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Snook-Nook Fishing Report

Inshore catch lists can consist of Snook, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Croakers, Triple Tail, Pompano, Bluefish, Jacks, Spanish Mackerels and more! Shrimp is definitely the bait of choice this time of year with the cooler water temperatures. The fish tend to be more inclined to go after a slower presentation and sit tight to structure for warmth as well as sit in deeper holes and drop offs. You can fish the bridges for Drum, Sheepshead and Croakers with live or frozen shrimp on a jighead, typically either 1/4oz or 3/8oz depending on the current. You will want to fish your bait around the concrete fenders and let it drift alongside it with the current. When fiddler crabs are available, you can’t beat using them following the same method to get in on some Sheepshead action! 

Fishing around the Hole in the Wall and the Inlet is also a good spot to hit, you can anchor up and throw shrimp on a jig towards the shoreline to search for schools of Croakers and pick off Sheepshead and Drum as well as some Snook. You can also fish Pompano rigs with pieces of shrimp. You may go through a few catfish, but don’t let that discourage you as you have a solid chance at finding some Croakers, Sandperch, Bonefish, Drum and Pompano using this method. Not a bad idea to have a Pompano jig tied on a rod either to take some casts while you are waiting on a bite. 

Fishing docks is also a good place to look for fish. Try fishing the docks with deeper water as you may find more fish schooled up in some of the areas with deeper water. Channel markers are also a good place to look, you can find Sheepshead, Croakers, Drum and even Tripletail on them. 

Anglers have been able to pick off a few Pompano at the Jensen Causeway, and a few commercial anglers have been able to find some in the inlet. We should continue to see more Pompano showing up inshore as the water temperatures have dropped. Areas to look for them include the Inlet, Crossroads, Sailfish Flats, Jensen and Stuart Causeway. 

If you are looking to throw artificials, once again slower presentations are going to be the key. Fishing baits like artificial shrimp, Flair Hawks and slow rolling paddle tails are going to be your best bets if you are looking to catch Snook on lures. Anglers have been finding Snook on artificials at the Jensen Causeway at night pretty consistently here lately. There have also been a few Trout caught up around Bear Point and Middle Cove by anglers wade fishing. Topwaters in the morning along with artificial shrimp and live shrimp on a popping cork have produced the action for those anglers. 

Surf Fishing Report

The beach has been showing many signs of life this past week! Pompano, Bluefish, Whiting, Spanish Mackerel, Jacks and Runners have all been making the catch list. Beaches south of Jensen Public Beach have provided the most action for anglers here recently. It seems that the cold front we had during Christmas definitely moved some fish into our area. For those who are targeting Pompano, you will definitely want to come prepared with an 11’-13’ rod to reach them as the majority of Pompano have been caught roughly 70-100yds off the beach. Fishing with a longcast reel such as the Penn Spinfisher VI longcast will also add a little more distance onto your cast. We have some leftover surf combos put together at discounted prices from our tent sale that you can checkout as well if you are looking into a new surf combo. It is crucial to have the proper tackle in order to catch these Pompano. You will also want to come to the beach prepared with multiple rigs as the Bluefish and Mackerel may cut you off. The hot baits for Pompano have been the Powerlime Crab and EZ Flea Fishbites. Some anglers have been catching them on Sandfleas as well. For those looking for Capt. Paul Pompano rigs, he has been bringing them in on Thursday mornings, they don’t last very long on the shelves! It isn’t a bad idea to cast a spoon while waiting for a bite as well for the Bluefish and Mackerel. 

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

 

INSHORE-  Snook season opens back up next week...good weekend to do a little scouting for them.  Overall snook fishing has been a bit slow, but those putting in the time have been finding a few in the usual wintertime hangouts.  The shrimp jig bite is still on at night.  Look for slightly cloudy water and fair tide movement (generally outgoing) for best luck on the snook.  A hand full of inshore pompano reports coming in from Hobe Sound and Lake Worth.  A bright colored Doc's Goofy Jig is the best bet for the pomps.  Small jacks, blue runners, and ladyfish will also jump all over a Doc's Goofy Jig.  Sheepshead reports slowed a bit this week, but still a decent number around.  Shrimp and sand fleas remain the best bet for the sheepshead.  

SURF/PIER-  Somewhat slow fishing this week both on the beach and at the pier.  A slow pick of pompano being caught, but no numbers to speak of.  From the beach it's been Fish bites, sand fleas, and clams.  From the Juno Beach Pier the same baits will work well, as will the Doc's Goofy Jig. Some good schools of jacks cruising the beach along Singer Island and Palm Beach Inlet.  Look for the jacks to be most active early morning and late afternoon.  The tarpon have also been hanging around Palm Beach Inlet in fair numbers.  No bluefish or Mackerel action to speak of this week; hopefully the front this weekend helps get some pointed in our direction.  

