A week of nasty weather, with cold, wind, and rain, made it difficult to get out on the water. However, the weekend brought nicer conditions, and I was able to fish on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Despite the challenging conditions earlier in the week, the weekend’s calmer weather allowed me to stick to my tried-and-true tactics. I targeted mangroves and docks with noticeable bait activity, and the 3.5″ paddle tail continued to produce results, landing a couple of nice snook.

Looking ahead to the upcoming week, the forecast promises even more beautiful weather. With the improved conditions, I’m expecting the bite to be on fire, making it a great time to get out and enjoy some fantastic fishing!

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet hard core fishing junkies! I hope everyone is thawing out from all the COLD weather we had last week! Wasn’t very welcoming at all. Lol. But this week’s weather looks to be pretty promising and more spring-like — bring it!

So here we go with what I have, isn’t much due to all the cold weather, brisk cold winds blowing down the intercoastal and the beach water brining it down to the very cold temperatures we are seeing now. It’s been at 57 degrees for the last 4 days now, it really needs to warm up, but that isn’t going to happen until we have a wind switch to the E/SE and blow some warmer water back in. I was down at the inlet over the weekend, and there weren’t very many anglers out on either side. The south jetty water was very dirty and stained with tannic acid from the rain runoff from Sebastian River, plus there was a lot of seaweed around. I saw, and talked to some of my friends there fishing the south side, and there were NO fish being caught to speak of. Only saw 2 small undersized bluefish, and that was it from the tip of the jetty all the way back to the t-dock! Nothing. A couple of my friends were floundering, because they couldn’t get any flounder to bite. Haha. But that’s it in a nutshell, no sugar coating.

Just a reminder for you all, snook season opens back up Saturday February 1st, but DON’T get your hopes up, because the water is way too cold for them to want to play. I usually don’t start fishing for them until March when the water warms back up a bit. That doesn’t mean you might not accidentally catch one. Everyone stay well, be safe and have a great week!

Is the weather finally warming up a little this week? It’s been COLD the past couple of weeks, and neither the fish nor the fishermen have been enjoying it! Fishing on the beach has been slow, with the fish acting lethargic due to the chilly water temperatures. Some beaches have reported water temps as low as 55°F—crazy! That’s far from the ideal pompano range of 68-72°F. The winds look to stay down as well. Hopefully, this week’s weather will warm the water up just enough to spark a better bite.

We’re also moving into a new moon phase on the 29th, which usually means heavier fish activity during the morning hours and around the changing tides throughout the day.

That said, the beach fishing reports from the Cape Canaveral area down to Patrick Space Force Base haven’t been great. Rough surf and cold weather have made it tough for most anglers. The catches have mainly consisted of small seasonal sharks, bluefish, black drum, and margates. It’s been a grind, but there have been a few impressive catches, including some big redfish.

For bait this time of year, I recommend live sand fleas, frozen shrimp pieces and clam strips. Pair them with Fishbites to help keep your bait from flying off the hooks. Make sure to use a pompano rig in pink, orange, or sand flea colors. Look for washouts in the surf (as usual), and avoid fishing on sandbars—your bait will likely be ignored there. Since it’s colder this time of year, the latter part of the day typically produces the most bites.

That’s it for this week’s report! I hope everyone can get out there and enjoy the nice weather break we’re getting. Tight lines, everyone!

James with a nice pompano on one of the coldest days of the year way back in a creek hiding from the wind.

Coldest water temps we’ve seen since 2010 at 50 degrees. Haven’t seen any fish kills thank goodness but temps got dangerously close. The bite went cold too. Not much action but we did get into some bluefish and trout on artificial. Didn’t fish live bait as we kept on the move with artificial to see if we could find some consistent action on the cold days. This week temps get back to normal and the beaches calm down. The action should improve as the water temps climb back into the mid 60s to low 70s in the lagoon. Look for some action from trout and a few snook along with bluefish, mackerel pompano and jacks.

What’s up East Side Family, we just went through the most arctic conditions for Florida didn’t we? I’m happy to say good riddance and bring on the heat and sunshine.

We got out and wet some lines in the Canaveral area on January 24th after dropping off some beautiful Custom fishing rigs at Cocoa Beach Fishing Center. The conditions weren’t exactly what we had expected. 3 Foot waves coupled with a hard North to South current and a headwind made fishing pretty challenging on top of the cold. The water must’ve been hovering around mid 50’s from what I felt. The fish definitely weren’t there when we fished, we struck out, but with this upcoming week of warm weather that may change, QUICK.

Update: It did change quick! Hit the sand today. (1/27) in search of the yellow-bellied swimmers and I was fortunate enough to luck into one after missing a really nice fish. Caught a few whiting to join him in the box which will make a nice meal later tonight. The name of the game this week and from now on will be finding that cleaner water, even better if you find bait in those clean water areas as well. Pompano was caught on a special Secret Weapon rig only available at Man Overboard Bait and Tackle in Indian Harbour Beach. They also carry the rigs that caught the Whiting in the photos.

Look to target Pompano during the early morning sunrise bites and especially after the mid-day warm up on the evening bites, look for a good tide to coincide with the sunrise and sunset and you’re off to the races.

That’s all that we have for now so Tight Lines and Catch ’em up East Side Family!

