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CaptainIDS (Captainids)
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Username: Captainids
Post Number: 41
Registered: 9-2007
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:15 am: | |
Are you a Licensed Coast Guard Captain?
This is for you
http://www.captainids.com/ |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 01, 2006 - 4:08 pm: | |
Seas are down, baitfish outside the inlet are thick so guess it's time to go play outside. We did a few trips recently livebaiting nearshore. Around the sandpile, plenty of bonitas to bend those rods with a few kingfish and cudas mixed in. Jeff Kane from Moorsville, Indiana had his hands full with bonita around 15 pounds on 12 pound test. On another trip, Tom Bishop released 3 kingfish to 20 pounds and a few boneheads fishing the same area near the sandpile. I have only ran the beaches once the past few weeks looking for tarpon and jacks. Did release a few jacks over 20lbs in about 18 feet near the House of Refuge. Seeing several boats livebaiting near the rocks for catch and release snook and anchoring up in the crossroads for tarpon.
Most of the snook we have been releasing have been around the 25 & 10 cent bridges. The 10 cent bridge has been holding a bit of everything. Jacks to 10 pounds, snook to 38", croaker, black drum, goliath grouper, tripletail, weakfish and still some pompano around. The water in the St. Lucie River is quite clean which raises that salinity level. The onlybad thing I've noticed is lack of baitfish in the inlet and surrounding areas. The inlet itself has been on the slow side lately execpt for a few nice catches of bonefish and redfish.
The sailfish flats are still holding those leaping ladyfish on both tides. Further north, the Jensen Bridge along the fenders have snook, jacks and small mangrove snapper. This bridge used to be a haven for black drum 3-6 pounds but I believe the recent construction (bargeloads of rocks dumped) have moved them out.
Still tripletail on the crab traps and channel markers. Seeing lots of little ones which is a good sign. Guess I can mention now one of my hotspots the past 3 months. Marker 208 just south of the power lines has been LOADED with tripletail. The coast guard finally replaced the red float with a piling so there goes another hot spot. As far as the grassflats go, gotta get out there early. I left my marina yesterday at 8:00 am and the water was 85 degrees.
Just got in from my morning trip on July 1st fishing the Kocis family from Pittsburg. Started out at the 10 cent bridge with a nice assortment including black drum, croakers, goliath grouper, whiting, jacks and lookdowns. By 10:30 the tide was dead low so we headed towards the inlet to catch incoming. Did about 4 drifts and caught mangrove snapper, black margates, pompano and a nice 7 pound permit.
Thats about all for now. Catch em up and watch out for those afternoon thunder boomers !!!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
Catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 7:38 am: | |
Lets start in the St. Lucie River this time and work our way east. We have been fishing the 10 cent bridge often lately with great sucess when the current is moving. Quite a mixed bag with snook to 39"on live shrimp, rootbeer terrorize and also trolling jointed bombers and rattle traps. Have been seeing quite a few boats in this area live baiting with large mullet and greenies. Also hitting the shrimp are pompano, weakfish, flounder, croaker, jacks, lookdowns, and trout. Good to see the species list growing around the bridge. Some days you will notice large numbers of rays just outside the shadow line which I believe are spawning.
Docks along Sewells Point are holding snook, jacks, trout and ladyfish but you gotta put in your time. Marker 19 has been quite slow for the past few months. Deep water in Hell's Gate holding a few pomps and ladyfish but slow. Grassflats outside Willowby Creek on late incoming, you have a shot at pompano and ladyfish. Most baitfish I have seen in the St. Lucie has been near the southern tip of Sewell's Point and around the docks. Lots of shallow water here making it easy to see the mullet that are running around 9".
The St. Lucie inlet has been hot and cold lately. When the water is clean on incoming has been best but some days the water is milky due to the high seas. Some really nice flounder to 4 pounds, along with croakers, jacks, ladyfish, scattered redfish and goliath grouper and bonefish. Great to see bones which really put up a great fight. Have not seen any tarpon in the inlet yet but just a matter of time.
Just outside the rocks you will find sheephead, snappers, black margates, spots, blue runners on the bottom with scattered mackerel and large jacks still cruising through. Talked to several captains who have been playing with monster jacks outside the house of refuge on live greenies and sardines. I have a few full day trips coming up and will give that a try if the seas are down. For the most part the spanish mackerel bite is over but there are still a few large macs hanging around the baitschools near shore.
