Fishing Report for Indian River & St. Lucie River - Offshore

Capt. Kevin Drennan
January 29, 2005
Stuart - Saltwater Fishing Report

The best news out of Stuart is the return of live bait to our favorite spots. Live greenies have been available for the past week just outside the inlet and up to 60 ft. It has been since the hurricanes that we have seen such an abundance of fish candy. It is a great feeling not to have to rig ballyhoo for a fishing trip.

Sailfish are showing up in closer than they have been due to the live bait. Scattered schools of dolphin are moving in towards the bait schools along with blacktip sharks and cobia. There have been some nice cobia brought in the last week or so. Some in the 50 lb plus range. There is such a great mixed bag of rod bending fishing going on right now that we hope the next cold front does not reshuffle the deck.

The Indian River trout bite is fabulous with some gator trout up to 8lbs. But the big bonus is schools of redfish mixed in. We caught several in the just under keeper range yesterday. We were using white slit-tailed jerk baits with ¼ oz. bullet heads. We fished the west side opposite the power plant on the incoming tide. The morning started out freezing and turned into a beautiful day. The best part was having a delicious stuffed trout dinner in the evening.

The pompano bite has moved up into the north fork of the St. Lucie River. They are holding from Club Med to the C-24 canal. There are also some snook in the mix but we have to wait until the first of February to cash in on that. As this report is written, another front is about to push through and we will see what changes it will bring. More later.

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