Inshore Fishing Report
Snook: Our summertime inlet Snook fishing definitely started out slow with the dredging project occurring in the St. Lucie Inlet. The dredging project has stopped for now at least which has resulted in much better numbers of Snook in the inlet. Those who have side scan have been able to mark large schools of them around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall. Fishing live baits has been the key to getting the bites. Fishing live baits such as Croakers, Pilchards and Threadfins have been the most effective baits in the inlet. It doesn’t hurt to try fishing dead baits around the inlet such as a dead bait when the fish aren’t eating the live baits as some of the lazier fish tend to be more inclined to eat those. Some of the schools haven’t been as cooperative when it comes to getting bites from them, if you find yourself in that situation, it is best to move on to trying to find the next school. For bait presentation in the inlet, anglers will fish their live baits typically with a small egg sinker up to 1oz or a larger split shot to keep the bait in the zone. We’ve been getting a steady supply of Croakers here at the shop and should have a steady supply throughout the summer weather permitting. Some of the better numbers and sized Snook have been caught by those heading out the inlet and looking for schools of fish on the beaches and up at the boils just offshore of the power plant. The fish on the ocean side generally aren’t getting pressured as heavy as the fish in the inlet and tend to be more cooperative. You will also have shots at running into schools of big jacks and an occasional Cobia running the beach. Those fishing some of the nearshore wrecks and reefs have been able to catch some nice Snook as well. The Goliath Groupers can become a nuisance for those targeting Snook around spots such as the Bullshark Barge. If they start becoming a problem and eating your Snook it is best to move on to protect the population for the future as they are generally our breeder fish being caught there. Fishing bridges and docks in both the St. Lucie and the Indian River should result in a few fish as well. The concrete blocks underneath the causeways have been holding some big Snook, be sure to have some heavy tackle if you plan on going to battle there! When we get the high afternoon temperatures, the water will heat up a good bit as well. When that water heats up you will want to focus on areas with deeper water and moving current as the fish will tend to move to those areas. If you’re looking to fish in the evening into the night, the dock light fishing has been pretty good. You will see that the fish may feed more at night in the lights due to the water temperatures cooling down after the sun sets. Anglers fishing from shore can look to get in on some Snook action on the beaches, at the Jensen Causeway, at Indian Riverside Park, the Ft. Pierce jetty and wading north of the power plant in the mornings and evenings. At the causeway they have been feeding pretty consistently on shrimp and crabs that have been flowing through on the outgoing tides in the evenings. Free lining crabs or shrimp as well as fishing a shrimp on a jighead will give you a good shot at hooking up. If you are looking to fish artificials; NLBN paddle tails, Vudu or Thumper Shrimp and Yozuri Crystal Minnows have all been solid choices.
Tarpon: Tarpon fishing has been pretty good for us over the past few weeks. We have had a steady flush of crabs around the Jensen and Stuart Causeways on the outgoing tides which the Tarpon have been feeding on both during the day and at night. The Tarpon around the Jensen Causeway at night have been mainly on the smaller side with a few big ones in the mix but can be plenty of fun for those fishing from land underneath the bridge. For those fishing by boat, look to find them around the bridges on the outgoing tides and along the channel edges in between the Jensen and Stuart Causeways. You will typically be able to see a few Tarpon rolling early in the morning around the Stuart Causeway this time of year. Live crabs fished with a small float will be your best bet in between the bridges. Those fishing up by the power plant have been able to pick away at some Tarpon around Little Mud Creek. Live mullet will typically be your best route up there, but they will hit a crab too. A lot of the Tarpon action has been coming from those running the beach looking for schools of them. Those fish have primarily been feeding on white baits. Those walking to the St. Lucie Inlet have had success catching Tarpon at night on the outgoing tides throwing large swimbaits.
Trout & Redfish: Those fishing the flats around the power plant and north have been able to still pick away at the Trout. With the temperatures getting warmer, your best bite will be first thing in the morning and in the evening especially if you are fishing in shallower water. 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. Paddle tails such as DOA Cals are still tough to beat for those targeting them.We are starting to see some larger Trout caught with a good amount of fish over 20”. When the sun gets higher and the water starts warming up, you can look to find Trout in deeper water along the channel edges. A few Reds have been mixed in those areas with the better numbers still coming from those working the mangrove edges along the spoil islands in Ft. Pierce.
