South Indian River Fishing Report
May 29, 2008
INSHORE:
Summer has surely arrived here on the Treasure Coast. Temperatures in the nineties and afternoon rains this past week are good signs of that! We had some fun out on the water this week. Seen lots of fish and caught a few trophies to show off. It was some great weather and the winds have finally slowed down to allow fishing areas that have been hard to reach lately. The fish are out there and it’s a great time of year to fish the Indian River.
I had the pleasure to meet some great people this week and renew friendships with a few also. Chad and Jessica Wenger were visiting from Pennsylvania this week and we had some fun on the water. Lillian and Wayne Foisey were down from Long Island to enjoy a scenic tour of the area. Wayne and I fished the next day. Jessica ended up being the angler of the week though!
Trout fishing has continued flourish on the flats from one to four feet of water. We had a number of hits on top water, but Jessica landed a fat 28″ gator trout on a Skitterwalk just after sunrise. Top water is always exciting, but this one totally inhaled her chartreuse lure. Even though it put up a good fight…it wasn’t enough to win the battle with Jessica. Early morning try Queen’s Cove, Round Island and down anywhere south to the Power Plant. Look for the sand holes to find them lurking.
We saw a good many redfish in a foot of water this week. Wayne had one follow his bait to the boat, only to change its mind at the last second. We drifted up on several reds with Chad and Jessica. Jessica was first to put a pinfish near one of them. After a couple long runs, she landed a 27″ redfish to add to her catch. We were cut short when another boat decided they had to fish that area after they saw our results. Live or cut bait along with DOA CAL grubs or jerk baits (rootbeer or new penny colors) are the best choices for a chance at an upper slot redfish.
Snook fishing has entered its last weekend for keepers. After Saturday night, it will be only catch and release. We have found many large snook feeding on the flats. Wayne found one large snook swim up to his bait, but again, change its mind. Live bait, top water or DOA CAL jerk baits are great choices on the flats. Look for the deeper holes for the big boys to be holding up and waiting for a quick meal to drift by.
The inlet has been boiling with Spanish mackerel. Shiny lures worked very fast can give you some quick action. The catwalks have been pretty quiet this week. The surf can hold whiting, mackerel, bluefish and even some snook. Jetties have jacks, bluefish and mackerel feeding on the tides there. Lots of bait around the river, so fish the bait pods….especially if they are nervous or being crashed.
Tip of the Week: Probably the most exciting fishing that I enjoy is sight fishing. We are entering the time of year that you can really have some fun out on the river. Keeping quietly across the flats can give you the opportunity to get some great sight casting opportunities. Jessica was a wonderful example as she cast to several redfish that were just a yards in front of the boat. Wayne watched a redfish swim within a few feet of the boat while giving chase to his bait. It’s great fun and can be very rewarding!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report
MAY 29, 2008
INSHORE - The inshore bite has picked up some from last week. I have been getting good reports of trout from 2 to 6 pounds being caught from Bear Point down to the Middle Cove and at daylight and use a top water bait. To the north the reports about redfish are still coming in with a lot of fish being sighted but, only a few are being caught and most of them were caught on cut bait. Start up around Round Island and work your way south — most of the fish have been in less than 1 foot of water. The snook fishing has not been red hot but a few fish have been caught along the docks of South Indian River Drive for the anglers who were throwing a live shrimp or pinfish. Most of the keeper snook are coming from the Ft. Pierce Inlet and being caught on live baits fished on the falling tide. I also had reports of some nice snapper from 1 to 3 pounds being caught on small white baits around the local bridges.
OFFSHORE - Over the holiday weekend the offshore fishing was slow for some anglers and red hot for others. The best bite seemed to be the kingfish along the beaches in 20 to 40 feet of water. The kings were hitting on live baits and the best bait was a live mullet. Most of the kingfish weighed in were from 12 to 20 pounds with a few bigger fish mixed in. The dolphin were scattered with reports coming from 85 to 300 feet of water. Most of the dolphin were caught on naked ballyhoo and the most of the fish were in the 12 to 30 pound range. We had several small wahoo come into the docks and they were caught in 180 feet of water. We had more sailfish releases than anything else — other than bonita — and they were caught in 100 feet of water to the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. There are still a good number of spanish mackerel along the beaches and in the Ft. Pierce Inlet and all you need is a small silver spoon and to look for the birds. The bottom fishing for snapper and grouper over the reefs and wrecks has been steady for anglers who were chumming heavy and fishing with cut baits
BRAGGING BOARD - I had a couple of e-mails from Shane Barber about several catches from his boat Lap Dancer. On May 21st Brian Fogal caught his 1st dolphin and it weighed in at 46 pounds. He caught it out of the Ft. Pierce Inlet in 160 feet of water. On May 23rd Melanie Barber caught her 1st grouper and it weighed in at 43 pounds. She caught it in 180 feet of water on a Shimano butterfly jig. Also, Joe Kirk, Tim & Rob Wigglesworth went offshore for the 1st time and caught a 55 pound amberjack. They also caught the fish in 120 feet of water on a butterfly jig. Not a bad way to start off your offshore fishing career!