If you are looking to get offshore with a great captain and crew, the Ocean Obsession out of Sunrise Marina at Port Canaveral has had their customers on the fish! Lane, mangrove and mutton snapper along with triggerfish and cobia are all being caught right now. Don’t miss the good weather window we have this week to go catch some of these species.

According to the 10 day forecast we may be out of the frozen tundra weather for awhile here in the New Smyrna Beach area. The forecast is calling for highs in the 70’s with some clear skies making for some great fishing on Mosquito Lagoon and the surrounding waters. The water temps are a little cool at the moment but should be back to probably mid 60’s by the weekend if the weather conditions continue.

The snook definitely seem to be in a state of shock which I kinda do not blame them as I myself am still getting over the freezing temps. The redfish and black drum can be found on the shallow sand and mud flats looking for an easy meal. The trout and snook have found shelter in deeper water until the water temps really start to warm.

As I said before it looks as though Central Florida will be in a warming trend over the next week and I’m looking forward to some nice weather.

Water temperatures have been cool and fishing has been a little challenging with the wind, but we’ve had some nice catches of redfish, black drum with some trout here and there. With the warming trend this week the fish should get much more active and February should bring some incredible fishing. I have dates available so let’s go fishing. You can call me at 386-295-5991 or go directly to my website, FatFishGuide.com

I’ve always called it the big flush. It’s also called the squeegee, the drain and other such names. They all refer to the same phenomenon that leads to fantastic light tackle fishing on the St Johns River.

We all know Florida gets a lot of rain in the summer. Those almost daily afternoon thunderstorms raise water levels on the St Johns River. In the stretch of river near Brevard County, rising waters breach the banks and flood into the surrounding pasture lands. Add in a tropical system or two, like hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, and the flooding spreads even more.

Thousands of acres of newly flooded shallows create a haven for minnows and grass shrimp where they can feed and breed with minimal interference from predators. Populations explode. Then comes winter and spring, the dry season in Florida. Water levels on the St Johns drop. Eventually all those flooded shallows drain into the main river channels, flushing in immense numbers of minnows and shrimp.

This sets up a buffet for just about every predatory fish in the St Johns. Feeding frenzies ensue. Time it right and you can enjoy insane light tackle fishing with gaudy numbers of fish. Crappie, bluegill and other panfish are the main players. Plenty of largemouth bass join it. Most are smaller specimens, averaging about a foot long, but bigger ones are occasionally caught. American and hickory shad will feast on the minnows along with channel catfish, bowfin and gar.

Fishing this phenomenon is not complicated. Just look for fish busting schools of minnows and shrimp on the surface. Diving terns and wading birds along the bank can also be a tipoff.

An ultralight spinning rod and a handful of panfish jigs will catch a ton of fish. Jig color usually isn’t important, but occasionally the fish can be picky. I like to throw tandem jigs, each one a different color to increase my chances of zeroing in on the hot color should the fish be selective that day.

This is also a great time to break out the lightest fly rod you own. Small streamers will produce the greatest numbers of bites, but a little popper, gurgler or other surface pattern can be more fun. I usually bring two fly rods, one with a floating line and a surface fly and another with a sink tip line and a Clouser Minnow or other weighted streamer to get down deep where the bigger fish often lurk.

Although there are days when fish will bust any lure you throw, most of the time this fishery is a classic case of match the hatch. The minnows and grass shrimp are about an inch long so jigs and flies should also be about an inch long. Inch and a half may also work but when you get up to two inches you are getting too big.

The trickiest part of this fishery is figuring out the timing which is different year to year. I’ll spare you the mystery. It is happening right now and could be good for another month or two. If ultralight fun and 50+ fish days sounds appealing to you, now is the time to give the St Johns River a try.

Winter is not playing nice! Brutal winds, cold temperatures and lately lots of rain have made for some down right tough conditions! But even with all the bad weather there has been a few really awesome fishing opportunities! With all the bad weather the inshore bite has really been the best bet.

Not only has the weather been rough, but the water temps and levels are incredibly low, but this has somewhat helped! Some of the best and fun fishing can be found around residential canals, deeper docks, and mangrove shoreline’s with small holes and sloughs. Look for any area with 3′ depths or greater and some sort of structure, and you’re almost sure to find fish! The sheepshead fishing has been incredible, might possibly be the best I’ve ever seen. Pitching deep holes in the mangroves with small shrimp, sand fleas, or fiddlers crabs on a 1/0 hook and a small split shot has been the go to!

With it being this cold and fish being very lethargic, the artificial bite has definitely slowed to a screeching halt, but taking your time and flipping small baits in these areas, you’re sure to have a good time. However, you may cover a lot of ground without a bite; and once you do find a fish or two, there is sure to be more to follow. It’s not uncommon to have large number days with some really good fish, as mentioned, the sheepshead have been thick, but there has been plenty of black drum, redfish and some trout in the same areas — and they have been taking to the cold quite well! The key is taking your time and working an area very thorough. If you stick to this pattern your sure to find some solid fish!

Boy is it cold windy and rainy! Water temperature reached 65 now is 55. Bass are wanting to spawn but it will wait till temps are over 60 for several days
Shiner dunkers are catching a lot, and some bigs are showing up. Artificial bite is fair. Yesterday we caught over 30 on worms flukes and spinnerbaits biggest around 4 lbs. Fish were grouping near first dropouts near spawning flats.

Today we had 5 or 6 over 4lbs and several piggies. Time to set a date with big girls in mind