SEBASTIAN INLET FISHING

Snook in the shallows

Inshore fishing has turned on this last week. Snook bite on live bait has been pretty good with snook from lower 20” range up to the 40” size and in between. Live greenies have been very productive and some fish are being caught on 4″ DOA jerk baits. light colors are best jerk baits to use. Inlet bite has been decent as well with some redfish as well as a few snook with plenty of jacks and some jewfish as well. Live pigfish and mojarra have been working well there.

Schools of 10-15lb jacks roaming the flats in the lagoon

Schools of jacks have been moving up and down the lagoon and with light winds you will see the schools of fish swimming and or daisy chaining on the surface. Fish have been anywhere from 5lbs to 25lbs and are aggressive if you don’t spook them with the boat. Nearhsore bite will be kicking off soon but with the front this week, it will be most likely too rough to get out. If the winds come out of the west we will be out looking for the bait pods and schools of Tarpon, Jacks and Bonito crashing glass minnows.

It wouldn’t be fishing if every catch was gonna be a trophy.

Good morning and happy Monday/Earth day to everyone! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, the weather was marvelous! This week is going to start off a bit breezy at the inlet, but only for Monday and Tuesday with NNE winds 15-25 and possible gust to around 30, and settle back down by Wednesday, so it will be a bit of a chore to fish the north side with the wind swell. I’m hoping that the NNE will bring in some cleaner water like it usually does, and start the pompano and Spanish mackerel back up again. We’ll see.

Fishing at the inlet for has remained slow, hit-or-miss, as always, due to water conditions fluctuating between cool and warm, and clean to silty: This keeps the fish in a state of confusion as to what they should be doing. The water temperature is still 74 to 75 degrees but should be 77 degrees by now. But the NNE winds keep the cooler water around. Onto the fishing as I saw it last week and through the weekend. Last week started off with a decent pompano bite on live shrimp and fish bites on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday the water dirtied up and it went away — same for the Spanish mackerel; Monday and Tuesday saw a nice bite on small white jigs and small greenies, but by Wednesday, that too went away. The rest of the week was pretty slow with only some small bluefish and jack crevalle caught on artificial and cut bait at the tip on the outgoing tide. Not much to say about the incoming tide, except for a few snook hooked on live baits or lost to the groupers, who will eat anything they can catch, especially snook struggling to escape!

Over the weekend, I saw quite a few schools of finger mullet all around the north jetty and back inside the inlet. That’s a good sign. We need baitfish to attract the predators. Remember, folks, when cast netting baitfish, please only keep what you need, and return the rest to the water unharmed and as quickly as possible! Our resources are NOT forever, plus it is one of the posted jetty fishing rules. Thank you.

Here’s a breakdown by area:

North jetty

Fishing was slow on Saturday, but some fish were caught. Early morning incoming tide, there were a couple slot snook caught on live baits, mojarras and live shrimp. Also, a couple catch-and-release redfish, inlet side of the jetty. Ocean side of the jetty on Saturday early and throughout the day, anglers caught a few pompano and whiting on fresh cut dead shrimp, not a lot, but enough to keep an angler interested. Bluefish and jack crevalles kept things interesting throughout the day on the outgoing tide at the tip. Silver spoons and live baits were doing the trick for them. The monster blues are gone, but the ones they were catching were pretty nice, in the 15 to 18-inch range.

On Sunday, the water clarity improved and so did the bite. Early incoming tide on the inlet side there were several slot sized snook caught, along with again, a couple nice catch and release redfish, all on live baits, shrimp and mojarras. Ocean side throughout the day they caught some really nice pompano, whiting, and I even saw a few nice black drum caught, more towards the tip of the jetty. Live and dead shrimp were the baits of choice. Outgoing tide was all about the blues and jacks on silver spoons, jigs and cut baits. Plenty of action there for those species. At the tip on the outgoing tide, a couple of the guys were catching a few Spanish mackerel and lookdowns on the tiny white jigs. Along the rock shoreline just west of the gate to the jetty, on Sunday I saw a couple fishing in the area, and they caught a couple blues, a few sand perch, one sheepshead about 14 inches long, a black margate AND a couple mangrove snappers about 11 inches!