If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or you can call me at 772-201-5770. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.
Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe’s River Charters
SW FL-Bonita Beach:Reds Best Bet Inshore; Keeper Gag, Snapper, Playful Sharks Offshore
Monday morning, 5/19, I fished with Casey Serumba and friends in Estero Bay. We caught a couple of keeper snapper and released smaller snapper, a sheepshead and a snook. Casey had one nice red hooked but his drag was too loose, and once the red ran under the trees he was gone. Tuesday, I fished with Marc Miller and Dave Ihle at the artificial reefs off Bonita Beach. We had a good morning of fishing, despite rough seas, with a 24 inch gag grouper (photo below) Dave landed after it bit a live blue runner, seven keeper mangrove snapper, and two flounder 16 inches and 12 inches that Mark landed on shrimp. We released blue runners and gag shorts and a 25 inch goliath grouper. Brothers Greg and Dave Bauer and their wives, Helen and Kathy, fished Estero Bay with me on Wednesday, along the channel from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass. We had originally planned to fish offshore, but after seeing the conditions Tuesday and noting the winds to be even worse Wednesday, we decided to stay inshore. Greg caught a keeper 20 inch redfish and we also got a keeper snapper and released small sheepshead. The backwater was where I fished again on Thursday, this time with Tom Tomasheski and seven-year-old son, Tom, Jr. They had already been offshore on a head-boat and wanted to experience some quieter, more personal fishing so we fished Estero Bay with live shrimp and caught and released mangrove snapper, cravalle jack and ladyfish. Roy Bumstead and Jimmy Egan headed offshore with me to 53 feet out of New Pass on Friday. We caught ten nice yellowtail snapper to 17 inches, whitebone porgies to 16 inches—we kept six of those and threw back a bunch more—and a few keeper lane snapper. We released six sharpnose sharks, all about three feet long. We also released some gag grouper shorts and at least 150 red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches. Mark Miller and ten-year-old son, Jake, along with Mark’s mother, Jackie, fished Estero Bay with me Saturday morning. Using shrimp along the tree lines from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot beach, we limited on slot reds, with three of those all around 20 inches. We also caught ten keeper-sized mangrove snapper, of which we kept five. The tide was incoming and the bite pretty steady. Sunday morning, a family group in town for a weekend wedding fished a catch-and-release trip with me about 17 miles west of New Pass. Jim Christ, son Bill, Bill’s uncle, John, and father-and-son team Brent and Chad Robinson collectively released about 80 fish with good variety including mangrove snapper, gag grouper, red grouper, grunts and whitebone porgies, all caught on live shrimp.
The other photo shown is of a slot–red caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.
Orlando Florida Saltwater Flats Fishing Report
Wind has been the dominant factor in our fishing for the past two weeks. Add in some clouds along with smoke from numerous fires and sight fishing has been nearly impossible on most days. The last two days, the winds have finally subsided but the clouds persist. On a positive note, the fish have been plentiful and bait is everywhere. As soon as the weather stabilizes, fishing should be as good as it gets.
Last week’s poor weather kept me off the water most days. We cancelled Monday’s trip due to wind. Wednesday, the forecast was for moderate winds but it blew 15-20 all day. The goal of my charter with Mike from North Carolina was to catch as many different types of fish as we could. Mike carves fish for a hobby and wanted photos of saltwater fish to use as a reference. We began the day looking for some small tarpon. Unfortunately, we did not find any. Our next stop produced a mangrove snapper and a toadfish. Spot three resulted in a flounder, a trout, and a nice redfish.Our final species of the day was a snook to complete a Mosquito Lagoon slam.
I had seminars Thursday and Saturday. Sunday, it was back to Mosquito Lagoon. From dawn until 8, I fished with Paul, the owner of Mosquito Creek Outdoors. I caught a redfish on a DOA Chughead/CAL combo and followed up with a trout on a Baitbuster. Paul had several bites on the Baitbuster as well but switched over to a greene back CAL and landed two nice trout.
