From Capt. Charlie @ Fishing Center - Ft Pierc

The weather patterns are slowly changing into fall. Look for milder temperatures and less rainfall as we get into September. Luckily, the rainfall has slowed and at least the Fort Pierce area is gradually getting back to normal. I get calls each day asking where can I fish safely. Most people are avoiding the Stuart/Jensen Beach area for now. Fort Pierce has held up well and the fishing has been good. The Saint Lucie River and Stuart area are still being flooded with fresh water from Lake Okeechobee and that will be a while for things to improve there. While the rainy season is about over, the problems in the Saint Lucie River are far from that. Businesses around the area are feeling the strain from the toxic waters in the Saint Lucie River. Charter boats, tackle shops and beach rentals are just a few of the locals that are being affected in the Stuart area. More and more anglers are fishing the Fort Pierce area now. My wife, Eva, and I attended one of the rallies recently at the St. Lucie Locks in support of cleaning up our waterways. There continues to be growing support for action and the momentum is in our favor. Check out on Facebook for groups like the Rivers Coalition, Save the Saint Lucie River or Citizens for Clean Water. There are a number of other support groups popping up and lots of activities planned, so get on board and get involved in saving the Saint Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon!

Fishing in the Fort Pierce area has improved greatly since the rains have slowed. The water has cleaned up nicely and gets better each day. Fortunately, we aren't dealing in all the Okeechobee water up there.
The trout bite has been somewhat slower lately, so we have been looking for redfish, snook, snapper and other fish. The redfish have started schooling up on the flats and if you are reading the water, you might just find some. September is always a great month to look for reds on the flats. Top water lures, DOA shrimp, CAL Airheads or live bait can all help you get hooked up on an upper slot redfish this time of year.

                                                                                               photo courtesy of DOA Lures

We are finding both reds and snook hanging under the mangroves and hungry to feed. Work under the shadow lines to find where they are hiding. Look for lots of snapper along the channel edges and docks this month. You can also find some sheepshead in those areas. The inlet continues to have jacks, blue runners and other hungry fish feeding on the glass minnows. Along the beach you should find snook, tarpon and jacks feeding on the bait schools. The fall mullet run is about to take off and if brings in lots of hungry predators to the area. September will be a very productive month on the Treasure Coast.

Keep posted on the quality of the waters in our area by checking TCPalm.com daily and get involved. They have been very active and vocal to get things changed to improve our waterways!

Snook Week...... The Count Down

Snook Week...... The Count Down

“Flair Hawk 101″

                       “Flair Hawk" 
                                                         By: Eric Gates

Nylon jigs, there are as many ways to fish them as there are different styles and colors.  No matter how you like to fish them, the fact remains they catch BIG fish.  Let’s focus on flairhawks for BIG snook.  For something as simple as a leadhead with some nylon tied to it there is a lot to consider when choosing the right jig for the right situation.

Color

We’re going to keep this very simple, if you’re fishing in a river around a bridge or an outgoing tide at an inlet use a chartreuse jig.  If you are fishing on the beach or in clear water conditions use a jig with white nylon, preferably with a little sheen.  Snook will hit a jig based on profile and action more than color, but for those who want to complicate things, your jig should blend into its surroundings and stand out all at the same time.

Jig Styles

The two most common flairhawk jig styles are the skimmer jig and the bullet style jighead.  Both work well in most situations, however snook hit based on profile and action so there are some things to consider.  Are the snook feeding on finger mullet or some type of bait with a narrow profile?  If they are, a jig with a narrow profile is what you want to use.  If they are feeding on croaker or something with a larger profile, a jig with more flair and a larger profile is the way to go.  When the snook are feeding on crabs you want to bang the bottom with a skimmer style jighead.

Weight

Perhaps the most important factor in choosing which jig to pull out of the box.  Snook hit based on profile and action, but a snook won’t hit what it can’t see.  Put the jig in the strike zone and your odds of catching a snook goes up three fold.  There is a definite learning curve here and you will lose jigs in the process, but getting the jig at the right depth and location at the right time is the big secret to jig fishing. There is an up side to hanging up on the bottom…when you find the hang-ups there is a good chance you have found where the snook are hanging out.  Present the jig properly around these hang-ups and the snags turn into big snook!

Sebastian Inlet Report

08-28-13 WEDNESDAY: MANGROVE SNAPPER, REDS, JACKS, BLUES, ATLANTIC SPADEFISH AND SPOTS 

We have another nice breeze at the inlet this morning. Winds are blowing out of the East-Northeast at 10 mph and there is a moderate chop on the water.

