WEEKLY FORECAST
11.12.2024 – 11.18.2024
CENTRAL FLORIDA’S BEST FISHING REPORT
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The wind has really been BLOWING lately, but we’ve still got many reports of a good bite from both inshore and freshwater fisheries. Don’t miss what our captains and recreational contributors have to say about it this week; plus, Knox Robinson’s got a great writeup reporting from the Fort Pierce mangroves. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, be sure to sign up for a chance to win a fancy new fishing cart — one lucky reader will be rolling this bad boy home from Strike-Zone on December 10th!
WEATHER & CONDITIONS
BITE OPPORTUNITY INDEX
OFFSHORE
INSHORE
SURF
FRESHWATER
Weather Overview
Finally, we are going to get a break this week from all the heavy wind. Don’t get me wrong, we will still have some windy days but there will be a weather window if you want to get offshore. Tuesday, the wind will be lower and out of the NNE in the morning but increasing substantially in the afternoon and this will carry over to Wednesday with winds out of the ENE. Thursday the wind will start to settle down throughout the day. Friday should begin with lighter winds out of the NNW but they will increase in the afternoon. If the current forecast holds, it appears Saturday (NNE) and Sunday (ENE) are the days you should be able to get offshore with the wind being lower on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday next week look great too with low winds currently projected out of the SE. The north winds will bring our high temperatures down into the mid to upper 70’s which I know many of us are looking forward to. Rain chances will be low all week as well.
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GIVEAWAYS
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Weekly Strike-Zone Giveaway
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LATEST Reports
Craaazy November Weather
Here we are into mid November and still with highs near 90 and the possibility of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. But with all the craziness of weather the bite continues to be strong throughout the New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon waters. We continue to have plenty of bait on the flats making for an abundance of life. Artificials and live bait have both been working well making for an enjoyable time catching fishing on the water. The weather looks to be stable moving into the weekend and then possible storms mid week depending on approaching storm.
Headwaters area
Water remp mid to upper 70
Water levels up and clarity varies lake to lake
Headwaters has been a shiners dunkers dream
Alot of bait pods in deep water and fish are grouping up
High pressure is dictating close to cover and live bait and artificial have produced
Spinner baits fair top wateriffy
Worms good
Grass that hasn’t been nuked is holding groups of fish
3 forks has produced the biggest at 8.7 many fish from 3 to 5 lbs
New front with more wind looks to keep this pattern for another week
Still have a few days in November call for an adventure
Sebastian Inlet North-side Fishing Areas Shutdown Until July
Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fishing junkies! I hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend! And thank you to ALL you veterans who served, and are currently serving, and your families! God bless you all!! Now off we go with another installment of what’s going on at the inlet!
This report is going to be another short one due to the fact that the north side fishing areas are NOW shutdown until July, so this side is going to be tough to catch any fish, unless you know where to go find them. On Monday while I was down, and last Saturday it was pretty slow, with only a few sheepshead caught along the rocks west of the bridge on sandfleas. Back toward the back along the mangroves shoreline west of the tide pool, I did see a couple boats net a few snook. Otherwise not a lot going on as the tide was an outgoing one most all day. On the beach in the surf area, I chatted with a father and his 2 boys and they were catching some small but fun snook on swim baits. It could have been better, but there were zero mullet around at all, but the water was cleaning up nicely, not very muddy anymore. That’s pretty much for this side.
South side was still a washout pretty much with the big swells washing over the low jetty and making it pretty wet to fish. And with it being an outgoing tide most all day, the water from the ICW and Sebastian River was not very clean! It had a lot of rain runoff and tannic acid in it from C-54 canal draining into the Sebastian River, making it like black coffee! Yuk. A couple guys were fishing the tip, getting soaked, but catching jack crevalle and catfish. The only good fish I did see caught on this side was back towards the campground, and T-Dock area. The boaters who were fishing west of the T-Dock close to the shoreline were catching a few snook on pinfish and pigfish. Most were small around the 24-27 inch range, but did see a couple slot fish caught. On the dock itself there were lots of the small minnows around attracting some spanish mackerel for those fishing live greenies and small white jigs. Jack crevalle were also around eating whatever you tossed out to the channel area. Other fish being caught I saw around the cleaning table back here were some very small mutton snappers, and a couple small black drum, all on dead shrimp. That’s it for this side!
