An elusive “slot” snook Friday evening at the south jetty

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fanatics, I hope you all had a great and safe weekend, despite the afternoon thunder storms. Weather was nice, water was nice, but the fishing was a bit slow for the most part, no baitfish anywhere to be found, and that made it kind of tough, but there was some majorra, you just had to search and work hard to find any. There were some fish being caught, just not like it should be for this time of the year. The water was pretty clean for the most part until the winds switched and became SSE, which in turn dirtied it up on the south side. The seaweed was still around, but nothing like it was, also the water has warmed back up to 78 as of this writing, which for this time of year should be in the low 80’s. So that’s that, here we go with the action we did have.

North side

The action over here has been up under the bridge on the rocks on the outgoing tide, a few anglers who were able to find some majorra were catching some small undersized snook, and a couple small catch and release redfish. Remember in this area, you are NOT permitted to go past the fencing with the no trespassing signs just east of the catwalk, it is a designated construction area. Back towards the back, west of the tide pool on the incoming tide a few snook have been caught fishing live majorra, and back along the mangrove shoreline. That’s pretty much it for this side since fishing access is limited.

South side

Over here all the action has been at the tip of the jetty on the outgoing tide, cut shrimp was attracting bites from black margate, spot tail pins, small whiting, and some very nice sand perch. I also did get a report of some flounder being caught as well, but didn’t hear if they were keepers or not. The incoming tide has been pretty slow with the dirtier water, but there were a couple undersized snook caught on live croakers. That’s pretty much the jest of it out here.

T-Dock area

Back here the fishing has picked up a bit from what it has been, but with the T-dock still being closed, it is limited. On the incoming tide, and beginning of the outgoing, if you find some majorra, snook are possible. I did hear about a few slots being caught, but I did not see any the entire weekend I was there. Early morning seems to be the time for that. Along the rock shoreline I did see some small mangrove snappers being caught, which this time of year when the water warms up on the intercoastal, they will start showing, plus all the tiny minnows that are around the T-dock attract them. Also being caught back here are sheepshead, and a few black drum, live or cut dead shrimp for the snappers, drum, and sheepshead.

Surf Area, both sides

North side has been pretty slow due to the fact that we have a massive sandbar on that side from the jetty all the way up to the north parking lot which makes finding deep water tough, so not many folks fishing this side. On the south side the water is much deeper, but also much dirtier due to the SSE winds kicking it up. An occasional pompano or two have been caught, along with some small whiting on live sandfleas and cut shrimp. Puffers, catfish, and some pesky bonnet head sharks round out what is happening on this side.

Well friends, that’s it for this week! This week is going to be kind of iffy weatherwise, but if you get out early before the storms, you might just catch some fish. Have a great week folks! Snookman.

This week on the Indian River was incredibly productive! The larger female snook are starting to make their way to their spawning grounds, although many can still be found in the backwaters. While their numbers are beginning to thin out, it’s still a great time to target these fish.

The arrival of summer-like conditions has also brought an influx of tarpon to the area, adding excitement to our fishing adventures. Whether you’re targeting snook, tarpon, or other species, the Indian River has been providing plenty of action for anglers.

If you’re looking to catch some of the larger snook before they spawn, now might be the time to get out on the water. And with the tarpon around, you can bet on some thrilling battles. Get out there and see what the river has in store for you!

Tyler with his first snook!

Inshore fishing is still really good, but the bite is early. Plenty of snook and some good trout as well as some jacks and a few redfish here and there.

Nearshore waters are warming and the jacks are showing up in good numbers. There are some tarpon around but not that many yet and they are picky. The water off the beach was cold all week and warmed up on the weekend. Both jacks and tarpon were picky but the small sharks were eating well.

AJ caught his first tarpon off the beach

Kingfish will be showing up on the beach in decent numbers as the water stays warm and the bait stays around. The kingfish will eat both live baits and artificial baits and they will mix in along with the bait schools and even the schools of tarpon. The rain should help the bite a bit as it pushes the smaller baits out of the creeks and lagoon and gets the fish we are looking to catch fired up.

Captain Joe and Captain Dylan have been crushing it targeting our local reefs, both 8A and Pelican. Live bait is kind of hard to find so it’s a good thing to grab a box of minnows just in case. They have been working just fine but always better to get live bait if you can find it. Overall, the fishing is insanely good right now! All species are chewing.

This past holiday week has been some banner fishing from Daytona Beach south into New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon. It has definitely been some summer conditions with warm days and afternoon showers to cool things off for the evening. The bait has been plentiful both north around the oyster beds in New Smyrna area and south across the shallow grass flats of Mosquito Lagoon. Look for the redfish and trout to be holding in and around the scattered bait. Plugs, soft plastics and spoons have all been working well for an artificial bite. If live bait is more your style look to pinfish, shrimp or finger mullet for a consistent bite.

It looks as though we will be heading into this week with the summer time pattern of afternoon storms which will only increase the bite by cooling the water temps down a bit.

Wednesday morning tournament fishing just outside of Goblets Cove, got the pair of 3lbs, on a Gambler Burner worm in Black and blue flake throwing out towards the pp of the lake while my partner flipped the reeds.

Breaking down the fishing for the weekend ahead with Mark Moses.

I’ve been wanting to fish out of the port in my bay boat, I don’t what what to do, and where to fish. What should I be doing?

