OFFSHORE- Nice looking weather forecast headed into the weekend for a change! Fishing remained good offshore this week. Last Sunday and Monday the sailfish bite was very good; but slowed as the wind backed off. Southeast/South wind is not the most ideal for sails; but it does allow small boaters a chance to get the kites up. A decent bite this week on the dolphin in 200-400' of water. Trolling ballyhoo, bonita strips, and squid will all do the trick on the dolphin. Blackfin Tuna action remains good in the same area as well. Trolling feathers and smaller lures will work good for the tuna early. As the sun gets up get the live baits or vertical jigs down deeper for best results. Kingfish remains scattered along the 120' ledge in pretty solid numbers. The bite seems to be a bit day to day; but overall pretty good. Mutton snapper has been good the past few days. Sardines remain the best bait choice on the bottom. Take advantage of the weather and get after it this weekend!
INSHORE- Snook fishing improved a bit more this week with the warming weather. Bigger baits and lures are starting to get more attention from the snook as well as their metabolism speeds up with the warming weather. During the day it's a live bait bite around boat docks and points with current. At night the snook have been biting well around bridges; especially on the top of the outgoing tide. Outgoing tide is not as important as you move away from the inlet: With dirtier water both tides will get bites, it just needs to be moving. Sheepshead action has pretty much dried up inshore. A few mangrove snapper have started to show up inshore. Live shrimp and small live pilchards are the top bait choice for the snapper. Sandperch bite has also been pretty good inshore this week. SURF/PIER- Pompano fishing improved this week along the beach. Ideal looking conditions going into the weekend so hopefully the pomps continue to roll through. Reports seem to be a bit better off of Hobe Sound Beach; but a decent scattering of pomps up and down the line have been coming in. The usual bait assortment (sand fleas, clams, shrimp, and FishBites) continues to do the trick on the pompano. Not as many pompano on the Pier this week, but a handful have been caught on Doc's Goofy Jigs. The Juno Beach Pier has had a pretty solid number of bluefish around the past few days. Heavier metal lures (diamond jigs, Yo-Zuri Monster Shots, etc) have been the best bet on the blues. A swimming plug like a Rapala X-Rap will also do the trick on the blues. A scattering of Spanish Mackerel around the Pier as well, but not in the numbers of the past few weeks. Spanish Mackerel action at Peck's Lake improved this week. Croaker bite has been decent in the first trough; with fresh pieces of shrimp being the bait of choice. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...SE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Period 5 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SAT...S winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Intracoastal waters light chop. SUN...S winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Intracoastal waters light chop. Thanks For Reading, Todd Had an amazing trip camping in Everglades National Park last weekend. HUGE THANKS to my awesome friend Steven for putting it all together. I'd like to think twenty years from now our boys will be telling some killer stories from this trip around camp one night! OFFSHORE- Overall good fishing continues offshore; with a nice mixed bag of species around. Sailfish action slowed a bit this week; but overall remains very consistent. Forecast this weekend looks good for the smaller boat crowd to get a chance to get out and put the kites up. Sailfish will no doubt be in the mix: But don't be surprised to see a nice little push of dolphin as well. 200-300' of water (depending on water conditions) is a good area to start the search. Blackfin tuna action remains good in the same depth as well. The Blackfin Tuna have been biting good on the troll early in the morning. As the sun gets up live baits fished down a little deeper, or a high speed vertical jig are both a good way to go for the Blackfin. Along the 120' ledge kingfish action remains very good. Drifting dead sardines on a knocker rig is a great way to go for the kings. Bottom fishing remains very good. A nice mixture of snapper around; including some very nice muttons.
