Inshore Fishing Report
Historically, May is one of the best months for inshore fishing here on the Treasure Coast. As spring is here, we are greeted with warmer water temperatures, usually calmer conditions and bait becoming more abundant. Anglers can expect excellent action in both the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers.
Snook: 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. We have started to see some better Snook fishing around the causeways over the past few weeks with the warmer water. Those fishing live Croakers around the bridge fenders and underneath the concrete pads have been able to stay productive catching slot sized and over slot sized fish. The Croakers will naturally swim towards the bottom which is where you will find the Snook. If the current is moving fast, you can add a larger split shot to help get the bait down and into the strike zone. You may also run into Goliath Groupers and the occasional Gag Grouper as bycatch. Sea walls in both the Indian & St. Lucie River have been productive too. Fishing the sea walls with live mullet or threadfins has yielded anglers with a lot of Snook and some big Jacks. Fishing top waters along the sea walls in the morning and evening can produce some bites too. Those bouncing around the docks in both the St. Lucie and Indian River will generally find their best results with live Pilchards. Live Croakers, Mullet, Pinfish and Threadfins can produce too, but it is tough to beat a nice sized Pilchard. If you are venturing up north to fish the flats, there have been plenty of Snook caught up along the mangroves on the east side of the river. Anglers can throw top waters in the morning and switch over to pitching small paddle tails as the sun gets higher. We should begin to start seeing more Snook start moving around and working their way towards the inlets and beaches towards the end of the month approaching their summer spawn so areas like the jetty and Hole in the Wall should begin to be more productive. Those walking down to the inlet have been able to catch a few Snook already throwing larger paddle tails in the evenings. A few fish have also begun to show up at Hole in the Wall, mainly smaller fish, but the big ones should be coming there soon. Night time anglers have had success fishing dock lights around the river with artificials and live bait.
Trout & Redfish: Having the option to go Trout fishing and produce results consistently has been extremely refreshing for anglers in our area. Trout fishing has remained steady for both those wading and fishing by boat. Those wading have been able to catch them both on the east and west side of the river while those fishing by boat have been focusing more on the flats on the east side of the river. Hot spots have remained to be Little Mud Creek, Middle Cove, Bear Point and the flats around the spoil islands in Ft. Pierce. A few have been picked off the channel markers on the channel edges too. We are starting to see some larger Trout caught over the past few weeks with a good amount of fish caught over 20”. For those targeting Trout, be aware that the regulations have changed in our area. Trout season is open from January 1st to October 31st, anglers may possess two fish between 15”-19”. You may not possess a fish over 19” going forward. Fishing with top waters before the sun gets high then switching over to small paddle tails or MirrOlure MirrOdines have produced consistent results. Those fishing with live shrimp have also been able to catch them with live shrimp on a popping cork. We have started to see a few more Redfish caught in our area too, the best chances for them will also be north of the power plant along the mangroves. Gulp shrimp or small paddle tails will give you a shot at them if you get the chance. The better shots at a Redfish have still been in Ft. Pierce working the mangrove edges around the spoil islands.
Tarpon: We tend to start to see Tarpon making a better appearance here in May. Look to find them around the bridges on the outgoing tides and along the channel edges in between the Jensen and Stuart Causeways. Live crabs if you are able to get them is a great option when the crabs are flushing through with a small float. Larger live mullet or white baits will give you a shot at them too. We tend to start seeing more Tarpon making an appearance on the beaches and in the inlet too and there are always typically a few up by the power plant. If you’re fishing for them at the power plant, a DOA TerrorEyz is a strong choice to throw to them. Those walking to the St. Lucie Inlet have had success catching Tarpon at night on the outgoing tides throwing large swimbaits.
Jacks: Anglers will have plenty of opportunities at big Jacks this time of year as bait becomes more prevalent. Inshore, look to find them cruising the channel edges and looking to blow baits up on the seawalls. Those running the beach have also been able to run into schools of big jacks, toss a popper or topwater into the school and hang on if you find them.
