Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

“ Quality not quantity” describes my pompano fishing on the beach today . Randy and I only managed 2 pompano today but when they hit the scale at New England Seafood the total hit almost 8 lbs . Along with the couple of pompano we put a bunch of big whiting in the cooler and released some jacks and blue runners . The commercial mackerel fleet was evident from St Lucie Inlet to the area above the Jensen traffic circle on A1A all morning . The pompano have a tendency to mix with the mackerel as they move up and down the beach and it was great to see a lot of life along our local beaches . The water color was outstanding from mid South Hutchinson Island south and I did receive a few texts about pompano and whiting being caught at areas in south Martin County . EZFlea Fishbites caught everything today and all of my rods ended up having that as the only bait on the hooks . The west wind pattern is forecast to be with us through the weekend so let’s hope the pompano school up and provide some great action . The whiting were caught on our long rods anywhere from 60 to 90 yards off of the beach . The two pompano bites were indicative of how big pompano take a bait and pull drag . Boy they were fun to catch. We have a couple fronts on the way for New Years weekend and the temperatures are going to get chilly so get the sweatshirts out and get to the beach and have some fun . Pompano , mackerel, bluefish, blue runners, whiting, and jacks should be on everyone’s catch list . EZFLEA Fishbites should be in your tackle bag as that bait was on fire today . I wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy New Year . Good luck and catch em up

We are fast approaching 2024 , where did this year go ? As far as our winter pompano run is concerned the conditions, high winds over extended periods of time and dirty water have been the norm. We always get the December fronts with the winds from the north and east and these factors cool the waters north of us and move the pompano, mackerel, and bluefish into our area . This year it just seems the conditions go on for days and makes for difficult surf fishing conditions. The current forecast is for a wind shift to the west and northwest right through Sunday . It should knock the swell down and allow us to get back to wetting some lines . The good news is there have been some pretty good pompano catches in the river this week so there are fish in the area . It’s a full moon tonight and along with the decreasing swell Sputnik sinkers from the Sinker Guy should be included in your tackle bag to make sure those baits are holding on the bottom. I fished the river on Christmas morning and I think the entire population of ladyfish on the Treasure Coast set up residence at the Jensen Causeway . The first couple you hook are fun to catch but it seemed for every 5 I caught I sacrificed a Goofy jig to ladyfish break offs . I only saw one pompano taken from the folks fishing by me . I’m looking forward to getting back on the beach in the next couple of days and hopefully bending a rod with some pompano and whiting . I hope everyone is having a great holiday season and please be safe as we approach 2024 . On a seminar note I will be the speaker at the Port St Lucie Anglers Club meeting on Thursday January 11 at 7 pm at the Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens . The address is 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd , Port St Lucie . The meeting and seminar is open to the public and starts at 7 pm . The focus of the seminar will be providing some tactics , baits , and techniques on catching pompano from the beach, bridge, and in the river from a boat . This past season has produced a bunch of information and tips on tackle , baits, and techniques that were successful and definitely different from past seasons . I look forward to sharing the info with you and hope to see you there . Have a wonderful New Year and I hope to see you on the 11th . Just one more quick reminder to get your tickets for George Poveromo’s Saltwater Sportsman Magazine National Seminar Series on February 10 at the Civic Center in Port St Lucie . I will have some information and literature to give out about this great event on the 11th .

Fishbites VS Fishgum: What's the difference?

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 

                                                               Thumper Shrimp

INSHORE-  A bit slow inshore this week.  Snook season is closed, but catch and release fishing for them remains pretty good.  We have continued the trend towards smaller baits (DOA Shrimp, Thumper Shrimp, etc) around the bridges at night.  Outgoing tide tends to be the best bet, but some bridges will work well on incoming depending on water conditions.  The real key is you need the water to be moving for best results.  Larger jigs and swimbaits are still going to get bites, they just tend to be fewer and far between.  Starting to see more and more sheepshead around inshore, along with a few black drum.  Boat docks, seawalls, and bridges with barnacle growth and some current will be the best bet for the sheepshead.  Live shrimp is the bait of choice.  A basic fish finder jig or light jighead is the best rig.  

SURF/PIER-  Fairly slow fishing along the beach and at the pier again this week.  A few scattered pompano reports coming in.  For the most part the pier has been more fishable than the beach; but the extra dedicated have picked a few from the sand.  Bright colored Doc's Goofy Jigs (Green was the color choice this week) continue to produce the best results from the pier on the pomps.  A few Spanish Mackerel around the pier.  Crappie jig remain the lure of choice for the Macs.  Bluefish have also been around as well. 

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

 

Florida fishing: Pompano, jacks, ladyfish because wind and waves will keep fishing inshore

Spotted seatrout harvest re-opens Jan. 1

Another weekend of crummy weather just in time for Santa's visit.

