The winds in January have stayed strong and the fishing off the beach has been difficult because of the rough seas. As the cold fronts rolled and we have calm seas, the bluefish and Mackerel became thick and the pompano bite turned on off the beach and in Sebastian Inlet as well as the Indian River Lagoon from Sebastian north to Palm Bay and Melbourne. The pompano action as well as a lot of Bluefish, Mackerel and Jacks will be around throughout the month of February with the colder water temps and NE winds.
Doc’s Goofy jigs will work well in the inlet and along the beaches as well as around the spoil islands and flats of the lagoon from Sebastian to Melbourne for Pompano and bycatch will be jacks, bluefish, trout and Spanish Mackerel as well as a few big Gafftop Sailcats. We have caught a few lately on the Rapala Twitchin Minnow as well fishing the bait pods for Trout and Snook. If you are fishing Sebastian Inlet and the pompano action is slow, you can try jigging the shallow parts of the inlet for flounder using a ½ ounce jighead with a Storm 360 Coastal Paddletail or a ABOA Dart Spin with pro cure. Flounder action has been a little slow with the warmer water temps but should be good when the cold fronts arrive.
If the weather stays unusually warm, the snook and Redfish bite in the inlet will remain strong. Live bait is the key in the daytime and at night artificials will work well. Rapala XRap 14 and the Long Cast 14 are great plugs to fish from the jettys as well as from the rocks along the west side of the bridge. The Tarpon will continue to feed on outgoing tide through February during the strong cold fronts and the above lures will work as well as Hogy Eels and Paddletails and ABOA 5.5” or 7” Dart Spin rigged on a 1.5 or 2 ounce Jig Head.
The big jacks are up in the Sebastian River as well as Turkey Creek in Palm Bay and Crane Creek in Melbourne. Snook are around the docks and tarpon are far back in the creeks. Live bait is best but the fish will eat soft plastics and some topwater on warmer days. Bundle up and stay warm as there should be plenty of action throughout the month of
February for anglers looking to get out of the house on the nice days.
Capt. Glyn Austin & Capt Jesse Austin
www.goingcoastalcharters.com
321-863-8085
Capt. Glyn Austin and Captain Jesse Austin are lifelong Brevard County Residents and full time inshore/nearshore fishing guides. We run a 23’ Shoalwater tunnel boat with a tower and a 24’ Wellcraft Bay boat which are comfortable for up to 4 anglers and will let us get shallow for inshore fishing and offers a smooth dry ride when fishing the Inlet and nearshore waters of Brevard County.
