports continue to come in from south of the Juno Beach Pier to Jupiter Island. Fresh shrimp, clams, sandfleas, FishBites, and FishGum are all really good choices for the pompano. Best bite seems to be in the morning and then again late in the afternoon. While tides no doubt play into pompano fishing, those low light periods of the day are the real key to success. The Juno Beach Pier has also had a few pompano around, with the same baits listed above working well and also Doc's Goofy Jigs. The sharks are around this week, and they will also determine where the pompano end up. Still a scattering of bluefish around, but numbers have started thinning out a bit. Cut sardines have been the bait of choice for the blues. Snook fishing continues to slowly improve at the Juno Beach Pier, another few weeks and it will really start to open up. A small number of springtime cobia cruising the beach as well...keep the jig ready in case one pops up!
The snook bite is getting more consistent in the St. Lucie River. More fish are making their way out of the North Fork and congregating along the docks. Good numbers of slots and some overslots are being caught using live pilchards and croakers.
Snook are also being found at the Jensen Beach Causeway. Anglers using shrimp or artificial shrimp have been having good luck during the evening, outgoing tide when those two things line up.
The pompano bite has been excellent from Hobe Sound up through the rest of the Martin County beaches. The bite is still around 60 to 90 yards out. EZ Flea and Electric Chicken Fishbites are the way to go.
Whiting and croaker are being caught in the first trough using Pink Shrimp Fishbites tipped with a piece of shrimp.
There are plenty of sharks cruising the beaches so whatever you're catching get it in quick unless you feel like sharing.
Working some of the docks and bridges along the Intracoastal Waterway from Boynton Beach to Singer Island, Capt. Pat Smith had his clients into multiple species of fish the past few days.
Small tarpon, snook, jack crevalle and ladyfish were hitting D.O.A. TerrorEyez while a few sheepshead and a couple small flounder were caught using white bucktail jigs
Lake Okeechobee
Though the fishing has been a bit slow, it's mostly been because of the blustery, rainy weather.
From King's Bar to Horse Island, the bass bite has been good using soft plastic swim baits, like a Big EZ or Zoom, in either Houdini or Shad colors. In the mornings, if the wind allows, the top water bite has been picking up using spinner baits in white and chartreuse or mouse color. Inside the outside grassline has been the target area.
In both lakes, the peacock bass bite has been excellent. They are being caught on live shad as well as on jerk baits. There also have been a few clown knifefish in the mix.
Report courtesy of The Palm Beach Post
“Before the weekend, fishing had been picking up,” Snookman says. “Last week, I saw all kinds of fish being caught on both sides of the inlet. This week — after Monday and Tuesday — winds are supposed to lighten up and hopefully warm the water back up to the 75 degrees it had been last week. It’s currently 71 degrees. This is time of year you must be there at the right time, with the right bait when they ‘turn on’.”
“On the incoming tide, they bit some on live pilchards, pigfish and shrimp,” he says. “Most of the fish were too big to keep, but quite a few slot fish were taken. Also, the redfish were present to keep things interesting as well. Black drum were mixed in, as well with folks using live shrimp, clams and dead shrimp. Most of those being caught were between 16 to 24 inches, with some pushing 8 to 10 pounds. Sheepshead were still abundant around the pilings on both tides, with live fiddler crabs and cut shrimp pieces taking them. Most fish were around 12 to 16 inches. Also, there are still bluefish and small Spanish mackerel around for those throwing silver spoons, jigs and cut bait on both tides — outgoing being the better tide. The flounder fishing has pretty much gone away with the showing of the warmer water temps, as they like cooler water.”
Dirty water churned by south-southeast winds has slowed down the fishing at the South jetty, but Wayne says he saw snook and redfish being caught on any type of live bait before the bad weather moved in.
‘Most were caught on the incoming tide along the rocky shoreline along the jetty,” Wayne says. “On the outgoing tide, they were mostly catching catfish, black margates, stingrays, small sand perch and a few pompano when clean water was present, all on cut shrimp at the tip of the jetty. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel were also being caught on both tides on silver spoons and jigs.”
