Summer Fishing Report

April 23, 2016 | by Steve Beare

The Fishing in the Indian River Lagoon along the Treasure Coast has been producing banner days for clients and with the full moon coming this week, it looks to keep the pace.
The Snook bite in our area is hot! whether fishing the deep water along the Ft Pierce and Sebastian inlets or along the mangrove shoreline’s down the lagoon, fish of all sizes are being caught on live and artificial baits. For the artificial anglers, work a Rapala Skitterwalk V in chrome or gold chrome along the mangrove shoreline or a jerkbait of your choice. I’ve been using the 4.5” Down South Lure Paddle tail jerk baits in Texas Roach Shad or Magic Grass for the dirty water. For the live bait anglers, Pilchards and Croakers have been the hot ticket. For those unable to get live pilchards, live shrimp under a popping cork has always proven to be a successful method.

The trout bite remains consistent with Trout over 30 inches being a common occurrence. Use live Pilchards, paddle tail and curly tail jerkbaits. The 4.5” Down South Lure Paddle tail jerk baits in Watermelon Chartreuse, Blue Moon and Kickin’ Chicken rigged on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jig head have proven success.

The Flounder bite is starting to heat up with multiple fish over 20” being caught. Fish a paddle tail / curly tail jerkbait on a 1/8 oz jig head or live shrimp. Let the jig hit bottom www.cialismax.com and slowly start your retrieve, crawling the bait across the bottom, letting it rest every couple of feet.

Redfish are preparing for their spawn and we are starting to see some schools of fish working that flats. Use a paddle tail jerk bait rigged on a 1/8oz jig head, a gold spoon or a live shrimp to achieve success.

A side note for those targeting Redfish, the CCA Florida STAR Tournament is still active until Sept 5th, 2016. None of the tagged fish in our area have been caught or harvested, meaning that the opportunity still exists for those to take the big prizes like a 22 Contender Boat. Over nine tagged fish have been caught across the state but only one person was signed up. With this upcoming spawn, I expect to see several fish caught. Check it out and if you do sign up, use me as your referring Captain for the tournament. Visit www.ccaflstar.com for more details.