Saturday, September 22, 2007

Fort Pierce/Port St Lucie Fishing 9/20


September 20, 2007
Inshore:

Other than some daily thunderstorms that have loomed over the Treasure Coast, the fishing has been good out on the river. Some breaks in the daily routine of rain, have provided a mixed bag of fish for anglers braving the conditions. Mullet are all over the river now and the predators are all out there giving chase. It's not hard to find fish....just watch for nervous or excited bait schools and you can find fish hanging around them.
I managed a couple days on the water in between the weather this week. My wife, Eva, accompanied me on Saturday for some great fishing action on the Indian River. Fishing around bait rewarded us with catches of snook, trout, redfish,ladyfish, bluefish, jacks, snapper and grouper in our morning excursion. Eva finally got tired of reeling in fish, so we called it a day.
With all the bait available, there will be a nice assortment of fish to be sought in this time of plenty. Early morning will find snook, trout, ladyfish and jacks up on the flats seeking an easy breakfast. A good top water lure will give you plenty of action in the wee hours of morning. Switch to soft plastics or sinking lures once the sun rises and start moving to the deeper edges of the flats. Washed out sand holes on the flats are a favorite hiding spot for large trout during the morning also. Live shrimp is always a great way to catch dinner around the river. The entire river is alive right now!
Snook fishing has provided some nice slot size fish to the night anglers around the bridges and inlet area. Live shrimp is usually the bait of choice, but finger mullet is another good bait for snook fishing. Docks around the river have held snook, redfish and snapper. We fished several this week with good success. Live shrimp or soft baits will let you know if something is lurking under a dock.
Redfish are still hanging on the flats. I was slammed by a couple nice reds while fishing the bait schools. Soft baits have always worked great for me and I use them on the flats most of the time. All the rain has raised the water level in the river for a few days and allows you to fish areas normally pretty shallow.
Tip of the Week:
Take the time to watch the bait. Nervous bait means fish, lazy bait might be a sign to move on. Birds are cruising the skies looking for bait being chased. Learning to read the water can give you a good insight on where to fish or when to move to another spot. Take a little time and watch what is going on around you. The river is an exciting place to fish. Letting the fish, bait and birds tell you what is happening can help make your trips more successful!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
772-284-3852
(Captain Charlie has been fishing the Indian River Lagoon for over twenty-five years. Specializing in light tackle fishing in Fort Pierce and Port St Lucie, Florida. His weekly South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report gives the latest information for the Treasure Coast area for the Indian River Lagoon.}