January is usually the heart of the winter fishing season in East Central Florida. Water temperatures will be in the 60s if all is normal, with cold snaps driving them as low as the upper 40s and occasional warm spells lifting them into the upper 70s. The changing temperatures will move the fish around more than at other times of the year, but by using a bit of common sense you can find some excellent inshore opportunities.
SEBASTIAN RIVER
The Sebastian River’s most prominent role in January is a sanctuary. It keeps a hoard of ladyfish, jack, an occasional gator trout and even a few pompano warm on the colder days. Warm weather may get some of the resident juvenile tarpon to roll and once and a while they will take a swipe at a D.O.A. Terror-Eyz or 3 inch shrimp. Quarter to half ounce jigs and Mirro-Lures will catch just about everything else in the Sebastian River.
INDIAN RIVER LAGOON
Not every January day warrants hiding away in some protected nook. Canals, protected shallow bays, and sunny shorelines are excellent areas to find both trout and reds soaking up the sun’s warmth and sucking up some sluggish baitfish and crustaceans. The algae bloom that has plagued the Sebastian area inshore waters over the last two years seems to be dissipating this winter and a good January cold front should clear the waters. The immediate benefit will be the ability to sight-fish for reds and possibly even “gator” seatrout. Sight fishing along shorelines is a good way to find slot size reds, which will generally suck up a properly placed live shrimp or D.O.A. soft plastic. The future benefit of clean water will be the regrowth of our still non-existent grass beds. Floating live shrimp is the hands-down most consistent way to take everything and anything when the mercury drops, although finding the right place to cast the bait is still the key to success. Pompano, bluefish, trout, weakfish, snapper and small grouper are regular catches around the deeper water flats behind the Sebastian Inlet. Nylure jigs, goofy jigs, small diving plugs and live shrimp are all good choices.
SEBASTIAN INLET
A few nice flounder will remain around the inlet throughout the winter and bluefish, jacks, pompano, black drum, and Spanish mackerel will keep jetty anglers busy throughout the day.
NEARSHORE ATLANTIC
Pompano and whiting are the mainstay of surf fishermen along the Treasure Coast in the winter. Sand fleas, cut clams and dead shrimp on three hook dropper rigs are the baits of choice. Boaters looking along the beaches are apt to find blues, mackerel and some pompano on the calmer days. Goofy jigs, spoons, and bucktail jigs worked from the beach or toward the beach from a boat are good ways to search for pompano and blues on calm days. If the weather allows for small boaters to get offshore some, kings, cobia, sailfish and dolphin are all a possibility within 10 miles of the beach.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Gus Brugger
Pattern Setter Charters
Phone: (772) 589-0008
Email: patternsetter@comcast.net
www.sebastianfishingguides.com
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