Lake Worth Pier Report With Dylan Campbell

 Lake Worth Pier report:

With snook season in full force, anyone and everyone are pitching at snook right now. From what I can tell some people are having more success then others. What I have seen to have the most effective experience was floating live pilchards on nothing but bare hook right on the edge of the school.(preferably flowing with the current)

The only artificial I have seen to have any effect on snook this season were glass ghost x-raps size 6-8 and nlbns on a white or lead head with solid color eyes.

Aside from that Kings have been caught or hooked up on everyday in the morning and PM.

Plate sized jacks have been making the rounds everyday in the am/pm bites. Catching snapper is braindead right now(i limited out on my gog bug). The blue runner bite is popping off like crazy. Average effective catch rate for someone using commercial rigs is about 2x5 gal buckets in about 3-4hours. Massive 40-50lb permit have been making the rounds at the pier with not a single person I have seen targeting them

Sharks, Sharks,Sharks: The majority of sharks I have seen is Bull sharks and hammerheads. I did see a 7-8ft white shark once but only once

The bait bite: Pilchards,small sardines, goggle eye and large golden dots have all been around in large quantities. Biting the 7-8am in the morning depending on the tide schedules & how heavy the predation factor is. Finger mullet are making their way through the intercoastal and beach fairways consistently now.

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Really good inshore fishing this week, and conditions look good for that to continue into the weekend.  Snook fishing remains the best bet, with good number and good size fish around.  most of the snook are locked in on the mullet schools and very ready to eat.  Early in the morning and late afternoon a topwater plug (Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil or Topknock are two great choices) fished around bait docks and seawalls is a great way to go for the snook.  Ambush points and areas with good current will better improve your odds.  In with the snook taking advantage of the mullet schools should be a good number of tarpon, jacks, and even the occasional redfish.  At night the bridge snook bite remains very strong.  Flairhawk Jigs and 5" NLBN Swimbaits have been the lures of choice.  

SURF/PIER-  A good number of mullet coming down the beach this week, with a good number of fish around.  Lots of big tarpon and snook in the mullet schools; along with sharks, big Spanish Mackerel, and jacks.  Looks like it may get a little rough along the beach making fishing a bit tough, but the fish should be around.  The Juno Beach Pier will very likely go off this weekend.  Find the mullet schools and the fish won't be far behind.  A Rapala X-Rap, Yo-Zuri Mag Darter, or 8" NLBN have all been good lure choices around the mullet schools.  OF course fishing a live mullet on the outside edge or under the school is also a great way to go.  Typically the best action will be early and late in the day; but when the ocean gets moving like it's forecasted to this weekend it can stay active throughout the day.  A few more pompano reports this week.  It's still a bit early in the season for the pompano, but those putting in the time have been catching a few.  

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

 

There is no doubt. The mullet run has been switched on to full operation mode.

Sebastian Inlet has looked like ground zero for the mullet migration. Vero Beach, North Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce, South Hutchinson Island, House of Refuge, Hobe Sound, all these beaches have had big schools of mullet swimming south and getting pounded by predators. Sharks, pelicans, ospreys, snook, tarpon, jacks, redfish, basically anything that swims or flies is on the action.

Some are showing in the Indian River Lagoon as well, but not as thick as the schools on the beaches. Will this weekend's groundswell and wind make it more difficult to see the mullet? Quite possibly. But have your gear ready to fish. Now is the time to get in on the action.

• Flounder: Harvest closes Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. Size limit: 14 inches. Bag limit: 5 fish per person.
• Spotted seatrout: Harvest closes November and December in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Harvest reopens Jan. 1.
• Snook: Harvest reopened Sept. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required.
• Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1.
• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. SEd Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report ize limit: 36 inches fork length.
• Redfish: Harvest of redfish has been banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon since Sept. 1, 2022. FWC will reevaluate in the future.

• Indian River Lagoon

• Inshore: Jacks, tarpon, snook and sharks have been pounding the mullet schools around Sebastian Inlet during both tides. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to find the schools, north, south and inside the inlet. Some mullet have been moving south in the lagoon, too, so look for fish around Barber Bridge, and around the spoil islands south of the 17th Bridge.

  Freshwater: Headwaters Lake has seen much better bass fishing of late. Use crank baits or spinnerbaits to find bites from bass along edges of vegetation and ledges.

• St. Lucie County

• Inshore: There have been bait schools throughout the lagoon, but not as thick or exciting as those on the beaches. Fish around the end of the docks along St. Lucie Village, the Turning Basin, Bear Point and Herman's Bay to find mullet schools. There have been some trout, snook and tarpon around the fish.

