Sebastian Inlet to Eau Gallie Cswy. – December 2024

December can be a month with a lot of action around Sebastian as well as in the lagoon from Melbourne down to Vero. The snook and trout bite will be good if the weather stays warm and there’s some bait around, but the trout will still be hungry as long as water temps don’t get too cold. If the fronts are strong, anglers will be targeting pompano, bluefish, mackerel and flounder in and around the inlet. If the seas are calm, the weather warms and the winds are down, the bait can come in nearshore and the action with sharks, blues, jacks, pompano and even tarpon can be strong, or you can fish the inlet for snook and redfish on warmer days.

Flounder opens the first of December; fishing from shore or fishing by boat are both good options. Anglers fishing from shore will target the shoreline rocks with live finger mullet, mud minnows and small menhaden rigged on a short 12- to 18-inch, 20 pound fluorocarbon leader rigged on a 3/0-5/0 hook with an egg sinker just above the swivel. Anglers fishing from boats will anchor in areas where the rocks meet the sand with the same rigs. The key to catching the bigger flounder is waiting until the tide is slowing—and not missing the bite! If I am targeting flounder, I like to use a 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce jigs with D.O.A. Paddle Tails or 4” jerkbaits on the bottom using either Pro-Cure or strips of mullet or pinfish as an attractant. (We catch a lot of flounder jigging, but not as many bigger fish with that technique.)

Jigging the inlet for pompano, blues, jacks and mackerel in the month of December can be a lot of fun and very productive. Jigging is a technique that helps catch a lot of different varieties of fish and keeps anglers busy. Targeting pompano and blues, rig a 1/4 ounce to 3/8 ounce jighead with a soft plastic from D.O.A. or a Doc’s Goofy jig. You can also fish the VMC Hot Skirt ducktail jigs in 1/4 to 3/8 ounce in hot pink or chartreuse as they were productive early last month.

We also get the blacktip shark migration in December. Target them with topwater poppers or live bait. The sharks explode on topwater poppers as they are feeding on the mackerel and bluefish along the beaches and can be a load of fun.

Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters
www.goingcoastalcharters.com
321-863-8085

Capt. Glyn Austin is a lifelong Brevard County Resident and full time inshore/nearshore fishing guide. Glyn runs a 23’ Shoalwater tunnel boat which is comfortable for up to 4 anglers and will let us get shallower than most flats boats for inshore fishing and offers a smooth dry ride when fishing the Inlet and nearshore waters of Brevard County.