Sailfish flats are holding mostly ladyfish with a few pompano and bonefish. Some days you gotta search for water that is not holding suspended weeds which always makes casting a pain in the neck. Have not fished the quarter bridge lately due to the construction. Playing from land? Try the dock at the Indian Riverside Park. Some trout and flounder about half way out in 3-4 feet on shrimp and rubber baits. Under the floating docks and at the docks end are some big fish gobbleing up livebaits and kicking everyones butt. Large snook over 40" along with tarpon to 40 pounds have been hooked here. If you decide to livebait here, may I suggest bumping your tackle up to 80 pound braid. Too much structure here to be fishing with 20 pound mono.
The Jensen Bridge is holding mangrove snapper, sheephead, snook and a few drum and pompano but be prepared to loose tackle. The catwalk on the east side facing the power plant have areas that are only 4 feet deep and loaded with rocks. I think they went a bit overboard dumpimg these rocks. If they built the catwalk the same height as the old one, all this would not be needed. The old catwalk sat about 5 feet above the water at high tide. The new catwalks have about 1 foot clearance. During the hurricanes, these "new" catwalks were about 4 feet under water and colapsed. So they rip out the new catwalk and build another one the same height as the one that colapsed. Think this one will survive. I doubt it!!
North of the Jensen Causeway have trout on both sides starting around county line and running north. Tripletail are on the crab traps and channel markers. We have caught some nice ones under 14 pounds the past few weeks. Took a buddy out the other day and caught 2 about 10 and 12 inches. These fish were gently placed in my livewell and were transported to Florida Oceanagraphic to be added to their new fish pond. Plan on going over and checking on my little tripletails next week which I have named Henry and Squeeky. (Squeeky is the larger one !!!)
Tight lines,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 12:40 pm: | |
Action in the grassflats has been decent north of the county line on both sides. A mixture of trout, redfish, ladyfish, snook, jacks and pompano have kept anglers busy. Seems the past few months the majority of baitfish are concentrated north of the Jensen Beach Causeway. The normal shrimp, soft rubber baits and top water plugs early are working well. Still giving the tripletail a break on the markers and crab floats but will begin to target them more in April. Some of the spoil islands between the causeways I like to fish have been quite slow for most of the year. Looks like we lost grass bottom in some of these areas.
The Jensen and Stuart bridges have been hot at times. Last week we had the Taylor family with and inshore slam of 3 trout to 22", 2 snook to 30" and a 24" redfish right under the Jensen Bridge. The bottom around the Jensen bridge changes every day. Large rocks are being added under the catwalks and around the fenders by the bargeload. I know some areas have changed as much as 8 feet. I believe this area will be grouper city in a few years. Be prepared to snag bottom from time to time but I believe once the construction is done, this area will hold tons of fish. I know Henry at the Snook Nook don't mind the rocks!!! Took my friends out yesterday for a few hours around 1pm fishing this bridge. Some nice jacks 2- 5 pounds along with a 21" trout and my buddy Charlie getting his butt kicked by a snook around 44". Can't wait for the mullet run to hit this area. Every day will be the fourth of July!!!
Sailfish flats have been decent most of the time with ladyfish topping the list. Had 2 trips lately with 4 or more pompano but no big numbers. Also mixed in are small jacks, bluefish and a few large spanish mackerel. The only down side in this area lately has been the slimy bright green algae that we dealt with last year. Quite a problem to cast in but some areas are cleaner than others. It seems this is the only area that holds this stuff. This area always fishes great on the windy days.
The Stuart bridge has been invaded by blowfish. Enough said.
The St. Lucie Inlet has been best on incoming and early outgoing tide. The past 3 weeks we have released around 20 bonefish to 18" that always put up a great fight. A mixture of shrimp and trollrites, skimmer jigs or DOA cals are getting the bones. Scattered pompano, bluefish, macs, ladyfish, sheephead, jacks, redfish and goliath grouper are also around. Snook will begin to invade the inlet soon along with the tarpon.
Have not fished Willowby Creeks or Hell's Gate but have been snookin around the 10 cent bridge. Some large jacks on the bottom and snook near the top on jointed bombers. Both tides are working as long as the water is moving.