INSHORE- Warming stable weather has the snook biting better this week. It's not full on yet by any means for the snook, but it is starting to get better and better. With warming temps the fair hawk and big swimbait bite continues to improve; though the shrimp jig bite remains pretty good as well still. Other inshore action is a bit slower. Sheepshead action sowed a bit more this week. Still some around; but no doubt slowing down on the sheepshead. Wind out of the south will hopefully get a little push of springtime mullet coming through...will see what happens! SURF/PIER- Conditions have looked really good all week along the beach; unfortunately the fish have not really seemed to get the message! A scattering of pompano around, but not big numbers. Seems like the best pompano bite has been first thing in the morning. Nice looking conditions headed into the weekend so hopefully the pompano reports improve. A few scattered bluefish around, including some large ones; but not in big numbers. A good number of Spanish Mackerel scattered up and down the beach. The Juno Beach Pier has also been holding a decent number of Spanish Mackerel. Fair bite on the croaker and whiting this week, with small pieces of fresh shrimp the top bait choice. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...S SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Period 3 seconds. Intracoastal waters a light chop. SAT...S SE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Period 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters a light chop. SUN...SW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 25 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and tstms in the afternoon. Thanks For Reading, Todd Here's a nice wahoo from Todd Prince; weighing in a little over 40lbs. Todd spent a lot of time getting his high gear dialed in...looks like it's paying off! OFFSHORE- Sailfish bite remains really good offshore. The big release numbers from last week tapered off just a bit; but overall multiple chances remains the norm. Live bait under the kite is still the way to go, but trolling small ballyhoo and even bonita strips all get the bites as well. Not the most ideal conditions sailfish wise headed into the weekend: But should still be a decent number around. Blackfin tuna action picked back up offshore this week. Blackfin bite has been scattered up and down the line. Trolling smaller feathers early in the morning has been working well; and then when the sun starts to get up a little higher a vertical jig in 250-350' of water has been catching them. Dolphin bite was pretty good this week in 200-400' of water. Not huge numbers of fish; but the average size has been pretty good. A few scattered reports of wahoo on the back side of the full moon this week; likely will be a few hanging around heading into the weekend. Bottom fishing reports were much better this week, with a nice assortment of snapper around. No cobia reports yet, but that should start happening almost anytime.
INSHORE- Look for snook fishing to start improving quickly as the weather warms up. With no hard fronts in the forecast and temps regularly pushing into the 80's this week the snook should be chewing. Jig bite will no doubt fire off with the weather as well. Look for high outgoing tide at night around the bridges to be the best bet for the snook (Though certain spots will do equally well on late incoming depending on water quality conditions). Sheepshead action remains decent in Palm Beach Inlet. Better get after the sheepshead now, they won't hang around for that much longer. Live shrimp will be the top bait choice for the sheepshead. A little quiet on other inshore action. No pompano reports inshore to speak of. Warming weather could trigger a little early season mangrove snapper bite as well. SURF/PIER- Early in the week saw the best pompano action of the year so far. The Juno Beach Pier and local beaches produced some good quality fish; and a solid number of limits. Pompano action slowed a bit as the week went on; but favorable conditions leading into the weekend should get some pompano around again! Doc's Goofy Jigs and JYG Pro Mycro's have been top lure choices for the pomps. Bait wise it's the usual assortment of sandfleas, clams, fresh shrimp, and FishBites producing the best results. The Juno Beach Pier produced a good Spanish Mackerel bite as well this week. Average size of the fish has been a bit small, but numbers have been pretty solid. White crappie jigs remain the absolute top lure choice for the Macs (when the bite slows down try tipping the crappie jig with a small piece of shrimp for better results). All the Spanish Mackerel hanging around the pier have the barracuda showing back up. Scattered bluefish this wee; but that does seem to have slowed down a bit. About time to start seeing the first of the springtime live bait start trickling in. When the bait starts to show the springtime big jacks and kings shouldn't be far behind! NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...E SE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 25 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Period 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. SAT...Winds SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SUN...E SE winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Intracoastal waters light chop. A slight chance of showers in the morning. A slight chance of tstms. A chance of showers. Thanks For Reading, Todd Longtime friend and customer Eamon with a nice mutton caught last week with Captain Jeff on TenX Charters (www.gofishjupiter.com). Also...some sweet new apparel rolling into the shop this week! OFFSHORE- The BIG news this week has been the absolutely EPIC sailfish bite going on! Lots of boats with double digit sail releases, including reports of 20 to 30 plus chances. Lots of fish up and down the line, with a bulk of the fish coming in 150-225' of water depending on conditions. Live goggle eyes and small runners (which be prepared are getting up to $200/dozen right now) are the baits of choice. If you can't justify the price for live baits; trolling small naked ballyhoo will also get you a chance at the sails. Some nice dolphin and Blackfin tuna in the mix with the sails. As the winds comes back around northerly into the weekend, the sails will likely chew their faces off again! If you have the boat to handle the conditions; chances are good for a really solid sailfish bite. Bottom fishing reports have been a bit slow this week. Expect hose reports to get better as the weather improves.
