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Sunday, June 23, 2024

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

The conditions are supposed to improve and hopefully get us back on the beach . I’m sure some beaches have changed so be prepared to look at a few before you set up for a days fishing trip. We have am high tides this weekend and a full moon tonight , the 21st . I think we will find better fishing in the beginning of next week as we move away from the moon but I’m going to start looking tomorrow. The hour before high tide to the two hours after was the time frame that proved successful before all of this wind came on and I don’t think that’s going to change . The near shore snook catch and release bite was really starting turn on before it got too rough along with some good numbers of whiting and croaker . Chartreuse Bloodworm and Chartreuse/Shine/Flesh Fishbites tipped with a piece of shrimp was the ticket to success for the whiting and croakers and live croakers fished in the first trough was doing a number on the snook . Look for that to continue and if the bait schools are back moving down the beach the tarpon and big jacks will be showing also . An 8 foot rod with a 5000 or 6000 sized spinning reel should be your tackle choice . Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight !! I hope everyone has a great weekend, good luck and catch em up .P.S. The only location that I know of that has both the Chartreuse Bloodworm and Chartreuse/Shine/Flesh Shrimp Fishbites in our area is the Snook Nook . Tipping with a piece of frozen shrimp will work as well as cut up live shrimp also

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 


The overall bite is improving as the flounder begin to arrive

Without further ado, here we go with the meat and potatoes of the fishing at the inlet. Fishing has picked up somewhat, not fantastic, but good enough to keep you interested and hopeful to catch something. Water clarity has improved on the incoming tides and the beginning of the outgoing tides, and it has warmed up again. This morning the coastal water was around 82 degrees, but should be around 84 degrees this time of year.  As things improve, anglers are catching several different species  throughout the inlet. Here’s the breakdown:  

North jetty: Fishing has been fairly good on the incoming tide, early morning and late afternoon. The summer flounder have made a presence on the beachside of the jetty near the rocks at the surf area, with a few being nabbed on live shrimp fished on the bottom. There were about three or four caught in that area, with one lucky angler catching one about three to four pounds, as displayed above. Nice fat fish! The others I saw were only in the 12 to 14-inch range — and remember that they must be at least 14 inches to keep. The mangrove snappers, some nice lookdowns and black margates were being caught around the pilings and the rocks at the tip. Again, on the incoming tide. There were some catch-and-release snook caught on live shrimp and small croakers. The outgoing tide at the tip has been producing snappers around the rocks. Live shrimp, small greenies and cut bait are the baits for them. There were also a few sheepshead and a couple black drum caught over the weekend on live and dead shrimp at the tip. Blue runnersjack crevalle and catfish round out the menu on the outgoing at the tip. I did see a couple of barracudas on the beachside looking for a free snack. June through August, when the water is warm, is when they will appear. You can fish for them with a tube lure, or a large live bait thrown right at them. Not too good to eat, but really fun to catch! 

South jetty: Over here, pretty much the same deal, incoming tide is the better time to fish. Along the entire rock shoreline, from the tip to the back, anglers are catching mangrove snappers, and catch-and- release snook. Live shrimp, live greenies or cut bait for the snappers, live croakers for the snook. Black margates and sheepshead are also being caught on shrimp and fiddler crabs. The outgoing tide at the tip is all about the jacks, margates, a few snapper, puffers and kitty fish. I haven't heard of any of the flounder over here yet, but that doesn't mean they are not there; just nobody fishing them. The north side has been better due to the cleaner water over there. 

T-Dock area: Back here, the fishing has really picked up quite well! There are a lot of the small greenies and tiny minnows all around the dock, and that has attracted the predators: mangrove snappers, mutton snappers, schoolmaster snappers, all of which are mostly too small to keep, but some do make the grade to be kept, just have to keep trying. Also, around I saw the commercial cast netting guys catching a lot of sand perch and black drum. Both can be caught on small hooks and cut shrimp. The best species being caught back here are the Spanish mackerel — live greenies either freelined, or fished on a small float is getting the job done. Most I saw caught were in the 14 to 16-inch range, nice fish! And as always, the pesky puffers are always biting. 

Surf Area, both sides: I haven't heard much from the surf anglers; the tide has been low for most of the day all last week, so few are out fishing it. Being the time of year it is, when you do go to the surf, look for schools of bait fish. If you find some, either cast net if they are mullet or fish them; if you find glass minnows, fish them with a medium-sized swim bait, or if you do have live mullet, toss them out. The possibilities of hooking something are good. This time of year, we have the sharks, tarpon, snook, redfish, big jacks, and quite possibly a cobia that are running up and down the beach. You never know what you might hook. 