We ran back to the ramp as the wind began to blow and I picked up Paul’s sister, Liz, and his son, Lee. We found several large schools of redfish on a shallow flat and Lee hooked up first. A short while later, Liz had a redfish break off when another fish in the school hit the line. The next one made it to the boat for some photos and was her first ever redfish. Thick clouds and the wind ruined our sight fishing so we decided to move out to some deeper water and blind cast for trout. After a couple moves, we found the hot spot and I spent the next hour unhooking one fish after the next. Liz used a DOA Deadly Combo and Lee threw various color 3 inch CAL tails. We caught too many to count but Lee had to take a break because his hand was tired from reeling in fish. Now that’s a good problem to have.
Tuesday of this week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Orlando Kayak Club. The following morning, I met Capt. Ron Presley in Cocoa Beach and we went in search of some early season tarpon. By mid morning, the winds were blowing over 20 and we did our best to hide in the canals. We found plenty of small tarpon as well as a few in the 20 pound range. We had a lot more strikes than we did hookups but I did land two tarpon using a holographic DOA shrimp. I switched over to the darker morning glory color and boated a snook as well.
Thursday was a fly fishing trip with Chad from Montana. It was a pleasant change to find slick calm water when we arrived. We never saw the sun all day but the water remained calm. We soon found ourselves surrounded by dozens of schools of tailing and finning fish. It was a fly fisherman’s dream except for one thing. The fish would seem to let us get almost within Chad’s casting range and then they would take off. We would approach the next group and the same thing would happen. Each time, the fish were five feet farther than Chad could cast. This scenario went on for nearly five hours before we gave up on them. Chad is a long time fly fisherman but in his waters, there is rarely a need to cast over 30 feet. On this day, a 60-70 foot caster could have had double digit hookups. While travelling to our next stop, we came across a school of large reds tailing along the edge of a flat. As we got near, they dropped off into the deep water and vanished. I took Chad to the spot that produced the numerous trout last week and he used a clouser minnow and a 5wt rod to land ten small trout. It began to rain but we were determined to get a redfish on the fly. We tried one more spot and found some tailing singles. Chad finally hooked a redfish using a small black and chartreuse crab.
With plenty of bait fish throughout the Lagoon, the redfish and trout are feeding happily on the new forage. It’s time to put away the smaller winter baits and get out the larger mullet imitations. A stealthy approach and proper presentation are more important than color.
Photos of this weeks fish can be seen at http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/FishingReport.html
Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com
South Indian River Fishing Report
May 23, 2008
INSHORE:
Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it was May and not March! We continue to see windy days and finally got some rain to help the area a little. We ended up braving some challenging conditions on some days and ended up getting wet one of those days. This weather will continue for now and at least we will have a chance at rain showers most afternoons to try and green up the grass a little. The river has remained clean in spite of the winds.
Mike McCann and his son, simply known as “L”, were down and we fought some windy weather to get a chance at some fish. Mike’s son ended up with a big ladyfish and lost a slot redfish to end a blustery day. He is gonna be a great fisherman! Nick Palladino and Mick Howells were up to fish this week, and we found a few places that were fishable. Mick found a 25″ snook under one of the Fort Pierce docks and Nick boated a nice trout later in the day. Our day was cut a little short after some thunderclouds surrounded us. Sandy and Todd Langler stopped by the area this week to fish. We missed a number of good hits before Sandy boated a 26″ gator trout. They also boated several mangrove snapper before the day was done. It was a tough week to try and beat the wind, but we did have some great fun out there trying!
Live pinfish and pigfish have done well this week. Shrimp bought out the cats, jacks and pins around the flats. The river is loaded down with baitfish just about everywhere we have fished. The predators have been on the flats giving chase. It has been hard to spot redfish lately, but they are out there. As we finally get to summer conditions, look for sight fishing to greatly improve. We fished from Round Island to south of Bear Point this week. Try around the docks and grass flats to the south and Queen’s Cove to the north.
The inlet was boiling with Spanish mackerel this week and that means bluefish and jacks as well. Remember that snook fishing is almost over…..May 31st is the last day. The bridges have been on the slow side of late. We should see a surge in fishing this last weekend of snook season. The beaches have held some pompano, bluefish, mackerel and whiting for those anglers. Just off the beaches have held some kings, permit and bonita. The jetties have been producing jacks and bluefish mostly. Looking forward to next weeks fishing adventures!
Tip of the Week: Take a few minutes one day and check out your First Aid Kit. At some point during the year it will be used for cuts, scrapes and assorted mishaps aboard the boat. Check out the contents and replenish any items that are missing, old or low in quantities. If you don’t have one……it is a good idea to get one. Accidents can happen anytime and it pays to have the equipment to handle most situations that might occur.