Misc: Those running the crab trap buoys north of the causeway have found a few Triple Tail. Stone Crab season ends on May 2nd so you will see a lot of traps removed from the water. Look to find Triple Tail on the derelict traps that get left out that typically have a lot of growth on them attracting life along with the channel markers. Live shrimp either free lined or on a jig will get you the bite if you run across them. Those fishing the channel markers have also run across Croakers, Sheepshead and Black Drum. Those fishing both the Sailfish Flats and the flats north of the power plant have picked away at a few Pompano. We’ve had a few good pushes of Pompano inshore the past few weeks with the majority of fish caught in and around the inlet. They have been caught by those jigging, fishing Pompano rigs along with live shrimp on a jighead. As we approach the summer we should also begin to start seeing some better sized Mangrove Snapper caught inshore.
Offshore Fishing Report
Surface Fishing: We definitely dealt with a breezy April making it difficult for a lot of boats to get offshore. When conditions permitted, anglers fishing the surface were met with chances at Mahi, Sailfish, Kingfish and Blackfin Tunas. The majority of the Mahis caught have been on the smaller side with some decent gaffers in the mix. We tend to start seeing our bigger Mahis make an appearance in late April and into May. Trolling to find a school of them can be extremely effective, be sure to keep one fish in the water to keep the school around when you do find them. You will see a mixture of boats trolling and fishing live baits by either kite fishing, bump trolling or just drifting this time of year. Look to start your fishing in an area with a condition such as a current rip, color change, temperature change, weedline, floating debris or signs of life such as bait, birds or other marine life. These fish will move around a good bit, they can be caught in numbers one day out deep then the next day in 80’ of water. For those trolling, it is definitely a good idea to run a planer rod, with all the smaller Mahis around you may have an opportunity to find a Wahoo. Finding the right condition is key to your success. With more consistent calmer weather conditions, we should begin to see more bait outside of the inlet. If you don’t want to worry about catching bait, reach out to Bryan or Mike with Stuart Live Bait the day before your trip to reserve your baits at 772-985-0425. They will be on a white Carolina Skiff in the Manatee Pocket right by the Sandsprit Park boat ramp and generally have either Threadfins or Pilchards along with Goggle Eyes.
There has been a decent Sailfish bite for those who have been able to make it out, huge numbers haven’t been put up quite yet but those targeting them have been able to average 2-4 opportunities a trip. The Sailfish bite can get to be pretty good for us in the spring and we expect to see some more fish caught in the coming weeks. Look for them in the same areas as you would be looking for your Mahi. Fish will congregate in those areas with a good condition. There also typically always tends to be a few around the six mile and Loran Tower this time of year in the 70’-110’ range mixed in with the Kingfish. Fishing live baits such as Goggle Eyes or Threadfins on kites will be one of your most effective strategies this time of year for those looking to target Sails. Bump trolling live baits will get you some bites too.
Kingfish are very common for us in May. You will typically find them around the reefs and wrecks with better numbers of fish between 60’-90’. We’ve had some quality sized Kingfish caught recently with several fish weighing in the 50lb class. Fishing live baits or trolling with large spoons or lipped plugs will work for them. You may find them to be a nuisance when targeting other species if you are fishing with monofilament leaders.
The Blackfin Tuna bite has remained productive out at Push Button Hill with a lot of Tunas making it in the boat. If you are going out first thing, you can troll to find your bites as the Tunas will start pushing down as more boats start trolling over them and as the sun gets higher. Trolling feathers or small squid chains should get you a bite. When the fish start pushing down, you can send out some live baits with a lead and stagger them at different depths and wait for a Tuna to find your bait. Don’t be surprised if you have to drop a bait down 200-300’ to get bit. You can also mark the schools of Tunas on your machine and drop jigs to the depths you are marking them at. Kite fishing for the Tunas can be a very effective strategy as your kite will hold your baits over water that you haven’t gone over yet so the fish haven’t had the chance to see your boat and get spooked. If you see them feeding on the surface, throwing a popper at them always makes for a really cool bite and a fun fight. As we get into the summer, we tend to start seeing some Skipjacks and Atlantic Bonito mixed in with the Blackfins out at Pushbutton. We also tend to start seeing Blackfins spread around this time of year, coming in as shallow as 75’. When you do find the Blackfins off of Pushbutton, they tend to all be quality sized fish averaging at least around 20lbs.