From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach



 INSHORE-  Catch and release snook fishing remains the best bet inshore.  Best action on the snook will be in and around the inlets (both Palm Beach and Jupiter).   At night the bridges close to the inlets will be holding snook.  The top of the outgoing tide will likely be the best bet for the snook.  With a full moon Friday night, the snook will no doubt have spawning on their minds. It's a great time of year to catch a monster snook.  Just a reminder take care of those big girls; they are carrying around our future snook population.  A few more mangrove snapper reports coming in.  Hopefully a little weather this week helped push a few more mangroves inshore.    


SURF/PIER- The Juno Beach Pier has been fairly productive this week.  Catch and release snook fishing continues to improve on a near daily basis.  The best snook bite has been late in the afternoon.  Depending on the day the snook have been eating either sand perch and croakers, or they have been floating in the pilchard schools.  With a fair amount of small pilchards around the pier is also holding a few jacks, occasional tarpon, blue runners, and bonita.  A live pilchard on flatline could produce bites from any of the above.  It's about time for a few more mangrove snapper to start showing up at the pier as well.  Croaker bite has been decent again this week.  Small pieces of fresh shrimp is the best bet for the croakers.   

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Do You See What I See


 I've had quite a few pairs of glasses By Far This       Has Been My Favorite Brand.........

                         Made here in Florida

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

Lots of bites this morning as the picture attached to this post was taken at the Snook Nook just before the filleting began . Catch was dominated by croakers but the whiting did show in the first trough as we were getting ready to leave . That’s been the pattern the past couple of days. Find a beach with a defined near shore trough and the whiting have been holding there . The majority of the croakers today were 30 to 40 yards off . Both of the Fishbites from my previous post got it done again this morning, Green Bloodworm and the new Chartreuse, Shine/ Flesh shrimp . . Lots of bait starting to show along the beach also . Get your light rods out and go have some fun . Good luck and catch em up .

Friday, June 7, 2024

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

It’s 6 pm on Friday and if anyone was thinking about hitting the beach this weekend, get your gear ready . I fished the high tide this morning with a family friend and after trying a couple of spots I finally found some croaker, whiting , and thread fins that felt like biting . After loading up at Beaches like Glasscock and Stuart last week the body of fish that had setup at a few of those accesses had moved on . The wind event from last weekend has once again changed the first trough structure at numerous locations . Last week at Glasscock because of the sand that had moved in and filled in the trough you had to cast 30 to 50 yards from the beach to get any bites . Today a few of the beaches in the Jensen Beach area have a well defined drop off 5 to 10 yards from the Surfline and that’s where most of the bites came from until the tide started dropping. As it dropped longer casts were needed to keep locating the schools . I got an opportunity to use Fishbites brand new bait today, the Chartreuse/Shine/Flesh Shrimp bait . Fishbites has come up with another winner . The water was a bit murky and with the silver flecks that have been added to this great new bait I am sure it made a difference in attracting these fish . Snook Nook just got their initial shipment so stop by and give it a try . The Green Bloodworm and now this new bait will be in my bag this entire summer season . The conditions look pretty good right into next week and a morning high tide will be your targeted fishing time . I hope everyone has a great weekend and go catch a Hutchinson Island Fish Fry !! Good luck and catch em up .

Sebastian Inlet Report with The Snookman

 


Fickle fishing conditions with the close of snook season

“Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics! The weather sure was good, but not so much the fishing, again. As you should know by now, the conditions and the fishing at the inlet can change very drastically from day to day, as it did this past week/weekend. Last week, from Tuesday through Thursday, the snook bite on the north jetty on the incoming tide on live shrimp was really good, with quite a lot of fish being hooked, but most were lost due to breakoffs and the ever-present and hungry goliath groupers. I did see a few nice slot fish caught and kept but several undersized fish had to be tossed back.

Conditions during that period were good: clean, warm water (83 to 84 degrees, which snook prefer, and light winds). Then came Friday, the last day to keep a snook, and it all changed for the worse! ENE winds began blowing at 15 to 25 mph, the seas picked up, and the sargassum weed along with the ‘snot weed’ increased and made it difficult to fish. Water clarity disappeared and cooled down to 80 degrees. I only saw three or four snook hooked that day, early into the tide with only two landed that were too small to keep. In contrast, earlier in the week, at least 20 to 25 fish were hooked daily.  Around the rest of the inlet, baitfish are showing up; small greenies were caught on sabiki rigs and cast nets on the north jetty, along with finger mullet that are still around. The mojarras are still hard to come by; they are around, but you have to work for them. Remember, snook season is closed until September 1. It’s catch-and-release only (along with redfish). 

