South Indian River Fishing Report 12/31

Inshore:

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone for reading my reports each week and to all my customers this past year. 2013 was a super year for fishing on the Treasure Coast. Eva and I wish everyone a fantastic 2014!

Winds have prevailed the past several weeks around the area and this has made it challenging some days to fish. We get one or two days each week that allows us to get to some of my favorite spots and the rest of the time we are hiding from the winds. Fishing has been very good this past week when you can get to your spots. The sheepshead and drum are in the river and you can find them along channel edges, bridges and docks around the river. There are still lots of snapper to be caught in the same areas. Our redfish have been around docks and mangroves with a few nice slot fish caught this week. Try a DOA CAL paddle tail when fishing docks or mangroves.

Tom and Lou topped off the weeks catch with two nice upper slot reds hiding under a dock. They also caught numerous sheepshead in the process. Marty, Noah and Aden caught nine reds including one nice upper slot fish. Niles and John boated four reds and a host of other fish on their morning trip. Greg and Bob caught a variety of fish on their adventure. We spent some time in the turning basin of Fort Pierce with the jacks, runners and ladyfish to finish off the morning. Cheryl, Frank and Steven were out on the two windiest days of the week. We caught lots of fish, but had to hide from the worst of the weather. Frank finished off the trip with a nice Spanish mackerel. It was a fun time on the water this week in spite of the conditions.

The pompano are in the river now so you can expect to find some around the area. Several reports of pompano caught along the surf this week when the beach has been fishable. You can also find plenty of whiting there, too. Anglers have been catching some snook around the jetties this week. It's been tough with the weather. I've had a few reports of flounder on the south side of the jetties in Fort Pierce. The inlet has been full of mackerel, jacks, ladyfish and blue runners. The macks have been nice size for us. There is a variety of fish to be had depending on weather conditions.

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

South Indian River Fishing Report 12/19

Inshore:

We have enjoyed some very nice weather again this week. Still on the windy side most days, but fishable for us most of the time. You can expect a cold front on a weekly basis to move through the Treasure Coast. Water temperatures dropped in the latter part of the week due to the last front that hit our area. Water temps in some areas of the river were down around the 62 - 63 degree range, but if you moved around you could find water that was 70 degrees and that is where we caught most of our fish. Wintertime can be a challenge some days to find fish, but be willing to move around and try other areas and lures in order to have success.

I had Karla on the boat for a morning that was a little cooler than normal, but Karla had a good day of fishing in spite of the conditions. Her goal was to catch her first redfish and she scratched that off her list.....four times! They weren't huge fish, but gave her a good fight around the mangroves. She caught ten different species that morning. Don, Art and Sherman were back for another fishing adventure and found plenty of fish to keep them busy. After starting in the inlet catching jacks and blue runners, we headed to the docks for sheepshead, snapper, redfish and small grouper. They finished off with some big Spanish mackerel in the inlet to end a beautiful, productive morning. It was a fun week on the river.

Redfish have been hanging around docks and mangroves lately for us. Try a CAL paddle tail around the mangroves and docks. The trout bite was slower this week mainly due to the windy days keeping us off most of the grass flats. We did catch a few short snook around the mangroves while searching for redfish. The black drum and sheepshead are moving into the river and you should see good catches of them in the next several months. Try bridges, docks and channel edges for these species. Pompano have been found in a few areas along the beaches and anglers will be heading to the surf for them. Sand fleas, clams or shrimp will all work along with DOA CAL paddle tails and Doc's Goofy Jigs. We should see more filtering into the river now that water temps have fallen. Look for whiting along the beaches as well. The inlet will continue to be full of mackerel, jacks, blue runners and ladyfish.

December is a fun time to fish. You can be challenged by the weather, but there are lots of different fish to target on any given day. Dress warm in layers so you can adjust to the sometimes 30 degree swing in temperatures. We head out some mornings when it's in the 40's and by noon it's in the 70's so dress accordingly to the forecast. Have fun this month on the water.

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

South Indian River Fishing Report 12/10

Inshore:

Beautiful sunny skies awaited us this week on the water. The weather has been fabulous and so has the fishing. Look for the same conditions for the next week. The windy days are still out there, but you can always find a place to enjoy a day of fishing on the Treasure Coast. The water temperatures crept back up into the low 70's with all the sunshine and the fish have been biting for us.

Ron, Mike and Phil joined me on a postcard kind of morning. The guys caught redfish, sheepshead, snapper and a host of other fish to fill out an enjoyable day of fishing. I volunteered again for the Treasure Coast Casters tournament this past Sunday and had Savannah Ward on the boat. She started out catching everything that wasn't on the fish list, but ended up finding a few nice sheepshead and black drum to bring back to check in. Savannah caught at least forty fish in the short time we had to fish and three were keepers. She finished in First Place for the Middle School Division and had the biggest fish with her black drum. Congratulations go out to all the Casters who fished in the tournament! If you have kids or grandkids in the area that love to fish, contact Cammie at 772-201-5773 or go to treasurecoastcasters.org for information.

Our trout bite slowed a little when the water cooled off. We caught trout, but not the bite we generally have out there. DOA shrimp gave us some nice sized trout on the grass flats. The watermelon color (425) has been working well for sea trout. We have found a good number of redfish hanging around the docks. Most are just short of slot size, but give you a good fight on light tackle. It should be another good winter for redfish in the area. The sheepshead and black drum have been moving into the river this week. You should be able to find the around the bridges, channel edges and docks of the river in good numbers.