Outside, Pecks Lake has been hot and cold. Seems the boats anchored and chumming are doing the best. We are killing the macs trolling half way there in about 25 feet normally where the color change starts. Try dragging 3 of Joe's silver jigging spoons with about 8" of # 3 wire attached. Last week we had 26 macs in 45 minutes. The mackerel season is drawing to a close. In another 3 weeks they may be history.
Till next time,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 01, 2006 - 7:03 pm: | |
The last couple of weeks we have spent several trips sitting right outside the St. Lucie Inlet catching an assortment of fish including pompano, lane and mangrove snappers,bluefish, sheephead, jacks, blue runners, black margates, and mackerel mainly on shrimp and trollrites. We did run south to Peck's Lake twice recently only spending a short time there. Lot's of netters around but nobody was catching much. The spanish bite this year has been weird. I'm sure if you wait them out, eventually they will turn on but on a four hour trip I need to find fish fast.
Inside the inlet has been decent with ladyfish, pompano, bluefish, goliath grouper and jacks. Both incoming and outgoing have been producing. Yes the water turned brown again a few weeks ago but not quite as bad as it was in December. We are still recieving a nice flushout on incoming tide which to me is important.
The bridges have been hot for snook mainly in the evening and early morning. The catwalks on the Jensen Causeway are open. Live shrimp or DOA terrorize on the bottom have been working well. Some trout around the docks in between the causeways but it seems the best bite is north of the power lines where the bait is more concentrated.
We did catch 5 more tripletail since the last report. All the fish have been between 6 and 10 pounds. Look for the larger ones over 20 pounds to show around May. We have been mixing it up with shrimp and soft rubber baits for the tripletail. The trout bite up to the power lines has been slow, however when the water gets rough on the flats, try throwing a redtail hawk and crank it fast.
All in all the fishing has been decent the past few months. We are not quite back to "pre hurricane" numbers but the water has been cleaner (except for the inlet the past few weeks) and baitfish are slowly returning. It's good to see birds diving again.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 4:58 am: | |
Conditions are definitely improving along the Treasure Coast. Clean green water can be seen well north of the Jensen Beach Causeway and past Hell's Gate in the St. Lucie which to me is a prayer answered. Water temps the past few weeks have heated to upper 60's to 71 degrees helping these fish thaw out from the previous upper 50's we have delt with early in the year. When the water is that cold, you really need to fish those deep holes where the temps remain the same. Most fish can get pretty sluggish in the cold. Baitfish are coming back in the Indian River which is a very welcome site. For a while in December and mid January, I could not find any bait schools around, but the past few weeks I have seen a change. Just look at the birds chowing down. Really looking forward to fishing again in clean water and let's keep our fingers crossed.
Let's start in the Inlet area and work our way inside. Have not been to Peck's Lake for 3 weeks now. It's funny, when it's 5-10 mph- 1-2 foot seas nobody wants to fish. Let the wind get cranking 15-30 and my phone rings off the hook. What's up with that ??? I did speak with my buddy Kevin a week ago and he stated the Spanish Mackerel were thick. My last trip out there in early January was slow. No netters around. Actually there were only about 6 boats out there mostly trolling. I believe the macs will sometimes head deeper, all the way out over 100 feet deep in search of minnows. Prior to that 1 trip, we have been doing well on the macs mainly casting or jigging Capt. Joe's jigging spoons on 8 " # 3 wire leader which are available at all the local baitshops. The larger macs up to 5 pounds have been all on the bottom. When things slow down, we tip the jigs with a little shrimp which seems to help. Look for jacks, blue runners, snapper and even sheephead to hit them along with the macs.
Just outside the rocks, look for jacks, sheephead, snapper and occasional spanish. Here we jig frozen shrimp on trollrites. When the jacks are thick, go with small pieces of shrimp. This are can be really hot at times but can also be absolutely dead. I like it incoming if possible. The water is so much cleaner now. 2 months ago I would avoid the entire inlet area on outgoing tide. Fish don't swim in Maxwellhouse coffee!!! Inside the inlet to the crossroads, add pompano, croakers and a few flounder to the list. Target the pomps on incoming tide with tippeped jigs or join the crowd near Sailfish Point and anchor up with sand fleas. The pomano we have been catching lately are large. Not lot's but LARGE.
