OFFSHORE-  Much much nicer weather this week and calmer conditions have allowed a lot more people to get out this week; and the fishing reports coming back in have been good!  Sailfish action remains very good; with just about everybody seeing a few fish this week, and five or more chances not being out of the question.  The sails seem to be scattered up and down the line in pretty decent numbers.  If you have good looking conditions (North current, current rip, color change, bait, etc) the sailfish shouldn't be far behind.  Live bait (goggle eye or blue runner) under the kite and smaller bait (thread, pilchard, sardine) on the flats is going to get some sail bites.  120-225' has been the best depth range for the sails, with Juno Beach Pier to north of Jupiter Inlet being a great area to start looking (Plenty of sails down south and up north as well, and the biggest numbers could pop up anywhere).  Been some dolphin mixed in with the sails, but also seeing a decent number of dolphin reports coming in a little deeper (300-500') as well.  Trolling the usual dolphin spread (small ballyhoo, bonita strips, squid) should get the dolphin up.  Out deep it sounds like the swordfish have been biting well, along with some good golden tile reports as well (Amazing what a little nicer weather will do!!!).  Inside the 120' ledge the bottom fishing has been very very good this week.  Some really nice mutton snapper caught this week, including a few over eight pounds.  Sounds like 90-100' was a pretty decent depth for the muttons, along with some really nice mangroves as well.  Pretty much a little of everything going on this week...and it looks like a good looking forecast headed into the weekend; good time to go if you can! 

INSHORE-  Snook season opens back up this weekend (2/1/25); and warmer weather has the snook biting a little better this week.  During the day the snook are still going to seek out dark mud bottom areas that warm up quickly.  Boat docks and seawalls with good dark mud bottoms are a great place to look during the day.  At night the snook will be around docklights and along bridge shadow lines.  Still a little easier to get the snook to bite smaller baits (Live shrimp, shrimp jig, small swim baits, etc) this time of year, but at key tide points or in front of the right fish the snook will jump on a bigger jig or swimbait.  Sheepshead action remains good inshore.  Boat docks and bridges with decent barnacle growth will be holding the most sheepshead.  Palm Beach Inlet is also holding the sheepshead pretty decently.  Live shrimp on a small jighead is a great way to go bait wise for the sheepshead.  Has been some scattered pompano inshore; but the better numbers this week seem to have moved out to the beach.    

SURF/PIER-  Nicer conditions and cleaner water has really brought the surf to life this week.  Pompano action has been very good, with some big schools of fish really starting to show up.  Early in the week the pomps started down south in the cleaner water and have pushed north most of the week.  Hobe Sound and north will likely be the best bet headed into the weekend for the pompano, though Juno/Jupiter will no doubt have some fish around as well.  FishBites and sand fleas have been the top bait choices for the pompano on the beach.  The Juno Beach Pier had one really good pompano day this week and a decent pick the rest of the week.  Bottom rigs have been catching the pomps at the pier and Doc's Goofy Jigs have been getting them over the rail as well.  Conditions have allowed boat anglers to target the pompano along the beach as well this week, with Doc's Goofy Jigs being a solid lure choice.  Mixed in with the pompano have been a lot of small jacks and ladyfish...A LOT of ladyfish.  The same pompano tactics are going to work for the jacks and ladyfish.  Finally had a good number of bluefish show up this week.  Cut bait (Mullet and sardines) will work for the bluefish; as will a silver spoon, diamond jig, or topwater lure.  The bluefish, like the pompano, seem to have come from the south and moved north as the week has went on.  Spanish Mackerel action has been good this week, and looks to be good at Peck's Lake headed into the weekend.  And...lastly, the sharks (love or hate them) have been around in big numbers with all the life along the beach.  Get those pompano and other fish in quick, the sharks will grab them if you take too long.  Throwing a large popper, or chunk of fresh bait, at sunset will very likely lead to plenty of shark bites!  