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
One mans Trash……………….
I have heard some interesting thoughts this week on the fishing in the Sebastian river and contrary to what some “experts ” are saying the Snook bite has been Pretty decent and the the Tarpon have been on the upswing . The DOA Shrimp has been my #1 bait with yo-zuri 3d fingerlings holding their own. Also Polar Fiber Minnow flies have produced a fair amount of bites. I have seen fish up to about 35# and quite a few slot and over fish . Most of the Tarpon have been Babies although we have seen some 40# plus fish. The ocean is full of boneheads and Kings right on the beach. One friend of mine today caught 14 Kings on the beach within 2 Miles of the Sebastian inlet from his flats boat.
Fish when you can as life is too short
Capt Mike
Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report
May 22, 2008
INSHORE - There has not been a lot to talk about this week with the inshore fishing being slow for the most part. The best action was from the snook in the Ft. Pierce Inlet. The snook were feeding on mullet around the lighted docks in the Inlet. Only a few keepers were reported and a lot of under size one’s were released. The few trout that were reported came from the docks along South Indian River Drive. I had anglers reporting that they caught a few small trout just at daylight and they were using a small pinfish or a top water bait. I did get reports of schooling redfish from Round Island back to the North Bridge and they were on the east side of the river but, the fish were not very willing to eat. There is still plenty of spanish mackerel and ladyfish around the Ft. Pierce Inlet and in the Turning Basin.
OFFSHORE - The dolphin bite has slowed but the fish that have come into the docks this week have been from 20 to 40 pounds. They have been getting them in 85 to 250 feet of water and almost all were caught on a ballyhoo. We did have several wahoo in the 12 to 18 pound range come in this week and also a lot of sailfish releases reported. The bottom fishing for snapper has been steady over the reefs at Bethel Shoals. Both live and cut baits have been producing fish. The kingfish bite is still going strong along the beaches to the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet in 30 to 40 feet of water. Live mullet has been the way to go.
BRAGGING BOARD - Jessie Lee Pfeiffer - age 3 caught her 1st kingfish on Sunday with very little help from her Dad - Jesse Pfeiffer. Jessie Lee was using a live mullet and fishing in 25 feet of water. Her fish weighed in at 10 pounds.
If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or you can call me at 772-201-5770. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.
Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe’s River Charters
SW FL-Bonita Beach: It Takes Two to Hold this Cuda; Bull Reds
Tuesday morning, 5/6, I fished Estero Bay with Paul and Rebecca Miller. The tide was slow coming in. We fished the tree lines, which is challenging, especially for novice anglers, and we lost one nice redfish that got tangled in the trees and broke the line. Rebecca caught a nice 14 inch sheepshead and we also caught a keeper mangrove snapper. We released smaller snapper and sheepshead.
Gary McDermott and friends fished the Gulf with me on Wednesday, in 38-46 feet out of New Pass, with live shrimp. We caught five hogfish, one of which was a beauty at about 18 inches but, unfortunately, a hungry barracuda bit that one off right at the head as we were reeling it in. We had one other keeper hog and released the other three. We also caught a keeper mangrove snapper and released nine others that were small, along with short red grouper. We caught a keeper triggerfish and eight pretty nice whitebone porgies, all in the two-to-three pound range.
Greg & Helen Bauer and Tara Barnes fished at the reefs with me on Thursday morning. It was too rough to get our much further than that, but we did okay reef-fishing, with a 12 inch flounder and some grunts for filleting. The rest of our catches were pure sport and included two goliath grouper at twenty pounds and thirty-five pounds and a forty-pound barracuda (see photo below). We released those, along with small snapper and gag grouper shorts. We caught the big guys on blue runners and the rest on shrimp.
John Keener and son, Chris, fished Estero Bay with me on a windy Monday morning, 5/12. We released two snook about 18 inches, sand bream, small snapper and a big redfish about 32 inches (see photo below). We were broken off by another bull red along the mangrove tree line.
Thursday, I fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay with Ron Constantini and Rich Staubauch. We used live shrimp to catch three slot reds and lost two bull reds in the mangroves. We also released keeper-sized mangrove snapper, two undersized (and out-of-season) snook and a cravalle jack.
South Indian River Fishing Report
May 15, 2008
INSHORE:
May has brought us some great fishing around the river and the usual conditions to test your fishing skills, too. I had to get out today in spite of what the weather predicted for winds. It was a mostly a scouting trip for redfish. Mornings aren’t too bad to fish around the river and top water works well this time of year. Look to the islands to give you plenty of areas to fish and use the wind to your advantage. May will continue to give us warmer water and great fishing action on the Treasure Coast.
