November was a very windy month so lets hope December brings us good weather and pleanty of action. December can be a month with a lot of action around Sebastian as long as the weather holds out. It may not be all big snook and redfish, but if the weather holds out, the red and snook bite will continue to be pretty good from boat and from the shoreline. If the cold fronts are strong, that night time bite from the jetty will be good for snook, redfish and tarpon as they will come in as the front approaches and feed well. After the fronts, anglers will be targeting pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and flounder in and around the inlet. If the seas are calm, the weather warms and the winds are down, the bait can come in nearshore and the action with sharks blues, jacks and pompano can be strong as well as some tarpon in the mix.
Anglers will also be targeting flounder around the cold fronts. Fishing from shore or fishing by are both good options. Anglers fishing from shore will target the shoreline rocks with live finger mullet, mud minnows and small menhaden rigged on a short 12-18”, 20 pound fluorocarbon leader rigged on a 3/0-5/0 hook with an egg sinker just above the swivel. Anglers fishing from boats will anchor in areas where the rocks meet the sand with the same rigs. The key to catching the bigger fish is waiting until the tide is slowing and not missing the bite.
I like to jig the inlet for pompano, blues and mackerel in the month of December. Targeting pompano and blues, I rig a ¼ ounce to 3/8 ounce jighead with a soft plastic from DOA or I use a Doc’s Goofy jig. If I am targeting Flounder I like to use a ½ ounce or ¾ ounce jigs with DOA paddletails or 4” jerkbaits on the bottom using either pro cure or strips of mullet or pinfish as an attractant. We catch a lot of flounder jigging but not as many bigger fish with that technique.
Fishing the spoil islands as the sun comes up will reward anglers with trout, snook, ladyfish and bluefish, along with the occasional flounder during the warm spells. Fish soft plastics slow along the drop offs around the islands for the best success.
Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters
www.goingcoastalcharters.com
321-863-8085