Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

Tarpon time for Treasure Coast when June comes along on the calendar

 Memorial Day is behind us which means we're entering the prime time of the year for tarpon fishing along our beaches. The fish will be moving mostly south to north following schools of bait like greenies, pogies, sardines and pilchards.

Look for schools of 15-100 fish moving in 20 feet of water. Instead of tarpon, you might see jack crevalles in schools of 30-75 fish tightly grouped in spawning aggregations or daisy chaining in circles.

For either, anglers can toss flies, live bait or even artificial shrimp to get hooked up. Be courteous to other anglers and boats. If you see a boat casting to a school, move up the shoreline another half mile. There will probably be another school there.

Moving a little deeper should put anglers in the zone for bonito, kingfish and sharks and maybe even an occasional cobia. Snapper fishing will continue to be steady. Snook closes for harvest June 1, don't forget. And gag grouper season is short this year — June 15 is the harvest closing date. Red snapper? No dates for Atlantic have been announced yet.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

• Gag grouper: Recreational harvest in Atlantic waters will be open May 1 through June 15, 2024. Harvest will then close for gag grouper from June 16 through May 1, 2025.
• Other grouper: Harvest opens May 1 in Atlantic waters. Includes red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1, 2025.
• Snook: Harvest open through May 31 on Atlantic coast. Harvest closed June 1-August 31.
• Spotted seatrout: Harvest opened Jan. 1. Harvest closed Nov. 1-Dec. 31.
• Cobia: Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length. No closed season.
• 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.
• Flounder: Harvest opened Dec. 1, 2023. Harvest closed Oct. 15-Nov. 30.

• Indian River County

  Inshore: Snook fishing is very good from the bridges in Vero Beach, along the mangrove shorelines, around the spoil islands in Grant and Wabasso and near the inlet at Sebastian Inlet. Use live sardines or croaker, or swim baits to get bites.

• Freshwater: The best bass fishing has been at Headwaters Lake. It's been slow at Blue Cypress Lake and Garcia. Jigs and spinnerbaits work well, or wild shiners, circle hooks are mandatory. Reminder that the boat ramp at Headwaters Lake will be closed to all boaters from June 10 to June 20 for minor repairs, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District.

• St. Lucie County

• Inshore: Tarpon are starting to show around the Boils down the beach, around the mouth of the Fort Pierce Inlet and inshore as far as the Turning Basin chasing bait. In about a month, look for those tarpon in Big Mud Creek near the power plant. Snook season harvest ends June 1 and which is Saturday and will remain closed until Sept. 1.

  Surf: Capt. Paul Sperco of Capt. Paul's Surf Rigs in Port St. Lucie said the croaker bite was excellent over the holiday weekend with plenty of whiting mixed in. The key was westerly winds which helped blow the sargassum seaweed out. Cast to 30-40 yards with Fishbites bloodworm flavor in the green tipped with shrimp he said.

  Martin County

• Inshore: There has been good snook fishing throughout the lagoon and river system. Some snapper, drum and sheepshead, too. No discharges are helping the river recover, but there is always a cumulative degradation, don't forget.

  Lake Okeechobee

  Good bass fishing along Observation Shoal, around Harney Pond Canal, Sportsman's and in the Monkey Box. Try live crickets or red worms along Horse Island and Pearce Canal to get bites from bluegill and shellcracker.

  Ed Killer writes about fishing for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach

INSHORE- Quick Reminder, Snook season wraps up on Friday (Closes June 1st at midnight).  Snook fishing remains the best bet inshore right now, with a decent variety of methods all being viable options for the snook.  Still a good number of snook holding on seawalls and under boat docks during the day, and for the most part are ready to jump on a live mullet.  Bridges continue to hold a good number of snook at night.  Top of the outgoing tide is the best bet for snook on the bridge.  Jupiter and Lake Worth Inlets are starting to hold a decent number of snook as well.  Lots of options to try and catch one right now.  Mixed in with the snook have been a few jacks, and an occasional tarpon.  A few mangrove snapper have been hanging around the bridges as well.  Live shrimp and small pilchards are a great bait option for the mangroves.  