NOAA MARINE WEATHER:
FRI...SE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: SE 3 ft at 5 seconds and N 1 foot at 6 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

FRI NIGHT...S winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft. Wave Detail: S 2 ft at 5 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

SAT THROUGH MON...E winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft. Wave Detail: SW 1 foot at 5 seconds and SE 1 foot at 5 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

Thanks For Reading,
Todd

If you follow @junobait on IG or Facebook you saw this nice permit that Brian (aka P-Nut)  caught this week.  Sick catch on the JYG Pro 6'8" light inshore rod with a Shimano twin Power 3K.  Absolutely smoked the Doc's Goofy Jig.  

OFFSHORE-  Reports were slim this week offshore...turns out three days of greyed out, misty rainy, windy conditions with rough seas doesn't inspire a lot of people to run offshore.  The conditions do look like they will start to improve later in the weekend though, and the sailfish should be biting.  120-200' of water will be a good area to start looking for the sailfish.  Color changes, current rips, and large marks of bait will be the best place to start looking for the sailfish.  The dolphin will be mixed in with the sailfish in the same areas.  A live goggle eye or blue runner under the kite is a good way to go for the sailfish and the dolphin.  Trolling small ballyhoo, bonita strips, and squid out just a little deeper (200-300' of water) should also raise a few dolphin.  No bottom fishing reports to speak of, as ocean conditions improve the bottom fishing should start to fire up again.   

INSHORE-  Cool weather this week has the sheepshead biting pretty good.  Live shrimp (which have been a little tough to come by the past few days) are the top bait choice for the sheepshead.  Bridges, boat docks, and seawalls with good barnacle growth are a great place to look for the sheepshead.  A few black drum will likely be mixed in with the sheepshead as well.  Scattered pompano reports in the Loxahatchee River and ICW this week.  A bright colored Doc's Goofy Jig is the way to go for the pomps; as well as a mixed bag of jacks and ladyfish.   Snook fishing has been tough this week with cooler temps; but should start to improve as it warms up.   

SURF/PIER- Reports were a little slow to start the week with less than ideal weather and surf conditions.  A few Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, and Pompano around, but nothing in big numbers.  Conditions do look to be improving headed into the weekend, and the water along the beach does look like it's trying to clean up as well.  As it does; the fishing should really fire up.  Expect a nice push of Macs, jacks, bluefish, jacks, and sharks to be around this weekend.  A good casting spoon, diamond jig, GT Ice cream, or swimming plug will be a good way to go for pretty much all the fast striking species along the beach.  Pompano fishing should also be good.  FishBites, sandfleas, and clams are the top bait choices for the pomps.  

NOAA MARINE WEATHER:
FRI...NW winds 15 to 20 kt, increasing to 20 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 8 ft, occasionally to 10 ft. Wave Detail: N 8 ft at 9 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers in the morning.

SAT...NE winds 15 to 20 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 8 ft, occasionally to 10 ft. Wave Detail: N 7 ft at 8 seconds and E 2 ft at 5 seconds. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas.

SUN...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Wave Detail: NE 3 ft at 6 seconds and N 2 ft at 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.

Thanks For Reading,
Todd

Wintertime Florida Things........

OFFSHORE-  Sailfish action remains good offshore; though some days are definitely better than others.  Wind, ocean conditions, and current (which obviously are all tied together) will dictate the action.  Live goggle eyes and blue runners under the kite will no doubt be the best way to go for the sails.  Expect a few dolphin, including some bigger ones, to be mixed in with the sails.  Best depth remains the 120-200' range depending on conditions.  Trolling small ballyhoo, Bonita strips, and squid is a good way to target the dolphin.  No need to go super deep, but just outside the sailfish zone (say 200-350') is a good depth to target the dolphin.   The wahoo bite has been good n the backside of the full moon.   Black/Purple Sea-Witch and bonita strip is a great way to go for targeting the wahoo.  A Nomad DTX minnow is also a good lure choice for the wahoo.  Bottom fishing reports have been a bit slow, no doubt due to the less than ideal conditions.  Same report for the most part on the golden tiles.  Just need some little better conditions and the bite should improve.   

