SEBASTIAN INLET FISHING

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet friends, I hope everyone had a great long weekend! This is going to be a quick report, just isn’t much going on down there except for all the migratory birds, and there are lots of them!

The south side of the park while I was down over the weekend was kind of dirty. Either tide there wasn’t much happening. All I saw were a couple anglers cleaning some small bluefish, 12-14 inches, and some just as small whiting, 12-14 inches as well. The fish were caught on the T-Dock on the end of the incoming tide, on cut baits, shrimp. The only other species I saw caught were the pesky puffers, they are everywhere, and eating everything! There were a couple guys trying for spanish mackerel, but no luck. Out on the jetty, and along the inside shoreline was pretty slow too, only saw a few puffers on the jetty, and a couple of small 12-14 inch bluefish. No drum, no sheepshead, pompano or whiting this time. I chatted with one of my friends that was targeting flounder the last few days on the beach side pocket, and he said he hasn’t caught, or hooked any over the weekend! And he usually does catch some fish. With the seas picking back up again, and the winds kicking back up as well, and the cold 61-62 degree water, this week is going to be a challenge for fishing. The north side beach area before this weather moved in was producing some nice pompano, black drum and whiting. One of my friends and a couple of his friends had a nice catch in their cooler on the last of the high tide, first of the falling tide. Live shrimp and sand fleas were the baits of choice. But that was on Saturday when the seas were calm, and the wind was light offshore, it’s all gone now!

So that’s all I have for now, wish it was better, but after all, it is still winter, and we are in a strange weather pattern, and things change from day to day, and this week is supposed to be cool and windy, and wet. I hope everyone has a great and safe week.

The cold weather and higher winds have slowed down the inshore bite for snook, trout and redfish. However, the sheephead, mangrove snapper and pompano have been pretty active in the river and along the beaches. There’s a bunch of bluefish and mackerel in the lagoon close to the inlet as well as on the beaches when you can get out. More cool weather this week should keep the bite very similar. Let’s hope the water temps stay in the low 60s and don’t get close to 50 so we don’t get another snook kill.

A little pompano photographed by Sean Ennis

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet lovers, here is this weeks report, going to be kind of short due to the cold weather and water temps, not a lot going on, and not a lot of guys and gals fishing.

First off, I would like to start off with a little courteous reminder about the jetties and walkways, NOBODY has the right of way on them, everyone is permitted to be there, including the bird watchers, you anglers do NOT own the place! Last time I was down, I observed some anglers asking the bird watchers to “move out of the way,” and physically force them out of the way so they could fish. THAT’S NOT GOING TO FLY! These people have just as much right to be out there as you anglers! Please be courteous and respectful of them, and their space. They are there to enjoy what they love, bird watching, and this is the season where all the sea birds migrate down to the inlet. Thank you for the support. Now off to the fishing.

The south side has been slow again, the bite has been off and on for the most part. Black drum, some pompano, whiting and a few small flounder are being caught, but you need to be there when it turns on. Oh, and the bluefish are back for those using big silver spoons, jigs and cut bait, on the incoming tide at the tip. Beach side of the south jetty is where the pompano, whiting and most of the black drum are being caught, live or dead shrimp, along with sandfleas are the baits. Outgoing, or incoming tide, doesn’t matter.

The water over here has calmed down and cleaned up some, but still cold at 62 degrees, and they are catching the whiting and pompano on the beach as well just south of the jetty. Also, the beach pocket area is where most of the flounder have been being caught as well. Live finger mullet and mud minnows, or live shrimp are the baits of choice for them. Incoming tide all along the shoreline from the jetty to the T dock is producing some nice sheepshead on live sandfleas, you just need to find where they are. Black drum are also being caught along with them, most are small under the legal 15 inch minimum, but some are keepers. The flounder bite back here around the shoreline and T dock is really slow. The T dock is producing some spanish mackerel and bluefish for those tossing spoons and small jigs. Not much else back here except for a few whiting and tiny snappers on dead shrimp.

That’s pretty much all for this week, the water needs to warm up a bit more, but I don’t think it’s going to. Last week Wednesday and Thursday it was at 60 degrees, that’s cold for us! With all the cold weather we had, and are still going to get, and the cold winds blowing down the intercoastal and the beach, it cold quite possibly make the water go down into the high to mid 50’s, not good!! Reminds me of back in 2010 when the water got down in the 50’s for an extended time and we had a fish kill that was pretty bad on the snook. I hope that doesn’t happen again.

