South Indian River Fishing Report 4/22

It looks like the rainy season has set in on the Treasure Coast. We have had lots of showers around the area lately and the plants are turning green again. Look for chances of afternoon rains now and watch the weather out on the water. We dodged a lot of rain clouds recently, but haven't gotten too wet yet. The winds are still blowing most days and that can affect your fishing more than wet weather. We have had lots of good fishing in spite of conditions.

Redfish and sea trout have been our best bite most days. Look for big trout to be holding in sand holes on the grass flats. Working Deadly Combos, DOa shrimp, live pilchards and top water lures can help find some of the big gals on the flats. We have been fishing two to five feet of water this past week. Our redfish have been under the mangroves most days. They usually hold under the trees so you have to get your lures under them to find a bite. CAL paddle tails are an excellent choice for artificial lures under the mangroves. With all the recent rains, try the drain pipes along the mangroves when the water is moving. There are lots of juvenile snook around the mangroves righ now as well.

You can also find some big bluefish around the area as well as jacks and ladyfish. I don't recall seeing so many snapper around the river. There are lots of keeper size, but lots more small ones. The surf has been tough to fish lately, but when you can get out on the beach look for whiting to be the best catch. Bridges have held sheepshead, snapper and a few black drum. The jetties has had a pretty good snook bite on the high ends of the tides with live baits.

I had a lot of great anglers on the boat the past week. John and Jim were back out with me and caught a nice redfish and a couple big trout on a super windy day. Brad, Evdakiya and little Adam braved the winds to find a variety of fish biting for them. Rick and Ernie caught some nice sea trout. Marcia and Don boated a nice variety of fish as well. Pam and Jerry had a fun day that included snook and other species on their trip. JoAnn, Doug, Debbie and John all caught big trout on an exciting flats adventure. Ben was out with his sons, Cooper and Will, on a day that was not only beautiful, but exciting for the boys. Cooper hooked up on a couple big bluefish that had him and Will working as a team to get them to the boat. Lots of smiles and laughter for us this past week!

Expect more winds and rain as April comes to a close. May will find more chances for afternoon storms and the winds will slowly die down to our summer weather pattern. Fishing will continue to improve and May will provide lots of exciting days on the water. Have fun out there!

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

South Indian River Fishing Report 4/11

Inshore:

We had a fantastic week on the water with great weather and hungry fish around the river. It is still windy most days, but very fishable and lots of places to hide from the worst of it. Expect this type conditions for most of April as we transition into summer patterns and less windy days. Water temperatures have been in the mid 70's and the fish have been feeding on the flats. It was a fun week on the water!

I met lots of great anglers this past week, but Bonnie and Brice had the best day of all. Bonnie wanted to catch a trout and boated a fat 29" one on the shallow flats early in the day. She also wanted to catch a redfish, which she and Brice boated 9 up to 25" around the mangroves for a fun day on the river. Cindy, Leanne and Rhonda were a blast to have on the boat. The guys were talking smack from the other boat to them, but the ladies held their own. Leanne topped off the day with a fat trout. Fred wanted to catch a redfish and boated three that morning. Greg landed three slot reds on his afternoon trip with me. Collin and Dean were out with mom and day for lots of fishing action. Dean boated a nice 20" sea trout, but was topped by mom's. Erin, 25" redfish to end a beautiful day on the Indian River. Every trip ended up with lots of smiles this week. There has been a good variety of fish for us to enjoy with the bite continually improving each week.

The trout bite was probably the slowest for us this week, but every trout we caught were slot or better fish. With warmer water, you can find them in shallow water at first light, moving to two to five feet as the sun gets higher. Top water, Deadly Combos, DOA shrimp or live bait are good ways to fish for trout this month. Redfish can be found around docks, mangroves and drop offs on the sand bars. Most of our fish have been around the mangroves. CAL grub tails, DOA shrimp or live bait can all help find you a slot fish. Snook fishing around the jetties has been good on the high ends of the tides. Most are using live baits out there. We continue to get snook up to 24" around the mangroves which means a good population of big fish are growing out there. Sheepshead and drum fishing is slowing down now as the bigger fish are heading out of the river. You can still find nice size ones, but it is slowing. Snapper fishing is improving for us. We have had a number of 12" to 14" mangroves lately around docks and mangroves and lots of undersize muttons everywhere. Jacks and ladyfish continue to haunt the river April is proving to be another good fishing month on the Treasure Coast.

The surf has been slow due to the steady easterly winds most days. Not as many anglers are braving the conditions to get out on the beach. The inlet has mackerel, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish coming in with the tides. I think I can finally pack away those sweat suits and long johns for another year. It's nice to have 80 degree weather again! Time to get out and enjoy some good fishing action!

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

South Indian River Fishing Report 3/31

Inshore:

Things are warming up around the Treasure Coast....finally! Looks like the cool weather has lost its grip on us and we can expect warmer conditions ahead. The windy days will continue for a while yet, but it's been nice to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Water temperatures have moved from the low 60's to the high 60's and should reach into the 70's soon. The trout bite picked up this week on the flats and you can see the activity of the bait schools around the river. It has been a fun filled week for us.

Cheryl, Frank and Steven were out for a couple days of fishing with me. Steven outfished mom and dad on both days catching trout, snook and redfish among other species for an exciting time on the river. He boated trout up to 28" along with a slot redfish and snook up to 24". Shaun, Mike, Ray and Chelsea had a fun filled morning. Chelsea had never fished before and you can bet that she outfished everyone that day with a variety of fish for her. Ray boated a big mackerel off the flats. Matt, Mark and Andy enjoyed a day of sheepshead, drum, and other species on a cold day on the river. Brice and Bonnie caught their share of fish including trout, sheepshead and other species. We had a lot of exciting action this week on the Indian River!

Trout have been in shallower water later in the mornings and willing to hit top water, DOA shrimp or live bait. Some of our best trout bites have been in the afternoons as the sun warms up the flats. We have found our redfish around docks and mangroves this week. CAL grub tails are great for seeking out redfish. Lots of short snook have been under many of the docks around the river. Try a TerrorEyz around the docks. Sheepshead and black drum continue to hold under docks, bridges and channel edges along the river. The inlet has bluefish, mackerel and jacks coming in with the tides. Ladyfish and jacks are all over the place this time of year. Fishing will continue to improve as water temperatures keep warming up. It's time to enjoy the fishing!

April brings lots of sunshine and great fishing. Remember to bring and use lots of suntan lotion while on the water. It's easy to get burned out there and a few minutes to apply some lotion can keep you from having an uncomfortable evening later. Have fun and enjoy the spring 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