Redfish have become fairly active over the past few days and we've seen a lot of them in the slot. Remember, the slot is 18" - 27" and limited to one per person per day. If you land a Red that is over or under the slot, please use two hands to hold the fish. Holding them with one hand by the gill cover can damage their internal structure, particularly the large fish. Mangrove Snapper continue to bite, plenty of Jacks, a few Blues, Spots and Spadefish are making appearances as well. 

Our first photo today features  Benjie Vazquez of Kissimmee. Benjie fished the north jetty and had a good day. He landed this 27" slot Red, 3 jacks, a Bluefish and a Spot, all on finger mullet. 

Photo second is of Chuck Fischer of Satellite Beach. Chuck landed this 36" Snook yesterday morning around 9:00. Although he wasn't targeting Snook, this one took a finger mullet on his line. The Snook was released unharmed after the photo. 

Photo third features Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach. Mike landed his 23" slot Redfish off the north jetty Monday morning using mojarra. 

Our last photo today is of Tommy Ngo of Kissimmee. Tommy landed this 24" slot Red using clams. 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

Ft Pierce

The inshore fishing continues to get better with the water starting to clean up. There has been reports of some nice redfish around Queens Cove with some trout mixed in, Back to the south Bear point has been good with a few reds and some nice trout.The snook fishing has been ok in the inlet and on the jetty incoming tide has been the best bet.

