Snook-Nook Fishing Report

 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, Whiting 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.

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.