Misc: Anglers fishing live shrimp have been able to pick away at Mangrove Snappers around structure here inshore. If you’re looking to weed through some of the smaller ones, fishing a small pilchard or pinfish on a jighead is a great strategy to catch some of the bigger ones mixed in when they’re around. We typically see our biggest Snapper here inshore during the summer months. Those fishing live shrimp have also run into Flounder, Sheepshead, Black Drum and a variety of other species. Surprisingly when we see a good flush of crabs around the bridges in July, the Sheepshead fishing under the Jensen Causeway can get really good. Keep in mind that July is typically the toughest time of the year to get live shrimp. The water heats up in the gulf and the shrimp will bury themselves in the mud to stay cool, when that happens our shrimpers aren’t able to catch them. The few shrimp that are caught are very small and face higher chances of die off on the ride over due to the warm water. Please be patient with us when it comes to the live shrimp as we are at the shrimper’s mercy, feel free to call the shop for updates when the shrimp supply becomes difficult.
Offshore Fishing Report
Surface Fishing: Weeds, weeds and more weeds are what a lot of anglers had to deal with offshore during parts of June. Bait has been pretty abundant right outside the inlet, the majority of it being Sardines, but some pilchards and threadfins have been around. If you don’t want to stress about bait and get straight to fishing and beat the heat, give Bryan or Mike with Stuart Live Bait a shout the night before your trip to reserve your baits, 772-985-0425. They have been in the Manatee Pocket right out front of Sandsprit Park in the mornings with Pilchards, Threadfins and Goggle Eyes typically.
The highlight of the surface fishing in our area here lately has been the Sailfish bite. We have had some excellent Sail action to close out the month with several boats getting opportunities at double digit fish a trip. They have been all over the place with reports coming as shallow as 50’ of water out to Pushbutton Hill. The better numbers have been shallow, in the 60’-90’ range northeast of the inlet. These fish have been traveling in packs and have given anglers shots at multiple hookups at a time. If you are getting one close to the boat, have a rod ready to go with a live bait as we see a lot of ‘followers’ with the fish that is hooked in the summertime. You may come across them finning on the surface in packs as well, pitch them a live bait on a spinner if you come across this situation and you should be able to hook up as long as you don’t spook them. The majority of your Sail bites this time of year will come from fishing live baits. Those trolling will have their shots, but generally those fishing live baits will find more success in the summer. With the lack of wind we have had, getting the kites up without helium has been difficult, but those bump trolling and drifting haven’t had an issue getting the bite as of late. Finding the right condition can be the key to finding your bites, it could be something as subtle as a slight water temperature change. Conditions such as a current rip, color change, temperature change, weedline, floating debris or signs of life such as bait, birds or other marine life are all positive things to look for and when surface fishing as Sails, Mahis, Tuna and Wahoo are all moving fish looking for what they want and will hold up on the right condition.
The Mahi fishing has slowed down a bit which is typical for this time of year with a lot of the Mahis that have been caught have been in the ‘peanut’ or schoolie sized class. There have been a few gaffers around and you can’t ever rule out a big bull being around when you’re out there though! With the amount of weeds offshore, it can be difficult to find a patch that is holding fish due to the amount of it out there. Those who have put their time in picking away at weed patches have been rewarded with a few Mahi. It seems the better size and numbers have been from those running out deep past Push Button and hitting patches and sometimes even floating debris that haven’t been fished yet that day. There have been some Blackfin Tuna caught out at Push Button, they have mainly been on the smaller size as of late. If you are running out there, your better shot at finding them will be earlier in the morning as they go down deeper as the sun gets higher. Fishing live baits or trolling either feathers or squid skirts will typically get the job done out there for the Blackfins. We have also seen some Blackfins caught in the 120’-180’ range, the Blackfins caught in shallower have been larger than the ones out at Push Button but aren’t always in schools. The Wahoo bite around the July full moon has been good in past years. THe July full moon is going to be on July 29th this year. You can try to troll for them or you may have some of them pop up in your live bait spread. The Kingfish have been pretty thick in 50’-90’. The Sandpile, Six Mile and Loran Tower have all been producing some steady Kingfishing. Expect to find them in better numbers on the reefs in that 50’-90’ range.
