Stuart / Jensen Beach Offshore Fishing Report and Forecast: Dec. 2013

Acrobatic sailfish hooked on a circle hook – it is the time of year for epic sailfish action! PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Pat Price, DayMaker Charters.
Acrobatic sailfish hooked on a circle hook – it is the time of year for epic sailfish action! PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Pat Price, DayMaker Charters.

As winter arrives, so to do the fish, in big numbers. Sails, dolphin, wahoo, blackfin tuna, grouper, amberjack and snapper migrate into the structure rich environment. December is the first of two peak months for sailfish fishing, and whether you like trolling with circle hook rigged ballyhoo or fishing with live bait suspended from a kite, the area east of the St Lucie Inlet is the place to be. Large numbers of sails migrate south with each passing cold front and become wolf-pack feeders after traveling long distances during the fronts. It is not uncommon to see 20 to 30 sailfish in a day and catch and release double-digit numbers. Hooking two to four sailfish at once becomes common practice during the month of December, and throw in some great dolphin fishing with fish ranging in size from 8 to 20 pounds and Martin County waters quickly becomes a top winter destination of world traveling anglers.

Along with the dolphin and sailfish, we see a lot of smaller sized blackfin tuna during December, with an occasional 25 pound fish thrown in the mix. Where there are small blackfin, there are plenty of wahoo. Try fishing a bait deep on a down-rigger or a planer rod. Try to match color and size to what you think the wahoo are feeding on for best results. December really kicks off the grouper fishing as well. Waves of grouper migrate to the south and find a structure they like to live on during the winter and spring. Grouper season is closed December 31 to May 1st to protect the fish during mating season. Gag, black, red and scamp grouper gather on reefs ranging in depths from 50 to 350 feet and can be caught using jigs, cut bait and live bait. Most of the higher relief like artificial wrecks will yield your amberjack. 

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