Redfish was my target this week and I found several small schools feeding around on the flats. Look in the shallow water this time of year. They will most likely not show themselves and slip off unseen, but whenever the opportunity for sight casting come up…..it’s a very exciting way to fish! I lost one upper slot redfish near the boat and watched three lazily swim in front of the boat and boated one 28″ redfish while sight casting to them. I only stayed a couple hours, but did find my target to try this weekend. I like to use smaller soft baits, like the DOA CAL grub tails when fishing shallow. The fish are rooting around on the bottom and these lures can entice them into a strike. May and June have traditionally been very good for redfish on the river. Stealth and patience can provide some good rewards!
Snook feeding on the many baitfish around the river. Watch for bait being chased and it will more than likely be a snook, trout or jack creating the havoc on the flats. Only a short time left this month to catch that slot snook! There have been some snook taken around the bridges and inlet at night, but with the weather it has been a little quieter this week out there. Live pinfish or mullet has been a good choice for bait.
Trout have been caught up around Queen’s Cove and Round Island. I spoke to an angler at the ramp who had caught several nice trout on top water at first light. Watch for nervous baitfish on the flats. There is usually something lurking around them! Top water early and jerk baits as the sun rises will give you a good chance at a hookup.
Bridges have been slow this week. Some sheephead and snapper, but a quiet week for fishing those areas. Jetties have held mackerel, bluefish and jacks. The Surf has produced whiting ,bluefish and a few scattered pompano when fishable. As the winds finally die off for the summer, look for fishing to continue to improve around the river. I love this time of year on the river!
Tip of the Week:
I plan each trip around weather, tides and winds. I set up the equipment for my first two stops on the water. Always a top water, soft bait and suspending lure ready for any opportunity that presents itself. You already know where you plan to start fishing and being ready for that first cast can save you valuable fishing time. When I am done fishing an area, I have the gear set up for the next place I plan on fishing. Certain colors or lures for redfish flats and different set ups for trout flats. A little preparation ahead of time can give you more fishing time on the water. Have a great May out there!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report
May 15, 2008
INSHORE - The inshore fishing has been just about the same the last couple of weeks — tuff fishing and windy conditions. Most of the snook action has come from around the lighted docks along the Ft. Pierce Inlet after dark. The top bait to use has been a mullet. I did get reports of a handful of trout in 2 to 4 pound range being caught down around Herman’s Bay at first light on top water baits. To the north in the river the reports are of a few redfish and trout around Jack Island but, the bite has been slow. Along the channel edges expect to find snapper, grouper, jacks and ladyfish and spanish mackerel mixed in. Most of these fish can be caught on a live shrimp. I did get reports from several people that some small tarpon are showing up along the Intercoastal.
OFFSHORE - There has only been a few good days this week where the ocean was nice enough to get offshore. On those days the reports were of scattered dolphin in 85 to 115 feet of water and hitting on naked ballyhoo. There has been a steady kingfish bite but not as good as Friday and Saturday of last week. The kings were caught in 20 to 50 feet of water. In that same area I got reports of tarpon and they were taking greenie’s or a mullet. Most of the tarpon have been in the 80 to 100 pond range. The snapper, grouper an seabass bite has been good over the wrecks and reefs. Most of the anglers were using cut bait. There is still some sailfish action to the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet in about 100 feet of water and they were hitting on ballyhoo.
BRAGGING BOARD - Our son - Rob Ward caught a 56.2 pound kingfish last Friday. This was a personal best for him. The king was caught on live bait. On Saturday our granddaughter - Savannah Ward - age 7 caught a 29 and a 27.8 pound kingfish on live baits while fishing with her dad - Rob Ward. Savannah’s biggest king to date is a 32.9 pounder she caught last August. Debbie Petersen of Tampa caught a 39.75 pound dolphin last Friday. They were fishing out of the Ft. Pierce Inlet in 92 feet of water and using a naked ballyhoo.
If you would like to report a catch you can call me at 772-201-5770 or e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.
Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe’s River Charters
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Fishing Blog- Web Updates - Nov. 4, 2009
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- Salmo Bullhead Review - Salmo Lures
- Salmo Hornet Review - Salmo Lures
- Shrimp Tease Review - Creme Lures
- Killer Diller Shrimp Review - Creme Lures
- Jerk N? Shrimp Review - Creme Lures
- Devil?s Tongue Review- Saltwater - Creme Lures
- Creme Shrimp Soft Plastic Lure Review - Creme Lures
