Sebastian Inlet to Eau Gallie Cswy. – December 2025

Everything has been late this fall—except for the cold weather—so maybe we will have another warm December with some good Sebastian Inlet and nearshore action. Warm Decembers can bring excellent catches of snook, redfish and big black drum in the inlet. Live shrimp, pigfish and pinfish will be preferred baits in the inlet for the snook and reds, and the black drum will eat shrimp. Along with those guys, we can have some tarpon, shark and king mackerel action along the beaches from Melbourne Beach to Sebastian Inlet if the weather stays warm enough.

The mullet run was one of the worst I have seen in my lifetime living and fishing Brevard and Indian River County since the mid 1960s. The huge amounts of rain and windy, rough conditions may have had a lot to do with the mullet run this year, and we may not see a good flounder run this year either as they follow the mullet…as do most of the gamefish. While lack of habitat and bait may slow the flounder bite this year, time will tell. If we get consistent cold fronts you can normally find flounder in the inlet and along the mangrove shorelines in the lagoon as well. Fish live finger mullet along the channel edges and shorelines around the tide changes.

If the fronts are strong, anglers in Sebastian Inlet and along the beaches will be targeting pompano, bluefish, mackerel and flounder in and around the inlet. You can also look for seatrout, pompano, bluefish, flounder and jacks in the Lagoon from Melbourne down to Sebastian. Fish the spoil islands as well as docks and shorelines with deeper edges that will hold the bait—and the gamefish. I like using 1/4-ounce jig heads with soft plastic jerk baits or shrimp imitations. Keep the baits deep in the water column and work them slow along the edges for the flounder and trout. Pompano and bluefish will like a little faster action when they ambush their prey.

If the winds are up and you still want to get out, hit the creeks from Melbourne to Sebastian. Crane Creek as well as Turkey Creek and the Sebastian River will hold trout, redfish, flounder, snook and even some tarpon throughout the winter months. Live bait is best, but don’t hesitate to work the docks and shorelines with soft plastic baits where you can stay out of the wind and have a great time catching some good fish.