Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Sebastian Inlet Report

                                         
05-17-16 TUESDAY: THE BITE IS SLOW 

We have an overcast morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the Southeast at 12 mph, gusting to 14 and there is a moderate chop on the water. We have a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms today, be sure to go prepared if you head to the inlet.

We received an update from Matt McKnight who reported a slow bite of Blues, Catfish and Nurse Sharks. Matt landed a protected Goliath Grouper on a mojarra that he immediately released unharmed, nice handling Matt. Reminder: Goliath Groupers have been prohibited from harvest or possession since 1990. They must be immediately returned to the water free, alive and unharmed. Photographs can be taken but only during the active act of release. Photographs or any other activities such as measuring the fish should not delay release in any way. Large goliath groupers should be left in the water during release. The skeletal structure of large goliath grouper cannot adequately support their weight out of the water without some type of damage. If a large goliath is brought on-board a vessel or out of the water, it is likely to sustain some form of internal injury and therefore be considered harvested. Removing smaller goliath groupers from the water to remove hooks is not necessarily a bad practice, but this process must be done with care, using proper fish handling techniques, and return the fish to the water as expeditiously as possible. 

Our photo today is courtesy of Matt McKnight who took the shot of an unidentified angler with a nice Redfish. 

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