  Surf: This weekend's action is more like a surf report. There should be good overhead swells breaking at Dollman and Walton Rocks. Winds should be light enough not to make it into a washing machine. Expect crowds as surfers from Palm Beach and Miami come to the Treasure Coast for the waves.

• Martin County

• Inshore: There has been some action with jacks, pompano and croaker at the Jensen Beach Causeway. Some mullet are stirring, especially up into the South Fork and North Fork of the St. Lucie River as the mullet run has been beginning.

  Ramp rage:Boat ramps should be resilient against hurricanes, king tides and sea level rise

  Dolphin deaths:'A really big problem': Here's what's killing dolphins in Indian River Lagoon

  Lake Okeechobee

  The western and northern parts of the lake look about as good as any angler could ever want the lake to look. No algae. No murky waters. Gin clear in spots. Long, lush eel grass and tape grass beds. Perfect conditions for world class bass fishing. Use 9-inch worms, dark colors, or crank baits to get bites in the grass.

• • report courtesy of Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at  ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

  
  

 

Fishing is slow but should improve when Hurricane Lee rolls by 

“Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fans and fishing fanatics. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! First, I'd like to remind cast netters to please only take the finger mullet you need and  toss the remainder of your catch back into the water alive! This rule is listed on our rules sign board on your way out to the jetty. Bait fish resources are NOT everlasting. Returning your extra catch back to the water helps ensure we have them in the future. It also keeps the jetty clean. Cast netting on the jetty is a privilege and can be revoked at anytime by park management.

Now for the fishing report. Over the weekend I was there Friday through Sunday. For the most part, fishing was slow even though the mullet were running thick. Very early morning high tide and very late evening high tide was producing some snook, but most were oversized and had to go back in the water. I did see a couple of catch-and-release redfish caught, too, along with jack crevalle. Not what you'd expect for the amount of finger mullet around. Also, I did see mangrove snapper caught around the inlet, but not in the numbers as before. My take on the slowdown is that the ocean calmed down; when the mullet are here, the snookies like it roughed up. Also, the water the last few days was showing 87 degrees along the coast — way too warm for this time of the year. Tannic freshwater from the Sebastian river affects the water quality and ultimately, the fishing.

 North jetty — Midweek when it was a bit washed up, there was a pretty good snook bite on the afternoon high tide on live shrimp and finger mullet on the beach side. Also, three to four-inch paddle tail swim baits were getting a few fish on the beach side. There were nice catch-and-release redfish and monster tarpon in the mix. As the ocean calmed back down, so did the fishing. There were hordes of mullet, but nothing attacked them until just before dark when they decided to feed again, but it still was slow. The mangrove snapper bite is still going on with live greenies, but it has slowed down from what it was. One of my friends has been catching his limit everyday around the jetty pilings, with some of them in the 16-inch range. Spanish mackerel were playing nicely, looking for live greenies. I saw plenty of fish in the 16 to 18-inch range caught. Also, nice lookdowns were caught on live greenies and small jigs. All this action was on the high incoming tide. On the outgoing tide at the tip, there were plenty of jack crevalle caught with finger mullet and cut bait. There were a few snook caught, not many that I saw over the weekend, but they were all too big to keep. Live mullet and pigfish were the baits of choice there. A couple of catch-and-release redfish were in the mix. A couple of my friends heard that there were also a couple cubera snappers hooked, but not landed. 

 South jetty: Over here it is a different story. The water is dark, with freshwater flowing out and south along the beach; during tide change, the freshwater returns and never clears. Catfish, stingrays and some puffers are the most being caught. There have been some black margates around along with some jack crevalle and blue runners caught on cut baits.

On the incoming tide, if you can find some clean water, you might find a snook or two wanting to play, and possible a redfish. I saw  one redfish caught Sunday at the tip. The finger mullet are here, but not quite like the north side where they are plentiful. So, yeah, slow over here. 

T-Dock area: Back here, conditions are similar to the south jetty: cloudy, tannin-stained freshwater that has chased everything away. The only baitfish are finger mullet running along the shoreline into the intercoastal. I did see mangrove snappers caught over the weekend, but not in significant numbers. And no keepers, all were small. 

Surf Area, both sides: As I mentioned earlier, the south side is a bust with all the dark freshwater flowing down the beach and not being able to clean up. Catfish and stingrays are the norm. The north side is where all the action is: from the inlet all the way up to Bonsteel park. The reasons: all the mullet and more to come, breezes and waves picking up, and cleaner water. This, my friends, is the area to fish. Snook of all sizes are being caught, along with redfish and big tarpon crashing the mullet schools. You should find some action on live baits, jigs, swim baits and big spoons fished in the surf. The best times to fish: very early mornings when the tide is high, and late evenings when the sun is setting. 

