[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ishing is about to get hot on the beach. April through October is the best time to target game fish off the beach. Snook start to move into the inlets and along the beach. Tarpon start to roll just at daylight and bait begins to show up too. Best beaches for fishing are Walton Rocks, Jensen Beach North, Hobe Sound and Tiger Shores. Best inlets to hit are Fort Pierce, Stuart and Jupiter. This time of year, use live bait, plugging, and jigging. And don’t forget, it’s staying light longer, so you catch fish right after work. Snook season is only two more months, so if you want to get a slot, it’s time to lose some sleep since the best time to do this is at dark or right before sunrise.
If you don’t have a Yozuri Crystal Minnow in your box you’re missing out. I have caught more snook on this lure than any other. To be successful, you have to fish current or night time and low light. On the North Stuart Causeway during the cold snap, I caught 12 in one outing. Current and dark was what made the bite strong. Once both stopped, so did the bite.
Tarpon are one of the hardest fighters and the most challenging to set the hook. I took my plugs and traded out for circle hooks and my hook up and landing rate doubled. So give that a try. Tarpon with be in inlets and will start to move on to beaches when bait shows up.
Permit guys, Walton Rocks Beach is your best bet. Permit will be up close, so get a live crab or a jig head with a shrimp, and stalk these fish, right next to the reefs. Look for their fins to see where they are. Tight lines!
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