SURF/PIER- Snook fishing improved at the Juno Beach Pier this week.  It's not red hot yet, but they are starting to pod up.  Early morning and late afternoon are the best bet for the snook.  Randomly, live shrimp has been one of the top producing baits for the snook.  Other action at the pier and on the beach has been a bit slow.  A fair number of croakers and sand perch around.  Small pieces of fresh shrimp is the bait of choice.  Tarpon have been cruising north along the beach in some good pods.  Some wind and rough surf headed into the weekend will likely shake things up on the beach a good bit this weekend.

Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 Summertime Snook fishing has kicked off for us here on the Treasure Coast! As a reminder Snook season just closed in our area and will reopen again on September 1st. June provides us with some of the best Snook fishing of the year. Not only do we see a lot of fish caught, we see a lot of trophy sized Snook caught. If you’re looking to knock a 40” Snook off your bucket list, you’ve got a good shot at it! Please remember to handle these breeder Snook with care as they will be providing us with our Snook population for years to come. Fishing circle hooks, limiting their time out of the water along with reviving them if necessary are all crucial to a strong release of the fish. We will see a lot of fish moving towards the inlet and  schools heading outside the inlet to spawn on the beaches and on some of the nearshore wrecks and reefs. The Snook bite really slowed down for us around the May full moon, but fired back up shortly after the full moon. Keep in mind that the water temperatures are heating up with the summer heat we have had so if you are planning on Snook fishing in the heat of the day, you will want to focus on areas with deeper water and moving current as they will tend to favor those areas to stay cool. If you are fishing live baits, Croakers will be one of your best bets for Snook, we’ve had a steady supply of them here at the shop and will try to have them here every day this summer. Live Pilchards, Threadfins and Mullet are also solid options. 

For our anglers fishing from the boat, areas in and around the inlet have been quite productive. Schools of fish have been spotted at Hole in the Wall, the south side detached jetty and along the north side jetty rocks. Don’t be afraid to head outside the inlet and run the beach either north or south to look for schools, when the water is clear it makes for some great sight fishing opportunities. As mentioned previously, you can also find schools of Snook this time of year at local wrecks such as Bull Shark Barge. The causeways have been holding a good amount of fish too for those fishing the fenders and the concrete blocks underneath the causeways. Bouncing around docks can be productive as well, but you will want to focus on docks with deeper water and steady current, fishing docks with sport fish boats or larger center console boats typically will hold some fish as they will have your deeper water. If you want to head out in the evening or at night, dock light fishing can be really good this time of year as a lot of the fish that stay in the river will be more inclined to feed at night in the lights when it cools down. 

For our land based anglers, the Jensen Causeway, Ft. Pierce Inlet, Indian Riverside Park and the beaches have all been solid choices. If you’re heading to Jensen Causeway, the night and evening Snook bite has been more productive than during the daytime. During the outgoing tide there have been a few crabs and shrimp that have been passing through that the fish will key in on. You can freeline live shrimp or crabs when they pass through to match what the Snook are feeding on. You can also fish artificial shrimp or paddle tails and focus on the shadow lines. Dropping live Croakers down will give you a good shot at getting bit too! If you’re heading to Ft. Pierce Inlet, live Croakers once again will be a great option as the Snook will typically be sitting on the bottom and the Croakers naturally will swim down to their zone, you may need to add a little weight for when the current starts picking up if you are fishing the river side of the jetty, but if you are fishing the beach side, you should be in good shape just free lining them. Live pilchards will also work if you see some bait schools around. Indian Riverside Park is typically going to be a morning bite this time of year, Pilchards and Croakers around the dock will typically lead to some success when the fish are around. The beach can provide some fun Snook fishing during the summer. You can fish artificials such as white paddle tails, Yozuri Crystal Minnows or Rapala X-Raps or twitch baits in the morning before the sun gets high and in the evenings to cover a lot of water. When the sun gets higher in the sky, they will tend to prefer a live bait. There’s been a decent amount of bait on the beaches here lately, you can bring a sabiki or cast net to have handy when a bait school passes by to catch the Pilchards that have been around. You can simply put that Pilchard on a hook and free line it up in the first trough. If you are Whiting or Croaker fishing and catch a smaller one, you can go ahead and free line them as well to give you a shot at a big one! 

Tarpon fishing has been improving for us here as well! There have been Tarpon around Stuart Causeway in the mornings as well as at both the Stuart and Jensen Causeways on the outgoing tides. Fishing live mullets or crabs around the bridges will give you a good shot at one of them when they are around. There have also been Tarpon inshore up by the power plant and cruising the beaches, bigger live mullet will typically be your best bet in those situations. 