GIANT Speckled Trout- Indian River Lagoon Flats Fishing

Sebastian Inlet Report

 

 The charming and ever-present “Snookman” Wayne Landry, offers up this week’s fishing report:

Good morning, all you Sebastian Inlet lovers. I hope everyone had a great weekend! To begin, It have to say that the fishing has dropped off a bit at the inlet as a whole. Not too much going on after the big swells we had at the beginning of last week that dirtied up the water. Also, the water is still pretty cold, 65 to 68 degrees. But there are some fish biting if you can find clean water, and since the winds have been offshore the last few days the surf has calmed down considerably, so that's a plus. Here’s the scoop:

North Jetty: Early last week we were catching nice black drum, whiting, pompano, small permit, catch-and-release snook, all on live shrimp on the incoming tide. In an hour’s time on Tuesday, I caught two drum, a whiting, a snook and three jacks, then it all just stopped. The rest of the week it was stingrays, catfish, many small bonnet head sharks, and some small Atlantic sharp nose sharks. They were everywhere. After Wednesday, about the only thing I saw caught here were many tiny undersized bluefish and a few huge bull reds on the outgoing tide on Kastmaster spoons and jigs. Along the rock seawall between the catwalk and the jetty there were small snook and sheepshead being caught on live shrimp on both tides. The flounder fishing on this side I haven't seen or heard anything positive. 

South jetty:  The fishing has been much better, with several species being caught on both tides. Small catch-and-release snook have been biting just about everything you toss out there, live or artificial. Small black drum, sheepshead and some black margates are being caught along the jetty on the incoming tide, and at the tip on the outgoing, along with plenty of small bluefish. Flounder fishing here has picked up somewhat, with some fish I hear being caught on live finger mullet up to about seven pounds. Very nice fish. After the swell calmed down  midweek, there was a decent pompano bite on the beach just south of the inlet - live sand fleas was the bait of choice for them. 

 Catwalks, both sides: The north side is still closed. There was still a decent sheepshead bite at the south side on the incoming tide for those using fiddler crabs around the pilings. Not much else to report. 

Surf, both sides: After the swell calmed down on the north side, there were pompano, black drum and whiting caught on sand fleas and cut shrimp. Also,  there have been many small bluefish biting — some nice ones. They will hit just about anything you throw out bait wise, and silver spoons. The south side is pretty much the same, but with a few more pompano and some black drum and black margates mixed in. 

T-Dock area: It’s been pretty slow recently. About the only thing I saw or heard about were small Spanish mackerel and undersized flounder on small white jigs. Catch-and-release snook have also been present on the incoming tide along the shorelines on live shrimp. 

Well folks, that's all I have for this week. Not like it was, but that's what a weather change does for us this time of the year. You just have to pick a day, go fish and see what comes up. Have a great week, everyone!” — Snookman

Beach Fishing With Paul Sperco Palm Beach/Martin County Area

 It is great to report about the ongoing pompano bite that we are experiencing here on the Treasure Coast . The last two January’s have been less than spectacular but this year we are seeing a nice spread of fish . The cold front on the Christmas weekend really put things into gear and it appears as if it is going to continue. I fished with Randy and Deb on Sunday and by myself this morning and went through some Fishbites on both days . Long time friend Chuck Frith set up right next to us yesterday and he also went home with some beautiful pompano . There has been a lot of life in the water with mackerel, bluefish, jacks, and a few whiting to go along with the pompano . I have to let everyone know about staggering the distances of your baits if you are fishing more than one rod . Yesterday our 60 to 70 yard rods caught as many pompano as our 100 yard setup’s. It was all about the Powerlime Crab Fishbites the last couple of days with the EZ Flea coming in second for the best producing scents and colors . Cut your Fishbites in a diamond shape to maximize the bait movement on the hook . Randy and I were using 3 ounce Sinker Guy Sputniks even in the calm waters the past couple days . These sinkers really keep your bait stationary and increases your chance of having that pompano hit it . After we got Randy his recreational limit for the freezer I worked on getting New England Seafood some of these great tasting fish for the retail market. They are in the display case on ice in the store and they do not get any fresher than the ones I dropped off today . The forecast calls for a slight uptick in the wind velocity this week but appears conditions should be fishable this week . I stopped at the Snook Nook this morning and they have a great inventory of Powerlime Crab Fishbites along with the new Periwinkle Purple Clam bait on the shelves. They also have an excellent inventory of Mark Burford’s Over The Bar Surf rods and this rod will put you in the game for catching pompano . The surf is alive so get out and bend a rod . Good luck this week and catch em up .