INSHORE- A little tough on the inshore side of things this week. A slow pick of small snook, sheepshead, occasional mangrove snapper, and other assorted species for those fishing live shrimp on a jighead in the Loxahatchee River. A few snook on the bridges at night for those really putting the time in; though the bites have been kind of few and far between. Sheepshead action in Lake Worth/Palm Beach Inlet remains solid. Live shrimp is the bait of choice for the sheepshead. SURF/PIER- Rough surf and dirty dirty water (both from rough surf and new freshwater discharges) has the surf fishing all but shut down this week. Before the water got dirty it was a mixed bag pick of blues, jacks, and the occasional pompano. Sounds like the bluefish bite south of Lake Worth Inlet has been decent over the last few days, with some cleaner water closer to Lake Worth Pier. Hopefully as the wind gets a little more north in it going into the weekend things start to improve along the beach. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...SW winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts to around 30 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft. Period 4 seconds. NE swell 3 ft in the morning. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SAT...NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 30 kt. Seas around 3 ft along the coast and 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft in the Gulf Stream. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SUN...N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft along the coast and 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft in the Gulf Stream. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Thanks For Reading, Todd The Peewee Quebec trip was awesome; with lots of good hockey, good friends, and good times had by all! The Hawks team played extremely well; losing a heartbreaking quarterfinal game to the England National team in overtime. No ice fishing reports...next time, next time! OFFSHORE- Sailfish bite was good this week. Only two boats chose to fish the first day of the Sailfish Gold Cup; catching 11 and 6 respectively. Expect the sailfish numbers on Thursday to be good as a bulk of the field gets after it! The Gold cup draws both live and dead bait anglers; so expect somebody to catch them somewhere tomorrow! Good dolphin fishing last weekend in 300-500' of water. It wasn't hug numbers of fish; but the average size was 18-12lbs. Trolling ballyhoo was the ticket last weekend on the dolphin. Wahoo reports were good last weekend; both on this side and in the Bahamas. Wahoo catches reported on all the usual suspects; DTX Minnows, Sea-witch/Bonita Strip combo, and Split Tail Mullets. Bottom fishing reports were fair last weekend; but slowed as the ocean built early into the week. No reports yet; but expect the cobia t start showing up just about any time.
INSHORE- Slightly slower fishing inshore this week. Cooler weather has the snook bite slowed down. Those really putting in the time have been catching a few snook at night around the bridges; but it remains a slow pick. A shrimp jig remains the top lure choice for the snook right now. A few pompano reports out of the Loxahatchee River again this week, but not in solid numbers. The pompano bite on the Sailfish Flats in Stuart remains good. Sheepshead action in Palm Beach Inlet remains good. A small to medium size live shrimp is the bait of choice for the sheepshead. SURF/PIER- Early in the week saw some wild big bluefish action! The Juno Beach Pier had the best action on the blues; with some blues also coming out of the surf as well. Large good casting lures (Diamond Jigs, Yo-Zuri Monster Shot, and similar) have been the way to go for the blues. A chunk of sardine or mullet will also get bit as well by the blues. Rough surf in the middle of the week slowed fishing way down, and unfortunately it stays on the rough side into the weekend. Hopefully the water clears up a bit and the bluefish will likely show back up. Lots of bull sharks around the bluefish schools, but surprisingly not many blacktip/spinners. The spinner sharks are no doubt waiting for the pompano to show up. No pompano reports top speak of; but it is about time for them to start showing up. Next few weeks will likely see the start of the spring run of pompano. Before the water got too dirty the whiting and croaker were biting good. Small pieces of fresh shrimp remains the bait of choice for the whiting and croaker. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...E SE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft. Period 10 seconds. NE swell 3 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SAT THROUGH SUN...S SE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 25 kt along the coast to S SE 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 25 kt in the Gulf Stream. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. E swell 4 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Quick Notes: Super Bowl Sunday Hours 6AM-12PM Regular readers maybe wondering why the report is coming a day early this week? The family and I are headed to Quebec tomorrow: We have to go cheer on Fisher's Hockey team as they play in PeeWee Quebec (One of the largest 12U tournaments in the world!). Likely won't be a report next week...well maybe a Ice fishing report...but I'll se what I can do! Thanks For Reading, Todd Our friend Mac with a nice wahoo out of Boynton last weekend! Chomped a Sea-witch/Strip combo behind the planer. Had to laugh a little as I read through the marine forecast (see below)...if you have a favorite wind direction to fish on, it's a safe bet it's going to blow that way at some point weekend.