A few weeks ago, we were under a "jack attack" in the Indian River and inlet. One trip we must have released over 60 of them, most under 3 pounds but fun. The bridges in the Indian River are holding croaker, sheephead, mangroves and the snook bite is heating up. Last trip we released 4 snook, two in the slot 29 and 33" . The water has heated up 10 degrees and the snook are letting me know it. Sailfish flats have been slow for the most part. A few pomps each trip but no numbers. Even the ladyfish here have been slow. We fished there yesterday and things did pick up.
Further north, some docks are holding large sheephead and crusing trout. Did land 4 tripletail the past 2 weeks all running 6-10 pounds. Have not decided if I am going to keep score this year. 2 years ago we had 158. Last year was screwed up with the hurricanes and my tempory marina location. Really have not spent much time in the grass flats. It's been so cold lately, I think I'll wait a while. I get daily reports from friends who wade every morning. Think he's catching more "large" pompano than trout.
Finally, we did abort the 28' Pacemaker "Buddy Lee" for deep sea charters. Things just did't work out. However we did add a brand new 41' Luhrs named "Hooligan" for 1/2, 3/4 and full day trips as well as Bahama and swordfishing trips. Still have to change my website and brochures. With all this nice water, all I want to do is fish, fish, fish !!!!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 6:44 am: | |
Happy New year to everybody. 2005 was a tough year for this area's inland waterways. We were just starting to recover from 04 storms Jeanne and Francis when we got slammed again with Wilma in 05. The good news is that the inlet area has been getting a really healthy flushout of clean ocean water the past few weeks. This will slowly bring salinity levels up in both the Indian and St. Lucie River. I hope the fish gods will look down on us and spare this area any tropical systems in 06.
The past couple of weeks, jacks have been so thick you could almost walk on water. We have been fishing mainly from the Stuart Causeway south to the inlet. We tried the Jensen Causeway a couple of trips 2 weeks ago but the bite was slow. Water temps in this area were as low as 60 degrees which makes fish sluggish. Travel a few miles south and watch the temps rise a staggering 10 degrees. The Stuart bridge area has been loaded with jacks, jacks, and more jacks. If you can baits past the jacks, some nice croaker and sheephead near the structures.
The sailfish flats have been slow in the mornings but picked up in the afternoon. Mostly ladyfish, jacks but a few pompano and bluefish mixed in. We were also picking up some pompano in the crossroads area but are catching the most outside the rocks and along the beach. Outside the rocks, look for some larger jacks and sheephead over 4 pounds. Scattered mangrove and lanes here too.
Have made several trips to Peck's Lake. The large macks are on the bottom and running over 4 pounds. Some trips have been better than others. I don't believe we have seen the mother load yet. Glass minnows in the area have been scarce. When the minnows come in solid, you will see more top water action and can sightcast for them.
I'm glad to see green water again in the inlet and hope things continue to improve. Need to change my website and brochures again. I have added 2 offshore boats, 28' Pacemaker "Buddy Lee" and brand new 41'Luhrs "Hooligan". Buddy Lee will fish up to 4 on 3/4 and full days. Hooligan will fish up to 6 on 1/2, 3/4 and full days. Also offering Bahama and swordfishing trips.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 03, 2005 - 7:35 am: | |
Fishing is picking up inshore with snook at area bridges banging broken back bomber lures and rattle traps. Not much baitfish around so stick with swift moving water at your favorite hole and work them hard. The St. Lucie inlet has been quite productive on incoming tide when the water is green. We had a trip last week spending over an hour drifting the inlet and the water never did clean up. This was about the forth hour of incoming and fishing was slow so we vacated. Other days when the water was cleaner, redfish, ladyfish, jacks, sheephead and flounder topped the list.
In the sailfish flats area, fishing has been pretty good regardless of water clarity. Lot's of ladyfish with a few jacks, bluefish and pompano around. Have been seeing a few boats in this area fishing with sand fleas on the bottom targeting pompano. I prefer drifting this area and a strong wind is even better. This allows us to cover a larger area in less time. Docks near the house of refuge are holding some large sheephead and some decent mangrove snappers.