Don't expect to find any dolphin or snapper under the tree this Christmas, because few if any anglers will be able to reach the currents where they roam. Spanish mackerel will probably get a break, too, outside the reefs.

Fishing the lagoon in the wind will be the ticket. Drifting with jigs on Sailfish Flats, between Wabasso and Sebastian Inlet, or south of the sewer plant in Fort Pierce may yield a few pompano, jacks and ladyfish during the last hour of incoming and first hour of outgoing tide.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

• Spotted seatrout: Harvest re-opens Jan. 1, 2024.
• Snook: Harvest closed Dec. 15. Catch and release until Feb. 1, 2024.
• Flounder: Harvest re-opened Dec. 1. Size limit: 14 inches. Bag limit: 5 fish per person.
• Gag grouper: Harvest closed for both recreational and commercial 
• sectors on Oct. 23. Re-opens May 1, 2024.
• Lobster: Regular season opened Aug. 6-March 31, 2024. No egg bearers, 3-inch minimum carapace length. Lobster stamp required.
• Alligator: Hunt season opened Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.
• Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1.
• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.
• Redfish: Harvest of redfish has been banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon since Sept. 1, 2022. FWC will reevaluate in the future.

• Indian River County

• Inshore: Sebastian Inlet's north jetty is closed to anglers because of bad weather for the last two weeks. No word on when it will re-open to anglers. Pompano have been in the lagoon running along the Intracoastal Waterway channel. They can be caught from the low bridge on Wabasso Causeway or by drifting in other parts of the lagoon all the way through Vero Beach and bouncing Doc's Goofy Jigs along the bottom.

  Freshwater: Speckled perch fishing is really good right now at Blue Cypress Lake, in the C-54 Canal and at Headwaters. Use 1/32-ounce jigs or 1/16-ounce jigs with or without live minnows to get bites.

• St. Lucie County

• Inshore: Pitch to the end of docks along St. Lucie Village or along Indian River Drive with a live shrimp on a naked jig head to catch a variety of targets: flounder, sheepshead, black drum, croaker and more. Snook, spotted seatrout and redfish, jacks, ladyfish and bluefish will also be caught.

  Surf: Rip currents will be common along all Atlantic Coast beaches in Florida. It may be difficult to fish until after Christmas, when the weather changes.

• Martin County

  Inshore: Pompano have been roaming around the Indian River Lagoon between the channel and the flats to the east south of Stuart Causeway. Boats have reported skipping some as they move through the areas. Other anglers are picking some up using jigs and drifting with the tide.

  Lake Okeechobee

  It's been all about the speckled perch fishing the last two weeks and that should continue. Fish the Kissimmee River, King's Bar, Harney Pond Canal, Pearce Canal and the entrance to Taylor Creek for a good chance to catch specks on small jigs and live minnows.

  report courtesy of Ed Killer  TCPalm's outdoors writer. 

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 

The fishing was lousy but the north jetty has reopened to the public following last weekend's wind and wave monstrosity

“Good morning, fishing fans. This report will be brief and dismal, thanks to the poor weather that lingered throughout the week and into the weekend. High winds and monster waves of 10 to 12 feet shut down access to the north jetty on Thursday. Likewise, access to the south jetty was impossible with the waves washing over the rocks and jetty deck It was very dangerous on both sides. Also, the west side of the north park was closed as well due to the high water level, making fishing from the rock shoreline treacherous. The only place to fish safely was the back of the inlet along the shoreline and the T-dock area.

About the only fish I heard being caught were some nice sheepshead, spot tail pins on sandfleas and cut shrimp.  Prior to the weather moving in and ruining water visibility, it was clean enough on the south jetty: During the early morning incoming tide there were small snook, spotted weakfish and sheepshead caught, but that was Wednesday. Until this weather settles down and the water clears, don't expect too much in a good bite anywhere. With that said, I hope everyone has a great week! Also, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe holiday! It's almost here!” — Snookman.

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

  Fishing started off really well with all sorts of different species caught. The north side of the inlet was again the hot spot,  but the rest of the inlet was kind of dirty and slow. However, the north side was clean until Thursday when the winds switched to SSE, picked up and made it a dirty mess again! Snook, black drum, pompano, whiting, redfish, bluefish, jack crevalle, blue runners and even some sea trout (which are still closed until January 1.) were caught. Weather conditions will deteriorate by Wednesday, with the NNE winds clocking at 20 to 30 mph, and the seas picking up to around 8 to 11 feet. Fighting fish from the jetties could be treacherous, so be careful.

North jetty: Fish are biting on the high tides here. That sandbar on the north side of the jetty  keeps it shallow on the low tide phases. Black drum, pompano redfish and whiting have been caught by anglers using live sandfleas or fresh-cut shrimp on the bottom. Inside the jetty, there have been a few nice keeper snook caught on big live shrimp. Snook season closes Friday (December 15) at midnight. Also, there have been redfish and black drum in the mix, as well. The outgoing tide at the tip has been producing two to three-pound bluefish on silver spoons and cut baits. Blue runners and jack crevalle are in the mix, along with cubera snappers for those fishing big live baits at the base of the rocks at the tip. 