The surf, both sides for the most part is still roughed up quite a bit with the seas on Monday were 5-7 foot, great for surfing, but not fishing. Well that’s all I have for this week, we really need the water to clean up some more to get the fish happy again. When it does, expect the fishing to pick back up for the black drum and sheepshead, they were here before the blow started, and the water is the right temperature, and it is the right time of the year for them! Oh, and the pompano too, they should show up. Have a great week everyone, stay safe and have fun! Snookman.
Fish Lake
Got out on Monday, Veterans Day, and got 4 in the boat, lost a few on the way to the boat, one as I tried to boat flip it, and missed some. I started out in the second cove focusing on the docks, wood and seawall but didn’t hook up. Had plenty of bites but missed everyone. I was using a Yum Swim n Dinger in watermelon pearl and a Gambler burner worm 7inch in Gold Rush. Left the cove and went across the lake and started fishing the reeds, lily pads, docks and grass. Caught 4 all on the Burner worm, biggest pictured at 4.3lbs, another at 1.8lbs, 1.5lbs and a dink. Water temp was 78 degrees and I was in 2 and a half feet of water to 7 feet throwing up shallow.
Good Fishing Despite Relentless Wind
Decent snook and trout bite in the lagoon this week!
The winds won’t seem to let up but the fishing is pretty good. Plenty of snook in the inlet and along the shorelines from little tiny guys to slots. The trout bite has been good along mangrove shorelines and spoil islands if you can deal with the winds. DOA 3” shad tails have been working well for both the snook and trout. Jacks, ladyfish and bluefish are thick around the inlet and there have been some pompano around as well.
Winds look to lay down a bit this week and a couple cold fronts should be coming through which may slow down the snook bite but the trout bite should remain strong and the pompano may move in larger numbers.
Kayak Fishing: Fort Pierce Mangroves
Fort Pierce Mangroves
Happy Monday Spacefish!
I hope everyone is having a great Veteran’s Day Weekend! We had to be in school today due to losing days because of the hurricane a few weeks back (boooo!), but on a more positive note the football team in which I am the Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach (Melbourne Central Catholic), ended our regular season Friday with an 8-2 record after a wild shootout win, 51-44 vs True North Classical in Miami. That was a big win for the Hustlers, because we were both 1A, Top 10 teams, and we needed that win to help get us a good seed in the playoff bracket. We ended the regular season as the District Champs for 1A-6, and our offense is averaging 400+ yards per game, and 37 points per game. I find myself under pretty tough time constraints during football season, so bear with me a few more weeks as my reports will continue to be a little more skimpy than they are in the other times of the year.
Hustlers Win a Wild One in Miami!
Fishing Fort Pierce
So this is an area I have been interested in fishing for a little while now. I have heard that the area north of the Fort Pierce Inlet is a really cool spot to fish, the water quality and clarity is really good, and there are some mangrove islands that offer nice wind protection north of the causeway.
I launched from kayak launch of Little Jim Bait & Tackle located on the north causeway. There is a nice little kayak/canoe launch area, and a large public boat ramp just across the water. Both of these locations offer access to the mangrove islands north of the causeway, or you can head south and fish those mangroves closer to the inlet. I plan on making a return trip to hit the southern parts, but on this trip I went north.
I’d like to make a note about Little Jim’s – this is a really cool place with a lot of history. It has been here since World War II when it was a local watering hole for the Navy Seals that were training on North Hutchinson Island. You can read about it in more detail here – https://www.littlejimbaitandtackle.com/a-little-more-history#:~:text=Little%20Jim’s%20dates%20back%20to,and%20checkpoint%20at%20the%20bridge.