And on another note, for those of you who don’t know, it is our “whale watching” season when the right whales come down the coast to the calving grounds off our coastline. November to March is the time to watch for them. Since the north jetty is closed, you can go on the upper deck of the grille/gift shop to look for them when you are here. When they are around, it is a cool sight to see! When they surface, they are the only whales that do NOT have a dorsal fin, also when they spout, you will see two plumes of spray, not just one like all the other whales’ blow. Telltale signs of right whale.

Any way, you all stay safe and warm out there, going to be another coolish week, I keep reminding myself, it’s January, and winter! Cheers everyone! Snookman.

Noah and Wyatt with a nice bunch of trout and snook!

Decent week of inshore fishing despite the colder weather. Plenty of trout still along with some snook, jacks and pompano. Artificials are still working well but the snook are better on live bait than they are on artificial. I’m looking forward to some warmer weather after this full moon so we can get some warmer water and get the fish feeding better. Nearshore bite should be pretty good with pompano, bluefish and mackerel once the seas stay calm and the water warms up a bit.

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics, I hope everyone had a great and safe new year’s holiday, and a great weekend! Now we’re off into a new year, and hopefully a great one for everyone! First off, I would like to start off and quell a rumor that I had heard out there about the jetty reconstruction project going on, that there is a possibility it will be open by February, well THAT just isn’t going to happen!! They are still on target for the July 2025 completion of the project. Sure, there are a lot of people that can dream about it getting done sooner, but that is just a dream. With the extent of the project from demolition to reconstruction, it won’t be a quick process. So, if you do hear anything out there, don’t believe it unless you read it on the SITD website, their own FB page, or you actually call them at their office. Here is a link to all the CORRECT and up to date info on the project.

Now, for the fishing update.

Over the weekend, the fishing at the inlet was slow, with that I saw or heard about. Friday morning, there was a decent pompano bite on the south jetty, early morning on fleas and shrimp. On Saturday they bit again, but not as well as the day before. Black drum and sheepshead were caught, but not in any numbers to brag about, shrimp and sand fleas as well. Also, a few whiting were caught beachside, but not in the numbers like last weekend.

The monster bluefish that were biting so well a week ago have gone; there are a few showing up from time to time for those who wait them out. Most were caught on the incoming tide around the tip, all the way to the bridge. Jigs and big silver spoons are the best. Last year the blues came in and stayed around because there were big mullet in the inlet. This year, not so much.

The strong flounder bite has tapered off between the jetty and the T-dock. Some are being caught still, but most are either undersized, or just over the minimum 14-inch limit to keep. The south jetty, beach side, is where most are being caught. Live mud minnows and small finger mullet, or live shrimp are the baits of choice, but you can also catch them on small artificial jigs, either plastic or hair jigs.

Not much else to talk about, like I said in the beginning, it is pretty slow. One of the main reasons, I believe, is the water temperature is too cold at 64 degrees, but it is pretty clean, just not as clean as a week ago thanks to the rough surf.

That’s it for this week. I hope everyone has a great, prosperous and happy new year! Oh, and stay warm, more winter is coming

Mark and Matt with a few Snook and big jacks!

Had a great week fishing the lagoon for trout, snook, jacks and pompano. Plenty of action most days all on artificial but a few of the snook ate live baits, as well. Most of the time we fished paddle tails and jerk baits but tried a new bait from Rapala, Crush City bass line and the Mooch Minnow jerk bait and Mayor Paddle tail baits all worked well. A couple days we found schools of big jacks busting on the threadfins in the lagoon and had a great time chasing them.

We were able to get out on the beach a day or two over the holidays and the blacktips and spinner sharks were out in full force feeding on bait pods offshore. Rapala Xtreme Poppers made for some good action on those fish and we got a few on live baits, as well.

Had a great holiday week fishing the lagoon. We caught plenty of trout, snook, pompano, bluefish and jacks on artificials. The spoil islands have been very consistent as well as the inlet and flats around the inlet. The new Rapala 2.5″ shad tails along with DOA baits have been very productive. The new Mooch minnow rigged on a 1/8 ounce jig head has also been a great bait for everything from snook, jacks, trout and pompano. Lighter winds this week should let us get out on the beach and see what’s happening and hopefully we can find some blacktips to eat poppers as well as maybe some tarpon and bigger jacks.

Fog shrouded anglers at Sebastian Inlet’s south jetty on Friday, December 27.

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing junkies. I hope you had a great weekend! Here’s what’s happening at Sebastian Inlet. The fishing remains mostly slow, but steady with what’s been biting. Water quality is an issue: Waves are diminishing visibility, and seaweed on the south side has been a problem for some anglers.

North side

Back here it has been slow, but flounder have been caught on live finger mullet, shrimp and mud minnows. The incoming tide along the rocks by the “steel” has been the spot. Also, boaters drifting the mangroves have been getting a few flounder, along with small snook and spotted sea trout.