Bottom fishing at the area bridges has been hit or miss. Last week we released several nice black drum along with a 9 pound redfish. Sheephead are nice size running about 18" and small grovers mixed in. Have not fished any channel markers lately for my favorite tripletail. Water temps in the Indian River have been as low as 63 degrees in the morning and tripletail don't like the cold. Sure there are still a few around but I'll wait till March to play with them again.
Outside, the mac's have been hitting pretty good and decent size too. We have been trolling and casting Capt. Joe's jigging spoons with good results. The water at Pecks Lake has been brown most days so silver or chartruce have been working best. Seems like a strong south current nearshore has pushed the brown water south. Good news, I have only seen 1 commerical boat in that area.
Finally, we should have the 28' Pacemaker back at AA Marina by December 10th. Really looking forward to offshore fishing again.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 1:15 pm: | |
Things are finally getting back to normal since Hurricane Wilma. Just prior to the storm I had the pleasure fishing with the Lucas family who were visiting the area from England. It was a full day charter so we fished the Indain River north of the Jensen Beach Causeway to the power plant in the morning catching an assortment including jacks, trout, spanish mackeral, black drum, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and a 6 pound tripletail which was dinner for 4 that night. We did not spend much time in the shallow grass flats. Normally when I have more than 3 anglers aboard, I try to avoid shallow water and live baiting as much as possible. After stopping at Nettle's Island for a brief pit stop, we continued fishing heading south to the St. Lucie Inlet to catch the incoming tide. Plenty of rod benders with some large ladyfish over 4 pounds along with jacks and blue runners. We did have a tarpon around 70 pounds roll off our bow but was not interested. All in all a decent trip with plenty of action.
We have been fishing the bridges on the Indain River several nights since the mullet run. Snook, trout and ladyfish top the list fishing live mullet and greenies, top water chuggers, DOA shrimp and Cals, and covering the bottom with red tail hawks. The mullet run has been weird this year. One night the baitfish are all over the place and the next night they are hard to find. The new Jensen Bridge is really lit up now. Lights on top of the span, lights on every bridge support about 10 feet above the water and soon both cat walks will have lights. This entire area will sure to become a baitfish haven.
Fished a few locals the other day near the power plant on both the east and west sides. The wind was cranking out of the northeast about 15 to 20 but did manage to catch redfish to 5 pounds on the westside and trout along the east bank. I believe St. Lucie Inlet in the months to come will be productive for the incoming tide. Water temps were in the upper 60's the other day so start looking for pompano and mackeral to start showing up. By the end of November, look for the mackeral to invade Peck's Lake.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 01, 2005 - 10:25 am: | |
We are keeping our fingers crossed as we near the end of the hurricane season. Last year we took a double hit in September with Francis and Jeanne. The Indian River is holding more baitfish and water quality is improving. Last week the mullet were thick from the St. Lucie Inlet north. We ran a few night trips fishing the Jensen Beach Bridge and had some nice action on snook to 9 pounds, trout to 4 pounds and ladyfish. Finger mullet on circle hooks along with DOA Baitbusters and jointed Bomber lures did the trick. When everything is feeding on mullet, we try to match the hatch. I did notice the shadow lines have changed at the Jensen Bridge. They added lights about 10 feet up the bridge supports and really lights up the area now. Fishing lighted docks we switched over to glow shrimp and caught some jacks to 3 pounds along with smaller trout under 15 inches.
In the inlet area, fishing was slow till the last couple of hours of incoming tide. Among the catch list were blue runners, jacks, snapper, redfish and did see a few tarpon in the 80 pound class smashing baits but no takers on topwater chuggers. It was quite sporty near the rocks so we wisely elected to stay inside. Water temps were down as low as 77 degrees last week but jumped back up to 83 yesterday.
Planning on running a "recon trip" Sunday scouting areas north near the power plant. The baitfish that were so thich between the causeways last week seem to have moved north. Think I will fish the grass flats early morning for trout and redfish and maybe look for a few tripletail after. Won't be long now for the pomps and macks to return.
Still refitting the 28' Pacemaker for offshore trips. We are going through everything on the boat getting it ship shape and should be up and running in a few weeks. Just added a new flushing head and livewell and can't wait to get deep sea trips going.
