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
