June 3, 2009
INSHORE:
There is something about the arrival of summer fishing that I look forward to each year. Calm waters and lots of bait around the river has the fish in the mood to eat. It makes for great days fishing around the Treasure Coast and provides a variety of ways to fish the river. It's great to live and fish here!
I had the pleasure of having Frank and Rick on the boat this week. Frank was celebrating his 50th birthday and the fish were cooperating to make it a wonderful time. They boated 5 reds, which a couple were oversize, and a dozen nice trout up to 24" on the flats. Happy Birthday Frank! Richie and JoAnn were back for another adventure on the river this week as well. The weather again cooperated and gave us a chance to fish some areas that have been producing some nice fish. They teamed up to boat 6 reds up to 29" and lost a few more in the process. We moved over to the other side of the river and boated a dozen trout up to 22" that day. There were also the usual jacks and ladyfish to add to a fun day of fishing. JoAnn and I were careful to keep Richie dry this year......
Trout continue to hang along the flats, especially the edges, in two to four feet of water. Live shrimp or DOA Deadly Combos are our first choice for some nice trout. Queen's Cove and Harbor Branch have been our best flats of late. Redfish are showing up in the mood to feed and it's the time of year that I really enjoy. I look for flats that have lots of sandy areas along with some grass. They are shallow now so keep the noise down in the boat. Snook fishing has slowed down quite a bit since the season closed. It's catch and release until September.
Snapper have been showing up on the channel edges. You can have some fun with all the ladyfish and jacks around the river. The catwalks have been pretty quiet for now, but sheephead are still around the piliings. The river to the north of Fort Pierce has been more on the cloudy side this week, but the flats to the south have held up very well and most are pretty clean and clear right now.
Tip of the Week:
It's that time of year to break out the fish traps and catch a load of pig or pinfish. Trout, reds and snook all love them. They are just the right size to use with a popping cork and can produce some good size fish. You can find lots of baitfish around the river right now, so get out and have some fun!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