OFFSHORE- Sailfish action remained fair to good this week; with some good release numbers coming in for a few boats, and just about everybody getting at least a chance or two a trip. Live baits (goggle eyes and small blue runners) under the kite remain the top bait choice for the sailfish. Smaller baits (Pilchards, threads, or sardines if you can find them) will be top choices for the flats. The bite has bounced around up and down the line; with Juno Beach Pier to Jupiter Inlet remaining a safe starting point. Best depth remains 150-250ish' depending on current and water conditions. As always look for current rips, color changes, and large areas of bait when setting up your drifts. Mixed in with the sailfish have been a few nice dolphin and a scattered wahoo or two as well. Kingfish remind scattered along the 120' ledge in decent numbers. Bottom fishing reports were a bit slow this week, but a handful of nice muttons did come up. INSHORE- Sheepshead action remains good in Palm Beach Inlet, and to a lesser extent in Jupiter Inlet as well. The depth of Palm Beach Inlet helps to concentrate better numbers, while they tend to spread out a bit more in Jupiter Smaller to medium live shrimp is the bait of choice of the sheepshead. In the ICW and Loxahatchee River you can pick away at sheepshead under boat docks and around pilings that have good barnacle growth. Live shrimp on a short shank jighead is a good way to go; proving a simple rig that is easy to cast. Snook season is now back open. Cooler water temps have the snook a bit on the sluggish side. Smaller profile presentations are a great way to go for the snook this time of year, especially when fishing at night. A Thumper Shrimp or 3" NLBN swimbait bounced on the bottom around bridges at night (especially on an outgoing tide) is a great way to go for getting bites. Bigger swimbaits and Flairhawk jigs will still get the bites; they just tend to be fewer and farer between (This time of year a snook's metabolism is slowed way down. It may take them a week to digest a mullet. A shrimp or smaller baitfish on the other hand is a small easy snack). Pompano reports on the Stuart Sailfish flats were good this week; local inshore pomp reports were on the slower side. SURF/PIER- The bluefish pushed through very briefly early this week, but didn't hang around (hungry sharks tend to push things through quickly like that!). When the blues come through they have been biting GT Ice Creams, Poppers, Diamond Jigs, and swimming plugs well. Pompano reports improved a bit this week. Hasn't been big numbers of pomps around, but those putting in the time on the beach have been getting a few bites. Sandfleas, clams, and Fishbites remain the baits of choice for the pomps. The Juno Beach Pier has been holding a fair number of whiting and croaker this week. Small pieces of fresh shrimp are the top bait choice for both. Calm conditions early in the week provided a good window for catching sharks on topwater plugs; although conditions for that have gone away later in the week. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...E winds 5 to 10 kt becoming W NW in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. Period 10 seconds. N NE swell 3 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. SAT...W NW winds 5 to 10 kt becoming W SW in the afternoon, then becoming E SE in the evening. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. N NE swell 3 ft in the morning. Intracoastal waters a light chop. SUN...S SE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 25 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers with a chance of tstms in the afternoon. Thanks For Reading, Todd OFFSHORE- As far as winter weather weekends go...this one coming up isn't looking too bad! It's not super flat summer calm conditions, but definitely very doable compared to past weekends. Fishing reports to start off the week have been slim (For once the wind and rough stuff came early in the week!). The sailfish bite remains steady, with a chance or two per boat being the norm. As I write the report 16 boats fishing the first day of the Bucc (buccaneercup.com) have released about 35 sails. A few of the boats are trolling up north and a few live baiting locally: Overall though the numbers show if you get the baits in the water up and down the line you have a good chance to see a sail. With Southeast winds the forecast it is likely that we could see a decent number of dolphin; along with some more Blackfin Tuna. Look for 150-300' of water to remain a pretty effective depth range to target. While you may find some fish out deeper; for the most part the deep side of the edge is a good place to start. Kingfish remind scattered along the 120' ledge in good numbers. A cobia or two have also been lurking around the same areas. Bottom fishing reports were slim this week, but as conditions improve expect things to get much better.
