From Todd / Eric @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

Sebastian Inlet Report

04-03-15 FRIDAY: TGIF! 

It's a glorious morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the Southwest at 3 mph, gusting to 6 and there is a light chop on the water. What a nice week we've had at the inlet. The weather has been great and folks have been catching fish. Blues remain the prevalent catch with Jacks coming in second. Good sized Sheepshead are being landed on any type of crustacean, a few monster Black Drum (see yesterday's report), big Reds, Trout, Flounder and a few nice Pompano have been active at the inlet. Spanish Mackerel are out there but they are playing hard to get. 

Our first photo today features Liam Scott of Cornwall, NY. This young man has practically grown up on the fishing report; he's been coming down to fish with his family since he was a little guy. He was visiting once again and got out to do some fishing. Liam landed this pretty Porkfish, Liam released the fish unharmed right after the photo. 
Our Tuesday report featured Glen Rathburn of Orange, MA and we hinted at receiving some more photos from him. It turns out that Glen was here fishing with his four brothers and a friend from their hometown. Fishing the jetty from 4:30 a.m. until about noon each day, they only stopped when the bite did. David Rathburn has been coming to fish the inlet for 25 years; he is always amazed at what happens on the jetty. This year was special as all the brothers were here at one time and they all got to fish together (and visit their Mom). Our second photo features Wayne Rathburn with a beautiful oversized C/R Red that was released unharmed right after the photo. 

Photo three features Chuck Rathburn with Bluefish and photo four features Bob Rathburn with a Jack. Photo five features David Rathburn with a big Jack. 

March has come and gone with lots of successful fishing on the Treasure Coast. It had its ups and down in weather, but the fish continued to produce some nice catches for our anglers. We have enjoyed the wonderful weather that has brightened our area and look forward to April's fishing.

                           

photo courtesy of christinaweberfishing.com

It's time to start using those top water lures in the mornings or late evenings. Now that the water temps have gotten back into the 70's, the fish will be more active and hungry. Switch to DOA shrimp or CAL jerk baits later in the mornings for more action on the grass flats. Sub-surface lures, like the Mirrodine will also work well for you. The big trout are on the flats and now is the time to seek out that trophy fish. Redfish have been biting all spring around the river. Look for them around docks, mangroves and grass flats. Snook have been biting around the inlet, docks and sea walls for many anglers. There are many other varieties of fish to be caught this time of year. April is a super time to enjoy the fishing on the Treasure Coast. Have fun and get out fishing soon!

The sun has been out and warming things up. Use plenty of sunscreen this time of year. There are lots of anglers getting sunburned this time of year and you don't want to be the next one. Drink plenty of fluids as well. Enjoy the sunshine and fishing!

Sebastian Inlet Report

04-02-15 THURSDAY: GOOD VARIETY OF SPECIES 

We have another pretty morning at the Sebastian Inlet. Winds are blowing out of the North-Northwest at 6 mph, gusting to 7 and there is a light chop on the water. There are no NOAA advisories this morning.

There's a pretty good crowd out on the north jetty this morning. When the fishing picks up the word travels quickly. Fishing is getting better each day. We're seeing good numbers of Blues and Jacks, Spanish Mackerel, Sheepshead, Reds, Black Drum, Trout, Flounder and Pompano. There have been some silver mullet in the water and a few mojarra and greenies are starting to show up. We should start to see more and more schools of bait fish making their way in and out of the inlet soon.

Our first photo today is just incredible. This enormous Black Drum was landed by Eddie Cardinale off the north jetty. This monster weighed between 65 - 70 lbs.! The fish was landed on a 4" live blue crab with 30 lb. test on the outgoing tide. Eddie released it right after the photo. 
Photo two features Josh Blackett of Palm Bay. Josh was shark fishing off the north jetty using an 18" bluefish when he hooked up with this big 44" C/R Red. He reported lots of Blues and some Spanish Mackerel were landed as the sun was setting. 
 Our last photo today features inlet regular Dave Hartwell with one of several good sized Sheepshead he landed off the north jetty. 

Palm Beach/Stuart Report

                                                                               photo courtesy of Beachwalker Charters

 INSHORE

Bluefish and big jacks are being caught from the beaches of the Treasure Coast early in the morning. Once the sun is up for a few hours, whiting and big croaker move in.

In the Indian River, redfish are biting on the west side (from County Line Road north), and there are good numbers of trout, jacks, ladyfish and small snook mixed in.

For bigger snook, fish the bridges and docks at night. There have been several “monsters” caught — mostly over slot, which is 28-32 inches.

Some pompano have been reported in the surf along Jupiter, and snook are starting to show up in decent numbers. Fishing right before dark has been a good time for hooking pompano.

In the Intracoastal Waterway, there are snook at the bridges in and around Jupiter, in addition to jacks and mangrove and lane snapper.

