SEBASTIAN INLET FISHING

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.

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.

Despite the pending closure of the north jetty due to a repair project, the fish are biting west of the bridge and the south side of Sebastian Inlet.

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet friends. I hope everyone had a great weekend despite the rain. This is going to be another short report as the nasty water conditions and rain has put a damper on the fishing — and it is going to be bad again all this week.

First, keep in mind that the north side from the bridge to the jetty, and the jetty, including the seawall and rocks will be CLOSED to public access for quite a while. If you’re going to fish this side, you will need to fish west of the bridge along that shoreline. They have been catching some snook, reds, black drum and black margates and a few nice sheepshead on shrimp, live and dead. West of the tide pool is another place to fish as the fish do move along that shore all the way back to the mangroves. Incoming tide is the best for these areas.

The south jetty has been way to rough to fish with the big waves washing over the concrete on the high tide, which is the time to fish. But if you’re willing to get wet standing on the wall/rocks, nice snook and reds are being caught on live pigs and pins. Also, before rough seas arrived, I did see some nice black drum caught at the tip on the outgoing tide, on dead shrimp, also some jacks and blues. The shoreline west of the bridge offers some protection from the wind and waves, and on the incoming tide, if it is somewhat clean, possible snook and redfish catches can be had. I have also seen many sheepshead caught there on sandfleas when the water cools down.

Back at the T-Dock, there has been some action with the Spanish mackerel on small white jigs and live greenies, also there have been quite a few big jack crevalle roaming around chasing the mullet schools. Live bait and big silver spoons will entice a bite. If you’re going to fish, I suggest the south side. There are plenty of fish to be had; you just have to put in time and be patient. Good luck everyone, and have a great week!

Another week of windy conditions with some rain storms moving in from offshore. This week the bite slowed a bit but was still pretty decent. We spent the week throwing Skitterwalks and DOA Shad tails on jigheads for snook, trout, redfish and jacks. The snook bite was definitely slower but we still managed to get quite a few but mostly smaller fish than we have been seeing. Trout bite has been good with a lot of slot and just under slot with some bigger fish in the mix as well. The pompano bite has been hit or miss but it has been hard to fish them in the wind and if you are anywhere in open water where the pompano like to be, it’s windy and rough and tough to fish it.

We have quite a bit more wind forecast for the upcoming week but don’t let that stop you from getting out on the water and giving it a shot. There should still be plenty of action if you can find moving water and some bait.

A bunch of quality fish on topwater and DOA Shad tails and jerkbaits for Nick and Capt. Bouncer

Another windy week of fishing but the inshore bite was still strong. Plenty of snook and trout on artificial and topwater. The bite was strong early, sometimes until mid day. Once the topwater bite slowed the fish were eating DOA Shad tails on 1/4 ounce VMC jig heads and DOA jerk baits on jig heads as well. There have been plenty of schools of jacks roaming the lagoon willing to eat anything you throw in front of them and mixed in the jacks are plenty of sharks. Pompano have shown up around the islands and some of the flats and we were getting them on small chartreuse VMC hot skirt jigs which are just 1/2 ounce bucktails and also on goofy jigs but the bucktails seem to hold up well and get more bites.

Looks like another windy week but if you can get out of the wind and find some bait the action should be pretty good still with the warm temps and east winds.

Chung caught this 40-inch redfish and a 30-inch slot snook on Friday using finger mullet.

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics, I hope everyone had a great weekend! Here we go with this weeks “what’s biting at the inlet.” This is your last week to get your “north jetty” fishing mojo out of the way before the extended closure! And for you folks that have asked me, and those that are wondering about fishing the seawall and rock area between the bridge and jetty, per my conversation with the district, that ENTIRE area will be fenced off as a “hard hat/safety vest” construction zone, no public access what so ever, it will be a NO TRESPASSING area for public safety. Just wanted to keep you all posted and aware, and safe. Now on to the fishing.

