Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

 Inshore

The snook bite keeps getting better and better. Anglers fishing from boats in the St. Lucie Inlet, off of the 10-cent bridge and the nearby docks are catching and releasing plenty of fish that are topping the 40-inch mark. Live croakers and pilchards have been the key.

From land, the snook bite has been best at the Jensen Beach Causeway and at the Ft. Pierce Inlet. Crabs and croakers have been best and at the causeway during the outgoing tide.

There have been sea trout taken in the early mornings up by Herman's Bay and Bear Point. A top water lure will work, but small croakers are like candy to them.

At the St. Lucie Inlet, the Crossroads and the Jensen Beach Causeway there is still a good tarpon bite. There are some big ones and they are all being caught on live pilchards and live crabs.

Along the beaches in St. Lucie and Martin Counties, whiting and croaker are being caught in good numbers in the first trough. Pink shrimp- and bloodworm-flavored Fishbites, with a small piece of shrimp, are working well.

Along the beaches in Jupiter and Juno, there have been plenty of snook for catch and release action. Lures like a Rapala X-Rap pilchard or a Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow, both in the three- to four-inch size will work well.

The mangrove snapper bite along the beach should be picking up soon as they start coming in to prey upon the hatching turtles.

There have been small schools of sardines around the north jetty of the Boynton Inlet the past few mornings.

Anglers at the inlet have been catching small mangrove snapper using cut sardines

Lake Okeechobee

The bass fishing has picked up nicely the past week. On Tuesday, Capt. Larry Wright had his clients into 25 fish by 10 a.m. using live shiners and working the outside edge. After that early morning bite starts to back off, switching over to a magnum speed worm by Zoom, in either Houdini or Watermelon red color, or a Skinny Dipper by Reaction Innovations can help keep the action going. These should both be worked just inside the Kissimmee grass or eel grass. The shoal and just north of Indian Prairie at Fourth Point have been hot spots lately. During last Saturday's full moon, even though the water clarity wasn't perfect, there was an excellent bite for bluegill and shellcracker. Worm and crickets were the go-to baits. Though the shellcracker bite has likely shut down, there could be one more big run for the bluegill.

More freshwater

Clown knifefish have been hitting minnows, shiners and shad fished on eighth-ounce jig heads in the area canals and lakes. Target culverts, pilings and submerged brush.

Tilapia and cichlids have also been active during the day in the canals. Bread balls, crickets, meal worms and earthworms are working for bait. The cichlids will also hit artificial lures like beetle-spins, crappie jigs or ultra-light Rapala minnows. Flyrod anglers should use #4 Bumblebee flies, small panfish poppers or grasshopper flies.

report courtesy of Palm Beach Post