Good fishing,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 6:22 am: | |
Sorry about no August report but lot’s of bad press on the river’s condition has resulted in a slow August for me and many other captains. I am now back at my home AA marina on Indian River Drive in Jensen Beach. Lately we have been fishing the Inlet area for snook, flounder, redfish, and jacks on incoming tide, live baiting a mile or two outside for kingfish and bonita and fishing the bridges for snook, black drum and snapper. Really have not fished north but once lately catching 3 tripletail to 13 pounds. The quality of the St. Lucie River is a crime and plan on staying away till things clean up. I will be getting back to the trout north of the Jensen Causeway on the Indian River tommorow. With the water releases slowing down, we should slowly see an improvement in water quality in the St. Lucie River but for now it’s not healthy.
Good news, starting around September 10th, Catch 22 Fishing Charters will be offering deep sea fishing charters for ¾ and full day trips aboard my friend’s 28’ Pacemaker “Buddy Lee”. Capt. Bud Friedley holds a 100 ton masters and has been fishing offshore for many years. He will also be fishing out of AA Marina.
I will be getting back to posting current fishing reports for both inshore and offshore in October. For the past year or so I have been posting a “fishing forecast” which many anglers enjoyed and thanks for the e-mails. They have served it’s purpose and it’s time for a change.
Good fishing everyone,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 6:11 am: | |
The last month or so I have been mainly fishing the St. Lucie Inlet targeting mid-incoming tide to early outgoing. Plenty of snook along with some nice flounder. Also mixed in are jacks and lookdowns. Have seen an increase in tarpon outside the rocks and in the crossroads. Up until 3 weeks ago we were catching lot’s of bonefish near the crossroads along with a few redfish and late pompano . Back then the ocean was still flushing the inlet pretty good. This storm Dennis should move some of the dirty water north away from the inlet.
Thank god it’s my last month in Rio. I would like to thank Dean at Pelican’s Nest for dockage since October but I really need to be on the Indian River. I return to AA Marina on Indian River Drive August 1st. The water up the St. Lucie is nasty so this will give me a few more options like trout, tarpon and tripletail running north. I have not fished the power plant area since early September of last year.
Keep your eyes peeled just south the temporary red marker right at the southern end of Sewells Point on the Indian River. I ran a trip 3 weeks ago and believe I hit the old piling which was submerged. The engine came flying up and bent the shaft of the trim unit. Had to rebuild the unit. There is a channel that takes you around the southern tip of Sewells Point I use as a “shortcut” to head up the St. Lucie River.
So for a few trips I was operating without power trim which is no big deal staying in deeper water around the inlet. My last trip a few days ago, we just started fishing the inlet for maybe a half hour when my steering cable bit the dust. Was able to turn right which pushes the cable but had no left turn. I ended up rigging a rope around the cowling which worked out great. Continued fishing 3 more hours releasing a few snook and keeping 2 nice flounder around 3 & 4 pounds. When it rains, it pours!!! Anyway the boat is fixed and will pick it up Monday morning after Dennis runs by.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 - 5:22 am: | |
It’s summertime! Surf temperatures will reach a whopping 84 degrees with inland water even hotter. Now’s the time to slip into “summer mode”. Target low light hours when possible. Inshore and along the surf, try to hit the water before sunrise until 10:00 a.m. or near sunset for maximum bite time. Fishing night time is productive, just find moving water. If you must fish mid-day, seek deeper water or shaded areas where the water is cooler. Summer fishing is great, with baitfish plentiful. Remember to utilize “summer mode” and have a great time out there!
