Friday, December 28, 2007

A Happy Holiday Season Of Fishing


HAPPY NEW YEARS!

From Captain Charlie
December 27, 2007
INSHORE:
It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone so fast. Lots of great fishing memories from 2007 and hopes for a fantastic fishing 2008. I appreciate everyone that I had the privilege to have on the boat this past year. Thank you! It looks like we will have some nice weather bring in the new year. Have a safe and happy New Year!
Fishing had slowed down some over the past weekend with the winds and rain that filtered into the area. As this week progressed, the weather cleared and it was like summertime out there. The fishing picked up as the winds died off opened up the river to anglers. I hope you had a chance to get out this week. Lots of boats in the water this week, so be careful and aware of your surroundings.
Snook, trout and redfish have been hanging around the flats. The windy weather kept many areas hard to fish, but the fish have been there. I fished north of Fort Pierce over the weekend and found trout hitting soft plastics in the usual areas. Mike Lazorik and his dad were on the boat this week. Mike managed a nice snook in spite of the windy weather. I had Alex West and Kalib Guettler out from Teen Anglers. The guys caught a lot of fish and had a great time, even though they caught none from the fishing list. The weather wasn't the greatest, but the guys had a good day fishing.
I found a lot of trout later this week to the south of Fort Pierce. Even though they are catch and release, there have been some big trout cruising in two to five feet of water. Soft baits, like DOA CAL rootbeer jerk baits have worked well out there. Fish them slow along the bottom and you could also find some redfish in the same area. Today produced four redfish, over a dozen trout, a few small snook and more ladyfish and jacks than you care to count. It was a soft plastic day out there!
Bridges have yielded black drum, sheephead and flounder. Spanish mackerel have continued to be around the inlet and hitting small Clark Spoons. I did find a few flounder around some of the local docks. Bluefish are around the river as well. It's been a wonderful Holiday Season and many anglers have been enjoying a day or two fishing around the river or ocean.
Surf: Most beach anglers have been targeting whiting and pompano. Shrimp and sand fleas should get you some bites out there. You can still find some bluefish, jacks and mackerel along the beaches. I like a silver spoon for these guys. Make sure you use some sunscreen out there on the beach!
Tip of the Week: Holiday weekends traditionally bring out lots and lots of boaters. Plan on the ramps being filled beyond capacity and wait times to be longer. Take along a survival bag that includes: A large bottle of patience, a six pack of awareness, a bucket full of safety, a couple of caution tablets and a cooler full of smiles! Have a safe and happy New Year!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!
Happy Holidays,
Captain Charlie Conner
772-284-3852
(Captain Charlie Conner has been fishing the Indian River Lagoon for over twenty-five years. Specializing in light tackle fishing in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach and Port St Lucie, Florida. His weekly South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report gives you the latest inshore fishing information for the Treasure Coast area on the Indian River Lagoon.}