February 15, 2008
INSHORE:
Once the latest weather front moved through the Treasure Coast, the summer like conditions returned to the area. We were fortunate to have some very nice days to fish the Indian River this week. Some windy days are still ahead of us, but the coming weekend should be pretty nice to get out fishing again. We did have some fun this week on the water.
I had Mark Boucher with dad, Fred, and seven year old Cody on the boat this week. Cody had a good day fishing and bought in the biggest trout, along with his fair share of ladyfish and jacks. Jay Fields and Gerry Sniffen were on the boat today. We saw lots of fish, but could only muster the jacks and ladyfish to cooperate. We had numerous shots at redfish, but they were keeping tight lips today.
Trout have been on the flats, but harder to coax into biting the past several days. The water is clearing up nicely and I expect the bite to improve with better water quality and an increase in temperature. We saw several over 25" cruising the flats today. Young Cody did pull in a fat 17" trout this week.
7 year old Cody Boucher and dad, Mark, with his 17" trout caught this week....
Redfish are on the flats in shallow water. We drifted up on a couple tailing and found a good number under the mangroves and in the shallow flats. They are picky this time of year, but keep on fishing and they will bite sooner or later once the water temps begin to rise! I'll be after them again next week.
Snook fishing has been mostly around the inlet and bridges. You can still find some under the docks when the weather permits fishing them. Live bait has worked best along with pink feather jigs around the bridges and inlet.
Most of the bridges have held black drum and sheephead. Live or dead shrimp is the bait to use. The jetties have produced some snook, jacks, mackerel and bluefish. The SURF anglers have been catching whiting, pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Shrimp or sand fleas on the pomps and whiting and shiny lures for the rest. We continue to find ladyfish and jacks all over the river.
Tip of the Week:
Bring something back to the ramp each time you are on the water. There is always the trash of the inconsiderate out there floating around the river. Yes, sometimes it's blown out by accident, but it's our responsibility to keep our waterways clean. When you see a bottle, can or bag floating nearby....pick it up and bring it back to a trash container. Make sure your own trash is secured in the boat to keep it from blowing out. We can all do a little to help out a lot........
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