South jetty

On this side the, the action was slower, due again to the dirtier water from the roughed-up surf and intercoastal runoff flowing out the inlet on the outgoing tide. At the tip, it’s the same cast of characters — black margates, blue runners, catfish, and maybe a pompano or two if some clean water is present. On the surf side of the jetty close to shore in the pocket, I heard of some small flounder still being caught on small live baits and small plastic swim baits. Most are too small to keep, but every once in a while, there’s a keeper. The incoming tide in the late afternoon has produced snook and redfish catches, live baits of shrimp and mojarras are doing the trick on them. Most of the snook have been too small to keep, but some are slots to be kept. Not much else except for the blues and jacks in the channel area on the incoming for those tossing silver spoons and jigs. No mangroves yet on this side.

T-Dock Area

Still slow here. Blame dirtier water and absence of small baitfish that are usually around to attract any predators. No bait, no fish. The incoming tide, if the water is a bit clean, you just might get lucky and find a snook or two hanging around on live baits, but it has been slow. For those tossing silver spoons of jigs to the channel area, there is always the possibility for a jack or two, and maybe some blues.

Surf Area, south side

Cloudy water here. Not much except for a lot of catfish, stingrays and bonnet head sharks being caught. If you find clean water, you might find a few whiting and pompano fishing cut shrimp or sand fleas.

Surf Area, north side

The water has been a lot cleaner than the south, also it is deeper on this side. The pompano bite has been rather good for the last few days with plenty of fish being caught, along with some really nice whiting. Fish the outside trough with sand fleas, fish bites of fresh dead, or small live shrimp. Bluefish and some Spanish mackerel also are possible in the surf for those fishing silver spoons and small jigs and such. Also, with the finger mullet starting to run down the beaches, be on the lookout for possible snook and tarpon action busting up the schools of bait! If seasonal conditions were here — and they are not — there would be small schools of tarpon roaming the surf along the coast. Just something to keep in mind.

That’s all I have for this week! Not too bad, but not what it should be for April. Soon enough, we’ll see warm, clean water show up and STAY! Have a great week. Grab your gear, lunch, drinks and sunblock, and go fishing!

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics. We had great weather last weekend. The fishing, well not so much. Before we begin, I want to remind everyone that the pathway on the north jetty between the railings and the yellow lines is a designated ‘safety walkway’ for pedestrians. In a medical emergency, EMS can’t roll a stretcher on the grates in the center of the jetty. Your equipment — coolers, buckets, chairs, umbrellas, bags, backpacks, etc. — CANNOT be in the walkway area; Gear must be placed in the middle of the jetty on the grates. Only yourself and the up to two fishing rods you are using are allowed in this area, and they CANNOT be strapped to the rail, and MUST be attended to at all times. Also, the north jetty will be closed to the public on May 1 and 2 for cleanup and maintenance. On these days, state law enforcement dive teams will conduct annual dive training.

Now on to the good stuff! Unfortunately, we had another slow bite at the inlet over the weekend, again due to the winds and water quality. Not much was going on in the entire inlet. On a good note, the water stayed at 73 degrees, so that’s good, and I did see quite a few schools of nice finger mullet roaming around the north jetty over the weekend, a good sign of things to come. On the backside, the mojarras have been hard to get — here one day, gone for several days. The commercial net fishers are having a hard time getting them for the bait shops. Here’s the breakdown at the inlet:

North jetty

About the only thing I heard about being caught here were pompano, on cut shrimp and sand fleas, Spanish mackerel, on the small white jigs and gotchas, along with some bluefish, same lures, and a couple of redfish on live shrimp. Most of the catches were from the tip of the jetty on the outgoing tide. The snook bite has been extremely slow, with only a couple being caught on the incoming, live shrimp.

South jetty

Same thing over here; not a whole lot is happening. Outgoing at the tip you have some blues, jacks, black margates, and a few pompano caught when the water is somewhat clean. Cut shrimp works for them. The incoming tide has been pretty silty from the rough surf, and the dirty water flowing out of the intercoastal that is mixing with the ocean water, keeping things kind of dirty. But if you can find cleaner water, you may find snook that want to play. Live mojarras and live shrimp are the best for this time of year, also finger mullet if you find some, as they are around. That’s pretty much for over here.