There we have it, folks. Fishing is picking up, as it usually does in the fall when the mullet start showing up. It should improve when the water cools down a bit to where it should be — 78 to 80 degrees — and it should get better. A note for anglers at the jetty and the beach: As the week progresses, winds and waves are going to increase, courtesy of Hurricane Lee as he gets more direct outward from our coast and moves away. The surf is supposed to get to 6 to 8 feet with NNE winds 15 to 20 mph. That all should get the fishing riled up again! Get out, wet a line and see what you can catch for dinner! Be careful out there.” — Snookman

 

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Snook fishing has been very good inshore the past week.  The finger mullet have started to show up inshore and the snook, along with some smaller tarpon and jacks, are taking full advantage.  The finger mullet tend to be the most active (in other words...up on top where they are easy targets) early and late in the day, so get after them if you can.  When fishing around schools of mullet try and present baits on the outside edges or underneath the school for best results.  Fishing ambush points (boat docks, bridge pilings, seawalls, mangrove points, etc) with current is also a good tactic.  A lot if times the predators line up at these spots and wait for schools to be swept pass them.  A single bait or lure is a lot of times too easy of a target to pass up.  Mangrove snapper action has started to slow down inshore, but still a fair number around.  And in other news that a select few will appreciate: Fall is just around the corner...you can always tell when the toadies start biting. 

SURF/PIER-  Big news this week along the beach is the arrival of the mullet.  Monster tarpon, jacks, and snook are all around to get in on the first big pods showing up.  Best action is going to be early and late

 in the day; but depending on conditions those fish will sometimes bite throughout the day.  Fishing in the middle of a large mullet school can be an exercise in patience.  With a million options to choose from, getting something to grab your bait can be tough.  Fishing the outside edges of the school can be the ticket, as can getting a bait below them as well.  Another good trick can be throwing a way off colored plug.  Sometimes that weird hot pink or bright green plug is just different enough to get their attention.  Good lure options for the early part of the run (When the bluefish haven't shown up too thick) are 8" NLBN straight tails, Yo-Zuri Mag Darters, and Rapala X-Raps.  The mullet run is (or at least can be) one of those National Geographic type moments that sometimes just watching is good enough...catchiong a fish or two out of the madness is just a bonus.  In other news along the beach we have seen a few early season pompano starting to show up. 

HOW TO FISH THE BEACH IN THE FALL MULLET RUN

Worlds BEST Fishing Pier Was LOADED!

Snook Fishing: How To Catch Snook In The Summer

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Good looking conditions going into opening weekend of snook season.  Fishing in the wind may not be the funnest thing in the world, but man it helps to get the fish biting! Plus, this time of year the north wind is a driving force for getting the mullet moving.  Look for early morning, late afternoon, and night to be best for the snook.  With a rough ocean forecasted for the holiday weekend, one would expect a lot of boat traffic inshore during the day.  Outgoing tide tends to be the most productive for the snook; but don't overlook incoming tide, especially when the water has some color to it.  The key is just to have the tide moving.  Slack tide is just hard to get much going on.  Mangrove snapper action remains good inshore.  Live shrimp (hopefully they start to become available again headed into the weekend) are a great bait choice for the snapper. 

SURF/PIER-  Snook season opens back up September 1st, and that will no doubt draw most of the fishing attention this holiday weekend.  Snook reports this week have been a bit on the slow side, but conditions look right going into the weekend for them to bite good.  It may get a little rough on the beach, but the Juno Beach Pier provides a good option in rougher conditions.  A few days of north wind should get the first of the mullet (most likely finger mullet first) to show up and the snook will be close behind.  Flair Hawks, swimbaits, and good swimming plugs are all good lure options in rougher surf.  A few early early season pompano have started to show up.  It's not big numbers, but a changing weather pattern this week could help bump the numbers up a bit.  The Juno Beach Pier did have a handful of kingfish around this week. 

Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 It’s September 1st which means Snook season has reopened for our area! September not only brings us Snook season, it means we should begin to see signs of our annual fall mullet run. We haven’t seen the big pods of mullet showing up quite yet, but the trend this year with bait has been that it has been showing up a few weeks later than years past so no need to panic. However we have begun to see some pods along Indian River Drive north of the Jensen Causeway in the mornings and there have been large pods of mullet in Cape Canaveral and north of there and all those baits will have to start moving south towards our waters. The Snook fishing has remained steady inshore, a lot of the fish have begun to move away from the inlet and have been caught at the causeways, underneath docks and on seawalls in both the St. Lucie and Indian River. When we get the schools of mullet, you will want to match the size profile of your bait whether it be an artificial or a live bait to the size of the baits being fed on. It can be quite frustrating at times if you are fishing a pod of mullet with Snook actively feeding on them due to the amount of bait around. One of the best techniques you can try out in these circumstances to make your bait stand out while maintaining a natural presentation would be to use a small float on your line. The float will provide enough resistance for your bait to slow it down and give it more of an injured presentation making it a much easier target to get hit. You can also fish a bait on the bottom with a lead or even a dead bait underneath a pod of mullet as a lot of times you will see Snook cleaning up on the bottom. You will have plenty of opportunities for an artificial bite throughout the day if you are able to stay with the bait pods. Top waters, swimbaits and jerkbaits are all great options. Fishing your lure on the edge of the bait pods can result in more bites as well. Fishing at night in the shadow lines at the causeways and in dock lights will present plenty of opportunities as the Snook will wait for the mullet to come into the light and ambush them. 

Snook won’t be the only target for anglers when the mullet run begins, plenty of guys will be out chasing Tarpon. We’ve had a really good Tarpon bite over the past month and we should expect that to continue. Anglers have been fishing outgoing tides around the causeways and in the crossroads free lining live crabs, mullet and throwing swimbaits to get the bite, don’t be surprised if you hook into a big one as there have been plenty of triple digit fish around. Anglers fishing the Jensen Causeway at night have been on a steady juvenile Tarpon bite on live pilchards, crabs and shrimp. When the mullet schools are on the beach it’s never a bad idea to grab your favorite swimbait and take a walk to try to hook into one! Along with the Tarpon and Snook, you will be greeted by plenty of Jacks inshore patrolling the seawalls and channels searching for schools of bait. 

Aside from the upcoming mullet run action, we’ve had steady reports of Black Drum, Mangrove Snapper, Pompano, Spanish Mackerel and even Permit inshore. Some nice sized Drum have been caught at the Roosevelt Bridge along with a few picked off at the Jensen Causeway. Live crabs, fiddler crabs and chunks of crab on the bottom have produced the majority of the action however they will have a tough time passing up a shrimp too, you will just have to get through some bycatch. Mangrove Snapper have been caught around the bridges and on channel markers, live shrimp on the bottom or on a jighead will get you the most bites and you can try a small mullet, pinfish or pilchard on the bottom to weed out some of the smaller Snapper. We’re still seeing some Pompano being caught by those jigging at the Jensen Causeway Mosquito Bridge. We typically don’t have this kind of Pompano action there this time of year so anglers have been capitalizing on the opportunity to catch them. Along with the Pompano there have been Spanish Mackerel feeding on schools of glass minnows and small pilchards. You can free line pilchards, shrimp or throw spoons to get the bite. We’ve oddly enough had an inshore Permit bite at the Mosquito Bridge, these Permit have been caught by those fishing crappie jigs tipped with shrimp. We typically don’t see this consistent of a Permit bite inshore so give it a shot while you’ve got the chance! 

Surf Fishing Report

We had a solid Pompano bite on the south end of Hutchinson Island before we were greeted with the wind to close out the month. The majority of those fish were caught by those fishing the long rods in the deeper troughs on Powerlime Crab FishBites. Along with the Pompano there was still some Whiting action up in the first trough on pieces of shrimp and shrimp flavored FishBites. Once the water clears up we hope to see the same activity in the surf as you won’t find great results for Pompano or Whiting in churned up water. The Sandfleas have been caught in really solid numbers if you’re looking to stock up for our winter Pompano season. The upcoming mullet run will typically provide some excellent fishing off of our beaches when bait is present. The schools of mullet will be pushing south down the beach followed by Tarpon, Sharks, Snook, Jacks and more feeding on them. Bring your cast net or some artificials and be ready for a battle! 

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

 Hurricane Idalia didn't impact the Space Coast and the full moon Wednesday will still be impacting tides through Sunday.

Snook harvest season opens Sept. 1 and it could not come soon enough for avid anglers. Snook are one of those catches that rewards every angler with the combination of what happens after the fish takes the bait or lure and what happens if the fish makes it to the dinner table.

I know many anglers who release all their snook, even when in the slot, and that's great. But for those of us who like to take a couple home each harvest season, they're fantastic fried with cheese grits and green beans, or baked with buttered red potatoes and cauliflower.