We typically get some nice sized Mangrove Snapper inshore during the summer. Look for them around structures like bridges or docks. You will typically need to weed through a lot of the smaller ones if you are fishing with live or dead shrimp, but if you put your time in you should be able to find a few for the cooler. Fishing with a small pilchard, pinfish or mullet with the tail clipped on a jighead or knocker rig can also help you weed through some of the smaller fish and find the bigger ones that are able to eat a bigger bait. 

Surf Fishing Report 

Our Pompano fishing has pretty much come to a close off our beaches, you still may pick one off but the majority of them have migrated out of our area and will be back in the winter. The good news is the summer Whiting and Croaker fishing is really starting to heat up and it can be fun for the whole family! If you want to target them, you will want to focus more on the high tide window more than the morning bite. Fishing the incoming tide, two hours before the high tide has been the most productive window. These fish will all be caught pretty close to shore in the first trough, sometimes even right off the beach. If you aren’t getting bites in close, you can cast out 30-40 yards to see if the schools are out a little further. Fishing a whiting/croaker double hook rig with either pieces of shrimp or FishBites will be the most effective way to catch them. The hot FishBites flavors have been both chartreuse or red bloodworm as well as pink and orange shrimp. You can also target them by casting a small feather jig tipped with shrimp or a piece of FishBites which can be a lot of fun on light tackle. Sight fishing them with a jig can also be pretty cool on calm clean water days. As mentioned in the inshore section, the Snook have begun showing up on the beach. If you’re fishing for Whiting and Croakers and you catch a smaller one, you can free line it for a chance at a big Snook. It is also never a bad idea to bring an extra rod rigged with a sabiki as there have been schools of pilchards and threadfins moving down the beach, just like with the smaller Whiting or Croaker, if you catch them you can flip them back out in the first trough free lined for a shot at some Snook. Fishing artificials like white paddle tails, jerkbaits such as a Yozuri Crystal Minnow or Rapala X-Rap or twitch baits in the mornings and evenings can be productive for Snook as well. We’ve begun to see some Tarpon cruising the beach in the mornings too. Fishing big live mullets or larger swimbaits are both effective strategies if you see them rolling.  

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

I’ve been trying to get some decent days where the croaker and whiting start showing in decent numbers . I had my nephew Tony planning to come down from St Augustine and fish yesterday but based on what the conditions and lack of fish were at midweek I told him to take a pass . I made the wrong decision for him as the wind shifted to SW late Friday night and pushed the sargassum back off of the beach . I fished with Deb and family friend Sandy and proceeded to fill the cooler with the croaker and whiting . The croakers dominated the catch but we did put some whiting in the cooler too. Based on the activity I am going to start booking charters starting June 1 . This is really fun fishing with light tackle and anyone can do it . The times of the trips will be dictated by the high tide cycles because that’s when these fish bite the best . The bait of choice on Saturday was the light green Bloodworm Fishbites tipped with a small piece of shrimp. We fished right in our backyard here in Jensen Beach but I also made a short stop up by Ft Pierce early in the morning and caught some there too. As the tide drops the fish will start moving out of that near shore trough but we were still catching them 3 hours after the high tide mark but we had to cast 30 to 40 yards to reach them instead of fishing the first trough 5 to 10 yards off . The end result is bending the rods and going home with some of the best table fare our Florida beaches offer . I will be reaching out to the folks who have already contacted me concerning a charter and anyone else that might like to book a trip please call me at 609 903 8243 . I am going to do a couple of posts in the very near future about tackle, baits, and techniques on catching fish on our beaches this summer.

From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach

INSHORE-  Snook fishing continues to improve inshore.  Stable warm weather will only make the snook fishing better and better.  Lowlight periods and nighttime will be the best for the snook.  For best luck work on fishing the tide (can be incoming or outgoing, it just needs to be moving).  Snook have been on the bridges at night, and laid up under boat docks and seawalls during the day.  A live mullet is top bait choice during the day.  At night the snook are biting Flair Hawk Jigs and bigger swimbaits well.  Beyond the snook, inshore fishing has been a bit on the slower side.  A few mangroves around the bridges, but not in huge numbers yet.  Small live pilchards and live shrimp are the bait of choice for the snapper.     