T-dock area

Slow here, except for the nighttime jig fishermen getting a few snook. Outgoing tide for that.

Surf areas, both sides

Rough surf equaled cloudy water and tough fishing. For the most part, nothing happening. If you’re lucky, and find a spot with clean water, pompano and whiting might be around, otherwise it’s just catfish, and possibly bluefish.

That’s all for this week’s installment of what’s happening at the fishing hole. We’re expecting fantastic weather all week, except for the winds to pick up again out of the SSE and will dirty the water some, but, in turn, warm it up more. Grab bait, lunch and water and get out there and fish! You never know if it is going to be your day to catch the big one! Have a great week

Slot for Doug!

Another week of wind but still had some decent fishing. Inshore fishing is a bit better as tempos warm up and more bait is showing up. Trout and snook with a bunch of jacks and ladyfish mixed in. Plenty of pompano, blues, jacks and ladyfish in the inlet, as well. This upcoming week winds are down and temperatures are up. Should fire up the snook, reds, and trout some more, and hopefully bring in some bait off the beaches to fire up the nearshore species.

Butters with a sizeable snook he caught at the inlet

Good morning, all you Sebastian Inlet fishing fanatics. Happy ‘Solar Monday’ to you all! Unfortunately, this is going to be another short report, as it was a slow weekend at the fishing hole, largely due to the chilly and sandy/silted water. Temperatures remain at 71 degrees along the east coast from Canaveral to Wabasso, where it should be in the 75-76 degree range for this time of year. There is also an absence of any bait fish.

Last week began with a good pompano bite on the north side. Monday and Tuesday, anglers were catching quite a few from the north jetty and the beaches just north of the jetty — sand fleas were the bait of choice. On Wednesday, fishing went downhill, with not much being caught on either side. Some bluefish and Spanish mackerel were caught at the jetty tip on silver spoons and small white jigs on the tide changes, but that was pretty much it through the entire weekend. Sunday saw a couple nice snook caught on the early morning incoming tide on live shrimp and mojarras. South side has been a hit-or-miss due to dirtier water flowing out of the inlet, pushed by NNW-WNW winds. The winds churn the intercoastal waters, send it out of the inlet, then back in on the incoming tide. That scenario makes it tough for the water to clean up enough for the fish to want to bite.

Small bluefish and jack crevalle at the tip on the outgoing, and catfish were all that were being caught. The water over here was too dirty for the pompano. Incoming tide early, and late evening produced a few snook on live baits, but most were under the 28 inch minimum to be harvested. But there were a couple slots caught. The remaining inlet spots were slow, unless you were in a boat drifting the inlet channel catching big jacks and leftover monster bluefish.

Unfortunately, folks, that’s all I have for this week, courtesy of the weird weather again. One day soon, normal Florida weather will return and hopefully the fishing will pick back up. Enjoy your day everyone! And be safe.

Jason with a decent sized goliath grouper in the inlet.

It was a good week fishing inshore and the wind was down during the week allowing us to get off the beach to fish but the bait was scarce and the fishing was slow. Inshore the bite is getting better if you can find clean water and some areas that are holding bait. We were able to catch some decent snook and trout and plenty of jacks. Once the fronts come through the bite slows in the lagoon as high pressure moves in. Still plenty of bluefish, some mackerel and ladyfish in the lagoon to have a bunch of fun with.

Morgen with a big jack in the inlet

The Inlet bite has been pretty slow for snook and a few reds but the jacks have been very active. Snapper, sheepshead and a few pompano around the rockpiles in the inlet have been eating live shrimp and fiddler crabs. Another good week of weather and the bite should improve some more as long as the winds stay down and the bait is present.

Sean Morley, caught this fish last week at sunrise. He fought the fish for five or 10 minutes before a shark got it.

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet junkies! I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend, the weather was sure awesome! The fishing, ehh not so much. Cooler and dirty water is still playing a big part in the activity at the inlet, plus the absence of any bait fish to speak of. But there were some fish being caught, just not anything to write home about. The last four days I’ve been down have been pretty slow, with a little more action this past Sunday. so here we go.

