Conditions Improved At Sebastian Inlet

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing and beach goers! Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe weekend! I’d like to start off with a safety tip for you all today. Summer is coming and it is starting to get really hot outside, make sure if you are going to be out for any extended periods of time either fishing or beaching it, bring an umbrella or some kind of shade to keep out of the sun, AND make sure you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and safe. We had an incident on Sunday with a person passing out and having to call EMS to secure the situation and make sure she was alright. And remember, canopies and cabanas are NOT allowed on the jetty, but umbrellas are, BUT cannot be attached to the railings or any part of the structure. Pleas stay safe folks! Now for the good news on the fishing, yea, I said GOOD news! lol.

To start off over here, I’d like to point out that targeting Goliath grouper on the jetty is PROHIBITED. It is one of the rules for fishing the north jetty. The reason for the rule is to protect the species from harm as they are federally protected and managed, and there is really no safe way to land them and safely release them. I saw two of the killed last year, and it just roke my heart to see. So far the sargassum weed is still gone! Last week started off kind of slow due to the dirty water, but by Friday it started cleaning up some due to the offshore light winds and very small swells present. There were a lot of small mullet swimming around the jetty along with quite a few nice schools of small greenies everywhere. Lots of cow nose rays were swimming around the jetty as well. It is that time of the year where they are migrating down the coast to spawn. Now for the fishing. Outgoing tide early in the morning at the tip was producing some nice “catch and release” snook on live majorras and small croakers. On Saturday at the tip there were a couple of nice black drum caught on live shrimp on the outgoing as well. Jack crevalles, blue runners and some nice Atlantic spadefish were caught as well on dead shrimp. On the incoming tide there were quite a few really nice Tarpon seen rolling around the tip of the jetty heading north up the beach, but none were hooked up. A few nice sheepshead and Atlantic spadefish were caught between the pilings on cut shrimp, incoming tide as well. Also the mangrove snappers are starting to show up, but most are just under the 10 inch minimum size limit to keep. But that’s a good sign! Also there have been several mutton snappers being caught on both tides, but they too have been too small to keep. Minimum on them is 18 inches overall. Due to all the greenies around the jetty and the smaller minnows present, there have been quite a few nice lookdowns being caught on ultra light tackle on small white and green jigs, on the incoming tide at the tip. Not much too them, but a VERY tasty fish to eat. No limits on them. There have also been some spanish mackerel around, but not a lot due to the water still being a bit “silty”. Another species I saw caught over the weekend on the high tide, ocean side of the jetty were the palomettos. They look like a small pompano, but they aren’t, they have 3 slightly visible vertical stripes on their sides and long orange and black dorsal and anal fins. They don’t get very big, but they are good to eat if you can catch a batch of them. They are an “unregulated” species, so they have no size limit or bag limit. And for those of you looking for a big fish to mess with, some big barracudas are starting to roam around. They can be caught on big live baits, or various colors of big tube lures thrown at them.

Over here the fishing has also picked up quite a bit. Outgoing tide at the tip they have been catching black margates, blue runners, some mangrove snappers, jack crevalle and a couple of nice pompano. The mangroves for the most part have been too small to keep on this side as well. Also being caught at the tip on the outgoing, and the incoming all along the rock shoreline has quite a few nice “catch and release” snook and redfish. Live majorras and the small croakers have been the baits of choice. Another species I saw caught on Saturday when I was down was a really nice 24 inch flounder! It is that time of the year for the “summer” run of those fish. Also remember they have to be 14 inches to be kept.

Both catwalk sides of the Inlet remain closed by the Florida Department of Transportation…

Back here things are getting better day by day. With all the small glass minnows, greenies and majorras around, and the water cleaning up, there has been a flurry of action. Both tides around the dock pilings they are catching some snappers on small live and cut baits. Mangroves and muttons are the flavors, but most of them have been too small to keep. But like I mentioned earlier in the report, that’s a good sign! Spanish mackerel are also a possibility on small live baits fished with a float, or with small jigs of various materials, hair of soft plastics. Jack crevalles and some blue runners are there to play too. The “catch and release” snook are around for those hardcore snookers. Incoming and the very beginning of the outgoing on live majorras is your best bet. Also with some flounder showing up around the south jetty, and time for the summer run we do have, they could be a possibility back here around the sandy areas. Any small live bait or small rubber jig will entice them.

I haven’t heard much from the surf guys and gals. The water even though it has been pretty calm, is still very dirty and silted up, and about the only thing that bites when it is that way is those pesky catfish, and stingrays. One thing to watch out for is the possible bait schools migrating down the beaches this time of year. You might encounter some tarpon, snook and redfish around them. Fish live baits if you have them, or medium to large plastic swim baits.

Well guys and gals, that’s all I have today, and I’m glad it is better than what it was. It can only get better from here as we go into summer and the water cleans up, hopefully, and warms up too. So grab your gear, get out to your favorite “honey hole” and see what happens, and enjoy our fishing, beaches and what Florida has to offer! Snookman