July Fishing Forecast

July Fishing Forecast

July brings hot weather, chances of afternoon rains and Fourth of July parties. Oh....and lots of great fishing out there, too! Watch out for afternoon thunderstorms this month. Mornings on the river will bring action at first light on top water lures for snook or trout along the flats. They will seek deeper water as the sun rises. It’s a hot, but very productive month around the Treasure Coast.

I will be fishing along the mangroves for snook and redfish with DOA shrimp, CAL jerk baits and top water lures, like the DOA Airhead, where the water will be 2-3 feet deep. Trout will move to deeper flats in 2-6 feet of water and will most likely hit pigfish, DOA shrimp or Deadly Combos. Look for the trout to move to the deeper edges of the flats as the sun warms up the water. Fish the sand holes on the flats! You will find the bigger fish sitting in these holes waiting on the tides to bring the food to them. It has been another banner year for big trout around the area. Redfish will continue to hold up on the flats. Read the water as you move across the flats and look for any activity that might be a school of reds. Gold spoons, soft baits, like DOA shrimp or CAL jerk baits will work best for them. Search along the docks during the day for snook or redfish hanging around there as well. It’s a fantastic month to be fishing!

Bridges will be producing snapper, drum and sheephead during July. Live or dead shrimp will be hard for them to resist. Watch the tides and fish the slower sides of them for best results. Whiting will continue to be in the surf with the occasional bluefish and Spanish mackerel. There will be larger snapper in the river around structure and along channel edges. Sharks will be patrolling along the beach also. The glass minnows will be flowing into the river in huge schools. Watch for these bait schools and fish the edges for your best action.

Areas to fish in the river for July: Bear Point, Queen's Cove and Round Island. South of Harbor Branch will be a great area to work for trout in the mornings before the sun heats up things. The flats in front of the power plant taper off to 3-5 feet and will be holding trout during the day. Live pigfish are the favorite food for trout this time of year. It’s time to set the traps to feed these hungry fish! Try a DOA TerrorEyz or the DOA Airhead during the day also for trout. The west shore down there will be good areas to search out redfish. Channel edges will be yielding snapper on structure. Tripletail will be around channel markers and pilings to the south towards Jensen Beach. Have a fun month out there!

Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing,
Captain Charlie Conner

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

South Indian River Fishing Report 6/17

Inshore:

It's been a HOT summer so far and appears we are in for lots more warm days ahead. Lots of days in the 90's to bake in the sun! Rains have been scattered lately for our area and it's still dry. Get out early or late in the day to beat the heat and have the best opportunities. Sunscreen and hydration is essential in this weather!

It has been a good week fishing for us. The bite has been early and tapers off by noon. Mangroves and grass flats have been most productive for us this week. Both DOA lures and live bait have given us some exciting action for anglers. Brian and Lucas were out and caught some nice trout and snapper after being broke off by four snook hanging under the mangroves. Charlie and Elden found the redfish hanging under the mangroves on their morning. Elden got broke off by four big reds that morning. We finished the day with snapper and sheepshead to round out a good morning. I was privileged to be part of St. Lucie County's Media Event this week. I had Glen Pla from Average Angler Adventures and his cameraman along with freelance writer Dustin Catrett on the boat to enjoy some Fort Pierce fishing action. Glen and Dustin caught redfish and snook while fishing along the mangroves with eight being landed and a few others that refused to come out of the roots. We moved to the grass flats with DOA CAL lures to look for a few trout. Dustin boated his trout just before we had to call it a day to complete his slam. Dave, Kathy, Quinn and Keaton were out on another beautiful morning. We caught lots of fish and the boys had fun, but couldn't catch dinner that day. We had fun anyway!

The fish are feeling the heat as much as we are. The water temps are in the mid 80's and the sun has been beating down on us. Look for mangroves, docks and deeper water that hold fish this time of year. Our trout have come from the drop offs around the grass flats and sand bars. Snook and redfish have been hanging under docks and mangroves for us. June is a great month to enjoy the fishing, but it's hot and you must use some different tactics to find the fish in these temperatures.

Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing,
Captain Charlie Conner

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





Photos courtesy of Dustin Catrett

South Indian River Fishing Report 6/10

Inshore:

Some much needed rain has been hanging around the Treasure Coast this week and it has made it a challenge some days to get out fishing. Overall, the weather has been good and warm for us and we have had lots of success this month. Expect those afternoon showers to continue with a chance at a thunderstorm in the mix. It's the rainy season! Have fun and be safe on the water.

Redfish has been out best bite recently along with a good snook bite. We have found some nice oversize reds up to 32" lately. Oscar and Leanne caught two slot reds along with snook, snapper, sheepshead and a shark to make for a fun day on the water. John and Eric also caught a couple nice reds along with snook and snapper on their morning trip. Jim, Eric and Curt landed four reds with three of them oversize. They also got broke off by two big snook that were in the slot zone. I had the privilege of attending the DOA/River Palms Outdoor Writers Event again this year. I had Shane and Ben on the boat for a morning of fishing. The guys landed three reds and two snook along with a few other species. Ben had a nice trout spit the lure as well. DOA Lures catch fish! CAL jerk baits and shad tails worked for us on the mangroves and grass flats. It's always a great time!

Summer fishing is fantastic on the Treasure Coast. Watch the weather and get out early for some exciting top water action. During the heat of the day, try mangroves, docks and bridges. Deep sand holes and drop offs can hold fish at mid-day. The outgoing tides have worked best for us this month, but as long as the water is moving, you can catch fish. June is always a good month to enjoy the fishing in our area.

Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing,
Captain Charlie Conner

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

Fishing with Grandpa!

Inshore:

I am fortunate to have lots of grandfathers taking their grandchildren on a fishing adventure throughout the year. I even had a grandmother and granddaughter outing this year. I enjoy each trip and love having kids on the boat. I especially enjoy it when my grandchildren can accompany me on the water. I don't get to take them out as often as I would like, but we thoroughly enjoy ourselves when we do get the opportunity.

What started out as a boat ride for the kids, their mom, Dena, and Aunt Joanie and Uncle Victor, ended up a fishing outing for the kids. Chloe and Brody love to fish and have become very good anglers. Chloe is almost ten now and I can still remember her first trip on the boat like it was yesterday. Brody is seven and has been fishing since he could walk. He is trying to break his record of catching twenty fish in one of our voyages. It makes me proud when they come to me and ask if we can go fishing soon.

I met everyone at the ramp after my morning trip on Memorial Day weekend. It was crowded on the water so we headed to the mangroves to get away from the boat traffic. We settled in a quiet area and let the kids fish while the grown ups relaxed. It wasn't long before Brody yelled out, "I have one" and reeled in a nice black drum to start the afternoon off with a bang. A short time later I hear him again and he lands a juvenile snook. Many mangrove snapper later, Chloe's reel starts screaming and I can tell it's an oversize redfish. What seemed a long time and was actually just a short battle, we got broke off under the mangroves. The kids had a good afternoon and certainly made my day! We headed back to meet up with Grandma, Cousin Rachel and Vinny for lunch. We had lots of good fish tales to tell that afternoon!

No matter what you enjoy doing, if you have grandchildren, be sure to share your experiences with them. They grow up so fast! Enjoy them while you can and give them memories that will stay with them a lifetime....

Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing,
Captain Charlie Conner

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