INSHORE
The inshore fishing should be turning to the summer patterns since the water has been warm most of the winter; this will make everything happen earlier. Look for a good trout and redfish bite on the flats. Try using a soft plastic bait, like a DOA Shrimp or a CAL in a light color early in the day, and then switch to live baits, like white baits or a shrimp. Try places like the Moorings Flats, Harbor Branch, or from Bear Point south to Herman’s Bay. Look for the snapper to move into the Fort Pierce Inlet and along the channel edges; a small live shrimp will be your bait of choice. The snook bite should also be good around the Turning Basin and at the area’s bridges; try using a live pinfish or pigfish, and fish around the fenders of the bridges.
OFFSHORE
Everybody will be looking for the first dolphin run, and with the warm winter we had, it should be a good one. Depending on the seas, the dolphin could be in as close as 50 feet and out as deep as 400 feet. A skirted ballyhoo in yellow/green or pink/white will be a good choice. Keep checking with your local bait & tackle shops for daily reports. The kingfish should be hanging around the Offshore Bar in 70 to 90 feet of water, and taking slow trolled live baits or spoons with strip baits. The bottom fishing over the reefs and wrecks should be good around the full moon; use either live bait or a piece of cut bait. Also, look for some cobia to show up towards the middle of the month.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Joe Ward
Captain Joe’s River Charters
Phone: (772) 201-5770 or (772) 461-1335
Email: CWard11605@aol.com
Website: www.captjoeward.com
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