Fishing Reports News

Florida local Fishing forecast

1. Freshwater lakes: Look for clean-water vegetation to find bass along the Kissimmee Chain of lakes. Bass scaling up to 6 pounds are taking soft plastic jerkbaits and worms in and around thick vegetation in water as shallow as 1 foot deep throughout the day. Better catches are coming during afternoons. Areas of mixed vegetation are best, especially grass and reed lines.

2. St. Johns River: Low water levels are keeping many anglers off the river right now, however, those in small boats and airboats are fairing well with panfish and bass along edges of vegetation. Deeper spots in river bends and connected lakes are also producing good numbers of catfish.

3. Mosquito Lagoon: Seatrout catches are good with fish scaling up to and occasionally over 8 pounds being reported. Live finger mullet, shrimp and soft jerkbaits are working best over clean water grass flats during mornings.

4. Port Canaveral: Anglers are getting scattered sheepshead, flounder and mangrove snapper around the jetties, pilings and the drawbridge for anglers using live shrimp.

5. Offshore: Dolphin have been the best bet recently, with good catches coming east of Sebastian and Fort Pierce inlets starting in 150 feet of water. Trolled ballyhoo has been the most productive bait. Cobia and kingfish are scattered east of Port Canaveral and the two inlets starting in about 60 feet of water.

6. Indian, Banana rivers: Seatrout are the target species for most anglers right now, with grass flats throughout the Indian River Lagoon system producing well. Look for clean flats with lush grass growth and mixed pockets of sand and cast jerkbaits or live baits along edges of sandy patches.

7. Surf: Whiting catches have been good between Indialantic and Vero Beach for anglers using fresh cut shrimp, clam and cut frozen squid. A few pompano are also scattered along both the Space and Treasure coasts.

8. Sebastian Inlet: Snook are hitting flair jigs and live mojarras, pinfish and shrimp during morning, evening and nighttime periods. Slow and slack tides are ideal. Better catches are coming along the catwalks and shoreline rocks west of the bridge.

9. Vero Beach: The Intracoastal Waterway Channel edges offer decent catches of mangrove snapper, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and occasional grouper. Look for snook around the Barber and 17th Street bridges at night.

10. Fort Pierce: Snook catches have been best at night under the North Bridge and around the Fort Pierce Inlet turning basin. Live baits are working best, though anglers are getting fish on jigs. Many of the snook are over the 24-inch maximum size limit.
BY BETH SINCLAIR