North Jetty.

Fishing on the jetty picked up a bit on Sunday with a smattering of different species being caught, the most of what was being caught was spanish mackerel on small white jigs and gotcha lures. The end of the outgoing and the beginning of the incoming have been producing some nice fish. Just enough to keep you wanting to make that “last cast”. On the incoming tide there were some small black drum caught, 15-18 inches along with a few nice pompano that I saw as well, 14-16 inches. All were caught on cut dead shrimp. There were also some of the smaller bluefish being caught at the tip on the outgoing tide for those tossing big silver spoons to the channel. Didn’t see any of the monster blues over here over the weekend. No snook or redfish to speak of during the daytime, but I did hear from one of my FWC officer friends that they have been catching a few at night on jigs.

South Jetty

Fishing on this side has been a little slower, but there are some fish being caught on the incoming tide. They are still catching some of those “monster” blues over here on big silver spoons and live and dead baits tossed out to the channel on the incoming tide. The snook fishing on this side has been slow because of all the big blues and jacks in the area, they don’t want any part of that, so they lay low. lol. But there have been a few caught on live majorra fished on the incoming tide. Most have been small undersized fish, but a couple slots were caught over the weekend. On the beach side of the jetty there have been numerous small flounder caught on small rubber swimbaits bumped along the bottom. Outgoing tide at the tip has been all about the regulars, black margates, blue runners and kittyfish..

T-Dock area

Back here the snook fishing that we did have a week or so ago has dropped off a bit. Again, cooler and dirtier water has shut it down, and the absence of the majorras that were here didn’t help. Not much else going on except for a few giant jack crevalles swimming the inlet searching for dinner for those anglers tossing big silver spoons to the channel area. Some of the jacks are in excess of 30 pounds or so. That’s pretty much it for back here.

Surf Area, both sides

Haven’t heard much of the surf fishing around the inlet due to the dirty sandy water on both sides. South side has been really bad with mostly some catfish being caught, and a few whiting. North side the water has a tendency to be able to clean up better, and if you find some deeper, cleaner water, you just might find some pompano swimming the trough areas. Cut shrimp, small live shrimp and sand fleas are the best baits. If you are fishing the beach with silver spoons or any artificial, you just might run into some bluefish and spanish mackerel.

That’s all I have for this week guys and gals. Not too bad, there are some fish around, you just have to get out to your favorite spot and hang out and see what comes up. Like I mentioned before in my reports, we need some warmer and cleaner water for the fishing to get better! Several weeks ago when the water temp was up to 74, it was getting good. Good luck everyone, and have a great week!

Always good to get the kids out and on some snook.

Another super rough and windy week for us. Fishing was pretty good though. Plenty of small snook inshore and some trout as well all on DOA paddle tails and jerk baits. Recipes had sheep head and juvenile grouper on shrimp and the beach was too dirty once the winds calmed down the bite was slow. Overall a great weekend with some decent weather rolling in for a few days and back to cold fronts.

Keith Cole caught this gator blue on topwater at the jetty!

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing fans. I hope you had a great weekend despite all the wind. This report, once again is going to be short due to the weather conditions spanning from Friday through the weekend. Wind-driven seas and surf in the inlet and its surrounding beaches turned into a giant dirty mess. Also, water temperatures have dropped back down to the 65 to 69-degree range from the 74 it was two weeks ago. Over the weekend, I visited all the fishing areas, but the only thing I saw caught were catfish and more catfish, and a lot of smaller ‘schoolie’ bluefish, and that’s about it!

When I was at the inlet on Thursday, even the boaters fishing around the tip of the jetty for snook didn’t fare well, either. I didn’t see a single fish caught in the hours hours I was there. On Saturday, about the only action I saw was a six-foot bull shark fought and landed properly on the beach by an angler. The shark was released unharmed after the hook was removed. That was the highlight of the weekend!

Before this mess blew in over the weekend, there were some black drum, pompano, Spanish mackerel and big bluefish caught, but the water was a bit cleaner and warmer. This week, expect another week of high surf and winds to keep water conditions churned up and messy. In checking the coastal surf reports for the week, it appears that things will settle down by the weekend.