There have been some pompano caught along the beaches in scattered areas along with whiting in the surf. The inlet and turning basin has been flooded with jacks, blue runners and ladyfish. A couple reports of flounder on the south side of the jetties this week. Don't forget that snook season closes on December 15th! Have fun and get out fishing soon!

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

South Indian River Fishing Report 12/7

Inshore:

The sun returns to the Treasure Coast! After several weeks of windy, cloudy and rainy weather, we enjoyed our first sunny day in a while! It look like we will have a nice week ahead of us and anglers will be heading to the water. The water temperatures have dropped to the 67-69 degree range for now. Sunshine will warm it back up pretty quickly though. Fishing has been exciting lately so it's time to enjoy a day on the water.

We have enjoyed a good variety of fish around the river and the guys have had lots of action to keep their rods bent. The channel around Fort Pierce has been loaded with lots of fish. Jacks, blue runners, mackerel, snapper, grouper and other species have been lots of fun for anglers. Any small, shiny lure will work great! The trout bite has picked up on the grass flats this week. We are getting mostly slot fish and a few up to 25" on DOA shrimp, Deadly Combos or live bait. Ed, Justin and Travis joined me on a challenging morning. Our 20% chance of rained turned into a 100% chance in a couple hours. The guys did get to fish for two hours and were rewarded with a lot of fish to keep them busy. Mostly jacks and blue runners, but lots of fun. Paul and Vince were out with me on the first nice day in a long time. Even though it was windy, they caught ten species of fish, including redfish, trout and snapper. Paul topped off the day with a 24" sea trout. We have a two boat trip with Captain Charlie Fornabio for a fun afternoon adventure. I had Gib and Randy on my boat and the challenge was on between the boats. Gib boated a 23" gag grouper that was just short of a keeper fish. They got into some nice trout and Randy topped it off with a 23" beauty. Capt. Charlie's crew got into some nice Spanish mackerel. It was an exciting day for them.

Our trout have been in two to five feet of water on the grass flats. DOA shrimp, Deadly Combos or live bait can find you some nice fish! The redfish have been hanging under the mangroves in two to four feet of water. The higher tides will allow you to fish areas that are normally too shallow to fish. CAL paddle tails always work well around the mangroves. We have picked up some nice sheepshead each day and they should continue to move into the area now. I haven't seen or heard of much activity with pompano yet. They should be showing up on quantities any time now.

Now that the temperatures are becoming milder, it's that time of year to dress in layers. Nights are dipping into the 60's and ending up in the 80's as the day progresses. Layering your attire will allow you to fish comfortably throughout the day. December should be a fantastic month to enjoy the fishing on the Treasure Coast. Enjoy yourselves!

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

December Fishing Forecast

December Fishing Forecast:

Here it is December already and the Holidays are almost upon us. Where has this year gone? I must say 2013 has been a great year for fishing all along the Treasure Coast. Both inshore and offshore have provided anglers with many great fishing adventures. Hopefully, this winter will be milder and the fishing great for everyone.

December brings on the winter months and changes fishing tactics on the river. The water temperatures continue to fall and your fishing must adjust to the weather. Water temps can dictate where you fish and how you fish. Finding water a few degrees warmer than normal can mean the difference in catching and fishing. We will get many days of breezy winds that will hinder getting to some favorite spots out there. That's one of the reasons I love fishing in this area....you can always find somewhere to fish! Not only does the cooler weather affect the fish, it also requires us to dig out the ol' winter fishing clothes. I’m not too proud to get out the long johns on a cold winter day. It can get pretty chilly some mornings!

Trout, redfish and snook will be targets throughout the winter. Snook season closes December 15th, many anglers will still play catch and release with them. Fishing around bridges, docks and inlets can bring great action with snook hanging around the deeper waters of the river. Using live bait, DOA Baitbusters & TerrorEyz, jigs and bomber lures can help you catch one worth a photo opportunity. Trout will tend to hang around the deeper cuts of the river. Move off to three to six feet of water for trout. Live shrimp on popping corks or DOA Deadly Combos will work the best for them. I love to work DOA CAL jerk baits or CAL Air Heads this time of year on the flats. You can also find snook and redfish hanging around those areas as well.

Pompano have already arrived in the area and not only provide great fishing action, but fantastic table fare. Spanish mackerel and bluefish will continue to hang out in their favorite haunts of the river. Fish the inlet, turning basin and channels for them. Jack Crevalle will be traveling around in packs chasing bait all over the river. Flounder should arrive soon and hang around the inlets, docks and sandy flats of the river. Ladyfish is a great way to spend a few hours with the kids on the water. The bridges will be holding sheephead, black drum, croakers and sand perch for those anglers. Live or dead shrimp is always the best bet from the catwalks. There is a good variety of fish to target on any given day in any kind of weather conditions.

Redfish can be found around local docks during the winter months and a live shrimp or DOA Shrimp can entice them into striking. Don't forget about the deeper cuts along the mangroves for redfish and snook in December. Using stealth is essential when fishing the shallow waters for redfish. We had very good success at finding the reds in shallow on sunny days on the grass flats. A mild winter will have them feeding in the shallows this month. It was a fantastic redfish bite all last winter and I am looking for it to be just as good this year.

Winter fishing is already here. Change your tactics with the weather and follow the water temperatures more closely to make your fishing more productive. The fishing on our Treasure Coast continues to improve each year. If we all do our share to protect our rivers, we can insure the future generations will enjoy the same experiences we have been blessed with.

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852