There’s little happening at the T-dock, Wayne says.
When the surf isn’t rough, anglers are catching pompano and black drum on sandfleas and shrimp, especially on the south side just south of the jetty.
“I saw pompano up to about 12 to 14 inches, and black drum from 2 to 4 pounds,” Snookman says. "Also, the bluefish and Spanish mackerel can be caught on silver spoons and jigs. Be aware of pesky catfish and stingrays in the dirtier water. Also, blacktip sharks are being caught on the south side along the beach. They will eat anything. They can be table fare, but I recommend that you carefully release them back into the water, as they keep help keep our fishery in check. If you don't know how to prep them, let them go, as they will spoil quickly and could make you sick.”
It's going to be another off-and-on week, but still pleasant. Get out to your favorite fishing hole or sunning spot and enjoy all that Florida has to offer,” Wayne says. “Tight lines everyone, and be safe.”
Inshore: Drifting the outgoing tide of the Sebastian Inlet is a good way to get hooked up with tarpon, oversized redfish, snook and big jacks. Just be sure to avoid the portion of the inlet east of the A1A bridge where it will be sloppy during east winds. Fish the mangrove shorelines south of Vero Beach for snook and redfish. Live shrimp on the flats will catch trout, ladyfish and jacks.
Freshwater: Wild shiners are the go-to bait for bass at Stick Marsh and Headwaters Lake. If using artificial lures, toss a lipless crank bait along the edges for bites.
Inshore: Trout fishing has been declining for several years, but fish the flats in 2-4 feet of water near Vittolo Family Park, Jaycee Park and St. Lucie Village to find bites. Saturday at 2 p.m., Paul Sperco will be giving a free seminar about surf fishing for pompano and whiting at Bass Pro Shops in Port St. Lucie. It's going to be crowded, so be ready to stand, but his knowledge is worth the trip.
Inshore: The best bet for action is to target snook at Jensen Beach Causeway, along the docks of Sewall's Point, Sailfish Point and Rocky Point. Live pilchards, mullet or shrimp will get bites. Pompano are not in the lagoon, but are running along the beaches.
Dry season has its grip on Florida's greatest lake, but it hasn't driven down the level too quickly, yet. It sits at 14.30 feet above sea level which means many of the areas with the best habitat in the western and northern portions of the lake are covered with about 2-4 feet of water. Bass will be found near clumps of reeds and lily pads.
Every March I start refreshing my thoughts about fishing.. looking through some notes and a few books/magazines for something that might work this spring-summer an after attending Paul Sperco's Springtime Surf Fishing Seminar and talking to him I went to my fishing library and pulled this Gem of a book .......
Inshore
The snook fishing has been getting better and better in the St. Lucie River.
Plenty of keepers are being found along the seawalls and underneath the docks along the river as well as at the Jensen and Stuart Causeways and the ten cent bridge. Live pilchards and croakers are working very well right now.
Up near the power plant, there has been a solid croaker bite around most structure using shrimp on a jig head.
At the St. Lucie Inlet and at the Stuart Causeway there has been some good sheepshead action. They have been hitting shrimp on a jig head as well.
The pompano bite has turned on along the beaches in Martin and St. Lucie Counties. One angler had caught his limit early Wednesday morning. The bite has been best 70 to 90 yards off the beach using Fishbites in E-Z flea and Electric Chicken.
Fly fishing along the docks in the Intracoastal Waterway from West Palm Beach down to Boynton Beach, Capt. Pat Smith said the snook fishing was excellent Monday night. Just catch-and-release action, they were smaller fish and caught on six-weight gear.
Lake Okeechobee
With the ferocious south wind on Wednesday, Capt. Larry had his clients in a few protected coves where the bass fishing was actually pretty good.