Fort Pierce Area Map
Finding Fish
Snook on the Clarity (Glassy) Chunk
I ended up spending 4-5 hours fishing the mangroves of Snapper Cut, and St. Lucie Cut. I kept things pretty simple. Topwater at daybreak which resulted in 0 landed fish, I transitioned to the subsurface stuff after that. I kept going back and forth between two tried & true presentations. The Vudu Shrimp, and the Clarity Lures “Chunk” in the Glassy colorway. The Chunk skips really well under the mangroves and results in a good number of Snook (mostly little ones) and two right at/just under the slot size. I also caught 2 little dinks, and about half a dozen mangrove Snapper on the 2.75 inch Vudu Shrimp in Cajun Pepper/Chartreuse. The key here was to get the bait as close to the mangroves without getting hung, and this little shrimp lure skips pretty well too.
Snapper from Snapper Cut
The nice thing about this area is there are lots of mangroves to fish situated next to deeper water in these cuts. Which are going to hold fish. In addition to a high number of Snook and Snapper, I also caught a really big Jack, which I thought I got a picture of, but somehow screwed it up. I was videoing when I thought I paused, and was paused when I thought I was recording, smh!
St. Lucie Aquarium
So this is a great area to take the family. You have the inlet jetties that offer great shore fishing access, there are great places to take kids paddle fishing as well. But in addition to the fishing, there is a really cool aquarium here that I took the wife and kids to, and they really enjoyed it!
The St. Lucie County Aquarium is located along the south causeway, and has a cheap admission price. The aquarium really focuses on our local Indian River Lagoon estuary and habitat which is really cool. There are also great places to eat in the area. All in all, it’s a great place to take a day trip!
St. Lucie County Aquarium
Conclusion
I really enjoyed fishing this area, and feel like I barely scratched the surface of the potential here. It is a bit of a drive just to go fishing, but when you factor in the aquarium, Little Jim’s, the Navy Seal museum – there are plenty of other attractions in the area to justify a day trip down to Fort Pierce.
I’d also like to give a special THANK YOU to all of our Veterans. We are blessed to have the lives we do, the nation we have, and the opportunities and freedom because of the brave men & women who made the choice to serve our nation through the armed forces. So if you are reading this and you either are currently serving, or have served our nation. I’d like to give you my special thanks!
Thank you all for taking the time to read, make sure you check out all of the good deals, and the awesome inventory of all things kayak fishing at Kayaks By Bo! Until next time!
On the Fish!
The Ocean Obsession out of Sunrise Marine at Port Canaveral is on the fish. They were able to take advantage of a small weather window and get out and put their customers on the meat. Lane and mangrove snapper amongst other species made for a fun trip with some good eats to bring home. They are looking to make it happen again this week so be sure to book your spot now to go have fun and catch some fish!
Lots of Options This Time of Year
This is the time of the year that offers up a number of different fishing options and species to target. Whether you want to sight-fish for reds on the flats or catch tarpon in the river, you can do it. The bite has been on fire with the mullet run starting to slow down. There’s still lots of fish looking to capitalize on the remaining schools of mullet pushing through.
I have days available in November and December. If you want to go catch some fish, give me a call at 386-295-5991 or go to my website.
Weekend Report
Get the latest word on the bite with Damon from Spacefish on the Mark Moses Show. We talk local fishing every Friday on the air at 4pm.
New moon
Headwaters has received more water and cooler water temperature has shrunk back grass mats.
Fishing shiners has been a no brainer as usual they chomp shiners
Artificial bite has been really focused on moon phase long pauses followed by torrents of bites
When you find one slow down and fish the group and move on
Grass clump and lily pads are a good bet
Spinner bait. Worm, fluke and top water has been effective
Still have days call for an adventure
Bait Continues to Flood the Flats
The bite continues to stay strong throughout Mosquito Lagoon and the backwaters of New Smyrna Beach. We have been dealing with some isolated showers the last few days but it has not affected the bite. The weather looks to be stable into the weekend making for some great fishing days. The bait continues to flood the flats with a lot of life in and around the bait pods. Plugs early and then moving to spoons and soft plastics have been working well along with a variety of live bait like pinfish, finger mullet and shrimp.
