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

Capt. Kevin Drennan
July 8, 2004
Stuart - Saltwater Fishing Report

It is 5AM and still dark as we head for the St. Lucie inlet. The river is a sheet of glass as we approach the rocks leading to the ocean. We head 2 miles south of the inlet to a sunken barge which not only holds plenty of bait but also a wide variety of predators.

As we approach, we can see the bait being chased out of the water. We throw our sabicki rigs in and start to catch our bait. Barracuda line up around the boat to steal our catch. After several barracuda bite offs, we have enough bait to start fishing.

It does not take long before a king mackeral takes a bait and skyrockets out of the water. After a several minute fight, we have our first fish in the box. The reel screams again and we know this is something different. This fish takes line and heads away from the boat. We take chase and get a glimpse at a monster African pompano. It sees the boat and goes down. After several runs, I finally get the gaff in him. We could barely fit him in the fish box.

The barge is getting crowded with boats so we slow troll our way back to the inlet when one of our baits starts to jump out of the water. After 4 tries another african pompano pounces on the bait. This one was several pounds smaller and much easier to catch. We head home with our catch and look forward to dinner.

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