Live shiners, worked just inside the outside grass line, is still the call for guides, but several artificials have been working well including Senkos and Speed worms in blues and blacks, along with chatter baits and poppin' frogs worked over the thick grass.
Working the docks early Tuesday, Capt. Pat Smith had his clients into good numbers of both peacock and sunshine bass. Though he said live shad were working best, jerk baits were also getting hits and hook ups.
Report courtesy of The Palm Beach Post
INSHORE- The snook bite inshore improved a bit this week. It isn't full on springtime feeding frenzy yet; but the snook are coming back to life a bit (in other words...they will muster up enough energy to take a swipe or two at a topwater plug these days!). It will sound a bit like a broken record but: The Loxahatchee River has been good during the day, while the bridges are holding a fair number of snook at night. The water is still a bit on the cool side, so the snook are not on a heavy all day chew. It's important to fish the best parts of the tide (you need moving water...they don't want to work too hard yet) for the best results. The river has also had a fair number of tarpon around, along with a few jacks. The sheepshead bite slowed down a bit this week, but still a few around for sure. Palm Beach Inlet is holding the big jacks nicely as well right now.
Inshore fishing had its ups and downs during the month of February as we experienced a lot of changes in weather patterns and a lot of inconsistent temperatures. Our inshore fishery starts to kick back up in March as water temperatures start rising, more bait shows up inshore and fish start moving around a little more. If you are looking to target Snook, anglers have been finding them around the bridges pretty consistently on outgoing tides. There have been some shrimp and crabs flowing through with the outgoing tides and the Snook have been feeding on them. A lot of anglers will try to match the small shrimp that we have in our river with either a 2” or 3” artificial shrimp such as a Monster 3x or Thumer Shrimp on a jig head to get the bite. If you are on a boat, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hit up some sea walls with live pilchards or mullet. We have heard about some anglers finding some quality sized fish sunning on the sea walls. There have been plenty of Jack Crevalles as well to tire your arms out! Some Snook have also been caught fishing live baits around docks in the St. Lucie River and around the causeways. As we get into the spring, you can expect to start finding some Tarpon inshore as well.
There have still been Sheepshead hanging out around structure. Live shrimp on a jig head or fiddler crabs when available are a great option for them. Look for them on channel markers, around the causeways and on older docks with a lot of growth on the pilings. There have been a few Black Drum caught around the 10 cent and Roosevelt Bridge fishing the same method.
If you are looking to head up towards the power plant, it is always a good idea to check the crab trap floats and channel markers for some Triple Tail. You will find a variety of species hanging on the channel markers up that way this time of year including Sheepshead, Black Drum, Croakers, Snappers and even some Flounder occasionally.
According to some anglers that consistently wade fish up around Middle Cove on the East Side of the river and County Line Road on the West Side of the River, there have been some reports of Trout caught fishing top water lures, artificial shrimp and live shrimp in the mornings. They have also been running into some Snook as well.
Inshore
With the slightly warmer temperatures the past week, there has been more snook action along the seawalls in the St. Lucie River. They are also being found up by the power plant along the mangroves.
Up by the power plant as well, the trout bite continues for waders. Top water plugs are working good in the early mornings.
Sheepshead, drum and croaker are being found along most structure in the St. Lucie River the past week. The 10-cent bridge has been especially good for croaker.
Along the beaches on Hutchinson Island the pompano bite has been solid the past few days. Still being found out 70 to 90 yards off the beach, they are being caught on Electric Chicken Crab Fishbites and Fishbites in EZ Flea flavor.
There is also a good whiting bite along the beaches and, surprisingly, some bonefish have been caught.
Whatever you're after though, be ready to get it in quick as there have been lots of blacktips cruising the beach ready to steal your potential dinner.
Though areas to the north have seen some really good pompano action this year, the beaches along Jupiter have been a bit slower than previous years. One of the theories is that many fish passed through during the rough weather that made surf casting hard to nearly impossible. Another is that the recently renourised areas of the beach are completely devoid of sand fleas and the fish weren't stopping during their migration south.
