It’s summertime, and the fishing is hot! The baitfish are everywhere, both inshore and outside the inlet for that early morning mayhem, getting chased by fish of all kinds. Simply look for birds hovering over bait schools in the morning and cast plugs for snook, tarpon, jacks, bonito and more. When catching this bait, we use size 4 or 6 sabiki rigs or half-inch-mesh cast nets tarpon are my favorite target species this time of year for a few reasons. First of all, they are mostly found feeding early in the morning, so we only fish for them between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. This means we are done fishing before the summer heat and humidity become unbearable. Also, these tarpon are great for fishing with many different techniques such as live bait, lures, and flyfishing which makes them great for anglers of all kinds. Finally, the St. Lucie River is always a peaceful quiet area that’s never crowded and noisy with boats.
The snapper bite has been good in 40-to-60 feet of water north of the inlet, and summertime is great for catching lots of mangrove snapper inshore along the docks and bridges for easy fun with kids. The cobia bite started late this year but is happening now at the Sandpile and shallow wrecks. June is a great time to simply cruise the coast 50-to-200 yards from shore to find bait getting attacked, rolling tarpon, sharks, and big jacks. Snook season is closed, but they are loading up at the inlet and cruising the beaches for gentle catch and release fishing using circle hooks.
Fishing from the beach is always fun during the summer looking for snook, jacks, and tarpon. Simply walk the beach casting Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows Lures or a Deceiver Fly. As always, be on the lookout for diving birds. As the summer continues, we could start seeing the silverside minnows getting schooled up against the beaches which is always a fun opportunity for snook, jacks, and tarpon.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Giles Murphy
Stuart Angler Bait & Tackle
(772) 288–1219
www.stuartangler.com
giles@stuartangler.com
Fishing Charters: (772) 475–4857
