fall mullet run at sebastian

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet friends, I hope everyone had a great weekend despite the afternoon thunder boomers we had and the rain. The fishing at the inlet was not great, but it was pretty steady for the most part. And I’d like to say, I believe the fall mullet run has started officially because for the last week and a half there has been lots of mullet around the inlet and the beaches! Over the weekend the schools of mullet coming down the beach were nonstop all day, both days, and both sides of the inlet! Big mullet, small fingerling mullet, and the perfect “hand sized” mullet for the snook. I also would like to take a minute to mention that with all the baitfish around now, greenies, pilchards and mullet, PLEASE, PLEASE cast netters only keep what you need and toss back any and all you don’t need back into the water ASAP!! It is one of our rules for fishing on the jetty, and also is a rule/regulation in FWC’s law book. Please be good stewards of the jetty, and our marine resources. Thank you. Another note since snook season is now open and it gets very crowded down there, pleas keep ALL your equipment, carts, coolers, buckets, chairs, and anything else you bring with you OUT of the safety walkway between the railings and yellow guide lines on the jetty. It all belongs in the center of the jetty. The walkway is to be kept clear in case there are any medical emergencies and the EMT’s need to have access. Thank you. So here we go with all the action spots.

North Jetty

Out here all the action has been all about the redfish, quite a few have been caught at the tip on the outgoing, and on the inside on the incoming tide. Most of the fish being caught ate in the 28-34 inch range caught on live finger mullet, majorra and shrimp. All weekend I didn’t see very many snook caught, just a few up top on the jetty on majorra, but the boats fishing way out in the cleaner water were doing quite well on live pigfish, they were also catching the redfish as well. Mangrove snapper were biting pretty well at the tip, in the rocks for those fishing live and cut greenies on the outgoing tide. Several fish I saw caught were in the 11-13 inch range! Another species being caught were the lookdowns being caught on tiny white jigs at the tip, outgoing and incoming tide. On Saturday I did also see a few nice spanish mackerel caught on gotcha lures, beech side of the jetty. There were millions of mullet of all sizes around the jetty both days, and the big jack crevalle were tearing them up at times, and were being caught on big live mullet, and spoons. Most of the jacks were in the 10-15 pound range! Along the seawall between the bait shop and the bridge, some nice mangrove snapper were being caught on greenies and shrimp. The fish I saw were in the 11-12 inch range. That’s pretty much it for this side.

South Jetty

On this side the action was a bit slower, but still decent to keep you enticed. Lots of mullet over here as well. Outgoing at the tip was producing some of the big jack crevalle and redfish on the live and cut mullet. The guy’s fishing shrimp were catching the normal fare, black margates, spot tail pins, some mangrove snapper, and LOTS of puffers! On Sunday, one of my friends caught his limit of really nice pompano on the goofy jigs! Really nice fish in the 2 pound range. Great table fare. The incoming tide was producing a few snook, but not very many, just enough to keep you interested. Live majorra was the bait of choice. The water is still a bit too warm for the snook to “turn on”, 87 as of this writing, even though we have the mullet run going, the water needs to drop down to around 78-80 for them to get going. Some mangrove snapper are still biting on the incoming on live and dead greenies for those looking for them. The fish over here have been a bit smaller, 10-11 inches. The redfish are around as well being caught on live baits. That’s it for over here.

T-Dock Area

Back here the fishing has been pretty slow, not very many anglers have been back here, and the ones that were back here have reported only some puffers, and smaller snappers being caught on shrimp and cut baits. With the schools of mullet coming in the inlet there is that possibility of the big jacks chasing them. Big spoons and jigs tossed to the channel area could produce a bite. The snook and redfish fishing has been hit or miss, depending on the water quality and bait schools.

Surf Area, both sides

With the surf being calmed back down to an acceptable level, and the water cleaned up a lot, the fishing has picked up a bit. North side with all the mullet coming down the beaches now has sparked the interest of all the predators, snook, tarpon, big jacks, redfish and sharks! In watching the mullet schools over the weekend, we witnessed all that going on up the beach just north of the jetty, was a very amazing thing to watch. Fish with either live mullet, big swim baits, or medium sized jigs to entice a bite when all the action is going on. For those fishing with fleas or shrimp, whiting are back on the menu, along with a few of the pompano that have mad an appearance. South side, the exact same thing going on, except that there have been more pompano and whiting being caught with the cleaner water.

Well my fellow anglers, and friends, that pretty much wraps up another installment of what’s going on at the inlet! It’s supposed to be kind of rainy in the afternoons with thunder boomers, so if you go out, be careful, and have fun, and catch some fish, they’re there!! Have a great week!! Snookman.