South jetty: Early last week when the water was clearer,  snook and redfish were playing for those fishing live pins and pigs or big live shrimp. Most of the snook were too small to keep, but there were some slots mixed in. Outgoing tide at the tip is still all about the black margates, spot tail pins, blue runners and a few bluefish. Cut baits will do the trick for those species. The flounder bite over here has not produced yet, due to the roughed up and dirty water — plus everyone is still fishing for snook before the season closes on Friday (see above). 

T-dock area: Fish remains slow here. Dirty water and the lack of baitfish have kept the predator fish away. Incoming tide along the shoreline is still producing snook, and catch-and-release redfish for those using live baits. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are possible for those tossing silver spoons and small jigs to the channel area. The flounder bites have largely been from anglers fishing from boats. I did see a few caught over the weekend in the two to three-pound range. Live finger mullet or mud minnows are the baits to use, but they will bite live shrimp as well — as will every other fish in the water.  

Surf area, both sides:  The north surf just north of the jetty was producing decent numbers of pompano, whiting and black drum early last week before the winds and surf picked up, suppressing the action. While the water was calmer and clearer, Spanish mackerel and bluefish were around for those tossing silver spoons into the surf. 

The south surf has been a dirty mess for the most part; it never cleaned up regardless of the tidal direction. So, there wasn’t much happening in this area except for catfish, stingrays and a few sharks to keep things interesting. 

That's it for today. As I stated earlier, fish before Thursday as that's when messy conditions are expected to arrive and remain through the weekend. Stay safe and  be well, everyone." -  Cheers. Snookman.

Snook-Nook Tent Sale "12-16-23"

 

We are still on for the tent sale on Saturday from 8am-6pm! We have taken extra precautions to prepare for whatever Mother Nature wants to send our way and to ensure we will be able to offer the best experience possible!

We have increased the tent size and will have siding walls to keep the rain out and to block the wind so everyone will stay nice and dry underneath the tent. We will have plenty of deals to last all day long, if you aren’t able to make it by 6pm, we will be honoring all deals and promos inside the shop until 8pm. For the free line promos, if you purchase a reel that qualifies for free line, you will be given a ticket that will allow you to come back anytime until January 1st if you don’t want to wait to have your reel spooled.

Parking can be a bit hectic especially right when the sale starts, we have included a parking map with this post to highlight a few alternative locations if the shop parking lot is full. There will be additional parking available directly across the street from the shop in front of the house with the screened in front porch (3596 NE Indian River Dr). There are public parallel spots available alongside NE Pineapple Ave, you can park there and take a short walk down NE Mango Terrace to lead you right to the shop if all other parking is full. Parking in downtown Jensen and at the Jensen Causeway have also been options we’ve seen used in years past. As mentioned earlier, we will have plenty of deals to last the full day and parking typically gets easier as the day goes on.

We’re looking forward to still having a great event and are looking forward to seeing everyone there!

What Do You Give An Angler For The Holidays ""MORE FISHING""

 

Lake Worth Pier Report With Dylan Campbell

 

Lake Worth Pier fishing report: Its that time of year again when there is no bait at the pier under natural circumstances. Yes there are goggle eye but there is no guarantee the school will be in range of the pier. Chumming the normal way for gogs is temporarily effective but they fill up quick. Bugging is slow but doable. Furthermore that brings me to my next point. Chum; Chum brings in ballywho and ballywho brings the mackerel in. It is completely a ghost town at the pier with out chum. Bring chum blocks if you want any modicum of success. Personally I am cheap and make my own chum and use oat flakes from a tractor store as a way to propagate my slick for a few miles. The wind and current actually under most circumstances Working are working well together. In the late afternoon and early morning seem to be the hot points of the day.

Generally nothing happens during the day except a incredible slow bite and Houndfish if you are into that. I imagine when the moon cycle changes a bit day time fishing will get better but for now it is really bad.

*Pompano are incredible random they just seem to come in in a swarm for like 15 minutes always in the shallows. Then disappear for the rest of the day.

*Cobia come in on the bottoms of the rays and sharks and seem to be more frequent on the really nasty days.

When the wind was blowing on shore some freak appearances happened in the afternoon. I hooked up on a large mahi and my hook literally snapped. Broke my heart, anyways. As well as a few blackfin being followed by frigate.

Artificial; When the water is dirty and the winds are good artificial is the way to. When its clear expected to get skunked with the exception of the odd 1lb jack.

