Welcome to the Palm Beach fishing report for January. Expect schools of baitfish to be moving south, away from the cold. Big fish eat little fish so with all the bait swimming down, behind them will be hungry pelagic fish. January is a great month for big dolphin and smoker kings.
The waters from “Trump’s place” and north to the Juno Pier will be as far as you need to go this time of year. Lots of pros head south out of the Palm Beach Inlet and let the warm waters of the Gulf Stream take them north; this is natures fish freeway. It’s also a great way to cover water and save on fuel cost. Try fishing in depths of 80’ to 170’ of water while keeping that VHF on channel 19. If you hear that the bite is deeper or shallower, adjust your depth. Live bait is the key! Don’t forget to order your goggle eyes the night before. It can be hard to catch your own in January. Once you have your bait you can fish a couple different ways. I prefer kite fishing myself, but slow trolling live bait works great too. The key is to cover water, the choice is yours.
For the inshore angler: large schools of jacks, Spanish macks, and tarpon will be crushing any live bait they can find. Live shrimp or finger mullet will be the best. If you’re a caster, try a small spoon with a fast retrieval to stimulate the bite. Remember, fish want to chase their food. Good luck and tight lines!
Capt. Weston Russell
Reelintensefishing.com