February 22, 2007
Inshore:
Winter once again came and went on the Treasure Coast this past week. It went from the 30's to the 80's in just a few days. Water temperatures plummeted over the weekend to shut down fishing for a few days, but the warmth of the sun has sure helped warm things back up again. The past couple of days makes you think spring has arrived......at least for now!
Trout fishing was great just before the cold front worked it's way through the area. It picked back up the last few days as the water warms back up again. Most trout were slot sized on the flats. We found most of our trout south of Fort Pierce on the western flats. In spite of the cold water, 7 year old Johnny Millett boated a good slot size trout earlier in the week. Live shrimp, twitch baits and soft baits were the best choices the latter part of this week.
We have found a number of redfish sunning on the flats and most days they were easily scared. Mark Amorello boated a nice slot size redfish, while we missed several others this week. Soft baits worked best for us, but gold spoons and jerk baits should work well, too. We found these very shallow in less than two feet of water. Stealth mode is a must to get a chance at a hookup.
Night anglers are catching a good number of snook in the wee hours of the mornings. Jack, who is an avid night angler for snook, had a true adventure this week. He reported that while fishing off the catwalks this week, he set the hook on a large snook that hit his shrimp on a troll rite. The hook came loose and shot out of the water smashing into his glasses. Luckily, he was wearing glasses or things could have been much worse. Glad he is alright...but there are much easier ways of becoming a pirate!!
Bridges have been holding sheephead, black drum and some sand perch. Live or dead shrimp are the ticket. Dave Amorello caught a nice 6-7 pound black drum from under the bridges. Grouper have been hanging around the turning basin. Al and Chris Klingler boated over a half dozen grouper off the seawalls on a cold, frosty day out there. The jetties have been holding some bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jacks. A few pompano have been taken in the surf, but mostly whiting are table fare out there. Ladyfish have been cavorting everywhere.
Tip of the Week:
Winter can bring cold fronts one day and heat waves the next. Dress in layers when heading out on the water. It might be cold that morning and hitting 80 degrees by afternoon. It's easy to take off layers as the day wears on and you can be comfortable when that chill hits you as you get up on plane. A thermos of hot coffee can save the day on these cold mornings, too! Hopefully, winter has moved on and we can look forward to great spring days of fishing!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Capt Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