Sharks, sharks, sharks: Very strange combination of sharks in terms of circumstances: when the water is clear its mostly black tip and spinner and a odd small bull/lemon(hammerheads appear randomly but not with any consistency to tide or anything)

When the water is dirty, very dirty in fact is when you see a lot of bulls and monsters at that. You will see a odd great white here and there but they don’t seem to stick around for very long just cruising the shallows when the waters is 0 visibility.

The bait bite: None, bring bait from somewhere as or chum a lot for ballywhoo/gogs. I highly recommend crabs if you can get them.(pro tip leave a pinsor on for the puffer fish)

Tldr: Pick a day with good conditions or start chumming.

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing remains good inshore right now.  Water temps haven't fallen much yet; and the snook's metabolism has them biting well.  Coupled with a fair amount of mullet around still: Bigger baits/lures are still in play; but smaller swimbaits and shrimp jigs are also starting to produce good results.  The smaller baits really play well at night around the bridges.  An outgoing tide tends to produce the best results for the snook.  Live mullet has been the top choice for the snook during the day.  Boat docks and seawalls with dark bottom (close to deeper water) and a little bit of tide are the ideal spots to look.  Early morning and late afternoon the snook will still jump on a topwater lure (especially in areas that don't have super heavy boat traffic).  Sheepeshead action has started to improve inshore.  A live shrimp on a jighead is the easiest/most effective tactic.  Boat docks with some depth and good barnacle growth on the pilings is a great spot to start looking for sheepshead.  

SURF/PIER-  Fishing was a bit slow this week at the pier and on the pier; but an ideal weather forecast leading into the weekend should get the fishing back on track.  Early in the week thew water was dirty and it was primarily the dreaded catfish.  As water conditions have started to improve the pompano fishing has picked up drastically; with some good reports from both the pier and the beach.  Bright colored Doc's Goofy Jigs continue to work well from the Pier; while the usual bait assortments (Sandfleas, Clams, FishBites) are all good choices from the beach.  A fair scattering of Spanish Mackerel around.  Sidewinders, Got-Cha Lures, Spoons, Diamond Jigs (Pretty much and smaller faster moving lures) are all good lure choices for the Macs.   From the Juno Beach Pier a white crappie jig is the top lure choice for the Mackerel.  Mixed in with the Spanish Mackerel will be some bluefish and jacks.  The same lures will work for the jacks and bluefish.  A pretty good number of croaker and whiting in the first trough over the past week.  Small pieces of fresh shrimp is the bait of choice.   

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 

Lousy fishing but conditions are expected to improve 

“Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing fans. I hope you all had a great weekend. The report for this week is not a good one, due to the bad weather all last week. Fishing at the inlet was a disaster. The winds and the wave action last week made it treacherous to fish either jetty and the rock shoreline on the north side. The water looked like chocolate milk everywhere! Over the weekend, the winds and the seas calmed down some, but the water is still very dirty, both tides, both sides. It's going to take a few days of tide changes to clean it up any. About the only thing I saw being caught anywhere were the pesky catfish and puffers that love this kind of dirty water! A few small jack crevalle were being caught as well. 

Conditions should improve, according to the coastal surf reports I monitor, with winds being around 10 to 15 mph all week, but shifting all around. Hopefully, the water will clear up. The water temperatures are good for the fishing along the coast at 72 to 74 degrees, but it needs to clean back up. I don't like doing these kinds of reports, 

How to Surf Fish: Learn Surf Fishing from Local Surf Fishing Guides. Pow...

That Time Of Year Again

 

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing remains very good inshore right now.  Still a surprising number of mullet moving around, and the snook are taking advantage!  With temps not falling too much yet the snook's metabolism is till up pretty good and the are still chasing down the bigger baits.  As water temps come down they will begin to switch over to the smaller stuff.  We likely only a few weeks away from shrimp jigs being a reoccurring theme in the reports.  The Loxahatchee River has been holding the best number of snook during the day.  At night the bridge bite has been best, especially on outgoing tide.  Starting to see a few more sheepshead and small black drum showing up inshore.  Live shrimp is the best way to go for them, and can be easily presented on a jighead.  Deeper holes near boat docks and  bridge pilings tend to be good spots to start when looking for them.  

SURF/PIER-  Despite rough conditions and a lot of wind; the water continues to look very very good along the beach.  It's a fishy looking blue color, and looks like we should have fish all over.  Of course that 40mph+ wind blowing straight out of the east provides for a bit of a challenging cast (Morgan told me this morning..."If you could manage to get your popper out there...this weather would have the fish all riled up!"  I'm inclined to believe she's right).  Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and some pompano have all been around this week.  As the wind calms down a bit, look for the fishing to absolutely fire off along the beach and at the Juno Beach Pier.  I know: I said that in last weeks report and the fishing fell out to almost nothing over the weekend; but it looks to good not to go off this weekend.  For the Spanish Mackerel a crappie jig, sidewinder jig, Got-Cha lure, or small swimming plug should all be good choices.  For the bluefish a bigger swimming plug, spoon, or diamond jig will all be good choices.  For the pompano a bright colored Doc's Goofy Jig is the lure of choice.  

Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 Inshore Fishing Report 

Our mullet run is coming to an end here on the Treasure Coast as we are seeing fewer and fewer schools of them inshore. We will begin to transfer into our fall and early winter bite as the water temperatures begin to cool down a bit which can be really good for the fishing. The fish will tend to feed a little bit more and you will get more opportunities at getting on a bite throughout the day with the cooler temperatures. Those looking to target Snook and Tarpon will still have plenty of opportunities and we will begin to see more of our fall/winter species moving our way with each cool front such as Black Drum, Redfish, Sheepshead, Triple Tail, Croaker, Pompano, Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish. 

Snook fishing has still been pretty good for us and as we are greeted with some cooler temperatures, they will begin to be more inclined to go after baits with a slower presentation such as a shrimp. If you are out early before the sun rises fishing the dock lights or out late at the causeway fishing the shadow lines, don’t be afraid to tie on your favorite artificial shrimp and give it a few casts. Thumper Shrimp and Vudu Shrimp have been some of the go to choices lately. Slow rolling paddle tails and fishing jigs will work as well. On the warm days and as the sun gets a bit higher on the cooler days, they will still be willing to feed on live bait with no hesitation such as Pilchards, Pinfish, Croaker, Mullet, etc. A good majority of the Snook have moved away from the inlet and can be found throughout both the Indian and St. Lucie River around structures such as docks, bridges, sea walls and mangroves. There have also been Snook caught by those fishing the flats north of the power plant and the numbers of fish in that area will continue to increase. Snook season is still open all month if you are looking to harvest a slot size fish between 28-32”, the season closes on December 15th. 

If you’re looking to hook into a Tarpon, there have been some north of the Jensen Causeway around Nettles Island, around the Roosevelt Bridge with a few fish still showing up around the Jensen Causeway. Live mullet or crabs will get the job done for you on them! 

A lot of anglers look forward to this time of year for our Sheepshead and Black Drum fishing. The Black Drum bite is starting to heat up around the bridges and at the power lines that go across the river from the power plant. You can fish live shrimp, pieces of shrimp or chunks of crab on a jighead or knocker rig to target them. The Sheepshead will typically be found in some of the same areas that you will find the Black Drum. Look for structure with heavy barnacle growth on them and you will typically find some Sheepshead crunching on those barnacles. The same baits and presentations will work for Sheepshead, but Fiddler Crabs are one of the best baits you can throw at them and we should have a steady supply of them throughout the season. Fishing the channel markers is also a great strategy to catch Sheepshead, Black Drum, Triple Tail, Croakers and more. Bouncing from channel marker to channel marker with a shrimp on a jig head can lead you to a variety of fish to put in the cooler and can be fun for everyone on board. Some channel markers also have debris that has gotten stuck around them such as lost crab traps that make for excellent structure to fish. While you’re checking out the channel markers, don’t be afraid to look at the crab trap buoys to see if you can spot some Triple Tail floating in the current. 

Some Spanish Mackerel have begun showing up around the Jensen Causeway already, anglers have been catching them on small pilchards, shrimp and spoons. We can expect to see more showing up with more cold fronts and you will be able to find them inshore around the bridges and in the inlet. We typically get into our better numbers of Spanish Mackerel towards the end of the month and into December as you will see anglers heading to Pecks Lake to fish the schools of Mackerel there. Similar to the Mackerel, there have been a few Pompano showing up inshore but we will need more fronts to see larger numbers of them in the area. When they do show up, expect to see them caught in the inlet, Sailfish Flats and on the Jensen and Stuart Causeway relief bridges. 

Sebastian Inlet Report with the Snookman

 

Gnarly weather in the forecast, but the weekend was rife with blues, reds, snook, macks and more

"Good morning, fishing friends. I hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was nice both days. To begin, I need to remind everyone, again, that the jetty was built as a navigational aid to assure safe passage for the boaters entering and exiting the inlet. Boaters have the right of way. It is up to you, the angler, to be aware of their presence while fishing the tip of the jetty on the outgoing tide or any tide for that matter. I know it gets hectic out there when the blues and jacks are biting well, but the yelling, swearing and profanity and rude behavior directed at the boaters and any other anglers, will not be tolerated. This kind of behavior could result in you losing your fishing privilege for an extended period of time. Please be courteous to each other out there, and we can all have a great time. Thank you, folks. 

Now for the good stuff. For the most part, last week picked up pretty nicely Monday through Wednesday with a many finger mullet coming down the beach again and filling the inlet, both sides. This, in addition to calmer winds and seas — and the water staying on the cool side —  got the bluefish, jacks, ladyfish and a bunch of jumbo Spanish mackerel turned on and biting! And some snook and redfish. The mullet were so thick again that you could throw a net and not miss, even if the net didn't open. The fish were biting everything you could toss out!