INSHORE-  A handful of pompano reports continue to come in from the Loxahatchee River and north ICW: Although the better reports continue to come from the Sailfish Flats in Stuart.  A 3/8oz bright colored Doc's Goofy Jig continues to be the top lure choice for the pompano.  Sandfleas, shrimp, and FishBites are the baits of choice for the pomps.  Expect a good number of small jacks in the same areas as the pomps.  Sheepshead action remains good inshore, with a few black drum in the mix as well.  Live shrimp is a top bait choice for the sheepshead.  Bridges and boat docks with some good barnacle growth is the place to start looking for the sheepshead.  The Sheepshead are also showing up in good number in Palm Beach Inlet as well.  Catch and release snook action slowed this week, though those putting in the time have found a few.   

SURF/PIER-  Last weekend saw some of the best Spanish Mackerel action of the season on the Juno Beach Pier, with Macs flying over the rail nearly all day Saturday and most of Sunday. Not surprisingly a white crappie jigs (JYG Pro 1/8-3/16oz especially!) was the top lure of choice for the Spanish.  A Got-cha plug, small X-Rap, diamond jig, or bobber rig with clark spoon will also work for the Macs.  As quickly as the Spanish showed up though they disappeared; with reports early in the week being slim Including slim reports at Peck's Lake).  A fair scattering of bluefish mixed in with the mackerel, though still not huge numbers.  Pompano fishing also fired off last weekend, with really good numbers coming from the beach on Sunday and Monday.  Sandfleas, FishBites, and the ever elusive FishGum have been the top bait choices for the pompano.  Like the mackerel though, the pompano thinned right out as the week went on with less than ideal water showing up along Jupiter/Juno Beach.  As cleaner water comes back in the fish shouldn't be far behind.     

NOAA MARINE WEATHER:
FRI...NE winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Wave Detail: N 3 ft at 7 seconds and NE 2 ft at 8 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

SAT AND SAT NIGHT...SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Wave Detail: S 4 ft at 5 seconds and N 2 ft at 7 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.

SUN AND SUN NIGHT...NW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: SW 2 ft at 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop. A chance of showers through the night.

Thanks For Reading,
Todd

OFFSHORE-  Sailfish action has heated up over the past week, with action remaining good today. The West Palm Beach Fishing Club's annual "Silver Sailfish Derby" kicked off today, with fifty teams releasing 184 sailfish.  Haven't heard yet on where the best bite was today; but with numbers like that the sailfish action was likely good up and down the line.  The Derby is primarily a live bait tournament; so no doubt most of the sailfish today came on live baits under the kite.  Dolphin have been mixed in with the sailfish in good numbers this week as well.  Not huge schools of dolphin, but the average size has been good.  The wahoo bite has been good over the past week as well.  Trolling a sea-witch and bonita strip combo behind the planer has been a top choice for the wahoo.  Blackfin Tuna action remains good off of St. Lucie Inlet.  Bottom fishing reports have been fair, with some good yellowtail snapper reports coming in.  

INSHORE-  Inshore reports have picked up a bit this week with a drop in water temps.  Plenty of jacks and ladyfish around inshore, with a handful of pompano mixed in as well.  The Pompano fishing has been very good inshore in Stuart over the past week.  Bright colored Doc's Goofy Jigs have been the lure of choice for the pomps inshore.  Sheepshead reports have picked up inshore, with some good catches coming in over the past week.  Live shrimp is the bait of choice for the sheepshead and occasional black drum as well.  Snook fishing has been a little tougher with the cooler weather; but still some to be caught for those putting the time in.   