INSHORE- Some pretty good sheepshead reports coming out of Palm Beach Inlet. Small to medium sized live shrimp remain a top bait choice for the sheepshead. With a smaller shrimp they don't have as much of a chance to nibble it off; they just have to go ahead and eat it. Jupiter has been holding a few sheepshead as well, just not in the snake kind of numbers. Inshore pompano reports were slow this week in Jupiter; with a few still being caught inshore in Stuart. Snook season opens back up a week from today. It's been a little slow on the snook, but warmer temps this weekend (ahead of a cold front coming early next week) will likely have them biting a little better. The shrimp jig bite remains good at night around the bridges for the snook. SURF/PIER- Overall the surf fishing has been good this week. Early in the week with the wind blowing like crazy, the big bluefish came through the Juno Beach Pier and proceeded to just chew their faces off! Any swimming plug, topwater, spoon, diamond jig, GT Ice Cream, etc that hit the water was promptly destroyed by a hungry bluefish. Unfortunately it was a small window that only lasted a day. Southeast winds have (likely) pushed them up north. When the wind comes around and blows north look for some of them to end up back here again. Still a decent pick on the pier of smaller bluefish, jacks, and the occasional Spanish Mackerel as the week has gone on. Pompano reports were a bit slow this week, but a few were caught locally. With ocean conditions calming into the weekend (and some really nice looking water on the beach right now) look for the pompano to make a little showing. Plenty of spinner sharks along the beach right now as well. Yes the sharks are a pain in the butt...BUT watching a spinner blow a topwater into the air is pretty entertaining. A pretty solid pick of whiting and croakers along the NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...SE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Period 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SAT...S SE winds 15 to 20 kt along the coast to S SE 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 25 kt in the Gulf Stream. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. SUN...SW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers. Thanks For Reading, Todd While I don't write a lot about it, I love bass fishing: And winter time in south Florida can lead to some great fishing! (Side note...Maybe I'll start adding a freshwater section every few weeks). Here's our buddy Rich (IG @rtfishhead) with a couple nice ones from a Lake O tournament recently. OFFSHORE- Fishing remained good offshore this week; with a nice mixed bag assortment. Best action on pretty much all species will be in 90-300' of water. While you may hear of a few dolphin out deeper (and with the exception of swordfish and golden tiles), a large part of the action will be in or around the edge at 150'. Sailfish action remained fair to good, with most boats at least seeing a fish or two. Numbers on the sails seemed to be a little better down to the south (Lake Worth Pier to Boynton Inlet); but still a fair amount of fish from Palm Beach up to Jupiter. The trolling boats up north (Like Fort Pierce and north) continue to pick away at the sails as well. In other words the sailfish are scattered up and down the line; get lucky and land on the right pod or good general area and you may really be able to bang out the releases quick. With a cold front pushing through this weekend; conditions look ideal for a great sailfish bite...fingers crossed it goes off! Mixed in with the sails have been a fair number of dolphin, a few cobia, good number of kings, and some nice Blackfin tuna. Live baits (goggle eyes and small blue runners) under the kite are a great way to go for all of the above species. Threadfins, pilchards, or sardines (any of them you can find or buy right now) all make good choices for the flatlines. Snapper fishing has been fair on the bottom. The usual assortment of mutton and yellowtails have made up most of the catch. Out deep the swordfish bite has been good when the weather allows. Season is back open for golden tiles; been some good ones around when the weather allows. Squid is always a top bait choice for the tilefish. But those willing to crank a lot can catch some nice tiles on slow pitch jigs (Check the pic below from Captain Jeff www.gofishjupiter.com of a really nice Golden Tile on JYG Pro Stryke!)
