Sebastian Area Inshore-Nearshore Fishing Forecast – August 2012

When the ocean is calm, kingfish like this one caught by the John Hoffman and Jacob Calore are available within sight of Sebastian Inlet. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

Sebastian River

Tarpon will continue to be the main target for anglers fishing the freshwater rivers and creeks along the Treasure Coast. The north fork of the Sebastian River is usually the place to look for tarpon in the early morning and evening. Flies, plugs, D.O.A. Rootbeer Terror-Eyz and finger mullet when they become available will all catch these backwater tarpon.

Indian River Lagoon

Things will stay status quo in the lagoon until the finger mullet show. Trout will remain available early and late for anglers using artificials, while live pigfish will catch trout in deeper pockets throughout the day. Redfish can be a daily occurrence on the flats, where top-water plugs, D.O.A. CAL jerk-baits and gold spoons will usually get their attention. Snook fishing, the most adversely affected inshore fishery in the Sebastian area, should pick up steadily throughout this month inside the lagoon as post spawn fish ambush finger mullet along shorelines and creek mouths.

Parker Douglas wanted to spend his 8th birthday fishing with his father Travis and his grandfather Steve. This 36" cobia was the icing on the cake! PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

Sebastian Inlet

In years gone by, August was my favorite month to fish “The Inlet”. The snook will be stacked on top of one another and the big reds will be wherever they can find room. Live bait including croakers, pigfish, greenies, pinfish, shrimp… in that order, will be the key to daytime inlet action. Fish outgoing tides east of A-1-A, incoming tides west of A-1-A is a general rule for daytime snook fishing. Night fishing can also be great, whether you drift through the bridge with live bait, or chuck plugs or bucktail jigs from the rocks. If you catch and release these inlet snook as I do in August, please handle them with care and try to have some self-control and catch a few and move on, we can’t afford the catch and release mortality this year.

Max McClure has fished Florida's coastal waters for over 50 years and caught a lot of trout, but this 8.25 pounder taken on a topwater plug in Sebastian is his largest. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

Atlantic

Weather permitting, August should still find kings, Spanish and occasional cobia and dolphin not too far off the beaches. Resident tarpon schools will also be a good bet over the reefs just off the beach. As mullet and other baitfish begin their southern trek late in the month, the nearshore can come alive. Big tarpon, kings, Spanish mackerel, sharks, snook, jacks, etc. all chase the bait south and unlike the spring run they tend to stay within surf casting distance of the beach where the mullet like to swim, so surfcasting for fish weighing in the double and even triple digits is possible. Tight Lines!

FORECAST BY: Capt. Gus Brugger
Pattern Setter Charters
Phone: (772) 589-0008
Email: patternsetter@comcast.net
www.sebastianfishingguides.com

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Capt. Gus came to the Sebastian area in the mid 1980s and has been a full-time guide since 1992. You can reach Capt. Gus at (772) 589-0008 or by email. To learn more visit the Pattern Setter website.