Inshore Fishing Report
With these super hot summertime afternoons that we have been experiencing, for those fishing inshore, you will want to capitalize on fishing mornings and evenings when the water isn’t as hot, you will typically find your best action then. If you are fishing in the afternoon, you will want to focus on areas with cooler water such as areas with solid current flow or deeper areas around docks as well as up underneath sportfish boats. Capt. Justin has been bouncing back and forth from summertime Bahamas trips to fishing locally, on his inshore trips, he has been guiding his clients to a lot of good Snook fishing with plenty of over slot sized fish making it to the boat.
The majority of the action is still taking place around the inlet and as we get into the month, you can expect to find more fish moving back up the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers. Live baits have been producing the most bites, Croakers, Threadfins and Pilchards have been getting the job done for anglers fishing the inlet. We’ve still been receiving a steady flow of Croakers if you’re looking to grab some! Those fishing the beaches have found steady action using both Croakers and white baits, it has been one of our better summers fishing for Snook from the beaches. The most productive beaches have been the ones that have been holding bait which can change on a day to day basis. It doesn’t hurt to look for birds diving or bait flicking on the surface before picking the beach that you are going to fish. Those who have been working swimbaits such as NLBNs, JYG Pros & Hogys have found success in the mornings and evenings too. There has been some good Snook fishing around the causeways too. As these fish leave the inlet from their summer spawn, the bridges are always a good area to look at as they work their way back into the river. Docks around Sewalls Point in the St. Lucie River are also a hot spot this time of year. As we get closer to the end of the month, we will be approaching our annual fall mullet run which we all look forward to. We typically begin seeing a few schools of mullet pushing through towards the end of August with the majority of the schools arriving in September. When the mullet do arrive, it is important to ‘match the hatch’ by fishing a bait that has a similar size and profile to the size of the mullet that are around whether you are fishing with live mullet or artificials. If you love fishing top water baits, the mullet run is the best time of the year for some epic blowups. If you find schools of mullet, there should be some fish on them here in the next few weeks.
The Tarpon bite for us has been pretty up and down for us so far this year. We had much better numbers of fish caught inshore last July, there have certainly been some fish around, but you definitely had to put your time in. The majority of the bites have been coming on the outgoing tides for those fishing inshore. Look to find them around the Jensen Causeway, Stuart Causeway, in the inlet, in the crossroads, around the power plant and some up in the North Fork. Live crabs or larger mullet will typically be your best options if you are fishing live baits, DOA Teror Eyz, DOA Bait Busters, Hogys, NLBNs or JYG Pros are all great options on the artificial side. Those running the beaches have come across a few schools of them and have caught them on live pilchards and threadfins. Some guys have been making the walk to the inlet from Bathtub Beach at night and have done pretty well from the shoreline. The JYG Pro Y-Tails in both 7” & 9” have been the favorite for those making that walk. With the fall mullet run approaching, expect the Tarpon fishing to get even better. There have been plenty of big jacks mixed in as well, if you’re looking for some drag screaming fun, leave a rod with a top water rigged up in case you see them feeding.
Fishing structure with shrimp has been producing Mangrove Snapper, Sheepshead, a few Flounder as well as a few Black Drum. If you’re looking for Mangrove Snapper, fishing a smaller live bait like a small pilchard as opposed to shrimp will typically help you weed through the smaller fish and catch more of the nicer sized Snapper here inshore.
Offshore Fishing Report
July provided us with plenty of chances to get offshore for boats of all sizes. We’ve had a pretty consistent Sailfish bite pretty much all summer and it continued in July with solid numbers of Sails around. The majority of the Sails are being caught by those fishing live baits. If you’re looking to purchase live bait on the water and get straight to fishing, call Stuart Live Bait the day before you are heading out to reserve your baits, 772-985-0425. We haven’t had much wind offshore so it has been tough to get a kite up for those kite fishing without helium, but those drifting and bump trolling live baits have still had plenty of action with the Sails. The Sailfish bite has ranged from as shallow as 60’ out to Pushbutton Hill on certain days.
We’ve had some steady Mahi reports over the past few weeks, the fish that have been caught certainly haven’t been big, it has mainly been the smaller peanuts which is typical for this time of year with a few gaffers mixed in. Looking for signs of life or the right condition will really make a difference when the fish get spread out when fishing for your pelagics. There have been a lot of weeds offshore which can be a good or bad thing. Good because you have a lot of fishy conditions to hit, but bad because of the abundance of weed patches which will make the fish move around instead of sticking around a little longer. If you end up getting in a school of them, it is always a good idea to have pitch rods ready to go with either a bucktail jig or a hook that you can toss out a live bait or piece of squid to them to capitalize on the opportunity.