INSHORE- Inshore reports were a bit slower this week, but still some fish around. Pompano reports inshore seemed to slow (or maybe people stopped talking!) in the river. A cold front into the weekend will likely get them biting again. A brightly colored Doc's Goofy Jig is a great way to go for the pomps. In addition it will also entice strikes out of jacks, ladyfish, and honestly just about anything else around! Sheepshead action improved drastically in Palm Beach and to a lesser extent Jupiter Inlets this week. Live shrimp remain a solid bait choice for the sheepshead. A few weeks away from snook season opening back up. Catch and release action on the snook has been a bit slow. It takes a little more work, finesse, and time to get them to bite with cooler water temps. Pay extra attention to tides and keep the baits on the smaller side for the best action with the snook. Doesn't mean the snook won't bite a bigger bait or lure this time of year; you just have to be much more patient and expect fewer bites. SURF/PIER- It wasn't a record setting week along the beach this week; but fishing overall was decent. Some big schools of big bluefish around the past few days. Best action on the bluefish has been late afternoon. GT Ice Creams, diamond jigs, and loud noisy poppers have all been good lure choices. Watching a big bluefish come up and smash a topwater is about as cool as it gets. Just be ready to get those blues in quick; the sharks are around and making quick work of any blues stretched out for an extended period of time. They don't exactly leave these days; but it's about time to really start seeing the numbers of blacktip/spinner sharks blow up over the next few weeks. Targeting the sharks with topwaters is another really good adrenaline rush! Best acton on them will be early morning and late afternoon. Pompano reports were a little slim this week. A few pomps around, but didn't hear of any big numbers to speak of. Spanish Mackerel action is good at Peck's Lake (Conditions will likely change that going into the weekend) with plenty of limits coming up. A Gulfstream Flash Minnow or Clark Squid spoon are both great lure choices for the Macs. NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...Winds W winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Period 4 seconds. Intracoastal waters a light chop. A chance of showers. SAT...N winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts to around 30 kt. Along the coast, seas 4 to 6 ft, occasionally to 8 ft. In the Gulf Stream, seas 5 to 7 ft, occasionally to 9 ft building to 6 to 9 ft, occasionally to 11 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. SUN...NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 25 kt along the coast to NE 15 to 20 kt in the Gulf Stream. Seas 5 to 8 ft, occasionally to 10 ft. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. Thanks For Reading, Todd It's a lot of cranking when you drop a jig over 600' down...of course with results like this it's worth it! OFFSHORE- Sailfish action remained fair to good offshore this week. As I write the report (early afternoon on Thursday) 50 boats fishing the Silver Sailfish Derby have released right at 60 sailfish. For the most part the last few weeks have played out at about the same rate...at least a bite or two for most, with a few seeing four or five. The sails have been along the edge in 130-175' of water for the most part from Palm Beach to north of Jupiter Inlet. Best spot on the sails has bounced around a bit; but the Juno Beach Pier to Jupiter Inlet drift day in and day out seems to produce the bites. Mixed in with the sails have been a handful of dolphin, a pretty solid number of kings (maybe just a shade shallower than the sails), some nice Blackfin tuna, and the occasional Cobia or wahoo. The nice thing about the winter time fishing is it is typically best in 150-300ish' feet of water. You may find some fish around a little farther offshore; but for the most part the best action starts not long after you slide off the edge. Bottom fishing was good this week. A nice assortment of porgies, snapper, grunts, and other bottom species in 80-100' of water. Squid and sardines are the top bait choices on the bottom.
INSHORE- Fair fishing inshore this week; with a good little mix of action. A fair scattering of sheepshead around the ICW and Loxahatchee River this week (As well as a few starting to show up in the Inlets as well). Look for docks, seawalls, and bridge pilings with good barnacle growth and the sheepshead likely won't be far behind. Live shrimp remain the top bait choice for the sheepshead, with sand fleas also being a good option. Pompano reports seemed to jump up a bit inshore this week. The Loxahatchee River and ICW (Jupiter Island to Home Sound) both seemed to have a handful of pompano. A pink or orange Doc's Goofy Jig is a good way to go for the pomps. The nice thing about the Goofy jig is it also tends to produce a good bycatch of jacks, ladyfish, and honestly a whole bunch of other species. A 3/8oz Doc's tends to be the right size inshore. Snook fishing was a bit slower this week. Still fair bite on the 3" NLBN or Thumper Shrimp for those really putting the time in at night on the right tides. SURF/PIER- Fishing was pretty solid again this week along the beach and on the Juno Beach Fishing Pier. Pompano reports jumped up nicely this week; with both some decent numbers of fish and good size fish in the mix as well. Along the beach it's the usual assortment of baits (sand fleas, clams, fresh shrimp, and FishBites) getting the bites. Some pompano (not huge numbers, but more than a few) also coming over the rails at the Juno Beach Pier on both bait and bright colored Doc's Goofy Jigs. Some big schools of BIG bluefish along the beach early in the week. A GT Ice Cream, large swimming plug (Rapala X-Rap or Yo-Zuri LC Minnow), or noisy topwater popper are all good lure choices for the bluefish. Fair number of croaker and whiting around in the first trough. Fresh pieces of shrimp has been the bait of choice for them. About time for the topwater shark bite to get going...won't be long now! NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...S winds 20 to 25 kt along the coast to S 20 to 25 kt with gusts to around 25 kt in the Gulf Stream. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. Period 5 seconds. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and tstms in the morning. SAT...SW winds 15 to 20 kt becoming W NW. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of tstms in the morning. A chance of showers . A chance of tstms. SUN...E NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to around 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of tstms. Thanks For Reading, Todd Joel (IG@ FLswimbaiter.420) with a chunky hybrid...When the freshwater spillways open out west these guys are a lot of fun to catch! OFFSHORE- Nicer weather early in the week allowed more people to get offshore; and the reports overall were pretty good. Sailfish action remains consistent; with pretty much everybody putting the kites up seeing at least a few fish, and quite a few boats getting five or more bites. Not exactly ideal sailfish conditions for the weekend; but Sunday looks like it could possibly be good for the sails. The West Palm Beach Fishing Club "Silver Sailfish Derby" is next week; so expect more than a few boats to really start poking around over the next few days. Live goggle eyes and small blue runners under the kite will be the top bait choice for the sails, while threadfins are a great choice on the flatlines. Good scattering of kingfish along the 120' ledge. Most of the kings have been in the 5-10lb range, with a handful of bigger ones around as well. The full moon did produce a few wahoo to end the year(Our friend Peyton with a nice one pictured below!) Blackfin Tuna action, including some really good sized ones, has been very good this week. Action on the Blackfins has been better north of Jupiter Inlet; but still some to the south as well. Bottom fishing has been pretty good again this week. A good mixture of mutton snapper, yellowtails, porgies, and throwback groupers coming up off the bottom. Sardines and squid remain the baits of choice on the bottom right now.
INSHORE- A mixture of inshore action this week. Cooler air temps did seem to bring a nice little push of sheepshead and occasional black drum inshore. Little better fishing up to the north(Stuart and north), but the ICW in Jupiter and Loxahatchee River did also have a few fish around. A live shrimp on a light jighead or simple fish finder rig is the best option for the tricky bait stealers. Boat docks and seawalls with some barnacle growth are good areas to start the search for the sheepshead; especially when they have dark bottom and close proximity to deeper water. Mixed in with the sheepshead will likely be a few mangrove snapper, big sand perch, and ever present catfish. The Loxahatchee River did have a few pompano around this week, with a 3/8 Pink Doc's Goofy Jig being a top lure choice. Catch and release snook fishing was fair this week. Not a wide open bite on the snook; but those putting in the time have been catching a few. The shrimp jig (or a 3" NLBN) bite has been pretty good at night; with outgoing tide being the best bet in most cases. SURF/PIER- The first part of the week saw some pretty nice weather; and with it came a good mixed bag of action along the beach and at the Juno Beach Pier. Pompano reports improved, with a decent scattering of fish being caught up and down the beach. It didn't seem that any location in particular was red hot for the pomps; more of a scattered pick as they moved up and down the beach. On the beach sand fleas, clams, and FishBites remain the bait of choice. Not many pompano at the pier this week, although a handful did come up on bright colored Doc's Goofy Jigs. Spanish Mackerel action has also improved this week. The Macs have been biting up north at Peck's Lake and also decently at the Juno Beach Pier. On the Juno Beach Pier a white crappie jig or small diamond jig will be excellent lure choices. Very good croaker/whiting bite one day at the Pier this week, with live shrimp being the top bait choice. Some big bluefish around the past week as well. The sharks have the bluefish only feeding selectively; so it has been talking a little work to get the bites out of them. About time for topwater shark action to really get going...won't be long at all now! NOAA MARINE WEATHER: FRI...Along the coast, E winds 10 to 15 kt becoming 20 to 25 kt. In the Gulf Stream, E winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to around 30 kt. Seas 4 to 5 ft, occasionally to 6 ft. Period 7 seconds. Intracoastal waters choppy in exposed areas. SAT...Winds S SW winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts to around 35 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft, occasionally to 9 ft. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers in the morning. A slight chance of tstms. Showers likely. SUN...W NW winds 10 to 15 kt becoming N NW. Seas 2 to 4 ft, occasionally to 5 ft. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Showers likely in the morning. A slight chance of tstms. A chance of showers. Thanks For Reading, Todd Our friend Peyton (IG @thep3yton) with a nice wahoo to wrap up 2023!!! |
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