There has been a great snook bite at night in the Loxahatchee River as well.

The beach fishing has been a little slow in central and southern Palm Beach County this week, but there have been a few jacks and Spanish mackerel caught between Palm Beach and Boca Raton. A couple snook were also reported, and bluefish were caught from the shore in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.

In the Intracoastal, target snook at the bridges and docks at night, and look for jacks in the flats. There have been sand perch reported near bridges as well.

FRESHWATER

Decent numbers of bass were being plucked out of Lake Okeechobee, and the recent cool front made the action even hotter. Anglers were reporting great days on the water this week, and several bass weighing more than 6 pounds were hooked.

The best fishing remains along the outside edges and back in the grass, but they can be caught throughout the lake. With the slightly cooler temperatures this week, the bite has been solid regardless of time of day.

     Live shiners are still working better than artificial lures, but you can have success either way.

courtesy of Palm Beach Post

From Capt. Charlie @ Fishing Center - Ft Pierce

As March blows out of the area, you can still plan on some windy days ahead in April. The transition into the summer pattern is well under way and soon the winds will die down and you can enjoy those calm days of summer once again. Expect the fishing to be especially good this April as water temperatures warm up and spring takes over the area. March was a little cooler, but the water is warming back up to suit the fish. As the river fills with bait schools, you can bet the fish are hungry and will be feeding heavily. 

 Redfish and trout will become more active around the flats. They will be shallow early and gradually move to the edges of the flats as the sun get higher in the sky. Look to areas like Bear Point, Harbor Branch and Round Island for trout to be feeding on the flats. On a calm morning, break out the top water lures and switch to jerk baits, like a DOA CAL 4” Arkansas Glow or Watermelon. Shallow running Mirrolures will also entice the trout into biting. Don’t forget to use the Deadly Combo or CAL Airhead for more exciting trout action on the grass flats. There has been a lot of redfish activity throughout March and it should make April a fantastic month. Redfish can be found on sandy flats around the docks or try the Moorings and Bear Point for a chance at a nice size red. DOA shrimp or CAL grub tails in root beer or glow colors are great ways to find a redfish along with a trusty gold spoon. 

The snook season has many anglers out seeking that slot fish this year. The bite has been good around the inlets and will improve on the flats as well. Snook season will close May 1st so you have this month to find that slot fish. Docks will hold sheephead, jacks, redfish and many other species. I like either a DOA shrimp or TerrorEyz around docks. Fish them slowly to keep them under the dock as long as possible. Drop a live shrimp or pinfish under a dock as well for a great chance at hooking up. There are many great areas to fish so plan on getting some fishing in this month.

Bridges will continue to hold sheephead, jacks, bluefish and some black drum. The big jacks will be invading the river this month. They are not great to eat, but provide a tough battle on light tackle. Ladyfish will be all over the river and keep the kids smiling. The inlet will continue to hold bluefish, jacks and mackerel. While April might be a little windy, it is still a great month to fish the Indian River.

April is the first month that fish can enjoy all the many baitfish schools and they will be feeding heavily on the schools around the flats. The water has already been warming up and you can see the changes in the bite already. Early morning can bring lots of good results this time of year. It was a cool winter this year and the fish are anxious to enjoy some warmer water…..and so are we!

Sebastian Inlet Report

                                     

                             04-01-15 WEDNESDAY: FISHING IS PICKING UP, NO FOOLING! 

We have fog at the inlet this morning but we expect it to burn off quickly. Winds are blowing out of the West-Southwest at 7 mph, gusting to 10 and there is a light chop on the water. We have a slight chance of showers this evening. It looks like it's going to be a great day to get out and enjoy the great outdoors, do it for those who are stuck in their offices!

Fishing has been picking up as our days get warmer and longer. We're seeing a good variety of species and nice fish come over the rails of both jetties. Catches include big and medium Jacks; lots of Blues, good sized Sheepshead, Trout, Spanish Mackerel, big Reds, Black Drum, Lookdowns, a few Pompano in the surf and a few Flounder.

We received an update from winter resident Rich Blum who fished the north jetty yesterday morning. Rich reported that the big Reds ruled the morning hours. All of the Reds that came over the rails were oversized and returned to the water after photos. Sheepshead were in play and one real nice Black Drum was landed. 
Our first photo today features Chris Webber of Wisconsin. Chris was fishing the south jetty when he landed this huge Jack using a jig. Chris reported there were lots of Jacks and Blues landed on the outgoing tide. Chris was happy to be here as the lakes are still frozen in WI! 

Photo two features Van Thanh of Orlando with a 20" Jack. This was the first fishing experience for him.

Liem Vo sent in our last photo today of a real nice Spotted Trout his father landed using a diving minnow.