The breakdown:

North jetty: Over the weekend the fishing was pretty good, both days. The finger mullet thinned out, but they were still enough to cast net and attract fish. There was a frenzy of bluefish both days on the outgoing tide at the tip. The blues were biting just about everything you were using! Dead bait, silver spoons, jigs and live bait. Most of the bluefish caught were in the two to four-pound range, with a couple even bigger than that! Usually, we see smaller ones this time of year, but these fish are much bigger than normal. Remember, you can only keep three fish per person per day, with a minimum size of 12 inches to the fork. I also saw anglers catching snook over the weekend on the early morning incoming tide on live shrimp, redfish on mullet and live shrimp, on both tides, black drum on dead and live shrimp, a couple of really nice pompano, and one permit about 30 pounds that was lost at the net!! Cut shrimp for them. The Spanish mackerel were around, but not in the numbers they were in the beginning of the week. Greenies, small jigs and silver spoons attracted a bite from them.

South Jetty: On Saturday morning's incoming high tide there was a good snook bite and nice black drum along with them. Plenty of fish were caught as the water was pretty clean, and they like that. Live shrimp was the ticket for them. The outgoing tide at the tip was all about the black margates and black drum. Live shrimp or cut dead shrimp produced a bite from them. There were also a couple big redfish caught on live finger mullet and shrimp. The bluefish were also making a presence for those tossing silver spoons to the channel area, also some jack crevalle were biting. 

T-Dock:  It’s been slow here. On the incoming tide and the first of the outgoing, there have been  decent Spanish mackerel, along with bluefish caught on small greenies and white or green crappie jigs and silver spoons. For those fishing shrimp, dead or live, I saw undersized mutton snappers caught around the dock pilings. They have to be at least 18 inches overall to keep. The snook and redfish back here has been pretty slow. 

Surf area, both sides: When the water calmed and cleaned up, they were catching some pompano just north of the inlet, along with a few black drum. Also, bluefish and Spanish mackerel if using silver spoons, jigs and live and cut bait. With the presence of schools of finger mullet, snook and redfish are still a possibility. Fish live bait or four to five-inch swim baits for them. South side the bite has been a little slower due to the water dirtying up easier. But they still caught pompano and a few black drum on shrimp, dead or alive. The other species rounding out the bite have been blues, Spanish and catfish. With the water being in the 72 to 73-degree range, it's time for flounder to show up in the beach pocket area, and just south. They can't be kept until December 1, but I'm sure they are around; there just isn't anyone fishing them because you can't keep them. 

30 Days Chasing Florida's Insane Fish Migration (Mullet Run Madness)

Getting Close To That Time Of Year

 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

I did a little traveling around today and started out up by Fort Pierce Inlet in the gray light this morning . The color of the water was less than ideal when the skies lightened and after the second catfish I packed up and headed back towards Jensen Beach . The water was 100 percent better from Herman’s Bay to Stuart . Although I didn’t put any keeper pompano in the cooler I had a great morning catching short pompano, lady fish of all sizes, some nice sized bluefish, 2 small black drum ,and a few jacks . It was definitely great practice for the upcoming pompano season and it’s great to see some life in the water . I definitely went through a lot of bait today as the total catch had to be somewhere around 40 fish . When you are catching doubleheaders of pompano and ladyfish the quantity builds quickly . There were numerous pompano in that 10 inch range so the throwbacks are getting bigger from the size of the ones I caught this past weekend. Electric chicken Crab Fishbites were on fire again today just like the were this past weekend and last year in the beginning the season . Distance was a key today as most of the bites came in the 80 to 100 yard distance . The bigger pompano are coming so get your tackle , bait and equipment ready . Conditions look pretty good for this week and weekend so get out and get your “practice “ in . Good luck and catch ‘‘em up .

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing reports remain good inshore. Windy conditions should have the snook fired up through the weekend.  Look for the morning topwater bite to pop off back in the river, especially early in the morning.  Ambush points, seawalls, and boat docks with some current flowing around them will be the ticket for finding the snook.  A few little tarpon around, along with a few jacks.  Still a fair scattering of finger mullet around, though not in huge numbers.  Finding those small late season pods of finger mullet can lead to some really fast action.  

SURF/PIER-  Conditions have been pretty terrible along the beach and at the Juno Beach Pier this week; with strong winds, rough seas, and dirty water all but shutting the fishing down.  At time of writing it looks like cleaner blue /green water is trying to push back in.  As soon as the water cleans back up a bit, look for the fishing to fire back off.  Early in the week, before conditions went south, the bluefish bite was absolutely on fire.  The blues were chomping topwaters, spoons, and cut bait with reckless abandon along the beach and at the pier.  Pompano, mostly small with a few keepers mixed in, bite was decent as well early in the week.  Look for them to bite well when water conditions improve.  Dirty water has largely pushed the Spanish Mackerel out; but look for them to show back up in good numbers when water conditions improve.  