Kayaks By Bo – Fishing Seminar & New Store Tour
Old Town Fishing Kayaks
Happy Monday Spacefish!
Today I am going to do something different, instead of a traditional “fishing report” I am going to report on the recent Kayak Fishing Seminar led by Tournament Champion & YouTube sensation Chris Mitchell, as well as go over the store, and inventory of Kayaks By Bo’s new downtown Cocoa location. I figured that as Black Friday approaches, and people are starting to think about Christmas season shopping, this would be a good time to do a store breakdown.
Mitchell
Chris Mitchell
First off, I cannot say enough about Chris Mitchell’s presentation, and seminar. He covered a variety of topics including: Tournament Etiquette; Efficient Bass Locating Techniques; Tournament Day Strategies; Photo Submissions; Stress Management & the Mental Game; and Post-Tournament Analysis, as well as a Q&A session at the end. I met some really cool people, and got a lot of great fishing information.
As someone who isn’t interested, or able to take on the tournament life, I still found a lot of value in this seminar – especially the topic on “Efficient Bass Locating Techniques”. First off, it was not lost on me that Chris spent very little of his own time talking about his lures & presentations, but he spent a huge chunk of time talking about how to locate fish – that to me is very telling, and fits a personal belief that I have been evolving into for the last few years – which is what you throw at the fish is not-nearly as important as the time and energy that should be spent FINDING the fish. I believe this is a truth that extends beyond Bass fishing, and can be applied to the inshore realm as well.
Some of the key takeaways from the locating Bass section were:
Use of Maps for Gameplanning (Chris used Omnia)
Finding tight contour lines, which denote depth changes.
Understand Wind Direction
Know when to gameplan for wind protection, and know when wind pushed water is a good thing (Wind pushed plankton, which pushes bugs, which pushed baitfish, which pushed predators into an area)
Look for hotspots. In the world of Florida Bass fishing, these include structure, cover, and spawning areas.
Spawning areas include hard bottoms, and different types of vegetation.
Chris M - Measuring Board Tips
Shop Kayaks By Bo
Bonafide Fishing Kayaks
So let’s start off by talking about Kayaks By Bo’s headline items…Kayaks. So when a store is called Kayaks By Bo, we have to understand the main attraction is going to be the inventory of kayaks, and there is no other place in the Space Coast that offers this level of inventory. Headliner brands such as Old Town, Hobie and Bonafide fill up the showroom floor. They are also selling used demos from the top brands as well. As we enter the holiday season Kayaks By Bo is offering a mark down sale on their inventory, and they also offer rigging and repair services on kayaks.
Water-Proof Storage
So let’s say you are like me, you don’t need a kayak. Don’t worry, a trip to Kayaks By Bo is still worth it. They have a full selection and array of PFD’s and Yak Attack accessories. Carts, rod holders, camera mounts etc. If you need it, they probably have it.
Yak Attack Accessories
When kayaking, or paddle boarding, it is important to have waterproof storage gear for your phone, keys, wallet and other personal items. They have it and more, backpacks, cell phone carriage cases/pouches, as well as waterproof footwear, sandals and flip flops.
Fish Skinz Apparel
Last but not least, apparel & shirts! They have a full line up of Fish Skinz shirts and hooded outerwear. With some absolutely sick designs, these shirts also offer full sun protection with lightweight breathable fabric. These have been a big hit amongst my family members, and fishing club members at school as they have been my go-to gifts to give for the last year.
As the holiday shopping season approaches, don’t forget to shop local, and support a family owned business and support the local fishing oriented business community!
Next week I will get back on schedule with a fishing report. Make sure to follow Kayaks By Bo on social media for information about upcoming events & sales!
Until next time!
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
CATCH A BIG SMILE WITH JASIN YOUMANS DMD!
LOCAL EVENTS
SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY!
Don’t forget, if you’ve been fishing, we’d love to hear from you!
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