Drumming it up
Capt. Bob Bushholz
July 8, 2011
Stuart - Saltwater Fishing Report
Stuart Florida Fishing Report
June and early July's fishing had been hot in most areas. The St. Lucie Inlet has produced a mixed bag of flounder, snapper, black drum , permit , sheephead , with catch and release snook along the south side and around the detached jetty. The tarpon have been rolling in the crossroads area of the inlet on both tides. Outside at the sandpile an increase of lane and mangrove snapper can be found along the bottom using squid or shrimp. Also livebaiting this area will produce rodbenders such as bonita, barracuda sharks and kingfish. Earlier in late April and May the sandpile was the place to be for the cobia bite. Summertime seas calm down making the sandpile a favorable option aboard Catch 22.
A recent trip with the Allen family up from West Palm Beach caught a mixed bag of 7 black drum to 5 lbs, a 5 lb permit, a 3 lb flounder, trout, croaker, mangrove and lane snappers, seabass, grouper, ladyfish, jacks, sheephead and snook. The drum bite was really going of under the Stuart Causeway (25 cent) Bridge. Millions of glass minnows were hanging around the structure for about 3 days drawing in lots of black drum to 7 pounds. On one trip we caught a dozen in less than an hour.
Further north on the Indian River the trout bite is still on in 3-5 feet of water after 8am. Soft rubber baits and live shrimp top the list. Up close to the shoreline topwater action should be good early morning till just after sunrise. We have been getting a few tripletail on the channel markers here and there but has been on the slow side for the most part. Along with tripletail expect to see flounder, trout and mangrove and lane snappers. For a few weeks in late June many of the markers were loaded with pinfish making it difficult to keep a bait on the bottom for more than a minute. Seems the pins have thinned out making it a lot more fishable recently. Need to get my butt in gear if I'm going to hit 100 for the year!!!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
www.catch22fish.net
(772) 530-1496
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