Stuart, Florida Inshore Fishing Report and Forecast: April 2015

First snook for happy Canadian angler Brad Jones, fishing with Capt. John Young of Bites On Charters: PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. John Young.
First snook for happy Canadian angler Brad Jones, fishing with Capt. John Young of Bites On Charters: PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. John Young.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he weather pattern will stabilize this month with warmer air temperatures and calmer winds. More bait fish are in the river, which will result in hungry fish. In the St. Lucie River you can’t beat snook fishing around the Roosevelt Bridge with a D.O.A. Terror Eyz #304 or #416. Let the lure sink to the bottom and bounce it back really slow just off the bottom using the tide to swing the lure back towards the pilings. There are a lot of hang-ups between the railroad bridge and the old Roosevelt and it’s a graveyard for jigs stuck on the bottom. Snook love that old snaggly bottom and you have to find the rhythm to keep the lure just off the bottom. Cast net some big mullet, slide an 8/0 circle hook through the lips of the bait for tarpon and either slow troll or drift the bait in areas that you see tarpon busting bait or rolling in the river. Most of the feeding activity is on good tide movement. The black drum bite remains consistent around the bridges and rocky channel edges. There has been good sheepshead action under the docks around Sewall’s Point and all bridges on the Treasure Coast. I like to use a 3/8-ounce jig head with live or dead shrimp for both species. Gator trout on the grass flats find a topwater plug irresistible this time of year at first light or late afternoon. Long cast and stealth mode will get you in the action zone. On the higher tides flip the mangroves between Blind Creek and Bear Point with jigs or D.O.A. 3-inch Shrimp for redfish. Check out the near shore reefs and wrecks for cobia because you do not want to miss out on this action. Keep the waterways clean and wear your sunscreen.