Martin County Offshore Fishing Forecast – June 2013

Great night of swordfishing, three fish to 426 pounds. Photo credit: Capt. Pat Price.
Great night of swordfishing, three fish to 426 pounds. Photo credit: Capt. Pat Price.
2.Skip, Doug and Paul with a great catch of bottom fish and pelagics. Wahoo, dolphin, grouper, amberjacks and a sail (release). Photo credit: Capt. Pat Price.
Skip, Doug and Paul with a great catch of bottom fish and pelagics. Wahoo, dolphin, grouper, amberjacks and a sail (release). Photo credit: Capt. Pat Price.

With the arrival of June we are happy to see warmer water show up and with that comes calm seas and a variety of great fishing. From swordfish and tuna to dolphin, cobia, grouper and snapper, Stuart is the place to be. Fishing only three to ten miles offshore for the majority of our targeted species allows maximum fishing time for your day on the water. Trolling along weedlines and current edges provides great opportunities in June to catch dolphin, blackfin tuna, wahoo and sailfish. Naked ballyhoo and small lures are the preferred method with a trolling speed that ranges from six to ten knots. The best depth for targeting these species out of the St. Lucie Inlet is from 75 to 300 feet of water. Weather finally straightens out in June and allows us calm seas to fish at night for the Gladiator of the Sea. Swordfish are prolific throughout southeast Florida and fishing for them in our waters puts you right in the middle of things. It is not uncommon to have multiple catches in a single night with fishing ranging from 50 to 400 pounds. June bottom fishing is also in full swing. Vermillion snapper, grouper and sea bass seasons are all now open and the mutton bite is typically very good too. Tasty sea bass and small snapper are plentiful. Grouper fishing remains strong through the entire month and it is not uncommon to catch a limit of cobia and amberjack. Most of the grouper are going to range from 10 to 35 pounds and amberjack and cobia from 20 to 50 pounds on average. Live bait and jigs are the preferred baits.