By Capt. Patrick Smith Contributing Writer
Unlike this time last year, Palm Beach County and South Florida is open for business. The boat ramps, parks, the water – everything is good to go and there is plenty to take advantage of. We should be seeing all kinds of bait start to trickle in from pilchards and sardines to glass minnows and mullet.
To me that means it is time to start hunting snook and big tarpon. I usually will stick to throwing artificials and flies mainly along the beach, but if I can get my hands on some mullet then I will most likely stay inside fishing channels and sea walls. This can be a great time of the year to throw a topwater for the first couple hours of the morning, there is not much better than watching a giant jack or snook absolutely crush a plug as it comes down a sea wall. Some great lures for this are Zara Spooks, D.O.A. Bait Busters, and I really like the Hydro Pencils by Yo-Zuri.
Lake Ida, Lake Osborne, and Lake Clarke will all be producing ridiculous numbers of peacock bass as their first spawn is over and they will be ready to eat. Topwaters in the morning and evening. The Yo-Zuri 3D Prop or small Spook are both great choices. The rest of the day I tend to fish jerk bait and twitch baits around docks and sea walls. Obviously, a live bait such as a shiner or shad will keep you hooked up all day too. Do not be scared to try out some new areas. The Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge has a couple of nice boat ramps and some great bass fishing with exceptional topwater action this month.
Capt. Patrick Smith
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