North Jetty

There has been a pretty good bite on the north side of the inlet, with several different species being caught. The north jetty has been the hotspot for snook. Live finger mullet fished in the surf, and just outside the surf break have been tie ticket for some nice slots being caught. Also quite a few undersized snook have been caught as well. Also saw a couple of big redfish caught as well. The main topic has been the jack crevalle, bluefish, and spanish mackerel, they have been pretty much out of control! All shapes and sizes are being caught, with the spanish mackerel being the sought after species, with some of them in the “jumbo” class, 3-4 pounds! Live greenies and finger mullet being the ticket for bait. Several anglers were lucky enough to catch their limits with the mackerel. I did also get a report that on Sunday the black drum made an appearance with several nice fish being caught on live shrimp on the incoming tide, along with quite a few slot snook as well. Along the seawall and rocks on the incoming tide there has been a decent bite on smaller snook on live baits, pigs and pins and shrimp. Most have been too small to keep. Also there have been a few mangrove snapper still around, and a couple of sheepshead and black margates.

South Side

Over here it has been slower due to the roughed up, dirty and weedy water, but on the incoming tide when it does clean up a tad the snook have been around and biting. Live baits and plastic swimbaits are doing well, with most fish being undersized, some make it in the slot range. Other species making it interesting are redfish, blues and big jacks. Any bait will work for them.

T-Dock Area

Back here it has been a hit or miss deal. Snook have been around on the incoming tide on live baits, also some redfish are mixed in with them to keep it interesting, as well as the large jacks chasing the mullet schools in the inlet. For those fishing greenies and tiny white jigs there have been some nice spanish mackerel around, not a lot, but enough to keep you fishing.

Surf Area, both sides

The surf for the most part has been all washed out from the winds and waves, and the massive amounts of the sargassum weeds the storms have blown in, so that’s been a bust.

Well everyone, that’s all I have for this week. The rest of the week is supposed to get back to being windy and the seas are going back up again, just like last week was. So if you go out on the jetties, please be careful as it can get pretty nasty out there. You all have a great and safe week!

This happy angler caught a 30-inch snook using live finger mullet. He caught this beast at the seawall (in the background) near the bait and tackle shop.

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing fans, I hope everyone had a great weekend! It sure was nice out, except for the winds and the seas being up and wildly rough at the inlet! Going to start off our report with a little heads up on the construction project slated to start on the north side wall, jetty and rock shoreline on November the 4th, which is when they are going to start mobilizing heavy equipment, supplies, and fence off the area as a construction site. Access to the north jetty when the project starts will at times be OFF LIMITS for the duration of the project. So, if you are planning to come over to fish the north side, I would suggest you call the north ranger station at 321-984-4852 to check on the area status. More info can be found on this link to the Sebastian Inlet District website, and their Facebook page. Also if you noticed, the webcam is down due to storm damage, and will remain down for the duration of the construction project. The cameras have been removed so as to not sustain any damage by the heavy equipment in the area.

https://www.sitd.us/sebastian-inlet-s-north-jetty-slated-for-repairs-improvements

Also on the Sebastian Inlets State Park website:
https://www.floridastateparks.org/Sebastian-Inlet

Updates to how the project is going will be provided by the Inlet District on their Facebook page, and on their website. SebastianInletDistrict.com, under the “news and events” section. Now on to the fishing.

As you all know the winds have been absolutely brutal over the past week, and also the weekend, and with seas running 6-7 foot, and morning high king tides along the coast, it was pretty much a war zone down at the jetty’s! The waves were busting OVER the north jetty, and also the south jetty and rocks, making it very dangerous to be out there, BUT, there were some quite a few folks out risking their safety to catch a fish. About the only fish I saw being caught were lots of jack crevalle and ladyfish on the north jetty. The seaweed was very bad also making it tough to fish. Not ideal conditions at all.