SURF/PIER-  A bit slower along the beach this week; with the last of the pompano action all but coming to a screeching halt.  South winds will just keep pushing the last of the pomps north.  If you're trying to get the last of the late late season pomps it will be best to head north.  The continuing warm stable weather has the snook biting better and better.  The snook aren't stacked on the beach yet; but numbers are improving.  The Juno Beach Pier snook bite continues to improve; both in numbers and size.  The pier snook have been varying their diet these days: One day it's shrimp, the next it's mullet, and the following day they only want mullet.  It's snook fishing...Be prepared to be frustrated!  Best bite (for the most part) on the snook will be early morning and late afternoon.  A few jacks (including some big boys) cruising the beach still.  Tarpon continue to push north along the beach in decent numbers.  For the most part it's easiest to find the tarpon moving first thing in the morning.  Blue runners have invaded the pier in decent numbers.  No big numbers, but a few kings still cruising around the pier in the afternoon.  Croaker bite has been decent in the first trough.  Small pieces of fresh shrimp are the bait of choice. 

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 

The water is heating up and so is the fishing! Pompano, jacks, blue runners, snook.....

“Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing friends. I hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful, hot weekend. The weather was great for the beaches and fishing. Here is this week's report. The fishing has picked up a bit over the weekend, the water has also cleaned up quite a bit and warmed up to near seasonal temperatures. It was 78 on Sunday but 77 on this Monday morning. It should be in the lower 80s this time of year. The other good thing I saw over the weekend was the presence of a lot of baitfish, mullet and threadfins around the north and south jetties. The mojarras have been tough to find. For the most part, though, fishing was pretty good on both sides of the inlet. Here's your breakdown of the hotspots: 

North jetty: Most of the action here has been on the high tide cycle of the day. Quite a variety of species were caught over the weekend. On the beachside of the north jetty I saw some nice pompano and a couple of whiting caught on fresh dead shrimp, along with plenty of blue runners and jack crevalle. On the inside of the jetty over the rock pile at the tip using large live shrimp, a few snook were hooked up with only a couple being landed. They either were broken off or big daddy G ate them! The goliath groupers were hungry for snook this weekend! I only heard of one slot snook caught all weekend. Around the pilings on the inside they were catching some small black margates, a couple of small mangrove snappers, and a couple sheepshead as well. Another species that were caught over the weekend were some nice catch-and-release redfish all along the shoreline from the gate at the jetty back to the bridge. Live croakers and shrimp were the baits of choice for them. At the tip on the outgoing it was mostly small blues, jacks and catfish, with maybe a snook or two hooked up and lost. Most were fishing either live shrimp, mullet or small croakers. That's pretty much it for this area, it was fishy, but just not up to what it should be yet. 

South jetty: Incoming tide has been the better time to fish. Plenty of small undersized snook being caught all along the inside of the rock shoreline on small live croakers. Saw quite a few caught, but most were too small to keep. Redfish were also present in the area and tide. At the tip and beach side on Sunday the water was pretty clean for a change and they had caught a few nice pompano and whiting on cut shrimp. Incoming tide and the outgoing tide produced. The outgoing tide also produced plenty of blue runners, black margates and jacks just to keep things interesting on the outgoing tide.

 

T-dock area: It has still been slow here, but on the incoming tide when the water is clearer, anglers are catching a few snook using either live mojarra, or croakers. On the dock around the pilings, like I mentioned last week, the small mangrove snappers are beginning to appear. Most are too small to be kept, but they are around. Small live or dead greenies and shrimp will entice them. Incoming or outgoing tide will work. And as always, pesky puffers are ever-present and hungry. For those tossing jigs and silver spoons to the channel area, big jack crevalle are playing around, chasing the schools of mullet in the inlet. 

Surf area, both sides: On the south side of the jetty — the beach all the way down to the ‘day use’ area with the paved parking and rest rooms — look for pompano, whiting and pesky catfish. The water has been pretty clean, but that is expected to change in the next couple days due to brisk SSE winds picking up. Live sand fleas, and shrimp, either live or dead were getting the bites. To the north — the north parking lot in the park and the area just north — also has been producing pompano and whiting, same baits, shrimp or live sandfleas. Also, a couple guys I chatted with said they found some nice snook on the beach when they found schools of mullet there. Most were too big to keep, but that's a step in the right direction, as this time of the year the snook will cruise the beaches looking for food. Also. when the water warms more, we will see big tarpon running the beaches as well. Any live bait or large swim bait will entice a bite from them! Hang on, that will be fun!