In any case, the mullet run is beginning with this week's blue supermoon and by next full moon, Sept. 29, it will certainly be well underway along beaches and in the Indian River Lagoon. Good luck out there.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

• Snook: Harvest reopens Sept. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required.
• Blueline tilefish: Harvest closes Sept. 1 in state and federal waters of the Atlantic. Harvest re-opens May 1, 2024.
• Golden tilefish: Harvest closed July 17. Harvest re-opens Jan. 1.
• Alligator: Hunt season opens Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.
• Lobster: Regular season opens Aug. 6-March 31, 2024. Bag limit: 6. Lobster stamp required.
• Flounder: Harvest closes Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. Size limit: 14 inches. Bag limit: 5 fish per person.
• Hogfish: Harvest closes from Nov. 1 to April 30.
• Spotted seatrout: Harvest closes November and December in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Harvest reopens Jan. 1.
• Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1.
• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.
• Redfish: Harvest of redfish has been banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon since Sept. 1, 2022. FWC will reevaluate in the future.
• Dolphin: Bag limit is 5 fish per day per angler. Vessel limit is 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit. These fishing regulations began on May 1, 2022, for state waters.
• Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new fishing regulations to protect snook from environmental and human factors. The agency has proposed 10 management regions with different regulations instead of the current two. A virtual meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 7 to discuss:

• Making snook catch-and-release only in the Tampa Bay region beginning 2024
• Adding September to the closed season for the Southwest region
• A statewide two-fish vessel limit

• Mosquito Lagoon

  Fall is the best time to target fishing this area. Tarpon, snook, speckled trout, redfish, black drum and jacks are all energized by the beginning of the fall mullet run. Fish the flats around the islands and along the east shoreline for action. Use live mullet or mullet-patterned topwater lures.

• Surf

  It's going to be sloppy at area beaches for the next few days. Expect to have to make long casts with a lot of weight to hold bottom for a few whiting. Snook will be in the trough as the shorebreak calms down. Fishing will get better as it calms Monday and beyond.

  Sebastian Inlet

  The snook will probably be feeding aggressively at the end of the jetty and sea conditions will be such that boats won't be able to fish that spot. That leaves it for jetty anglers through Sunday. Use sliding sinker rigs and live croaker and be ready to release overslots as plenty will be caught.

  Indian River Lagoon

  South winds will be prevalent until Hurricane Idalia moves farther offshore, then the wind will shift. Try to find water that has not been muddied by the winds. That's where fishing will be best for snook and speckled trout. Fish docks and seawalls in protected shorelines with mullet or live shrimp. Shrimp are like candy to fish, even during the mullet run.

• Freshwater

  Bass fishing should be picking up since winds and shorter days are creating cooler water conditions. Try topwater frogs and spinnerbaits along the edges and near hyacinths and water lettuce.

• • report courtesy of Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at  ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

  
  

The Snookman's Sebastian Inlet Report

 The water is warm and the bite is hot for snapper and others

And now for an uplifting fishing report from our favorite fishing guide, the legendary “Snookman” Wayne Landry:

“Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fanatics. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! As I predicted, fishing at the inlet has picked up again! The water temp is back up to 83-84 along the coast. In the inlet, baitfish are back and plentiful, along with more mullet appearing around the jetty and in the inlet. Fishing in the entire inlet has heated up! Most of the bite, however, has been on and around the high tide periods where the water is clearer and not full of the tannin-colored runoff  on the outgoing tide. The first hour or so of the outgoing will be good until that dark water arrives and quiets the action. Here is the breakdown:

North jetty: This side has been on fire with the mangrove snapper bite on the incoming tide and the first of the outgoing. The bite has been everywhere from the catwalk, along the rock shoreline, all the way to the tip of the jetty and pilings. Live greenies and shrimp are the key baits for them. I talked to one of my friends who fished all last week and he sent me pics of everything he caught. He caught his limit of snapper each day along with quite a few lookdowns from the jetty — at least 6 to 10 per day on the lookdowns, also caught on live greenies. The lookdowns have no bag or size limits so you can keep what you want or need. Not much to them, but VERY tasty to eat! On the snapper bite, he caught at least 20 to 30 snapper daily, but most he threw back because he doesn't keep anything under 11 inches. Also, here around the jetty – again, high tide - the tip way out on the outgoing, the snook bite has picked up. The fish are biting live croakers, pigfish and live shrimp. Remember, they are still closed season until Sept. 1. (It is a holiday weekend and the opening of snook season. If you plan to go snook fishing, have a lot of patience and be courteous to everyone. It's only a fish, and not everyone knows how to fish for them. I saw a few Spanish mackerel caught on live greenies. Mullet are attracting big jack crevalle and a few nice catch-and-release redfish. Any live bait will work for them. 

