Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 Inshore Fishing Report 

We’ve been battling some hot summer afternoons as of late, but luckily the inshore bite has been pretty hot as well! Snook, Tarpon and big Jacks have been the main targets inshore. Mornings and evenings have been the most productive as the fish will be moving around and feeding more during these times especially with these hot afternoons. You will still be able to find some fish in the afternoons, you will just want to focus on areas with deeper water and moving current such as the inlet, bridges and deeper docks. For our anglers on boats looking to get in on the summertime Snook action, the inlet has not been quite as productive as it has in years past. The north side of the inlet is not as deep as it used to be due to dredging so the fish have been schooling up in different areas. Areas to look around the inlet include the south side of the inlet, hole in the wall and the nearshore wrecks and reefs as anglers have been finding schools of Snook in those areas. Live Croakers are going to be one of your best bait options along with live Pilchards or Threadfins. You can expect to find more Snook working their way back into the river in August as they return from the summer spawn. Look to fish areas like the causeways as well as docks in the St. Lucie River along Sewalls Point for a good chance at hooking up! For our land based anglers, the Jensen Causeway has been quite productive in the evenings and at night for those Snook fishing. A lot of crabs and shrimp have been passing through so it is best to match your choice of bait to what is flowing through as that is what they have been feeding on there. Artificial shrimp, paddle tails, live shrimp and crabs have been the baits of choice. There have still been plenty of Snook caught on the beaches, fishing white paddle tails, jerk baits and twitchbaits in the mornings and evenings are a great idea. When the sun gets a bit higher, switching over to live baits like Pilchards or Croakers typically will result in a few more fish. It is always a great idea to have a rod rigged with a sabiki or a cast net with you when you hit the beach in case some bait pushes through.

The Tarpon bite has been really productive inshore. A good majority of the action is coming from those fishing the outgoing tides at the Stuart Causeway. A lot of Tarpon have been seen there rolling in the mornings as well. Anglers have also had success in the crossroads once the fish move with the tide away from the bridge. A lot of quality sized fish have been in the mix with several in the 100lb+ class. Live crabs have been the hottest bait choice, you will also have a good shot fishing with live mullet. Those fishing the catwalks under the Jensen Causeway at night have been finding a lot of juvenile Tarpon in the 10-30lb class. Those fish have been primarily feeding on shrimp, crabs and small pilchards. 

If you’re looking for a battle, there have been plenty of big jacks cruising inshore. Look to find them cruising the seawalls and channels. If you see them, toss them a live baitfish, top water lure or popper and hold on! We should begin to see signs of our annual mullet run towards the end of the month so buckle up! 

Surf Fishing Report 

The Whiting and Croaker bite on the beach has still been hot. The majority of the fish have been caught 10-20 yards off the beach. For the best results, you will want to plan on fishing one hour before the high tide mark up until two hours after the high tide mark. That window has seemed to be the trend all summer for these fish. Shrimp and Bloodworm flavored FishBites along with pieces of shrimp have been the best bait choices if you’re looking to get in on the action. A few anglers have been able to pick off some Permit fishing the long rods. If you want to try to hook into one, you will want to focus on beaches with clear clean water, you can use a Pompano rig and crab flavored FishBites to entice a bite from one of those drag screamers! There has been a lot of life on the beaches, schools of glass minnows and schools of small pilchards being fed on by Snook, Jacks, Mackerel and a variety of other species, grab a rod rigged with a spoon, jerkbait or paddle tail and fish around those bait schools to get in on the action. You can expect to still find Snook on the beach throughout August, but those numbers will begin to decrease as we get into September. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope for some big schools of glass minnows to come our way followed by some hungry Tarpon this month!