From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach

 INSHORE- Snook fishing remains the best bet inshore right now. Warming weather has them pointed towards the inlets. It’s not spawning time yet; but it’s not far off and the snook will start feeding heavily. Warm weather has the snook’s metabolism creeping up; so bigger baits and lures definitely are coming into play. During the day look for the snook to be laid up along seawalls and under boat docks. Early morning a topwater will play for the snook; while a live mullet is top choice once the sun starts to get up. At night the snook have been biting well around the bridges. A flair hawk jig is a solid choice for the snook right now. A bigger swimbait is also going to be a good choice. Docklights will also be holding a good number of snook (though most of the fish on dock lights tend to be a bit smaller). 

SURF/PIER- Pompano action slowed way down this week; but still a handful of fish hanging on! Sounds like the pompano fishing remains better up to the north of us. A lot of shorts to pick through as well before getting a keeper or two. Snook fishing has improved along the beach and at the Juno Beach Pier this week. Warm conditions, nice looking water, and some bait showing up has the snook popping off halfway decent. A Rapala X-Rap or similar small swimming plug is a good choice for the snook right now along the beach. Still a few good schools of jacks cruising the beach. Blue runners are showing up at the Juno Beach Pier in good numbers (summer is here!). Also starting to get more and more reports of tarpon cruising north along the beach.

Thanks For Reading,
Todd 

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 “Good morning, Sebastian Inlet anglers! I hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was outstanding. But not so much the fishing. To that end, this is a brief report.  It may not be what you wanted to hear, but I tell it like I see it.

Fishing has been mostly slow, largely due to the silted water on the north side and the sandy-muddy water on the south side. That alone will affect the fishing, as well as the lack of finger mullet. Water temperatures along the coast are reaching seasonal temperatures, but haven’t remained here. It was 78 degrees for a few days due to the ESE winds, but as of this morning it dropped to 76.  When the water temperatures quit fluctuating, fishing should improve and remain there.  

North jetty: The hasn’t been much action except for some small blues and jacks being caught on the outgoing tide at the tip on silver spoons or any type of natural bait. No snook. Incoming tide has been notta. The only thing I saw caught over the weekend were a couple small sheepshead, and some spottail pins. No snook, no redfish, or anything else either. Pretty slow. 

South jetty: Here, it is the same. At the tip during outgoing tide, look for small blues and jacks along with a few black margates and blue runners mixed in, but nothing else. The water over here is really muddy from the SSE winds and rough surf. Incoming tide if you can get lucky and have some cleaner water, you just might find a few snook wanting to play, live baits of shrimp and majorras will be the ticket for them. 

T-dock area: Back here I heard that the snook action has picked up a bit on the incoming tide when the water cleans up some. Early evening and into the night on the incoming, and first of the outgoing tide on live mojarras and bucktails or soft plastics, are producing some nice slot fish. Also, around the t-dock pilings since the water has warmed a bit, the small mangrove snappers are starting to show. Most are undersized, but they are around. The outgoing tide is also producing small bluefish and jack crevalles for those tossing spoons and small jigs to the channel area. 

Surf, both sides: The south side is and has been a washout — dirty/sandy from winds and rough surf; not much to be had on this side. On the north side, however, water clarity is better, large due to the long north jetty’s protection of the beach area just north of the jetty. I have received  reports of pompano and whiting caught just north of the inlet. Use cut shrimp, sand fleas and fish bites. Also, there is the possibility of small blues and jacks for those using silver spoons and small jigs/swim baits in the surf. 