South jetty: Over here the water has been a bit dirtier, but still warmed up. The snapper have been doing very well over here, too. Incoming tide as well has been the best as you have more area to fish them, not just at the tip like the outgoing tide. Live or dead greenies are the best bait, but small live shrimp also work. Live croakers, pigsfish and live shrimp are producing some nice catch-and-release snook over here, too. Incoming tide is best. Catch-and-release redfish are also being caught over here too. On the outgoing at the tip, they are catching the normal cast of characters: black margates, blue runners, jack crevalle, catfish and some mangrove snapper. Live or dead greenies and shrimp for the margates. 

T-Dock area: Back here the action has been pretty good with the mangrove snappers. Lots of smaller ones, but also plenty of keepers as well. The fish are being caught around the pilings and all along the rock shoreline as well. Incoming tide has been the best time to fish them, but if you find a spot with some slower water on the first of the outgoing tide, you possibly could find them there. Baitfish back here attract them and keep them here. Also, Spanish mackerel are being caught on the incoming tide. Small white jigs and live greenies work the best. There have been some nice jack crevalle caught as well. Jigs, spoons and live mullet tossed out to the channel area are catching fish. Haven't heard much on the snook bite back here yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't around. Nobody is fishing for them yet. 

Surf fishing, both sides: Still mostly blown out by 15-20 mph NNE winds and the larger waves coming off the storms out in the Atlantic. The surf is expected to increase to 4-5 feet by Wednesday, meaning rougher waves are forecast. 

Here Snooky-Snooky

 

 

The Snookman Sebastian Inlet Report

 

Chilly waters have cooled the action for now, but reds and jacks are still biting

‘Good morning, hardcore Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics. I hope everyone had a super weekend! It's time once again for the ‘what's up on the inlet’ fishing. Just when you thought it couldn't get any slower fishing at the inlet, here comes the cold water upwelling or thermocline that usually comes in July. This year it is a little late, but it is here. The water temps along our coastline all the way down to Ft. Pierce dropped from 86 degrees to the 78-80 range and shut it all down! Then, along with it comes the NNE winds spinning off of the storms in the Atlantic and the wave action picking up. It just put a damper on all the fishing. I was down last week Tuesday through Thursday and in the morning the Spanish mackerel were biting pretty well, along with some nice mangrove snappers. After Thursday, well it all went away! Dirty, cold and rough water was the scenario all weekend. So here is your breakdown. 

North jetty:  As I stated above, early week the Spanish mackerel were biting well in the morning. Plenty of fish were caught using live greenies, but they only wanted the smaller greenies over the larger ones. Most of the fish caught were in the 16-18 inch range. There were also a few nice mangrove snapper caught around the tip rocks and pilings on the inside; we had incoming tides all morning last week, so they were there until the water cooled down. Most of the fish we get this time of the year are subtropical and prefer warmer water temps. The catch-and-release snook bite shut down as well; they don't care for the cool water this time of the year. Some redfish are around, but not like before. They don't mind the cooler water. Blue runners and some small jack crevalle have also been biting just about anything you throw at them. Along the rock shoreline between the catwalk and jetty has also been producing some snappers, until it cooled down. Greenies live or dead got the bite. That's pretty much it for this side.

South jetty: Over here, same thing waterwise, except it is much murkier due to stormwater runoff.  At the tip on the outgoing tide, it is the same cast of characters: black margates, blue runners, small jacks and catfish. All are being caught on shrimp, live or dead and greenies - live or dead. The incoming tide, when the water is clear, is still producing catch-and-release snook and redfish, but they are of the smaller ones. Live croakers are the bait of choice for them. Not too much else over here. 

T-dock area: Back here it is about the same because the cool water is everywhere. The baitfish are still around, but the snappers have slowed down some. Anglers are still catching them, but just not in the numbers as they were a week or so ago. And again, most are under the legal 10 inch minimum. Some small mutton snapper are still being caught once in a while too, but most are under the legal 18-inch minimum as well. Live and dead greenies are the baits for the snappers. There also have been a few Spanish mackerel being caught back here too on live greenies and small jigs, either white or chartreuse in color. All in all, kind of slow back here.

Surf area, both sides: Surf fishing has been mostly dismal for the last 4 days due to the two to three-foot waves and the brisk 15 to 20 mph NNE winds spinning off of the tropical lows out in the Atlantic. It's been cooler out, but doesn't do much for the fishing. 

That's it for this week folks! Not what you all want to hear, but like I always said, I don't sugar coat things when it comes to our fishing, I tell it like it is. But you never know when it will pick up. Hope everyone has a great week.” — Snookman.

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE-  Catch and release snook fishing remains the main game in town...one more week till they can come home for dinner.  Looks like the wind should blow into the weekend and keep them biting good in the river.  A few small pods of finger mullet have trickled through, it won't be long now before it's full on mullet run.  Still a pretty good pick on the mangrove snapper inshore.  Best action has been at night, especially on good moving water.  Live shrimp and pilchards have been the baits of choice for the snapper.           

