Happy December and Happy Holidays to all! `Tis the season to fish, as December will roll out stockings stuffed with salty presents in the form of the many offshore species of fish that inhabit the coastal waters of Martin County. Local anglers will be able to enjoy the seasonal excitement of being able to intersect and catch an all-star lineup of offshore gamefish like sailfish, dolphin, king and Spanish mackerel, grouper, and snapper. Florida`s winter weather will be in full swing this month, hosting the typical procession of cold fronts that will pass over our peninsula with fresh breezes. These fronts and the winds associated with them, will directly determine offshore conditions and force anglers to plan their ocean fishing trips around daily weather forecasts and the sea states they encounter. While there will be many rough ocean days this month, there will also be many favorable weather windows for fishing in between the arrival of cold fronts. During these user-friendly days, fishing crews will want to target reef structures in 50 to 180 feet of water, as these reefs will be holding various baitfish that will prove to attract top water pelagics like sailfish, cobia, dolphin, and king mackerel, as well as bottom dwellers like snapper and grouper. Locating bottom structure to employ one’s fishing strategies upon, will be the key component to catching success during the month of December. Trolling, drifting, and anchoring strategies for deploying baits is always enhanced when doing so around and over top of some bottom (reef structures). Grouper will be at the top of the holiday fish wish list, as December will be the last month of an open catch and keep season that will close at midnight, December 31. The last chance to gather grouper groceries will have anglers targeting reef zones in 130 to 180 feet of water. Live baits of all flavors and heavy tackle will yield the best chances for success while bottom fishing for grouper. Lane, mangrove, and mutton snapper will also be high on the wish list and will be found in good numbers from 50 to 90 feet of water, especially around artificial reefs just east and northeast of our St. Lucie Inlet. So, in December, make your fish wishes come true by fishing around “bottom” and post up on one of the many “honey holes” that make up the reef system, offshore of Stuart.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Rocky Carbia
Safari I
Pirates Cove Resort and Marina
4307 SE Bayview St. Port Salerno, Florida
Reservations: (772) 334-4411
www.Safari-1.com