I wish I had better news, but you know me: I tell it like it is, whether good or bad, no sugar coating from me! I wish everyone a great week, stay well and be safe out there!

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet fishing family; I hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was absolutely impressive, but not so much the fishing at the inlet. It was decent, but nowhere near what it could be.

My visits last week from Wednesday through the weekend was a hit-or-miss with the snook. They are around, but you have to be there when they do decide they want to play a bit. With all the toothy critters running around the inlet lately, big blues, jacks, nice Spanish mackerel and quite a few bull and hammerhead sharks, the snook really don’t want to have anything to do with them. Most of you fishing snook know that they are very skittish and easily spooked when they feel threatened, and they will NOT want to bite — along with the giant Goliath groupers that want to eat them.

On a good note, the water has warmed up nicely — up to 73 now as of this morning — and I saw some decent schools of finger mullet around the north jetty last time I was down there, that’s a great sign, along with a fairly good showing of mojarras in the inlet. The good snook bite is just around the corner. But the inlet is still pretty active with the monster blues keeping them at bay. So here we go with the breakdown action spotter.

North jetty

As I mentioned earlier, there have been finger mullet coming down the beach and around the jetty. This will attract some sprint time action for sure. The snook I saw caught last week have been largely on the outgoing tide, ‘walking the dog’. Quite a few oversized fish, but some are in the slot to be kept. The incoming tide has produced a few, but not like the outgoing has. I also saw anglers using live shrimp and catching a few nice redfish on the incoming tide, along with the snook that were biting. Between the pilings they are still catching some nice sheepshead on cut shrimp and fiddler crabs and sand fleas. Another species being caught in good numbers were the Spanish mackerel at the tip, incoming and outgoing tide were both producing nice fish, and in good numbers. Small white jigs and gotcha lures are the ticket for them.

Also, on the outgoing tide for those fishing cut bait and large silver spoons, the “monster” bluefish are back again for another go round. The fish I saw caught were in the eight to 10-pound range, and in decent numbers to get a limit of three per person. Beachside of the jetty has been slow, but out towards the end I did hear of whiting and a couple of pompano caught on cut shrimp and sand fleas. Back towards the bridge along the shoreline on the incoming tide I saw some redfish caught, along with a few small undersized snook on live shrimp.

South Jetty

Here, the fishing has been slower due to the water being a bit dirtier from the SSE winds, but on the incoming, a few nice slot snook and small snook are being caught on live baits — mojarra and shrimp are the ticket for them. Along with the snook I did see a couple nice redfish caught, along with monster bluefish farther out in the channel. Big silver spoons and jigs were getting the bite from the blues. They were quite plentiful so you could get your limit of three per person. At the tip on the outgoing tide, they guys were catching blue runners, jacks and black margates and a couple nice pompano on cut shrimp. Closer to the beach in the surf pocket area I saw a couple small flounder caught on small white rubber swim baits fished slowly bumping the bottom. They are there all the time, just nobody fishes them.

T-Dock area

It’s been slow here, but the action is picking up due to warmer and cleaner water. Friday, on the incoming tide, I saw anglers catching monster blues, but not in the numbers as out on the jetties. Also, those tossing small white or green jigs were getting a few of the nice Spanish mackerel that have been around. Snook fishing back here has picked up some with the presence of warmer, cleaner water AND the presence of the mojarras. Incoming tide has been the time to fish the area or them. Most of the fish I saw caught were oversized, but a few were able to be kept. Redfish also have been present back here on both tides, in certain areas that offer an eddy in the current.

Surf Area, both sides

South of the inlet —from the state park day use area to just south of the jetty there has been pompano activity, if you find some clean water. Cut shrimp and sand fleas are the baits of choice. Also, they have been catching some whiting and smaller black drum, same baits. And for those tossing silver spoons and jigs, Spanish mackerel and the big blues are a possibility. The north side of the park from the jetty north the same thing, and baits. Find some clean water, and fish it.

That’s it for today’s report, and the fishing is improving as I predicted. Springtime is here, it’s going to get hotter and the fishing will continue to improve. Grab your gear, get your favorite bait, and get out to your favorite hotspot.

Tight lines everyone!