South side

Here, the fishing has been better because there are more areas to fish. The north jetty blocks most of the larger waves coming from the NE. The outgoing tide at the tip and beachside have produced big bluefish in the 10 to 12-pound range for those fishing large silver spoons, jigs and cut bait. Also, there are reports of pompano and black drum on shrimp, sand fleas and goofy jigs, when the water is cleaner. The incoming tide has been producing sheepshead and black drum along the shoreline from the jetty back to the t-dock; shrimp and sand fleas are the baits. Find an area you like, pull up a rock, sit and fish. The flounder bite here continues to be alright on the incoming tide on live finger mullet and mud minnows. Live shrimp will work as well, but everything else also eats shrimp, so that’s going to be a tricky one. The best area is from the ranger beach back to the campgrounds.

T-Dock area

Here, big bluefish have been roaming through the inlet on both tides. Fishing the big silver spoons or large jigs might entice a bite from them. Also, around the dock there have been a few black drum and sheepshead on live and dead shrimp fished on the bottom. Incoming tide will be your best bet. Also, on the incoming tide I heard a few anglers fishing goofy jigs were picking up some nice pompano in the cleaner water.

Surf area, both sides

On the south side of the inlet there have been pompano caught in the cleaner water conditions, along with a few black drum, and, of course, the pesky catfish! Live and dead shrimp and sandfleas. The north side is a bit tougher as the waves have been coming from the NE, with nothing to block them as the north jetty does for the south side, making it rough and dirty. Expect west winds over the next couple of days, so it should calm down and improve surf fishing conditions.

That’s it for this week. I hope everyone has a great, safe and Happy New Year!

Augustine Chan and a beefy bluefish he caught while fishing at the tip of the south jetty Friday morning.

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fishing junkies! I hope everyone had a good weekend! Here we go with another installment of “what’s happening at the inlet”! Fishing for the most part has been a little slow, but steady no less.

For this time of the year and what’s biting with the cooler water temperatures there are fish to be caught, you just need to go and put in some time at your favorite spot. North side has been hit or miss since there isn’t a lot of area to cover except for west of the tide pool along the rocks and mangrove shorelines. Incoming tide is the best time to fish this area, unless you wade out back in the water along the shoreline, then you can fish the outgoing tide as there will be more area to cover.

The talk at the inlet has been all about the flounder fishing. Seems like this year they want to play a lot better than they did last year! The boaters drifting and anchoring along the shoreline back here are catching some nice fish up to 3-4 pounds on live finger mullet. Also being caught back here with the folks fishing sandfleas and goofy jigs are catching some nice pompano that are running the shoreline coming into the river, along with some black drum.

South side the jetty, when you can fish it and it’s not too wet is producing some black drum, sheepshead and a few pompano on shrimp, live or dead, and sandfleas, and some of the pompano are being caught on the goofy jigs when the water is cleaner and not so rough. Outgoing tide is the better option. Incoming tide along the shoreline is producing some black drum and sheepshead for those using live and dead shrimp, or sandfleas. The entire shoreline all the way back to the campground is also producing fish as well, with the main focus being on the flounder! I have heard, and seen pictures of the fish being caught back here on live finger mullet and mud minnows, most of the fish are in the 3-4 pound range, with a few pushing the 5-6 pound range!! A far cry better than what we saw last year, where most of the fish were small barely keepers, and maybe some 2 pounders. So I’m hoping that the bite continues to stay good!

On the t-dock there has been a few spanish mackerel being caught on small jigs, and some nice pompano too on the goofy jigs fished out towards the channel. Incoming tide has been the better tide for those bites. Flounder are possible here as well on live finger mullet fished close to the rocks and dock pilings. Remember folks, you do not have to throw your mullet out very far to catch flounder, most of them will be right at your feet! So fish tight to the shoreline.

Well folks, that’s it for this week. The weather is supposed to calm down a bit for the week, but the seas are going to pick back up again by the weekend. Also want to wish you ALL a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy Holiday Season!! Get out there and catch some fish!! Snookman

We’ve had good action in the lagoon. Plenty of trout and a decent snook bite even though they are smaller fish. There are some redfish and black drum being caught in the inlet, shrimp and croakers have been the best baits. The flounder bite has been decent, as well.

Fishing for sheepshead and snapper in the lagoon has been pretty good as well and the pompano have been on the flats too. Nearshore, some pompano and mackerel as well as blues and jacks when we can get out with some blacktips and spinner sharks following the macs and blues and jacks. Looking for some warmer weather this week and strong winds according to the forecast.

The fishing should be pretty decent if you can get out of the wind.