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

 

There isn't a very favorable marine weather forecast for the weekend. Easterly winds 15-20 mph. Waves 5-7 feet and occasionally 9 feet. This will probably create pretty rough conditions along the shore break, too, making it difficult to fish along the beaches. It's going to be a good weekend to fish inshore and freshwater spots.

Too bad, too. There has been a good bite from Spanish mackerel and bluefish in the surf and near the inlets. Pompano have been scarce, but they're probably coming soon. Fish the lee of the east shoreline of the lagoons this weekend until winds calm a bit and open up more fishing zones.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

• Flounder: Harvest closed Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. Size limit: 14 inches. Bag limit: 5 fish per person.
• Gag grouper: Harvest closes for both recreational and commercial sectors on Oct. 23. Re-opens May 1, 2024.
• Spotted seatrout: Harvest closes November and December in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Harvest reopens Jan. 1.
• Hogfish: Harvest closes from Nov. 1 to April 30, 2024. Season re-opens for harvest May 1, 2024.
• Snook: Harvest opened Sept. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required. Harvest closes Dec. 15.
• Blueline tilefish: Harvest closed Sept. 1 in Atlantic state and federal waters. Season re-opens for harvest May 1, 2024.
• Golden tilefish: Harvest closed July 17. Harvest opens Jan. 1, 2024.
• Lobster: Regular season opened Aug. 6-March 31, 2024. No egg bearers, 3-inch minimum carapace length. Lobster stamp required.
• Alligator: Hunt season opened Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.
• Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1.
• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.
• Redfish: Harvest of redfish has been banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon since Sept. 1, 2022. FWC will reevaluate in the future.
• Dolphin: Bag limit is 5 fish per day per angler. Vessel limit is 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit. These fishing regulations began on May 1, 2022, for state waters.
• Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

• Mosquito Lagoon

  Capt. Jon Lulay of 2 Castaway Charters in Titusville has been steering clients to catches of redfish, black drum, speckled trout, jacks and ladyfish along the lagoon shorelines and around the islands. He is using live shrimp freelined or under popping corks, or having customers sight-cast with jerk baits.

• Surf

  Anglers were finding good action from Spanish mackerel, bluefish, jacks and more during the incoming tides. As the water level rises over the sand bar, fish come over it and will run down the inside of the bars so cast pieces of shrimp, sand fleas or Fishbites there. The weather will force anglers to hold off for a few days, but look for action to resume, maybe with pompano, by Monday or Tuesday.

• Sebastian Inlet

  Jetty anglers have been catching Spanish mackerel and bluefish using spoons or diamond jigs. Boaters drifting live baits during the outgoing tides had shots at snook, redfish, tarpon, big jacks, black drum and sharks. Use caution near the entrance of the inlet the next few days with the wind-driven waves.

• Indian River Lagoon

  Try casting plugs around Fishermen Point, Mangrove Point, Bagger's Point, Bird Island, or the island west of the Canaveral Barge Canal to get bites from speckled trout. The best action is early in the morning at first light. Schools of redfish have been in the No Motor Zone and can be cast to with small crabs or shrimp.

  Freshwater

  Some of the best action has been along the edges for bedding bass. The full moon will have fish moving to the beds to spawn. Use lipless crank baits to get reaction bites.

• Ed Killer covers fishing for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

Sebastian Inlet Report with the Snookman

 

Fine weather for bluefish, redfish, Spanish macs, sheephead, black drum and more

“Snookman” Wayne Landry’s auspicious report for this week:
Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics. I hope everyone enjoyed the fine weather last weekend. Last week, Monday through Wednesday, fishing was awesome! The water was the right color (bluish), relatively clear, water temps were around 78 degrees and everything was biting at the inlet. There were many baitfish as well: finger mullet, greenies and pilchards. I saw all these species being caught: Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, sheepshead, black drum, pompano, redfish, snook, mangrove snapper, small mutton snapper and flounder, (which are closed until December 1. EVERYTHING we can catch at the inlet was being caught. The north side was the hot spot. Then came Thursday and Friday; the water cooled down and we had a green alga bloom, ( which turns the water that funky green color) due to the water temps changing so drastically — from 78 down to around 70 to 72 — and that pretty much shuts everything down until it normalizes again. Did some research on it. Microplankton and the phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide in the air and create chlorophyl which makes them green, turning the water green. A little ocean education for you, in case you ever wondered why it does that. Saturday and Sunday the water cleared and warmed up, and had a bit more blueness to it and fishing picked up a tad, not like it was, but they did catch some fish around the inlet.  The breakdown: 

North jetty: It was hit-or-miss. Saturday and Sunday began slow, but when the tide came in  and the water cleared, snook bit on live shrimp and the small ‘thumper shrimp’ jigs. I saw a lot of snook being caught, but most were on the short side. However, I did see several nice slot fish caught. There were also some nice catch-and-release redfish caught on either live mullet or shrimp. Also, there was a nice Spanish mackerel bite on the beachside of the jetty on live pilchards; they didn't want the small greenies this time. I also saw a couple of mangrove snappers caught, too. Their numbers are dwindling because the water is getting too cool for them. Atlantic spadefish and sheepshead round out the bite on the jetty. 

