Surf Fishing with Micro Sand Fleas (Surprise Fish Ending)

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

Two high school buddies, Phil Whitcomb and Mike Young, on their first pompano fishing trip. It must be that old " Summit High School " luck as they filled the cooler. They each got their recreational limit and after I got my six fish they headed off to enjoy a South Florida afternoon. Reports today were excellent from Santa Lucea, where friend and local surf angler, Chris Battjer, put 5 nice pompano in his cooler during the short time he had to fish. I fished by a couple of friends, Brad Master and Marty Barlow, and they had no problem in catching their limits. I got reports from Hobe Sound to Fort Pierce and it sounds like we have a pretty nice spread of pompano along all of our beaches. The Yellow Crab Fishbites bait was on fire today along with the normal EZ Flea scent. I did see some folks that did not do as well as they could have and the main reason was they just weren't reaching the fish. Penn Longcast reels on 12 foot surf rods will put you in the zone where these fish are schooling up so if you want to be successful try this equipment and I guarantee you will take some home. 

                                                 

From Todd &Trey @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE- Snook season opens February 1st, and that will no doubt be the main game in town on the inshore fishing side of things.  Fishing deeper bridges with good current flow is a good starting point for bagging a slot size snook.  During the day look for snook to be hanging out on shallow flats with a dark bottom, or in areas that are getting a lot of sunshine. Live shrimp, or good shrimp imitations like the DOA Shrimp, and Shrimp Jigs are a great bait/lure choice for snook this time of year.  Sheepshead action has also been very good inshore as of late. 

Surf/Pier- Surf fishing remains a bit off for the season, but a mixed bag of fish are being caught by those putting the time in. Bluefish, spanish mackerel, jacks, and spinner sharks are scattered up and down the beach.  Tossing a large silver spoon or big popping plug is a good way to find them.  Pompano action improved this week, with some catches coming both north and south of Jupiter Inlet.  Sandfleas and clams remain the top bait choice for the pomps.  The bluefish were around in better numbers this week, which is an encouraging sign.  Spinner sharks are around in solid numbers.

Scouting Around Palm Beach And Martin County

                                         

Inshore fishing:
Along the beaches in the Jensen area there has been a nice pompano bite. Though it can be good one day and not as good the next, they are definitely moving through. They are mostly being caught on live sand fleas and on green or yellow crab Fishbites. There are schools of Spanish mackerel moving through as well and there have been concentrations of them in Peck’s Lake. They are mostly being taken on spoons, Flash Minnows, Got-Cha plugs or anything else shiny and fast.

At the bridges spanning the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers there has been good action for snook, black drum and sheepshead.

Up around the power plant they have been catching sea trout. No gators, but some nice fish.

Along the beaches from the Jupiter Inlet north through Hobe Sound there has been a nice pompano bite. From Jupiter Inlet south, however, all the way to the Juno Pier the water has mostly been too murky from the recent dredge and beach renourishment. Anglers in the Loxahatchee River are also catching pompano, as well as jack crevalle and a good number of snook. Anglers going after snook are having good luck working the dock lights at night.

Lake Okeechobee:

The spec bite is still fantastic! Anglers using jigs, and minnows like jigs, in the grass are catching their limits. Best spots have been at Little Grassy in front of the pier along with Kings Bar and Third Point. The Kissimmee River has also had an excellent bite at night. The bass bite has been a little slow, but is still consistent in the Indian Prairie, North Shore and Kings Bar areas. Live shiners are working much better than any artificial baits right now.

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 It is great to post a surf fishing report that is not talking about wind and wave heights. It is even nicer to talk about putting some pompano in the cooler and watching anglers up and down the beach running to their poles and landing some fish. Conditions today were phenomenal with the swell subsiding and reports of nice water color from Stuart Beach to Fort Pierce Inlet. I started at Stuart and found the area I like to fish pretty crowded so I headed north. The results from Middle Cove to Surfside in Fort Pierce all sounded pretty good with pompano and some whiting all being caught. I was lucky enough to land a cooler of nice pompano, one being over 22 inches, one big whiting, and a sheepshead. Burry McGee and Marty Barlow each fished north and south of me and they had some great action too. I cannot emphasize the importance of having enough Fishbites in your arsenal when hitting the beach. I caught 50% of my pompano on EZ Flea and Yellow Crab Fishbites today with no natural bait on the rigs. The clam strips and frozen sand fleas did catch some fish but they too were tipped with a piece of Fishbites. The forecast looks pretty good for the rest of the week so pick your favorite beach and bend a rod. Good luck and catch em up.

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