Inshore Fishing – Spring Round Up

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Ever since I got over my infection I have been hitting the water as much as I can! From Northern Merritt Island, down to Long Point, and two days in the salt marshes of Coastal Georgia, I have been catching a ton of fish, and having a blast doing it. So today I decided to do a “spring inshore round up” to summarize my last few weeks, and talk about some trends I have been seeing, as well as sharing a few of my launch spots. Since our primary readership is NOT in Coastal Georgia, I will be omitting those trips, but if you are reading this, and do want more info on Coastal Georgia, just shoot me an email or hit me up on instagram or something.

Recent Launch Spots

So for this I am going to work backwards with my most recent trip being yesterday.

Fisherman’s Landing (Grant) – I fished areas along and around the Spoil Islands off the ICW

Long Point Park (South of Mel Beach towards Sebastian Inlet) – I fished areas in and around Long Point Creek, and Campbell’s Pocket.

Pineda Exit South to Tropical Trail (Southern Merritt Island) – I fished the residential docks and the spaces/shorelines between them along the western shoreline between Pineda Causeway and Dragon Point to block the recent blustery ENE winds.

Sam’s Creek & Indian River Lagoon Flats (Northern Merritt Island) – I started back at the kayak/canoe launch, fished all the way out, spent some time of the flats there north of Sam’s Creek and back to the launch again.

Manatee Cove (Northern Merritt Island) – Fished during inclement weather, heavy rains and high winds, I stayed close to the launch in between Manatee Cove and the islands just north. Despite my limited range, had a great afternoon, and want to go back to explore more of the area there.

Hog Point to Gibbs Point (Malabar/Valkaria).

Sea Trout

Last week in my spring seatrout specific report I went into great detail, for the sake of not being a broken record, I don’t want to over state what I did last week. But now is the best time of the year to target these fish, as they are moving into shallow areas and feeding heavily due to their spawning activity. Anywhere you can find clean, and ideally moving water with bait activity presence you are likely to find hungry seatrout nearby.

The number one presentation that has been catching the most trout for me is the classic 3 inch paddletail, specifically I have been using DOA CAL Shads on ⅛ oz jigheads. I have been catching them in a variety of colors. I have also caught a bunch of trout on MirrOlure 17mr “MirrOdines” the broken glass patterns specifically. I also have been utilizing the MirrOlure MirrOmullet, which is a smaller more subtle topwater that entices more bites, especially when the sun is up. Most of the bait being keyed on is smaller during this time of year, so this smaller 3 inch plug will generate a lot more bites if getting consistent tight lines is what you are after.

Snook

While I have been spending a lot of my time targeting trout, I have noticed a significant uptick in my snook catches over the past few weeks. The warmer temps have Snook feeling a lot more active. This past weekend I tangled with 2 bigger slot/upper-slot fish. One of them surface walked and threw my lure back at me, and another one got tangled in the mangroves, I was able to get out of the kayak, grab it by the tail, but as I pulled back the lure came out, and the fish ended up slipping from my hand, but at least it got a chance to swim away in good health without a lip ring.

I have caught the smaller ones in the range of 15 to 20 inches in high volume numbers. Skipping DOA CAL Shads under mangroves has been the ticket. I have not caught any on topwater this spring, but I have been focusing more of that towards trout on the flats, and have not been beating the bushes with plugs yet.

Redfish, By-Catch and Tarpon

I have not caught nearly as many Redfish as I have Trout and Snook lately, but those I have caught have been taken on 3 inch paddletails while fishing for Snook, most of the ones I have been catching are on the smaller side.

I have noticed a strong uptick of Tarpon moving around and rolling, I have hooked up with 2, and made casts at many more. I have tried experimenting with new baits, so if I have success I will write about it, right now, tbd for the Tarpon content. I have been catching a decently high number of Ladyfish while targeting Trout, and when I beat the bushes and skip docks for Redfish and Snook, I have been catching a high number of Mangrove Snapper, who are also getting active with the warmer weather and keying in on small bait.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, this stretch of spring fishing is one of the more enjoyable periods of the year if you like catching high volume numbers of fish. The water’s warming, the bait is moving, and everything, from trout on the flats to snook in the mangroves, feels alive and aggressive. You don’t need to overthink it right now. Find clean water, look for bait, and keep moving until it comes together. When it does, it can happen fast.

What’s stood out most to me over these past few weeks isn’t just the number of fish—it’s how consistent things have been across a wide range of spots. From Merritt Island to Long Point and down south, the pattern holds: smaller profiles, active fish, and opportunities just about everywhere you launch. That’s a good reminder that you don’t always have to burn fuel chasing the “perfect” spot, sometimes it’s closer than you think.

And if you’re looking to make the most of this bite, having the right setup makes all the difference. From quietly drifting over shallow flats, creeping around mangrove shorelines, or making a run across open water to the perfect spot to anchor down and do some wade fishing, my Hobie Outback from Kayaks By Bo takes me where I need to go! If you are looking for your dream come true kayak, make sure to check out Kayaks By Bo in Cocoa! Whether you’re dialing in a new setup or just getting into the game, they’ll get you pointed in the right direction so you can spend less time guessing and more time fishing.

Get out there and enjoy the spring bite. Stay safe, be happy, and may your lines be ever tight! Until next time!