SURF/PIER-  Rough conditions and less than ideal water conditions had fishing relatively slow this week along the beach.  Some fair catch and release snook fishing reports, but a bit slower than the past few weeks.  The Juno Beach Pier has still been producing a few snook as well.  The Pier has had a few Spanish Macs and blue runners around, along with a fair number of mangrove snapper.  

Lake Worth Pier Report With Dylan Campbell

Lake Worth Pier Fishing Report:

Its that time of year where my fishing reports are much more abysmal compared to usual. To put it simple terms the fishing kind of sucks.

Jacks, The odd kingfish, Spanish mackerel, blue runners are all around at the normal peak times.

Snook have been caught but the frequency is far fewer then normal. Bonita have been caught intermittently in waves but no correlating patterns in how they have been biting.

Sharks! Sharks! Sharks!: I am surprised to say that the shark activity is mostly medium sized hammerheads and small black tips. The bulls have not been making their presence know however I definitely would not say they are gone

Artificial report: Commercial rigs, gotcha plugs, x-raps, heavy crappie jigs & ice cream cones have the key to my success

The bait bite: Pilchards, Sardines, Golden dots & small goggle eye have been around. In fairly consistent numbers.

Pro tip: Fish from 6-9:30 then leave come back 4:30pm-sun down during the day is extremely dead

How to Butcher Whole Snapper (Works With Other Fish)

From Todd, Eddy & Jeff @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

 INSHORE- Catch and release snook fishing remains the best bet inshore.  While a lot of the snook are still in the inlets, a fair number have started to break off and begin pushing inshore.  The Loxahatchee River has been producing a good morning topwater bite on the snook, and a few big jacks as well.  The night bridge snook bite remains strong, especially on outgoing tide.  The 3" NLBN swimbait has been a constant producer.  Flair hawks are also getting bit well in the right situations.  Mangrove snapper bite remains good at night as well around the bridges.  Live pilchards or shrimp are the top bait choices for the snapper.  A good number of big sand perch in the ICW as well these days.  

SURF/PIER-  Pretty standard summertime fishing along the beach and at the Juno Beach Pier this week.  Good catch and release snook fishing remains the highlight, with some big fish around this week.  A live sand perch or croaker is the way to go for the big bites.  Live pilchards, smaller swimming plugs, and smaller swimbaits are the way to go for more bites from the snook, the average size will just likely be smaller. The Juno Beach Pier has had a fair number of blue runners and Spanish Mackerel around.  The bobber rig w/ a Clark Spoon, crappie jig, or small live bait should get the job done.  The Juno Beach Pier has also been producing a good number of mangrove snapper, especially first thing in the morning.  A good scattering of croakers and a few whiting along the beach this week.  Small pieces of fresh shrimp are the best way to go for them.  Look for a little wind this weekend to help shake things up a bit.

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 

I hope the pompano that are showing in our area don’t have the ability to read a calendar . The numbers seem to be increasing and unlike normal years when the first fish we see in September are under 11 inches , the fish that I’ve been catching this week don’t need to be measured . Today was the best day so far as I managed to get 9 nice fish in the cooler and they are now on display at the New England Seafood Fish market . I have to tell you these fish are amped up as half of them pulled drag and skipped along the surface . Lots of life around other than pompano too as I caught and released jacks, big blue runners, bonefish , ladyfish , and a couple of spanish mackerel. I’ve caught some pompano in August over the years but the activity the last three days is not what I have experienced since I started doing this . Let’s hope this continues and with the mullet run around the corner maybe the late summer bite will be a good one . Good luck this week and catch em up .

Sebastian Inlet Report

Slow going, but snappers and Spanish mackerel possible

 Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fans! First,  I'd like to remind folks using a cast net on the jetty. Since greenies are plentiful around the jetty this time of year and they attract snappers and mackerel, they are the go-to bait. When you cast net a baitfish and dump them out on the fishing deck and cherry-pick some for your bait bucket, please return what you don't need back to the water. The rules are listed on the big white sign on the way out to the north jetty: "Cast netters must return unused marine life back into the water; this is one of the few jetties that allows netting. Please do not abuse the privilege." Do your part to protect our fisheries and resources. Now for the report.