Starting inshore, tarpon mania begins, with fish averaging 30-50 lbs. roaming just outside Big and Little Mud Creeks. The entrance to Big Mud is still closed. There’s a yellow boom stretching across the entire entrance, but the tarpon don’t know it’s closed and they head in and out on a regular basis. Water depth just outside Big Mud can reach 30 feet. In the creeks, watch for rolling tarpon and throw a DOA baitbuster or rootbeer terrorize right at them, allowing it to sink about 10 seconds. Top water chuggers and windcheaters will also get their attention (if they’re in a feeding mood). Live mullet on a circle hook always is an option, using 12 lb. mainline with a 30-40 lb. fluoro-carbon leader will handle tarpon to 50 lbs. For the monsters, I suggest “kicking it up a notch”. Other areas for silver kings are Nettles Island, where water depth averages 10 ft. This area always holds baitfish and the tarpon usually follow them in. Around the Jensen Causeway, tarpon will be feeding on bunker. Channels near Sundance Marine, Anchors Aweigh and the Dolphin Grill hold some huge tarpon when the baitfish are present. These fish require patience. Some days I’ll see them rolling all over the place, but refusing anything thrown at them. Put in your time and you’ll be rewarded. The Quarter bridge at the Stuart Causeway to Marker 239 in the crossroads is a super spot to look for tarpon. Nighttime in the summer I prefer to cast windcheaters about 50 yards south of the bridge. Snook are up close near the shadowline, but the tarpon are pounding baits just to the south. The North Fork of the St. Lucie is generally hot early in the morning. As a rule, tarpon won’t refuse live greenies or sardines, so keep a few Sabiki rigs on hand for baitfish near the Whistle Buoy or sandpile just outside the inlet and throw them in the live well just for insurance.
The trout bite in the summer is excellent, with big hogs to 10 lbs. roaming the shallow inland waters early in the am. Top water lures in less than 2 feet until 7 a.m. will get the big ones. Later, switch to soft rubber or live shrimp in 3-4 feet or wade dropoffs near spoil islands. These islands run just east of the ICW Channel from Stuart north. If you have a hard time finding the spoil islands, try cruising near low tide when they’re more visible and mark them on your chart. Some spoils will hold lots of trout under 20”.
Summer is “big” tripletail time. Most fish run 8-12 lbs, but the big boys (over 20 lbs.) are a good possibility. I strongly suggest releasing the big fish over 14 lbs. This will insure breeding fish to re-populate. It seems more and more anglers are targeting this species and you need to be aware the regulations are 15-inch minimum, with 2 per angler.We have been catching some real nice ones the past few weeks with 2 released at 23 and 17 pounds. Most fish are running around 10 with a few smaller mixed in. Early in March we caught our first one of the year. I am still running out of Pelican’s Nest Marina on the St. Lucie River . The latest I’ve heard it will be around August till I return to AA marina on Indian River Drive in Jensen Beach. We headed out early for some snook. I like to pick up some live baits before hand so we tipped sabiki’s with squid and picked up a dozen pinfish and a 13” tripletail to boot. Nice little fight on a sabiki. The slot I prefer to set for my boat and anglers are 18” to around 12 lbs. There’s plenty of meat on one of these guys to feed a family. DOA shrimp, terrorize and CAL lures along with “old faithful” live shrimp on a trollrite are the baits of choice. The best bite is after 10 a.m. and some fish can be spotted near the surface. These channel marker will also hold other species like sheephead, snapper, grouper, flounder, jacks and more.
Snook season closes June 1. Yesterday we managed to hook a few slot sized snook around the bridges. The summer spawn begins with the breeders heading to the inlets and along the surf. These are big snook and they are there for a reason. If you target these fish for catch and release, do everything possible to release them quickly and unharmed. Circle hooks with live bait work best eliminating the chance of gut hooking. Catch a few, take some pictures and leave them alone. Each year, more and more anglers are targeting these snook in spawn and they are really sitting ducks. No sense hammering these fish all day long.
Some big black drum always show up near the bridges this time of year. The Roosevelt and Jensen Bridge have provided 40-60 pounders in the past. Redfish along the docks on the west side of the Indian River or under the mangroves on the east side of the River have proven most productive. There are plenty of flounder in the sandy patches and ladyfish in the Sailfish Flats on windy days keep everyone entertained with their wonderful aerobatics, along with croaker, sennet and bonefish. Last month, aboard Catch 22, eleven bonefish were released in this area. Just the past few weeks we have released a dozen more in and just outside the inlet. Nothing really to brag about, but running into numbers of that species in Martin County is basically unheard of.
Into the surf, whiting on small crappie jigs tipped with shrimp or squid in the troughs works well. Pompano, bluefish and Spanish Mackerel will be very scattered with some resident fish still around. Tarpon, snook and big jack crevalle show up in the very early mornings hours and will dominate the catch and release scene. Twelve lb. test with 30-40 lb. leader will bring in “most” of them. If you encounter big tarpon (over 100 lbs.), there’s no stopping them on 12 lb. test (but it is very “sporting”). Try a live bait and hook it in the tail, allowing the baitfish to swim out (but switch to 20-30 lb. tackles). Now you have a shot at “Mr. Big”.