Whatever the reason, those fish that passed through heading south will be turning around and heading back north in the next few weeks. Have your gear ready.
At the Jupiter Inlet, anglers are getting good numbers of croaker, whiting and some impressive sheepshead right now.
There are also some bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle being caught along the beaches in Jupiter.
Up into the Loxahatchee River, anglers are finding nice-size schools of jack crevalle with some impressive fish up into the 15-pound range. Medium-size, deep-running plugs are working well. Even though it's a lure typically used in freshwater, trolling a three-quarter ounce Rat L Trap plug can be an excellent way to find those schools and get them biting.
Along with Spanish mackerel, bluefish and jack crevalle, some Palm Beach County Beaches are seeing ladyfish mixed in with them. They are all hitting spoons right now.
There have also been some palometa caught along the beaches in the past few days. They were actually hitting flies intended for bonefish.
At the Boynton Inlet, anglers are have been getting a few sheepshead on live crabs during the incoming tide.
Small mangrove snapper and spots have been hitting shrimp around the jetty pilings.
Fishing the Intracoastal Waterway along the flats both to the north and south of the Boynton Inlet, anglers have been catching a few pompano using quarter-ounce yellow jigs tipped with live shrimp and on sand fleas fished along the edges of the flats.
Though he said it's been a bit slow, Capt. Larry Wright had his clients into 23 bass early Wednesday morning with several five pounders and one seven pounder in the mix.
Working live shiners just inside the outside grassline has been the key the past few days. If going with an artificial bait, speed worms in either watermelon or june bug colors, poppin' frogs, or chatter baits in white and chartreuse have been working.
Though the Tin House Cove area has been a hot spot, everyone seems to know it's the spot and it's been a bit crowded the past week with up to 50 boats at a time working the area.
Report courtesy of The Palm Beach Post
Wayne “Snookman” Landry, our fishing guide, says fishing was slow last weekend due to the winds and the silted-up water, but it has cleaned up a bit with the northeast winds we had Sunday. The water has also warmed up to 73 degrees now from the 68 we had last week. That's a good sign.
At the North jetty: “Fishing has been the same cast of characters: small Spanish mackerel and bluefish being caught on small jigs and silver spoons, and the blues can be caught on any kind of bait, live or dead as they are hungry all the time. Most fish are being caught on the outgoing tide at the tip of the jetty, and the ‘inside’ area drifting the tide with spoons and jigs. Black drum and nice sheepshead are still being caught for those using clams and either live or dead shrimp at the tip also on the outgoing tide, and at the northeast tip area as well. Snook and redfish have been a hit-or-miss deal on live baits at the tip on the outgoing and the incoming tide. Live shrimp, threadfins, pigfish have been the baits of choice for them. Most of the fish have been too big to keep, but several slots have been taken. This time of the year is tough with the water temperatures coming off from being cold and the fish being lethargic due to that, they bite when they feel like it. As the water warms up more and the "spring" mullet start showing up the snook will get into their "pre-spawn" feeding mode and you will see more action on them.”
South jetty: “Small bluefish and Spanish mackerel, using jigs and silver spoons on the outgoing tide. Also, at the tip they are still catching black margates, sand perch and sheepshead on clams and dead shrimp. Incoming along the rock wall is producing small snook and redfish on most live baits with pigfish being the bait of choice here. Also, the bluefish and mackerel can be caught as well throwing to the channel area.”
T-dock area: “Back here is pretty much still the same also, with the bluefish and Spanish mackerel being most of the fish being caught — small jigs and silver spoons are the lures of choice. Sheepshead are being caught around the dock pilings and along the rocky shoreline, both tides on dead shrimp.
Surf area, both sides: “The water is still silted up quite a bit from the surf and the winds, but as it warms up as it has been doing, expect to see more pompano and possibly black drum, especially if it cleans up more. They can be caught on sand fleas and dead shrimp. The blues and Spanish can also still be caught for those throwing spoons in the surf.