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 Finally got back on the beach today and my focus was checking to see if the whiting and croaker were starting to show in the near shore trough . I have had some phone calls from folks wanting to have some fun and put these tasty fish in their coolers . Summertime is definitely Funtime on the beach for anglers of all ages and the end result of a “Hutchinson Island “ fish fry really tops it off . I did manage to put some nice sized whiting in the cooler along with catching and releasing a bunch of palometas , sand perch, and even a nice bonefish . The highlight of the trip was 3 keeper pompano and I actually caught and released another 4 ten inch fish . The biggest pompano of the three was caught on my whiting rig 7 yards from the Surfline . Pink Shrimp Fishbites tipped with a small piece of shrimp caught everyone of my fish . I plan on bringing a couple of long rods with me tomorrow to check the pompano activity but this light rod fishing in that first trough is a lot of fun . The high tide mark is always the key to having a good day so plan on fishing an hour or two before high tide to a couple of hours after . I’m having whiting sliders tonight on Hawaiian rolls and it just doesn’t get any better than that . Look for this bite to get better as we get closer to June . I wish everyone a happy Mothers Day and good luck this week and catch em up

Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 Our late spring Snook fishing has been heating up for anglers in our area! We are beginning to get into the best time of the year for Snook fishing as they prepare for the summer spawn. Not only do we have a chance to catch a good number of fish, this is the time of year where you tend to see a lot of the bigger breeder Snook caught. When you are targeting or catch the breeder fish, please remember to treat them with care when caught as they will be providing us with our future Snook population. Using circle hooks and reducing their time out of the water are helpful to ensure a strong release of the fish. Snook season remains open until June 1st if you are still looking to harvest a slot. A lot of Snook are starting to move around and are starting to stack up around the bridges as they inch their way closer to the inlet. The Jensen Causeway, Stuart Causeway and 10 cent bridge have produced steady action for those Snook fishing. Fishing live Croakers underneath the concrete blocks or along the fenders will give you a good chance at getting bit. We should begin to see better numbers of Snook in and around the inlet in May. There have already been a few fish showing up in that area as Hole in the Wall has been productive as of late. Anglers will find a lot of success live baiting this time of year with either Croakers, Pilchards, Threadfins or Mullet. If you’re looking for live bait, we have had a steady supply of Croakers available at the shop. Bryan and Mike with Stuart Live Bait have also had a steady supply of Pilchards and Threadfins, give them a call or text the day before your trip to reserve your baits, 772-985-0425. There has been some bait scattered throughout the river over the past few weeks if you’re looking to catch your own bait as well. If you are planning on going out for an evening or night trip, the dock lights have been very productive and there have been a few Trout mixed in with the Snook in certain areas. Live Pilchards, live shrimp, small paddle tails or artificial shrimp will be some of your best bait choices if you’re looking to hit the lights. Those fishing by land have found success at the Jensen Causeway, Indian Riverside Park, wading on the east and west side of the river north of the Jensen Causeway also look for the Snook bite to improve at the Ft. Pierce jetty. With the temperatures heating up, if you are planning on fishing in the afternoon or later in the morning on some of our warmer days, try to fish in areas with either deeper water, flowing current or shaded areas as the Snook will head to these areas as the water heats up. If you are looking to fish artificials, mornings, evenings and at night will be your best bet. 

The Pompano fishing at the Jensen Causeway east side relief bridge has been really good throughout the month of April and has once again been the best month of the year for those targeting Pompano inshore. A lot of the Pompano have been caught directly at your feet up to 10ft away from the bridge so be sure to work your jig through that zone. The best action has been on the second half of the incoming tide and throughout the outgoing tide. You’ll definitely want some current flowing as it really slows down during slack tide. The three hottest jigs have been pink with a chartreuse teaser, chartreuse with a pink teaser and chartreuse/pink with a white teaser. 3/8oz and 1/2oz jigs have been the most popular sizes. Some guys have been picking off a few Pompano on the Thumper Shrimp as well. A few fish have been picked off at the Stuart Causeway east side relief bridge as well as off the Sailfish Flats, but the majority of the action has been coming from the Jensen Causeway. Over the past few years April has provided us with the hottest Pompano bite there and that action has carried over into May so we can hope for the same this year. Along with the Pompano, bycatch has consisted of Spanish Mackerel, Croaker, Jacks and lady fish on the Pompano jigs.  

Our Tarpon fishing has been on the slower side so far. We’ve seen a few picked off in some of the deeper channels, there have been some up around the power plant and some in the 30-40lb class around some of the docks in the St. Lucie River. Last year around this time the Tarpon bite was better around the bridges due to crabs flushing through on outgoing tides, but the crabs have been late this year. We’ve heard reports of crabs starting to trickle through the bridges so hopefully the numbers of crabs increase and the Tarpon bite improves.

Those fishing shrimp around structure have been able to stay busy with Triple Tail, Sheepshead, Snappers, Croakers and a variety of other species. 

