The inshore fishing should be great this month and you will want to try fishing the days just before a cold front arrives so stay tuned to the Weather Channel! The trout and redfish should be on a hard feeding pattern. Best spots should be places like Harbor Branch, Jack Island and Queen’s Cove to the north in the river. Try live pilchards free-lined around the deeper parts of the flats or a live shrimp fished under a popping cork over the grass flats and sandy pockets up on the flats. Also, a soft plastic bait will work just fine. Remember if the water temperatures are cold you will want to fish those artificial baits very slowly. Look for the snook fishing to be good around the area bridges and in the Fort Pierce Inlet. Live baits fished on the bottom will be your best choice. Also around the bridges and docks along Indian River Drive there will be plenty of sheepshead and black drum. These fish will take a live shrimp or a fiddler crab and fish them on a ¼ oz. Troll-Rite hook. You might also pick up a redfish or snook in that same area. The Spanish mackerel, bluefish and jacks should be plentiful and feeding on anything with a flash.
Capt. Joe Ward has been fishing the inshore waters of Fort Pierce for over 50 years. He provides guided fishing charters on the Indian River Lagoon in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie and Stuart, Florida. In his "spare time", Capt. Joe and his wife Cammie dedicate their time to running Capt. Joe's Bait & Tackle (located on the Fort Pierce Inlet at the Dockside Inn and Resort) and Treasure Coast Casters, a 501(c)(3) that teaches youth about fishing and the importance of marine conservation. To reach Capt. Joe, call (772) 201-5770 or visit his website.