South jetty: Saturday and Sunday on the incoming tide there was an awesome snook bite mid tide! Lots of fish were being caught on live baits, small croakers and pigfish were the baits of choice. Most of the fish I saw caught were again undersized, but there were plenty of slot fish caught. In watching the guys and gals on Sunday — which was the better day — it was what we old-timers refer to as combat fishing. Stuff was flying everywhere! In 20 minutes, I must have seen 10 to 15 hookups with fish, but most were either lost or were undersized. I didn't see much else caught over here on the incoming tide, no reds or blues; it was all about the snook. Outgoing tide there were some jack crevalle and small bluefish caught on live and cut baits. A couple black margates, which are always around the tip were caught too, along with catfish and puffers. That's pretty much it.  

T-dock: Back here there wasn't much action. There was plenty of bait around the dock, but not much being caught. I did see one undersized mutton snapper and an undersized mangrove caught. Most of the action was the pesky puffers that are always around when the water is dirty. Incoming tide I chatted with a couple of the guys fishing snook, and they said they hadn't even had any bites. The water on the incoming tide was not very conducive to good fishing, despite the plentiful bait.

Surf area, both sides: South side surf fishing over the weekend was  hit-or-miss. If you could find clean water like a couple of my friends did, you could find some action. They were fishing at the state park's day use area just south of the inlet and caught some nice bluefish, Spanish mackerel, a couple of pompano, mangrove snapper and jumped a big tarpon on a live mullet. The other fish were caught using live shrimp. Pretty good morning of fishing I'd say! At the north side you can expect the same thing: some clean water, and you could find some fish biting. Same species. 

The Great Leader Debate Continues...

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE-  Snook fishing remains very good inshore.  Still a fair push of mullet coming through, and the snook are keyed in on them.  Mixed in with the snook should be a few tarpon and big jacks as well.  The snook have been biting well around the bridge at night.  Flair hawks and bigger swimbaits remain the top lure choices.  The top of the outgoing tide remains the best bet, but with dirty water around they will bite on incoming as well.  A few redfish around inshore: Hard to target the redfish, but if you're going to catch redfish in Palm Beach County; now is the time.  

​
SURF/PIER- Rough surf had the surf action slowed down for most of the week.  Still a fair amount of mullet pushing through; but it has slowed way down.  This weekend will likely be the last good push of mullet coming through.  Still a good number of tarpon in the mullet schools along with some bruiser jacks.  Best action will no doubt be first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon.   No pompano reports this week; conditions do look good going into the weekend for them to bite.  Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel have started top show up in little better numbers.     

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla.

Mosquito Lagoon

Snook, trout, redfish, tarpon, black drum and jacks have all been on the catch list in this zone. Use live mullet, live shrimp or jerk baits to get bites either freelined or under a popping cork. Fish
the shorelines of the lagoon or of the islands to have shots a sight fishing opportunities. Fiddler crabs fished around Haulover Canal can catch sheepshead.

Surf

On days where the shorebreak allows people to fish, there have been whiting, jacks and snook, tarpon and sharks in the mullet schools. Look for incoming tides in the coming days to bring pompano and better fishing for whiting inside the sand bars at many beaches.

Sebastian Inlet

Mullet have been pushing south along the beach and cross the mouth of the inlet. As a result, action has been good at the jetties of Sebastian Inlet for tarpon, snook, redfish and black drum with live mullet or croaker on the bottom. Sharks, Spanish mackerel and bluefish can be caught inside the inlet and around the T Dock. The mullet run will be winding down soon, but bluefish, mackerel and pompano will replace them in the coming weeks.

Indian River Lagoon

Water levels have been higher than normal in the lagoon due to king tides. The fish will be pushed up into area where they typically never get to feed, so make casts into mangroves, along shorelines and near the foot of docks. Speckled trout can be caught on topwater lures during low light. Use mullet-patterned lures for best results. Small tarpon, snook, redfish and black drum can be caught around some of the spoil islands.

Freshwater

The St. Johns River system and all of its connecting lakes and water management areas are swollen with September rainfall. Alligator hunting has been difficult because the gators have more room to roam and are ranging far and wide. Bass fishing is best along the edges on topwater frogs and other offerings that look like they got washed in by rains.

• 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.