Bottom Fishing: Those fishing the bottom have been able to stay busy with a variety of Groupers and Snappers, Triggerfish, Sea Bass, Jacks & more making the catch lists. In the summer, we tend to occasionally get some cold water upwellings which can really affect the bottom fishing. If you notice that your lead is cold, are getting a bunch of slime weed on your line or marking a thermocline on your machine, you may want to pick up and look for a spot with some warmer water on the bottom. Grouper fishing has remained steady and can definitely be tiring with the combination of sharks, by catch from species like Amberjacks and losing fish to the rocks. You definitely don’t want to get caught bringing a knife to a gun fight. 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. If you are drifting, don’t be afraid to let your drift slide a little bit longer as your bites may come off the back side of the structure. On the regulations side, Gag Grouper remains open until August 2nd, Snowy Grouper is now closed. Red Grouper, Black Grouper and Scamp Grouper are all open until December 31st.
The Mangrove Snapper bite has been very good for those targeting them. Target structure in 80’-120’ with the Six and Eight Mile producing some steady action and some better Mangrove fishing on the bottom as you get up closer to the power plant and Ft. Pierce. Fishing live sardines on the bottom is one of your best options as they tend to love the sardines. You will typically find the bigger Mangroves fishing with live baits. Chicken rigging with cut sardines can also be extremely effective, but you may have to go through a little more bycatch with all the pickers down there. The Mutton Snapper bite has remained productive for those fishing long leaders on the reefs in the 70’-90’ range with the Loran Tower being a popular spot. You will definitely want some current if you are planning on targeting Muttons as they tend to feed better with some current. Grunt plugs, larger dead baits or live baits will be your best approach for targeting them as a hearty bait won’t get picked away at by the grunts and smaller fish as quickly. For those who really want to learn how to dial in on the Mutton fishing here, give Zach Danielson a shout (772-634-3012). He offers an on your boat service to teach you the knowledge and put you on some trophy class Muttons, what he is able to do is extremely impressive as he has these fish dialed in. We tend to start seeing more anglers Snapper fishing at night this time of year and have success catching Mangroves, Muttons and even Cubera Snapper offshore. Those running out to Push Button have also been picking away at some Vermillion Snapper on the bottom. The numbers haven’t been the best this year so far, but they are definitely still catching a few.
Surf Fishing Report
Similar to offshore, weeds have been an issue at times for those hitting the beach. If you are planning on surf fishing, before you haul all your gear out, go look at the beach to make sure the shoreline isn’t covered in fresh weeds and that it isn’t rolling up in the waves. It will save you a lot of frustration in the long run. You may have to check multiple beaches to find a fishable beach, but the good news is that when you do find a good one, the fish have been biting. The Whiting fishing has been really good with a few Croakers mixed in. There hasn’t quite been a particular beach or stretch of beaches that have been a go to as they seem to be scattered up and down the shoreline of the island. Those targeting them will want to cast 5 to 15 yards off the beach and focus on the first trough. It is crucial not to over cast the fish as your bait will be sitting in no man’s land. Fishing two hours before the high tide and the first two hours of the outcoming tide is typically the most productive window. Pieces of frozen shrimp along with either Jingle Bites or Bloodworm flavored Fishbites have been the ticket.
The Snook fishing from the beach has been very good so far this summer. They will also be cruising in the first trough. Croakers and smaller Whiting are great options for the bigger Snook on the beaches, you can just free line them and wait for the thump. When schools of white bait such as threadfins or pilchards are present, using a sabiki to catch the bait and free lining them can lead to some really fun and productive fishing. If you are looking for them in the morning or evening, throwing artificials such as white paddle tails or Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows can get you a bite. The artificials typically aren’t as productive as the sun gets higher. Tarpon, big Jacks, Bonito and even Kingfish have made the catch lists over the past week along with the Snook, Whiting and Croakers.
