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Fishing Report for Ft. Pierce, Florida
Capt. Joe Ward
January 12, 2005
Fort Pierce - Saltwater Fishing Report
January 14, 2005
INSHORE - The inshore fishing has been good most of the week with the bottom fishing being the best. The sheepshead are here in good numbers. All you need to do is find some structure and fish with small live shrimp. They can be tricky to catch but are good table fare.
The snapper have been all over the channel edges along the Intercoastal and around just about any bridge. Most of them are just barley keeper size. Savannah Ward -- age 4, did catch a good size snapper on Monday that weighed 1 & 1/2 pounds. Savannah got her limit of snapper and also 2 sheepshead and one of the biggest sand perch I have ever seen. Live shrimp and a moving tide is the way to go. Also around the bridges you can get a good number of sand perch. Use a #6 long shank hook and a piece of shrimp.
The croakers and weakfish have scattered into smaller schools but the hot spots are still the Turning Basin, Jennings Cove and the Ft. Pierce Inlet. Live shrimp has been the best bait to use.
The trout action has also been good in 3 to 5 feet of water from the 17th Street Bridge in Vero Beach south to the Queen's Cove channel in northern Ft. Pierce and to the South it has been from the Midway Road area south to the Jensen Beach Causeway area. When fishing to the South you will want to fish on the West side of the river. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork or a light colored rubber bait like an Albino Zoom Bait or a D.O.A. glow shrimp have been the baits to use.
The catch and release snook action has been good all around the Treasure Coast. Big live shrimp have been producing a good number of fish. On Sunday -- Suzanne Kelly caught and released her first snook. She was using a live shrimp and fishing the area around the South Bridge in Ft. Pierce. Try fishing around the bridges and seawalls up in the St. Lucie River. There has been a good number of big jacks in this same area.
The grouper fishing has picked up again around the area's bridges and in the Inlets. Live baits have been the way to go. The redfish have been scarce but the best reports I got for redfish were from the area along the dock lines to the south of Ft. Pierce all the way to Jensen Beach. Try using a gold spoon or a Gulfstream Redfish Jig.
TEEN ANGLERS - The next monthly tournament for the local chapter of Teen Anglers will be January 23rd at Jaycee Park in Ft. Pierce. There will be a mandatory meeting before the tournament. For more info on Teen Anglers go to the website at www.teenanglers.com
OFFSHORE - The offshore fishing has been on the slow side if you are looking for sailfish. The best bite has been to the south of the St. Lucie Inlet down around Jupiter.
The kingfish in the area have been steady in 50 to 80 feet of water to the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. The dolphin have been scattered in depths of 125 to 250 feet of water. Still a few tune being reported and plenty of bonita.
There has been a lot of spanish mackerel along the beaches with the best place being Peck's Lake. Just look for the birds along the Treasure Coast and you will find the fish.
The bottom fishing for snapper, grouper sea bass and sheepshead has also been good in 20 to 80 feet of water off of Ft. Pierce and along the Six Mile Reef off of Stuart.
If you would like to report a catch, call me at 772-201-5770 or e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com
Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters
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