North jetty: Just as quickly as the fishing got hot, it cooled back down. That's usually how it goes. The main reason was due to all the runoff water flowing seaward from the intracoastal waterway and Sebastian River. Last week and through the weekend, we had outgoing tides most of the day, and extremely low tides as well, which kept water low and murky. Mangrove snappers were biting along the wall from the catwalk to the jetty, but you had to arrive very early to catch the end of the incoming tide and the clear water. Live and dead greenies are still the bait of choice. At the tip of the jetty and the very beginning of the outgoing tide — again, very early in the morning — the mangroves were there until the freshwater arrived and shut it down. Most snappers were too small to keep, but there have been a few keepers, but not like two weeks ago. Saturday and Sunday I saw a decent Spanish mackerel bite in the morning. A couple of anglers took home close to their limit, and pretty nice fish! The trick was to use live greenies with a float of sorts to get it out to where the fish were.

South jetty:  Same deal on this side, very early or late evening incoming tide when the water clears up some, is the best time to fish. Mangrove snapper, mostly smaller ones and catch-and-release snook and redfish were being caught. Greenies for the snappers; croakers for the snook and reds. Outgoing tide, the very beginning at the tip they were catching some mangroves as well, but again most were too small to keep, or just barely over the minimum of 10 inches. Black margates and some blue runners and jack crevalle were biting to keep it interesting.

 T-Dock area: Back here the bite has also slowed a bit, and again due to the runoff water flowing out! There are a lot of  baitfish around - greenies and glass minnows, and the snappers are biting, but most are too small to keep, just like everywhere else. Not a whole lot is going on for any other species. 

Surf area, both sides:  The surf fishing has been slow around the inlet due to low water and runoff. The south side has been murky with the ongoing SE winds. Not much action, save for catfish and stingrays being caught. Maybe if you get a pocket of clean water, you might see whiting. 

That's all I have. We need all this runoff water to go away so the clean ocean water can return. This week should improve, thanks to incoming tides all week. It should clean things up quite a bit! Grab your gear and enjoy the inlet! Stay hydrated and have fun.”  - Snookman. 

 

Ed Killer / tcpalm South Fla. Report

 

In ancient Florida, long before the Spaniards staked claim to the "land of flowers" or found the fountain of youth, a prehistoric creature plied its estuarine waters. It looked like something out of a child's imagination — 15 to 18 feet long, built to hug the bottoms of rivers and bays, beige and suited in shark-like skin. The front of its face protruded nearly half its length and if that wasn't enough, the long pulpit was adorned with two rows of teeth spaced about an inch apart, resembling a long, swimming hedge trimmer.

The sawfish was once a majestic and mysterious part of the coastal ecosystem in tropical Florida. It lived alongside snook and snapper, tarpon and pompano and only fed on the bait schools when they would cloud the inshore waterways by the millions during their migrations.

By 2003, overfishing and water quality and habitat degradation in coastal waters had taken their toll. The sawfish numbers had dwindled to the point where concerned conservationists placed the large marine fish on the endangered list — it was the first marine species to receive that designation.

Two decades later, is the sawfish making a comeback? Depends on where you are and whom you ask. Here on the Treasure Coast, the sawfish can be found roaming around searching for food during the summer months. In the past two weeks, this fishing writer has fielded no fewer than seven sighting reports, none of them duplicate. The good news is they ranged in size from 12 feet offshore to 3 feet near the Palm City Bridge. 

Florida fishing: Sawfish, sharks, snapper, snook energize late summer bite

Indian River County

Inshore: The regular flow of freshwater from afternoon storm runoff moving through the inlet on the outgoing tide has slowed the bite for snapper. Use greenies if you can catch them or cut mojarras to get bites. Around Vero Beach there is a lot of stormwater runoff in the lagoon and that has meant only snook are biting. Remember, season does not open for snook until Sept. 1.

Freshwater: Anglers at Headwaters Lake are complaining about mats of vegetation blown up into the boat launch areas. That makes launch and retrieving boats difficult. Use patience when there.

St. Lucie County

Inshore: Wade fishing in the lagoon has been a productive way for anglers to get close to snook, trout, tarpon and even redfish. Use jerk baits or artificial shrimp to get bites from 1-3 pound trout in the seagrass at the ends of the docks along Indian River Drive.

Surf: It's been slow here. Soon, however, the glass minnows may show up igniting the bite close to the trough of the beaches on Hutchinson Island. After the next full moon Aug. 30, look for the first small pods of mullet moving.

Martin County

Inshore: Snook fishing remains pretty solid throughout the St. Lucie River. That's because snook like it dirty. Tarpon have been at The Crossroads, the inlet and just outside the inlet taking live mullet. Sheepshead can be caught around the bridge pilings on shrimp.

Lake Okeechobee

Toxic algae has been present all over the lake still, so anglers must make up their minds as to what they want to do when it comes to catching bass in less than pristine water quality. The alge should begin to fade by the next full moon at month's end.

• report courtesy of Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at  ed.killer@tcpalm.com.