Here's the breakdown:

North jetty: Before the water clarity and temperature dropped, the mangrove snapper bite was turned on, and about a month early! Last week,  I saw many nice ones caught around the rocks and pilings on both tides. They’re generally small when they arrive, but these fish were in the 11 to 12-inch range! Pretty nice fish. Live shrimp and small greenies and cut baits are getting the bite. I saw a few mutton snappers caught, but too small to keep. They must be 18 inches. Anglers were also catching cubera snappers. Live mullet and chunk baits fished around the rock pile and pilings just might get you hooked up with one. Most of them being hooked have been lost to the rocks, as they are a pretty tough fish to get them out of the rocks where they hang out.

This time of the year when we have cleaner and warmer water, look for permit and the tarpon. Last week while I was down fishing I saw many tarpon heading out of the inlet and heading north up the beach. Most of the fish I saw were in the 30 to 50-pound range, but a couple of times I saw a few that would be over the 100-pound range. Redfish are a possibility also this time of the year on the outgoing as the small, silver dollar-sized blue crabs are coming out of the inlet, and they along with the permit are feeding on them. 

South jetty: Last week the snook bite was also impressive until Friday, when conditions declined similar to the north side did. The wind blew all the muddy water and weeds over here as well. Small croakers were the baits of choice on this side. Most of the fish were caught on the incoming tide and were undersized, but I did see when one of my friends and his group of 3 anglers have their 3 slot fish in the 29 inch range. Also, mangroves are around as well, and again they are on the 11 to 12-inch range. Same baits for the bite: live bait and cut baits are working. On the outgoing tide at the tip, they are catching black margates, blue runners, small jacks and an occasional pompano or two when the water is clean, along with the ever-present catfish and puffers

T-dock: The snappers are around the dock pilings and being caught on small live baits, and cut baits like shrimp and greenies. Most are smaller than what is being caught on the jetties. Mangroves, muttons and lane snapper are the species being caught. For those fishing with large silver spoons and the bigger bucktails, there are quite a few large jack crevalles in the channel area follow the schools of finger mullet in and out of the inlet. Small greenies are showing up around the dock, but it hasn't attracted any Spanish mackerel yet. 

 Surf Area, both sides: The surf has largely been blown out — rough and dirty due to the ENE 15-25 mph winds that persisted all weekend. Nobody fishing the beaches around the inlet, so no report on that this week. 

That's it for this week’s installment of ‘what's happening at the inlet.’ Expect calmer winds this week and, hopefully, clearer and warmer water to turn the bite back on! You never know unless you get out there and try. Have a great week.” — Snookman.


From Todd @ Juno Bait Crew-Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Catch and release snook fishing remains good inshore.  The snook are getting into spawning mode; which has them headed towards the inlet and beach.  The snook will stop off at bridges and seawalls along the way.  Look for the snook to feed best on the top of the outgoing tide.  During the day the snook will be laid up under boat docks and along seawalls with some current.  A live mullet is a top bait choice for the snook during the day.  At night the snook are biting flair hawks and swimbaits well.  The tarpon have been hanging around Palm Beach Inlet in fair numbers.  A live shrimp is a top bait choice for the tarpon.  Other inshore action is a bit spotty.  The warmer weather should help get the mangrove snapper biting, though reports have been a bit slow on them this week.  A few scattered sand perch biting in the ICW.     


SURF/PIER-  A little slow overall on the beach and pier this week.  Catch and release snook fishing remains fair to good.  The Juno Beach Pier has been holding a bit more bait and that will get the snook more and more fired up.  Look for the snook to bite best early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  The tarpon have been pushing up the beach in good numbers.  Typically it's easiest to find the tarpon early in the morning in calm conditions.  A live pilchard or sardine is top bait choice for the tarpon.  If they are in the feeding mood a well presented fly or swimming plug will also get some bites.  A few scattered
 kingfish bites late in the afternoon at the Juno Beach Pier this week.  A good number of blue runners around this week.  Decent croaker fishing later in the afternoons as well this week.  Pieces of fresh shrimp is top bait choice for the croaker.