Cobia fishing this spring was once again on the slow side for us unfortunately. There were some fish caught, but for the second year in a row now, not like years past and without any real trends. Those running to the boils off the power plant offshore with live crabs have had a really good Permit bite. Fish the crabs on a jig head or free lined. The sharks have been pretty bad up that way so be prepared to reel fast.
Bottom Fishing: Grouper season reopens for us on May 1st! Gag Grouper are legal to harvest starting May 1st-August 2nd which is twice as long as last year’s six week season! Snowy Grouper is open from May 1st-June 30th. Red Grouper, Black Grouper and Scamp Grouper are all open until December 31st. Remember to have a descending device along with a venting tool if you are planning on bottom fishing as they are required. If you need either of these tools we have them available at the shop. Those scouting for Grouper have come back with good reports. Target depths range from 50 to 180 feet, with 120 to 160 feet being particularly productive for those looking to target Gags, Scamps & Reds. Fishing big cut baits, whole squids and larger live baits will weed out a lot of the smaller fish and isolate your catches to mainly Grouper and Amberjacks. You will want to fish heavy tackle to get these fish off the bottom and past the sharks, 80-125lb leader, heavy line, plenty of drag and leads heavy enough to keep your bait pinned to the bottom will help find the result that you are looking for. Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight when targeting Grouper! Methods such as slow pitch jigging can also be extremely effective. If you’re looking to target Snowy Grouper or Yellowedges, look for ledges out at Pushbutton and deeper and fire a deep drop rig down with whole squids to see if you can get one to cooperate.
The Mutton Snapper fishing has really started to pick up with some quality sized fish including fish in the 10+lb range making it to the fillet table. Look to find your Muttons on bottom in the 70’-90’ range. If you are targeting Muttons, you will need some current, they really don’t bite well when there is little to no current. If you have a south tide, you will also notice that the Mutton fishing will be very slow. For your Mutton rig, we typically will fish an “improvised three way swivel”. We will take a regular barrel swivel and have that free on your main line, take another barrel swivel, tie your main line to one end and your leader which should typically be 30-40’ in length to the other end and add your preference of hook to the end of the leader. With the free swivel on your main line, take a foot or two of mono, tie it to the end of the swivel that isn’t on your main line and tie a loop at the end to hold a bank sinker of enough weight to hold the bottom. We like to have the lead free like that so when the fish picks your bait up, it doesn’t immediately feel the weight and spit the bait out. For bait, we typically prefer grunt plugs, to make a grunt plug, catch a grunt, cut the head off along with all the fins and tail and put your hook where the tail would be. The grunt plug is a nice hearty bait that will stay on your hook for a while even after all the smaller ‘picker’ fish start picking away at it. Those smaller ‘picker’ fish will create some commotion and kick up some sand which will get the attention of the Muttons and then they will come in to investigate and typically pick the bait up. Larger dead baits such as goggle eyes, butterflied ballyhoo and bonito strips along with live baits can be effective too.
Our Mangrove Snapper bite will continue to improve going into the summer. Fishing live pilchards or sardines are effective live bait choices, you don’t want to use a bait too big to where they can’t eat it. You can catch them on cut bait such as cut sardines and threadfins as well. Those bottom fishing out at Pushbutton have been able to pick away at some Vermillions, Amberjacks and Almaco Jacks.