SURF/PIER-  A scattering of pompano reports over the past week.  The pomps seem to be biting a little better along the beach; but the Juno Beach Pier has been producing a few  as well.  Best bite on the pomps seems to be first thing in the morning, with a little flurry art sunset as well.  Sandfleas, fresh shrimp pieces, and FishBites have been the top bait choices for the pompano.  A decent number of jacks have cruised by the Juno Beach Pier this week.  No monster jacks, but a good number of ten pounders cruising by.  A small  scattering of Spanish Mackerel along the beach locally; with much better numbers up towards Peck's Lake.  Bluefish seemed to show up in better numbers this week as well.    

NOAA MARINE WEATHER:
FRIDAY  E winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming SE 10 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft. Wave Detail: N  4 ft at 8 seconds and NE 4 ft at 8 seconds. Intracoastal waters a  moderate chop.

SATURDAY  SW winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to  6 ft. Wave Detail: S 4 ft at 5 seconds and NE 3 ft at 10 seconds.  Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.  

SUNDAY  N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft,  occasionally to 5 ft. Wave Detail: NW 3 ft at 4 seconds and N  3 ft at 7 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

​Thanks For Reading,
Todd

​Fisher out doing South Florida wintertime things on the side of I-75.  The Nomad Madscad AT in his left hand is a peacock killer!!!

OFFSHORE-  Sailfish bite has been hot over the past few days, with multiple boats having catching five or more.  The bite has bounced around a bit area and depth wise; but Juno Beach Pier to Jupiter Inlet day in day out is producing bites.  Depth has moved around from 90-200' depending on current, water color, and bait.  A decent number of dolphin mixed in with the sailfish.  Live baits under the kite will be the best bet for the sailfish and dolphin.  Trolling small ballyhoo, bonita strips, and squid will also work for the dolphin, and fool the occasional sailfish as well.  Some good wahoo reports over the past week as well.  A large bonita strip with a Sea-Witch is a solid choice for the wahoo.  A handful of blackfin tuna this week as well.  Bottom fishing reports have been mixed this week, with a handful of snapper around.  

INSHORE-  Cooler water temps have the pompano biting a little better inshore this week.  The Sailfish flats in Stuart continue to produce the pomps.  The Loxahatchee River and ICW are also both starting to produce some pompano.  Bait (Sandfleas and shrimp) and Doc's Goofy Jigs are both getting some bites.  Jacks and ladyfish will be in the same areas that the pompano are hanging out in.  Catch and release snook fishing remains fair.  Cooler water temps slow the snook down; so it takes a little more work to get the bites out of them now.  Sheepshead action has improved in the ICW, with shrimp being a solid choice for them.  Looks like we have some big cold fronts coming; which should really get the sheepshead fired up.  

SURF/PIER-  A decent scattering of pompano around this week.  Early morning and late afternoon will be the best time for the pomps.  The usual bait assortment of sand fleas, clams, and FishBites should do the trick for the pompano.  On the Juno Beach Pier or from the boat a bright colored Doc's Goofy Jig will also work well for the pompano.  Expect the usual assortment of jacks, blue runners, and ladyfish to be mixed in with the pomps.  Spanish Mackerel action has been good along the beach.  The Macs aren't holding in any one area in particular; but instead have bounced back and forth depending on conditions.  Bluefish have been scattered around, but no huge numbers.  Blacktop sharks have been around in good numbers.  Croaker and whiting have been biting well in the first trough.  

​NOAA MARINE FORECAST:
FRI...N winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming NW 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: N 3 ft at 6 seconds. Intracoastal waters light chop.

SAT AND SAT NIGHT...NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft, occasionally to 9 ft. Wave Detail: N 7 ft at 7 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.

SUN THROUGH MON...SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. Wave Detail: NE 5 ft at 8 seconds and N 3 ft at 7 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.

Thanks For Reading,
Todd

Spencer and Ryan (IG @Spencer_14 and @Ryan_morie) had an epic trip to end  2024...that Fish Rub hat  (coming back in-stock soon!) was obviously lucky!