Peggy showing off the elusive slot snook that became the dinner guest of honor!

This growing older ain’t for sissies! I suffered a herniated lumbar disc early in January and was unable to function for two plus months. I’m back on the water again, though I really need to be mindful of how I twist and turn my spine.

Recent trips have been enjoyable. A backwater trip with one of my favorite clients, Jean-michele, yielded a few fish on topwater plugs, including a twenty-eight inch spotted seatrout, a short snook and of all things, a mangrove snapper. He experienced quite a few blow-ups on the topwater plugs that did not turn into a bent rod… Such is the way of the topwater lure angler!

Scott agreeing that barracuda can offer a great fight!

Ric joined me on a scouting trip this past Wednesday. The jetty action was fair and we caught lots of jacks hooked a couple of sharks and boated a short snook. Moving inside of the inlet proved futile until the incoming tide turned, then the snook turned on. We boated a couple and lost too many during a really exciting forty-five minute session.

Finally, Scott and Peggy asked to catch their first slot snook. They’ve caught little ones in the past, though the “dinner guest” has always eluded them.

The snook bite was awful at sunrise, but they caught lots of jacks, a nice barracuda, a grouper, jumped three tarpon in the sixty pound range and hooked a few sharks that (thankfully) bit through our leaders. Once again, the action inside the inlet was nil.

Jean-michel posing with his twenty-eight inch trout he took on a topwater walking plug!

Right before tide change I positioned the boat where we caught snook the day before. Our first two baits were smacked, hard, but no hook-ups. The third bait proved magical, at least to Peggy, as she battled her biggest snook ever to the landing net. Yes, it was a keeper!

A few more under-slot snook and a possible top-slot snook taking a bunch of line with her were the only low points of this trip. However, they caught two redfish here as well, which was almost as exciting as for them as the snook!

It was a non-nonstop fishing fest this week as I hit the water all 7 days! A few key trends emerged that I’d like to share:

Snook on Fire! The big snook are absolutely chewing right now! It’s clear they’re gearing up for the spawn, and their appetites are insatiable. If you’re targeting these brutes, be prepared for some intense battles.

Bait Preferences It seems many of the species are feeding on smaller baitfish and shrimp in the 2.5-5″ range. A 3″ paddle tail was a staple in my tackle box this week, and it consistently delivered. Both trout and redfish have been feeding on these small bait and shrimp, similar to the snook.

Shallow Water Action The big redfish are still holding in the shallows, making for some exciting opportunities.

Healthy Ecosystem I’ve also noticed an increase in grass beds, which is a promising sign for the health of the ecosystem.

Get out there and see if you can capitalize on these trends! With the variety of species feeding aggressively, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic time to get on the water.

Good morning, all my Sebastian Inlet fishing/beaching friends; I hope everyone had a great and safe weekend! This week’s report is FINALLY a better one than what has been going on — and I like that! Without any further ado, here you go…

North side

This side the water has been relatively clean and weed-free for a while now, and some fish are biting, mostly on the incoming tide. In the back near the old “steel” area they have been catching sheepshead on cut shrimp and sand fleas. In that area and along the rocks just east of there, around the tide pool there have been a few snook (use live mojarra, incoming tide and the first of the outgoing, if you can find some, as they have been pretty scarce the last week. That’s it for this side as access is limited due to the ongoing jetty construction.

South side

Here, the outgoing tide at the tip is where I have been seeing the most action: blue runner, black margates, sand perch, and sheepshead have been biting cut shrimp. Also over here, same tide I saw some nice lookdowns, small bluefish, Spanish mackerel, being caught on small goofy jigs, also saw a couple of pompano as well, same jigs. The water has cleaned up and had warmed back up to 77/78 degrees. The seaweed has also dissipated somewhat. The incoming tide has produced a few snook on live mojarra — again, if you can find some, they’ve been scarce. Some nice sheepshead have also been caught on cut shrimp and live sand fleas on the incoming tide along the rocks, both sides of the bridge.

T-Dock area

The dock remains closed as of this writing, but all the dredging piping and equipment has been removed, making it easier to fish, and cast net bait. It has been a little slow back here, but there have been a few snook caught on live mojarra and threadfins. Also, anglers have caught a few sheepshead and whiting on cut shrimp on the incoming tide. That’s it, since the T-dock is still closed.

Surf Area, both sides

The water on both sides of the inlet on the beach has cleaned up quite a bit, especially on the north side where it is deeper. I received reports of a few nice black drum, sheepshead, pompano and some whiting caught on the north side roughly 200 yards north of the jetty. Live sand fleas and cut shrimp are the baits to use. Keep an eye out for mullet coming down the beaches because there might be snook and tarpon around the schools. Approximately 200 yards or more down from the south jetty there have been pompano and black drum for those fishing live sandfleas and cut shrimp. Early morning high tide is the time to fish the beaches while the water is high. The cleaner water on this side, along with the very small surf has helped the fishing pick up. Also, I chatted with a couple of anglers who have hooked up with some big sharks here. They are commonly found on this side.

Well, friends, that’s all for this week. I’m glad the conditions and the action are improving. As I have said, when things get better weatherwise, fishing WILL improve as well. Expect hot weather this week, but light and bearable wind and surf for good fishing. Get out there and enjoy everything the park has to offer. Have a great week.