Snook Week...... The Count Down

Snook Week...... The Count Down

Bridge Fishing for Snook written by Jan S. Maizler   Bridges are the   epicenter of go-to hotspots    for snook. Learn how to monopolize on these man-made structures when fishing for linesiders. This monster snook was quickly posed for a snapshot and then gently released to insure its well being. Photo: Captain Dave Pomerleau Anglers new to snook fishing should realize that the "linesider" is a tropical species, more often found in the mangrove estuaries of central and northern South America. Over thousands of years, snook have migrated to Florida as their northernmost region, although few snook exist in north Florida compared to the central and southern part of the Sunshine State. A snook can be visualized as a saltwater black bass in its proclivity for structure, ambush and huge suction-style strikes. In Florida, snook range in size from fingerlings to monsters weighing over forty pounds. The bridge is often the epicenter of go-to hotspots for snook, since this tropical species uses structure as a hiding place to ambush baitfish that are passing through the compressed current that bridges create. Snook are a flexible species regarding habitat; they can easily switch the refuge of jungle mangrove roots for the concrete pilings of bridges.  Snook are also pliable in their ability to tolerate a high influx of fresh water. In fact, snook thrive where there is a mix of inland fresh water, transitional salty bays, passes and cuts that lead to the open sea. The one thing that will kill them is prolonged exposure to very cold water without any refuge to deeper water. The winter of 2010 killed thousands of snook in Florida, but the species seems to be on the rebound in areas that were close to the ocean. The Bridges In general, snook can be thought of as best pursued at night when they feed most actively. Therefore, nighttime bridges with lights and shadow lines below create additional hiding places for these crafty predators. In addition, nighttime lights over marine waters can be thought of as not only baitfish attractors, but, therefore, luminous baitfish displays as well. In most cases, the lighting configuration on bridges creates a regular series of lit waters below that snook either habituate on or stop at on their pursuit of bait through the area. Some snook hold along lightless bridges, but my experience has shown that the lights concentrate snook along the bridge most reliably. I also make a practice of checking on the status of the lights on the bridges I intend to fish a full 24 hours ahead of time. There's a great deal of disappointment showing up to bridge fish for snook one starry night and finding the lights are out. Enterprising experts like Captain Dave bring large live bait cars close to the bridge. Photo: Captain Dave Pomerleau Standing on bridges to fish for snook from above is far more advantageous than fishing "back" to the bridge from a boat. There are three reasons for this. First, lures can be retrieved along the shadow line from above for long periods of the presentation in a way a boat cannot achieve. Second, snook will sense the presence of a boat much more quickly than a discrete silhouette carefully looking down. Third, it is more advantageous to hook a snook from the bridge above and get its head up and follow the fish around pilings than from the almost static position of a boat. Even a boat powered by an electric trolling motor cannot follow a hooked snook along the bridge the way a pedestrian can. The only exception is if the snook runs under the bridge to the other side, which is something stout tackle and hard fighting technique from the angler can prevent. Bridges, Tides and the Water Column If I had to choose the most optimal conditions for bridge fishing for snook, I'd prefer a strong outgoing tide in the presence of enough wind to scuff the surface of the water. Here's why I like these conditions. Although snook hit on bridges during both phases of the tide and all other variables being equal, the outgoing tide pushes bait from upper regions of water towards larger bays, inlets and the ocean. Snook have learned to position themselves under the bridges as shrimp and crabs are pushed into the open waters. This is also dependent on the geographic location of the bridge. That being said, anglers should fish both tidal phases on bridges, but with some observation as to whether the outgoing or incoming tide is better. When it comes to bridges, my experience in South Florida has shown me that the outgoing tide has a slight edge.  Moon phase is intimately tied to strength of the current as well as the heights of each tide. Not surprisingly, snook will be more active when the stronger spring tide currents of the new or full moon pushes bait through bridges with even more "lunar force." Finfish and crustacean baits have far less ability to resist the current and steer away from the bridge shadows during the spring tides. After years of exposure to faster water, the snook that aggregate under urban bridges associate the swifter water with the production of more "helpless food." Neophyte bridge snookers are generally better rewarded on the spring tides. Spring tides also create higher high tides and lower low tides, so bridge anglers can also work the shallow edges of bridges on the high tides and begin to move towards the bridge center on the lowest part of the low tide. Again, that being said, some bridges produce fairly well on the slower neap tides. In addition, some wind behind a weak tide can help to increase its velocity, move more bait, and make the snook more active. Remember the maxim: all bridges produce and behave differently. The ends and fenders of bridges often create good feeding stations for whopper snook. Photo: Captain Dave Pomerleau Some wind is desirable along the bridges, though not essential. I like a bit of wind since the ensuing surface scuff makes the presentation of lures more successful to snook that are a bit less spooky. Windy water muffles the splashes of lures or fly lines and leaders. Windy water also breaks up the refraction of light as well as gives snook less of a chance to "over-examine" an artificial presentation. As discussed previously, any strong windy gusts tend to create more helpless baitfish and hence easier ambush meals for "happier" snook. Not surprisingly, anglers fishing live baits like mullet or ladyfish for big snook may not be as dependent on the forgiveness and advantages of windy weather as fly and lure anglers. The snook's relationship to the water column is one of the most crucial yet overlooked factors when fishing the bridges. Most anglers simply think that the visible snook along the shadow lines of the uptide side of the bridge are the only snook along that structure. This kind of thinking is fatally flawed, as the truth is that snook can be positioned everywhere along a bridge, meaning from the top of the water column all the way to resting on the bottom, as well as from the uptide side of the bridge and the downtide side of the bridge.  Once again, these considerations are slightly more important for lure and fly fishermen, since the level of their retrieve in the water column is determined by where the snook are holding. Live bait anglers more often "work" their baits all over the bridge and the bait's vibration and scent succeed in bringing the snook toward the offering from wherever in the water column they were holding. The ultimate advice for artificial lure anglers is to work the entire water column from top to bottom until the strikes tip off where the groups of snook or each individual snook are/is holding. Do not forget to work the bottom of the bridge pilings and fenders thoroughly-- you are trying to target the snook that you cannot see as well as the snook that cannot see you. Although it's true that more snook rise to the surface of bridge structures during the night, many remain stationed along the bottom as well. Tackle, Lures and Live Bait While it is true that a good writer would need at least one hundred pages to cover these three factors, some basic observations will meet the minimal requirements. Bridge fishing for snook at night means using tackle that is realistic and appropriate for combat fishing. For lure anglers, I recommend using strong graphite spinning or casting rods that sport 30 pound braided line topped off with a 50 pound fluorocarbon leader. The diameter of the leader should be adjusted to how calm the water is and how cautious the snook are. The reels should feature strong smooth drags, an infinite anti-reverse, and a high-speed retrieve ratio that takes up line quickly during the battle. Follow the maxim: the bigger the snook, the heavier the tackle. Popular artificial lures include three types: bucktails with a plastic worm or hackle enhancer, diving crankbaits and soft-plastic swimbaits. Soft plastics include the D.O.A. line of products or paddletails that have their own built-in action. Live bait outfits should reflect the fact that this is the method that catches the monsters. Live bait tackle is generally conventional tackle with biglevelwind reels with 50 pound test, stout "pool cue" rods with lots of guides, finished off with 80 pound fluorocarbon leaders and super sharp J-hooks (size determined by the bait being used). The most popular live baits are mullet, pinfish, jumbo live shrimp, grunts, small ladyfish and even small mangrove snapper. It's even been theorized that huge snook will grab almost any live bait they feel able to engulf!