Surf Fishing Report 

April provided some steady Pompano action off our local beaches. The majority of the action ranged from 60-100yds off the beach and action has been found both in the mornings and in the afternoon. If you are fishing multiple rods, it is always wise to vary your casting distances to see where the fish are feeding that day. Hot baits have been FishBites EZ Flea, Powerlime, Electric Chicken and Flesh/Pink Crab. Anglers have also found success fishing with sand fleas. We are still hearing about schools of fish caught to the south of us which will have to work their way north so we should expect to see a little more Pompano action before the season is over. 

With the Pompano season winding down, we should expect to see the Whiting and Croaker fishing start to improve by the end of the month. It is very important to not overcast when targeting them as most of the time the best action will be found right in the first trough. Pieces of shrimp, shrimp FishBites or bloodworm FishBites are going to be your best bait options for them. Along with the Whiting and Croakers, we should begin seeing some Snook head out to the beach by the end of the month. You will see a lot of anglers will have a spare rod rigged up with a sabiki rig in case any pilchards push through, they will free line the pilchards for the Snook. If you catch a smaller Whiting or Croaker, you can use that for bait as well.

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 

Cooler water lingers but pompano, bluefish, jacks possible

Hope everyone had a fantastic week the weather was marvelous! This week is going to start off a bit breezy at the inlet, but only for Monday and Tuesday with NNE winds 15-25 and possible gust to around 30, and settle back down by Wednesday, so it will be a bit of a chore to fish the north side with the wind swell. I'm hoping that the NNE will bring in some cleaner water like it usually does, and start the pompano and Spanish mackerel back up again. We'll see. 

Fishing at the inlet for has remained slow, hit-or-miss, as always, due to water conditions fluctuating between cool and warm, and clean to silty: This keeps the fish in a state of confusion as to what they should be doing. The water temperature is still 74 to 75 degrees but should be 77 degrees by now. But the NNE winds keep the cooler water around. Onto the fishing as I saw it last week and through the weekend. Last week started off with a decent pompano bite on live shrimp and fish bites on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday the water dirtied up and it went away — same for the Spanish mackerel; Monday and Tuesday saw a nice bite on small white jigs and small greenies, but by Wednesday, that too went away. The rest of the week was pretty slow with only some small bluefish and jack crevalle caught on artificial and cut bait at the tip on the outgoing tide. Not much to say about the incoming tide, except for a few snook  hooked on live baits or lost to the groupers, who will eat anything they can catch, especially snook struggling to escape! Over the weekend, I saw quite a few schools of finger mullet all around the north jetty and back inside the inlet. That's a good sign. We need baitfish to attract the predators. Remember, folks, when cast netting baitfish, please only keep what you need, and return the rest to the water unharmed and as quickly as possible! Our resources are NOT forever, plus it is one of the posted jetty fishing rules. Thank you. Here’s a breakdown by area:

 

North jetty: Fishing was slow on Saturday, but some fish were caught. Early morning incoming tide, there were a couple slot snook caught on live baits, mojarras and live shrimp. Also, a couple catch-and-release redfish, inlet side of the jetty. Ocean side of the jetty on Saturday early and throughout the day, anglers caught a few pompano and whiting on fresh cut dead shrimp, not a lot, but enough to keep an angler interested. Bluefish and jack crevalles kept things interesting throughout the day on the outgoing tide at the tip. Silver spoons and live baits were doing the trick for them. The monster blues are gone, but the ones they were catching were pretty nice, in the 15 to 18-inch range. On Sunday, the water clarity improved and so did the bite. Early incoming tide on the inlet side there were several slot sized snook caught, along with again, a couple nice catch and release redfish, all on live baits, shrimp and mojarras. Ocean side throughout the day they caught some really nice pompano, whiting, and I even saw a few nice black drum caught, more towards the tip of the jetty. Live and dead shrimp were the baits of choice. Outgoing tide was all about the blues and jacks on silver spoons, jigs and cut baits. Plenty of action there for those species. At the tip on the outgoing tide, a couple of the guys were catching a few Spanish mackerel and lookdowns on the tiny white jigs. Along the rock shoreline just west of the gate to the jetty, on Sunday I saw a couple fishing in the area, and they caught a couple blues, a few sand perch, one sheepshead about 14 inches long, a black margate AND a couple mangrove snappers about 11 inches! 

