SURF, PIERS: Wind, rain and a sharp drop in temperature has slowed the fishing from the piers and shore. “Nobody’s going out in those conditions,” said Tom Farnham of Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “If you stand out there, it’s like getting sandblasted.” Farnham said the few hardy souls, who have ventured to the beach to throw a line, have caught black drum and sheepshead. The weekend forecast looks bright. “We’re looking for a really strong weekend,” he said. Down the street at the Sunglow Pier, Debra Cook said whiting and pompano have been the consistent catch and Tuesday anglers were dealing with a bluefish invasion. Fishermen at the end of the pier have pulled up two sharks over six-feet long in the last week. The water has been “muddy” at the Daytona Beach Pier and Flagler Beach Pier, which has slowed the fish-catch count this week.
OFFSHORE: There’s been a whole lot of nothing happening offshore, thanks to the weather conditions, although Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole said a few diehard anglers have been trolling and catching wahoo between St. Augustine and Jacksonville “and a few around here.”
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Again, the weather has played against anglers in the river. Lytwyn said “it’s been a little slow.” Sheepshead are hanging around rocks, bridges and docks. The inlet continues to hold black drum and over-sized reds, according to Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach. “Those fish are dominating the inlet,” he said. The black drum are measuring in the 20- to 24-inch range. In the river waters near the inlet, anglers are enjoying an unseasonable catch of mangrove snapper.
TOMOKA BASIN, RIVER: Lytwyn said the two primary catches in these waters have been small-sized redfish and keeper black drum. Lytwyn was quick to say the fishing should be much better by the weekend. “It takes two or three days for fish acclimate to a weather change and start feeding again,” he said. “It’s shaping up as a good weekend.”
MOSQ. LAGOON, INDIAN RIVER: The river netters enjoyed a shrimp run Monday night. “Beautiful jumbo shrimp and people were hitting their limit,” said Al Huffman at Lagoon Bait & Tackle in Edgewater. Huffman said the fishing has been slow but said by the weekend, reds and trout will pack into the Clinker Islands and Tiger Shoals areas.
MATANZAS INLET, RIVER: Capt. Chris Herrera of palmcoastfishing.com said the weather has redfish scattered. “We’re doing the ‘bait and wait,’ ” he said with a laugh. “I’m setting up around oyster bars waiting for fish to come through.” Sheepshead are hitting around the inlet and have a taste for fresh oysters.
ST. JOHNS RIVER: Capt. Bryn Rawlins at Highland Park Fish Camp in DeLand said anglers are seeing more and more two-pound speckled perch. “You got to work a little hard for them, but they’re out there,” she said. The hot spot for specks has been Lake Woodruff. Meanwhile, bass fishing has been excellent for anglers using live shiners. “We’ve seen a lot of big fish,” Rawlins said.