October 18, 2007
Inshore:
Early morning fishing remained good this week on the Treasure Coast. First light bought us some nice action around the bridges in Fort Pierce as the snook continued to gorge themselves on the bait schools. Getting out early for that first light bite or fishing the tides around the inlet can help your chances on hooking up. Looks like the weather will cooperate this coming weekend, so plan on getting out on the water soon!
We had some good action on snook in the early part of the days while fishing around the inlet in Fort Pierce. Lots of shorts out there to give you some action and we also missed a couple of good hits. Mark Amorello ended up with a slot size after a number of shorts at first light. The bite has been good on both tides as long as the water has been moving. Live bait has worked best with either live shrimp or mullet. We fished around some bait schools on the flats and found some shorts hanging around there also.
We found a few trout out there, but the bite was off most of the week with all the dirty water around the river. Look around the usual trout areas to find some clean water. We did catch a few around Bear Point and north of Fort Pierce. Live shrimp on floats will give you the best opportunity. Try some top water at first light. The water should start clearing up a bit by the weekend with the wind laying up some.
We found a few redfish, but they were just short of slot size. Try along the mangroves or around the docks and you might just catch a keeper redfish. Live bait or a DOA shrimp can give you the edge on getting a bite. We did find some glass minnows out on the flats and found fish feeding on them. I had a few reports of reds around the jetties this week. With the dirty water, it's a good time to break out the gold spoon on the flats.
Snapper around the bridges and channel edges are still a mainstay for anglers out there. Mark Amorello nailed a nice 4 pound snapper at the north bridge. Most are in the pound range, but great table fare! Ladyfish and jacks are just about anywhere you look. We found some big ladies around the bridges this week along with a few grouper.
Tip of the Week:
It's always a good idea to clean out the ol' boat a few times a year. Dampness, especially like we have had lately, can creep into compartments and end up with mildew in and on things. Life preservers can mildew quickly when damp. Flares, if not protected, and draw dampness and not work properly. You might find that favorite lure buried somewhere with rusty ol' hooks. Boats are made for water.....but water isn't always good for boats.
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
(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.}