South jetty: On this side the, the action was slower, due again to the dirtier water from the roughed-up surf and intercoastal runoff flowing out the inlet on the outgoing tide. At the tip, it's the same cast of characters — black margates, blue runners, catfish, and maybe a pompano or two if some clean water is present. On the surf side of the jetty close to shore in the pocket, I heard of some small flounder still being caught on small live baits and small plastic swim baits. Most are too small to keep, but every once in a while, there’s a keeper. The incoming tide in the late afternoon has produced snook and redfish catches, live baits of shrimp and mojarras are doing the trick on them. Most of the snook have been too small to keep, but some are slots to be kept. Not much else except for the blues and jacks in the channel area on the incoming for those tossing silver spoons and jigs. No mangroves yet on this side. 

T-Dock Area: Still slow here. Blame dirtier water and absence of small baitfish that are usually around to attract any predators. No bait, no fish. The incoming tide, if the water is a bit clean, you just might get lucky and find a snook or two hanging around on live baits, but it has been slow. For those tossing silver spoons of jigs to the channel area, there is always the possibility for a jack or two, and maybe some blues. 

Surf Area, south side: Cloudy water here. Not much except for a lot of catfish, stingrays and bonnet head sharks being caught. If you find clean water, you might find a few whiting and pompano fishing cut shrimp or sand fleas. 

Surf Area, north side: The water has been a lot cleaner than the south, also it is deeper on this side. The pompano bite has been rather good for the last few days with plenty of fish being caught, along with some really nice whiting. Fish the outside trough with sand fleas, fish bites of fresh dead, or small live shrimp. Bluefish and some Spanish mackerel also are possible in the surf for those fishing silver spoons and small jigs and such. Also, with the finger mullet starting to run down the beaches, be on the lookout for possible snook and tarpon action busting up the schools of bait! If seasonal conditions were here — and they are not — there would be  small schools of tarpon roaming the surf along the coast. Just something to keep in mind. 

That's all I have for this week! Not too bad, but not what it should be for April. Soon enough, we’ll see warm, clean water show up and STAY! Have a great week. Grab your gear, lunch, drinks and sunblock, and go fishing!” — Snookman.

From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Bea

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing continues to improve as the weather warms up.  When it comes to snook fishing (for the most part) the hotter it gets, the better it is.  Warming temps have the snook's metabolism bumped up, and they are jumping on bigger baits better now.  At night a flair hawk or bigger swimbait will be top lure choices for the snook.  Early morning a noisy topwater (like a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil) is  good choice worked along seawalls and around docks; especially in spots with some current on them producing ambush points for the lazy snook.  It's important in any situation to remember snook (and tarpon) are generally very lazy and want to exert as little energy as possible to track down a meal.  In other words use the wind and current to your advantage to easily present baits naturally to a laid up snook.  A little early for the snook to get in the inlets, but they are beginning to head slowly in that direction.  A handful of resident tarpon mixed in with the snook inshore, along with a few jacks as well.  Mangrove snapper action inshore remains fair.  They like the snook, should improve in numbers with warming weather.  Look for the snapper to bite best at night around bridges or boat docks; with the best bite happening on moving water.  Generally speaking the best bite will be on the top of the outgoing tide, but overall moving water is the real key.  

SURF/PIER-  Pompano bite remained pretty good this week; though numbers are beginning to tail off a bit.  Those putting the time in on the beach continue to produce at least a handful of pomps, but limits are becoming a little tougher to come by.  East winds in the forecast this weekend though should help push some of the pompano that maybe moving a little more offshore in closer to the beach.  The usual baits on the beach (Snaffles, clams, FishBites) remain the best choice.  The Juno Beach Pier continues to produce a handful of pomps on the Docs Goofy Jig as well.  Surprisingly enough, still a few late season bluefish around.  The big jacks have thinned out a bit, but still a few schools pushing through.  A GT Ice Cream, diamond jig, or Rapala X-Rap all remain good lure choices.  A few kingfish have showed up at the Pier late in the afternoon.  A Rapala X-Rap or Yo-Zuri Mag Speed is the top lure choice for a shot at a kingfish.  Snook continue to improve in numbers along the beach and at the pier.  A handful of keeper snook have been caught over the past week, with a few comings on live baits and a few on dead sardines.  Sandperch and crackers are biting good in the first trough on small pieces of fresh shrimp.