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Fishing Report for Ft. Pierce, Florida
Capt. Joe Ward
June 16, 2004
Fort Pierce - Saltwater Fishing Report
June 17, 2004
INSHORE - Summer is here and that means summertime patterns for the fish. Fish early -- just at daylight until about 8:00am and from 6:00pm until dark. This is when it is the coolest and the most productive for most of the game fish.
The catch and release snook action for the bigger fish has been mostly at night and around the area bridges for the anglers fishing live mullet. There has also been a good number of snook up on the flats early in the morning.
Trout action should continue to improve with a lot of fish being reported this week from anglers using live pigfish along the flats. Top water baits are also working in the early morning and late afternoon. The dock lines along South Indian River Drive are producing big snook and trout after dark. Try using a live shrimp or mullet and fish around the lights.
The tarpon are here but still a little slow to bite. Only a few anglers have reported hooking a tarpon, but everyone one has seen them rolling up and down the Intercoastal.
The flounder have been plentiful along the Intercoastal and have been feeding on live shrimp or finger mullet. The snapper are working their way into the river. Gaffer's Bait & Tackle in Stuart reported a lot of snapper were caught at Sand Sprint Park on frozen shrimp and a few flounder were also caught there.
OFFSHORE - Again, the summer weather is hot and the fishing is on one day and off the next. Everyone is looking for dolphin and they have been scattered from 50 feet out to 300 feet. Chris and Justin King along with Kecia Gill reported 3 dolphin to 15 pounds and a released 6 foot sailfish on Saturday and a 25 pound bull on Sunday. They were fishing out of the Ft. Pierce Inlet and in 200 feet of water and were trolling a ballyhoo. Daniel Beavers, age 9, caught his first dolphin. Daniel was fishing in 100 feet of water and was trolling a ballyhoo, also out of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. Gaffer's Bait & Tackle reported that the dolphin were scattered over the reefs and hitting on trolled ballyhoo out of the St. Lucie Inlet. Jay Taylor reported that he caught 4 dolphin around Bethel Shoals and the N.E. grounds. Debbie Lieble reported that she and Bud Dawson were bait fishing and spotted a dolphin. Not having gotten any live baits yet they threw out a chartreuse pompano jig and the fish inhaled it. This was the first dolphin Debbie had ever caught.
The kingfish action has slowed a little with most of the fish reported in 40 to 90 feet of water with a few smokers coming from 15 to 30 feet of water -- right off the beaches and they were following the bait pods. A good number of sailfish were reported this week. Most of the releases were coming from the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet and starting in 50 feet of water.
The best action has been the bottom fishing for snapper and grouper with reports of anglers getting their limits while fishing the reefs and wrecks from 90 to 200 feet of water. There have been a few nice size cobia hanging around the same locations. Bud Dawson hooked into a 60 pound cobia and after fighting him for hour and a half the fish broke off the 12 pound test line. Gaffer's Bait & Tackle reported that the cobia were hitting greenies over the wrecks and reefs out of the St. Lucie Inlet.
The permit are still around the Boils at the Nuclear Power Plant. They have been getting a lot of pressure this week and are starting to scatter. If you do go make sure you have small live crabs as these have been the bait of choice.
In the surf along the Treasure Coast the whiting are everywhere. Fresh dead shrimp or live sandfleas are hard to beat. The out going tide has been the most productive.
If you would like to report a catch, call me at 772-201-5770 or e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also contact me on the web at www.captjoeward.com
Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters
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