Back inside the inlet along the north seawall between the jetty and bridge, I did see some spanish mackerel caught, along with some really nice black margates, sand perch, and various snappers, mangrove and schoolmaster snappers. They were all keepers! One young man I saw did catch a nice slot snook in that area on live mullet, as pictured in the AOTW photo! South side in the back around the cleaning table and t-dock was kind of active, the water had cleaned up some. The incoming tide was producing some snook on live pigfish and shrimp. Also a few nice catch and release redfish. Spanish mackerel, jacks picked up the slack for those tossing small jigs and spoons to the channel area. Not much else back here. So, there you have it for this week’s report. The winds and seas are supposed to start calming back down by Thursday. So, we’ll see how that goes.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Early in the week with the low winds fishing was pretty darn good in the lagoon. Plenty of trout, jacks and snook on the menu. Artificial baits worked very well as I didn’t get into the routine of getting live bait since hurricane Milton. Water is still dirty but the fish are chewing well. Once the winds picked up out of the north Wednesday the bite got tough. We still managed some trout and a few pompano along with jacks and a bunch of ladyfish. Flounder bite should get better with the cold fronts even though the season is closed till the end of November.

Looks like the winds will be up most of this week and the forecast is also calling for strong winds most of next week as well so the plan will be to get into the lagoon and fish the mangroves with DOA paddle tails and jerk baits and some Rapala twitchin mullets to see if we can keep up the trout and snook bite. If the forecasts change we will be getting into the inlet and off the beach to get back on some redfish, tarpon and sharks.

After Milton, fishing has been decent even with all of the rain we had from the storm. The water is extremely dirty and there is still some bait around. Plenty of trout and jacks on artificial and the snook bite is decent too.

Nearshore fishing was out this week with the rough seas, but it should get good once the seas calm down and we can get out. Looking forward to less rain and the getting more saltwater into the lagoon, along with some more bait as well as the seas calming down to get out on the beach.

A photo from the North Jetty on Friday after the storm.

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fanatics, I hope and pray everyone is alright, and made it through the hurricane alright, with little or no damage to your homes and property!! We’re good on my end, but wow what a wild ride it was, glad it’s over and hope there are no more to come! With that being said, here is what I know about the goings on at the inlet.

First off, the entire park is open both north and south side. They opened the north side on Friday, and the south side Saturday. And the good news is that the north jetty sustained NO DAMAGE! Everything is good to go! The only problem is the water quality; it is very horrible when I was down over the weekend! The outgoing tide was black as coffee and stained with tannic acid runoff from Sebastian River, which is fed by C54 canal, which is fed by Lake Okeechobee and the St Johns river. With all the rain they had in the center of the state, it has to go somewhere, and it all comes out the inlet on the outgoing tide, and then mixes with the absolutely very muddy ocean water, and just makes a huge mess; plus, there is a lot of dead sargassum weed floating around. But there are a lot of mullet around still, fingers and hand sized, which is a good sign.

It’s going to take about a week or so for the inlet and the surrounding coastal waters to clean back up some, but when it does, it should be “game on” again, if we don’t have any more storms, and there is another one out there they are watching, Nadine. Another thing that will help the bite pick back up when the water cleans up is the fact that the water temperature has dropped to 78 degrees, which will spice the fish up. After all, it is October, and the waters should be cooling back down from the 85 it was.

I didn’t see, or hear of any fish of numbers being caught, except for a couple redfish, and some juvenile snook that like to come out to play when if gets roughed up. Some catfish and jack crevalle were being caught as well. That’s pretty much all I have until things clean back up water quality wise. Everyone have a great week, it’s supposed to cool down a bit like fall weather this week.

UPDATE: At the inlet this afternoon (October 14), the redfish bite was off the charts. Anglers were catching redfish like crazy. I also saw folks catching Spanish mackerel, lady fish, jack crevalle and saw thousands of finger mullet.