Monday, January 30, 2012

South Indian River Fishing Forecast - February

February Fishing Forecast

While winter is still around the Treasure Coast and weekly cold fronts will continue to bring cool nights and lots of windy days to the area, fishing will still be good out on the water. Water temperatures can dictate where and how you might fish on any given day this month. When the water is cold, fish the deeper cuts and drop offs of the river. Sunny days will bring fish up in shallower waters to feed and the bite can really get hot out on the flats. 2012 has been a very mild winter so far and hopefully it stays that way!

The trout bite picks up very nicely in February. CAL jerk baits and Deadly Combos are exciting ways to trout fish with artificial lures, while live shrimp on popping corks are the ol’ standard way to trout fish out on the river. Redfish can be found in shallow flats around mangroves and islands. On warm sunny days, the reds will sit around the mangroves and soak up the sun. Finding some along an island will bring some good rod bending action to anglers this month. DOA shrimp and CAL grub tails can find some hungry reds hugging the mangrove lines when fished very slowly. Docks are a great way to find plenty of fish waiting for something tasty to drift under them. I love using a root beer Terror Eyz around the docks.

Sheephead will be plentiful around the river and the larger fish will be coming into the river to breed. Live or dead shrimp around bridges, docks and structure can provide lots of action in addition to some great tasting fish. Sand perch and croakers should also be hanging around the inlet and bridges during February. Pompano around the surf and on the deeper flats of the river can be taken on CAL grub tails, Doc’s Goofy Jigs and shrimp or clams. Bluefish, mackerel and jacks will continue to haunt the baitfish around the jetties and turning basin. Shiny lures will keep you busy. There should be some flounder around the back sides of the jetties and on sand flats around the inlet area.

February is a transition month on the river. Winter has been much kinder this year on the Treasure Coast. We have enjoyed more normal winter weather and the fish bite has been good for us. Winds will still be blowing and the water will begin to gradually rise in temperature. Fishing your lures slowly will certainly give you more action on the river. Fish tend to be sluggish in the colder water. Working your lures or bait slower along the bottom will give the fish more time to react to it and result in more bites for anglers. Have fun this month and get out fishing!

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner

http://www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Sunday, January 22, 2012

South Indian River Fishing Report 1/22

January 22, 2012

Inshore:

Here we are in the middle of winter and the weather is more like springtime this year. As the warm, mild conditions continue, the fishing has continued to be fantastic out on the water. A wide variety of fish are being caught both offshore and inshore by anglers. It's been a wonderful and productive month!

I had the pleasure of fishing Laine Pruitt for the Treasure Coast Casters tournament this week. Laine caught a lot of fish this trip. He turned in a sea trout, two mackerel and a nice redfish for the tournament and took third place in the Middle School division with his redfish. It was a fun outing with a lot of fish caught.

The trout bite continues to be very good in three to five feet of water. DOA CAL jerk baits in Arkansas Glow has been very productive on the trout. We have fished the west shore to the south of Fort Pierce with good success. Redfish are still hanging on the flats and around the mangroves. Laine caught his slot fish in less than ten minutes for the tournament. CAL grub tails are good artificial lures for redfish in winter.

The spanish mackerel have moved back into the turning basin and channel. Shiny lures are the best for those fish. Work them fast to get your results. Pompano have been heavy in the inlet this week. Just look for the forty or more boats around the inlet area and you will know where they are. Most are using jigs tipped with clams, but Doc's Goofy Jigs also work great on the pomps. We have skipped lots of them around the river this week as well.

Sheephead and black drum are around the bridges and structure this time of year and many anglers have been targeting them with live or dead shrimp. It's been a lot of fun out there and you have a good variety of species to fish for....especially when the weather has been so cooperative!

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner

http://www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Some recent catches out on the river....

Monday, January 16, 2012

South Indian River Fishing Report 1/15

January 15, 2012

Inshore:

January is already half over and the mild winter conditions continue along the Treasure Coast. We have had a few cool nights, but nothing like the past few years. The fishing has been great out on the water and should continue the rest of the month.

The trout bite has been hot on the flats. Evelyn, Mike, Henry and Janet had two days of good trout fishing that were only interrupted by some winds. Over 40 trout the first day and over 20 on the second. Ed, Justin and Travis also had a fun day catching trout on the flats. A lot of shorts out there, but some nice slot size fish to be had. Fishing three to five feet of water on the grass flats can be very productive right now. Drift the flats until you find the bite and fish that area. Deadly Combos and live baits have worked well. Harbor Branch and the west shore south of Fort Pierce have been good to us!

The redfish have continued to feed in the shallows. CAL paddle tails (411) have been a great color for us when fishing for redfish this month. Live bait or cut bait can also get you hooked up. Fishing sand holes and mangroves are good spots to try. We are catching some short snook around the mangroves. It's great to see those juveniles back on the flats again.

Pompano fishing has picked up with this latest cool front. Try three to five feet of water with Doc's Goofy jigs, sand fleas or shrimp. The sheephead and drum are showing up in the river and structure fishing will continue to get better the next couple of months. We caught quite a few sheephead this week with a few keepers. The big ones will be in the river soon. You can also find some croakers around the river. The surf has been hot with pompano and whiting. The recent westerly winds have allowed the beach anglers to get out in numbers and enjoy lots of good fishing. It's been lots of fun so far this month!

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner

http://www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Some recent catches out on the river....


Morning


Travis


Travis


Travis


Travis



Sunday, January 8, 2012

South Indian River Fishing Report 1/8

January 8, 2012

Inshore:

January has been very mild so far. The first cold front of the year cooled things off a little, but not enough to stop the fish from biting. The river has been alive with good reports of catches lately. We have had lots of fun out on the water so far this month!

The mackerel bite was hot most of the week around the turning basin in Fort Pierce. We had several days of 40 plus good size mackerel using just about anything shiny on the high tides. Lots of action and great table fare. Mark and I had a fun day with them. Captain Joe, Wayne and I had another good day. The bluefish have also moved into the area in great numbers around the beach, jetties and inlet areas. You can expect to see many ladyfish and jacks around the river as well. Pompano are biting much better and we have caught some on each trip out. Around the deeper flats are some great areas to target the pomps. Doc's Goofy Jigs are great pomp lures. The bite along the surf will also be improving on whiting, pompano and bluefish.

The redfish bite was fantastic this week. We had one day of nine reds and seven on the next. Most have been slot fish with a few shorts mixed in. Mark Amorello was down from Mass. and we had fun with nine reds up to 24 inches. Most of the reds have come on DOA CAL grub tails. Craig, Frank and Charlie had a good mixed bag on their day, too. The reds were cooperating for them with seven up to 24 inches.

Hopefully, January will continue to be mild and keep the fishing hot around the Treasure Coast. It's been a productive month so far, so get out fishing soon!

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner

http://www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Some recent catches out on the river....

Captain Charlie's Fishing Photos