A few Wahoo made it to the fillet tables around the July full moon. The full moon for August is on the 9th so we hope that it gets those Wahoo chewing again. There have definitely been some Tunas caught out at Pushbutton Hill, mainly Blackfins with a few Atlantic Bonitos mixed in. The average size of the Blackfins has seemed to get a bit smaller over the past few weeks at the Hill, but a few bigger ones have been mixed in. If you get to Pushbutton early, you can troll Tuna feathers before the boat traffic sends them down deeper. If you are fishing live baits, it is a good idea to vary the depths your baits are at, for example one on the surface, one down 50ft and another down deeper. Those jigging have been able to pick away at them too. Some of the bigger Blackfins have been caught in the 120-160’ range as bycatch from those who are targeting Sails.
For those bottom fishing, the Mutton Snapper bite hasn’t been lock and load, but the fish that have been caught mainly have all been quality sized. The majority of the Mutton reports have been coming from the South around the Loran Tower in 70’-90’. You will definitely want to fish a long leader in the 40’ range to get the bite along with enough lead to keep your bait on the bottom. Grunt plugs are typically one of the favorite bait choices for those targeting Muttons, but live Threadfins or Pilchards will get the job done too. If you are looking to target Mangrove Snappers, there have been plenty of small sardines around out front. Load up your well and fish both artificial and natural bottom to the north, focusing on bottom in the 70’-110’ range. We’ve seen some really good Red Grouper fishing the past few years in August going into September so we can hope that trend continues, you can catch both the Reds & Scamps on chicken rigs with whole squid. Plenty of Amberjacks on the bottom out at Pushbutton along with some Vermillion Snappers too.
Surf Fishing Report
Whiting fishing off the beach has been decent, the quantity has gone down over the past week, but the ones that have been caught have all been good sized. Croakers on the other hand are the opposite, the Croakers have been plentiful off the beaches, but they have all been on the smaller size, more like bait sized Croakers. Those fishing the first trough for the Whiting and Croakers have been using pieces of shrimp and either bloodworm or shrimp Fishbites. The majority of the fish have been caught up close so you don’t want to over cast. The Snook fishing on the other hand, as mentioned earlier has been on fire off the beaches. Schools of a variety of bait fish such as glass minnows, small croakers, pilchards, threadfins and mullet have been making their way down the beaches which has really turned the Snook bite on. Expect to see more predatory fish such as Snook, Tarpon, Jacks, Sharks and more putting on a show as we approach our annual fall mullet run.
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report – Capt. Angie Douthit
Lake Okeechobee’s water level is slowly rising and is currently just over the 12ft. mark. Both
bass and bluegill fishing has been good lately fishing certain areas of the lake and River with the
early morning hours being the most productive. Fishing after/around the noon hour can be
tricky as there is always a chance of t-storms and extreme high heat/humidity this time of year
so please exercise sensibility, stay hydrated and head towards the boat ramp when you hear
the first crack of lightening. Fishing the Kissimmee River provides a lot of variety especially this
time of year catching bass; bluegill; red ears; mayan cichlids and fingerling catfish. The River is
also a great way to hone your deep water bass fishing skills such as Carolina-rigging; deep diving
crank baits, working jigs on drop-offs and rock ledges. If you wanting to catch bream, you still
have time to book an early morning trip and don’t forget to bring a cooler, they taste great and
provide non-stop action for the kiddos. I provide all tackle; ice; bottles of water; sunscreen and
Gill brand raingear if needed. If its big bass your wanting to target, now is the time to book
you’re Fall/early Winter timeframe trip and don’t forget the Crappie, both the bass and Crappie
(white, flaky, mild tasting fish) spawn about the same time of year, typically November-April.
When booking your trip, I can accommodate multi days and another guide boat for group trips,
so don’t delay, call me to book your preferred day(s) fishing one of America’s greatest fisheries.
Areas on the lake to check out range from Observation Shoal (mid-area); edges of the Monkey
box; Harney Pond Canal; Horse Island up to Tin House; some spots on Kings Bar; N/E side of
Grassy and the water release area on east side. Fishing the Kissimmee River? Areas are around
the water release/lock through area; drop-offs/humps/ledges. Bass lures that are producing
are: top water; swim jigs/baits; worms/senkos; frogs; crank baits and spinner baits. Colors
range from bluegill patterns; white; red shad; june bug; tilapia and shad patterns. I hope this
information helps you to have a more productive day on the water. Call me at 863-228-7263 or
log onto: www.southfloridabassfishing.com to book you’re next fun-filled, educational day on
the water.