Surf Fishing Report
We’ve had some pretty good Pompano fishing from the surf to close out the month of April! With the water temperatures warming up a bit, the Pompano will tend to feed a little closer to shore in the 40-70 yard range. Make sure you stagger your casting distances to determine which zone the fish are feeding in as there are days where they will still be more predominant in the 80-100 yard range. If you can’t get out in the morning, the afternoon bite in the spring can also be very productive. Clean light green to light blue water is key for the Pompano. Focusing your fishing around the high tide is a very good idea too. When the water is very clean this time of year, fishing a Pompano rig without the floats can be a very good strategy. For bait, Fishbites Electric Chicken Flea, standard EZ Flea and Pink/Flesh Crab have been the most popular options. Anglers have been using a combination of a sand flea paired with a piece of Fishbites as well as just sand fleas to get their bites too. Those Pompano fishing have been able to hook into a few Permit from the shoreline too.
The Whiting and Croaker bite should begin to pick up for us. You will want to focus your fishing around the high tide mark if you are targeting them. Be sure to not over cast, the majority of the fish will be caught 10-20yds off the beach. Bloodworm Fishbites as well as Shrimp Fishbites tipped with a small piece of shrimp will get you your bites. Expect the Whiting and Croaker fishing to get better as we approach the summer.
As we get into May, we will begin to start seeing a few Snook out on the beaches. If you catch a smaller Whiting or Croaker, you can free line it in the first trough to see if any Snook are around. Fishing live pilchards or Threadfins will work as well when the bait gets close enough to sabiki from the shoreline. Casting artificals such as white paddle tails, twitch baits or lipped plugs like Rapala X-Raps north and south in the mornings and evenings can lead to a few Snook bites as well.
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report – Capt. Angie Douthit
Over these past few months, Okeechobee’s water level continues to get lower, despite these
past few weeks that dumped a lot of rain in the state of Florida. The lake is known for a rocky-
bottom and when the water drops a great place to fish for bass and bream, this time of year are
the deeper water areas such as the Kissimmee River and the Canals like Indian Praire, Harney
Pond and J&S on the East side. This is a great time to brush up on your deep diving crank bait
skill sets as well as Carolina-Rigging, working jigs up ledges and drop-offs. A good color choice
as a trailer on jigs, crank bait color choices and plastics for worms and creature-style lures is
june bug; red bug; plum; white; tilapia; green-pumpkin and watermelon-red. The bluegill have
already started their spawning season and if you’re fishing the lake a good place to start is the
Buckhead Ridge area; Tin House and Indian Praire areas if you’re launching from the River. If
you’re launching from the West side out of Harney Pond canal, you can run the ditch markers
around the Monkey Box and fish the Shoal area. Crickets and red-wigglers rigged on spinning
ultra-light tackle tipped with a small split shot and 4lb mono line is a great choice especially if
you’re taking the kiddos fishing. Other areas that are still accessible if fishing the lake are: Kings
Bar; 2 nd and 3 rd point; around Dupree bar; Dyess Ditch and Horse Island. The bream will be on
beds throughout the upcoming months and that’s where you have the best action for bass
fishing as well if you choose to fish shallow water. The bass will be near the bluegill beds so be
sure to keep your frog and swim jig rod handy as well as a top water lure tied on. A good place
to start if you’re bass fishing is find the bluegill beds as the bass will not be far. If your wanting
to brush up on your deep water bass fishing skill sets, now a great time to book your trip, as the
snowbirds have travelled back north and the big bass fishing tournaments are pretty much
behind us. If you would like more “trip” info, log onto my website:
www.southfloridabassfishing.com or pick up the phone and call me at 863-228-7263. I can
accommodate up to 3 adults; 2 adults with small Children and even offer one-person
discounted trips and discounts for our Vets. No need to bring anything, I supply bottled water;
sunscreen; rain gear and most of all a fun, productive and knowledgeable day on the water.