Offshore, dolphin are showing along the weedlines with quite a few resident sailfish still around. Three days ago seas were flat and I had a day off, so what did I do? Fish, of course. I took the pontoon offshore to about 300’ with my friend Hank and hooked up with (and released) a nice 6’ sailfish. Be sure to take your time reviving these sails. The one I hooked had eaten two live greenies (on different rigs). Hank and I were looking at each other wondering if we snagged each other or had a double hook-up. Finally, Hank’s line broke off and I brought the sailfish in on 20 lb. spinning gear after a great 10 minute show, including a dozen or so jumps. This fish took a good five minutes to revive and swam off for another day. When trolling, don’t overlook any floating debris. A small floating bottle or a piece of wood can hold some really big fish.
Kingfish should remain strong inside 60’, with dolphin out farther. It looks like it’s going to be a “bumper” crop of dolphin this year. Lots of bonita, barracuda inside 6 miles are always there to test your tackle.
The bottom fishing remains good with big muttons over 20 lbs. gag grouper, mangrove and true red snapper topping the list. The ever-present “cuda” is always on their tail, so bring the fish in fast. Remember, the grouper with the round tails are “goliaths” and are illegal to keep. Also known as “jewfish” they are showing up in the river and offshore in good numbers, but they are still “protected” and can cost you your boat, fines, license and much more. A few cobia are still showing up on the reefs and wrecks. If you’re looking for wahoo, try kicking up the RPM’s. Trolling purple, red and black skirts down deep at 8-10 knots worked for me.
Summer’s here, stay cool and fish early!!! –Well, just fish!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
catch22 (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 11:41 am: | |
May is here and it just happens to be one of my two favorite months for both inshore and offshore fishing. Starting offshore, the big story in May will be the dolphin bite. Last year the beginning of the month was a blowout with strong east winds, but the remaining 3 weeks more than made up for it. Historically, dolphin show up in the Keys the end of April in big numbers. By early May you can find them in 80-200 feet as they migrate northward towards the Treasure Coast. The good news is dolphin now have a 20 inch min which will help the population. Remember, limit your keep, don’t keep the limit! By far, trolling is your best bet for dolphin; dragging ballyhoo, rigged squid and mullet. Try to get at least two baits down using downriggers, planers or 16 oz. cigar weights. Covering various water columns will increase your odds drastically. I prefer red or purple with black skirts on my downlines (good wahoo colors) while on top using naked baits or yellow, green and pink skirts which work great. I suggest that you forget wasting time catching greenies unless you want to target kings or sailfish. Run out to 80 feet and start trolling. Keep an eye out for color and temperature changes, weedlines, any floating debris and working birds. Always have two spinning combos ready on standby. A 2 oz. jig with squid or cut bait will come in handy if you stumble upon dolphin schools or manta rays holding cobia. Usually you have about 30 seconds to react before they are gone, so be ready for them. Keeping squid chunks or sardines nearby will often prove to be the difference between a single fish in the box or multiple fish in the box. You can hold a school near the boat by chumming them. A little at a time while tossing those standby jigs will hook you up. Always leave at least one hooked-up dolphin in the water if you are in a school. This keeps his buddies around the boat.
Other species to target are kingfish, cobia, wahoo, sailfish and summertime bonita and cudas. Live bait works best for kings in close from 40-80 feet. A short steel leader with a treblehook stinger attached to a 3/0 live bait produces excellent results. In close, keep your eyes peeled for big manta rays and toss a jig about 30 feet in front of them for that cobia hiding in their shadows. Sailfish can be anywhere. To increase your wahoo odds, speed your troll up to 8-10 knots. I’ve caught most of my “hoos” in 250-350 feet, but you never know. I saw an 86 lb. wahoo caught in 60 feet of water to win a tournament in the last 30 minutes before lines out.
Surf and bottom fishing is also great in May. From the surf, look for bluefish and pompano still lurking about. Cutbait or spoons for blues, sandfleas or crabs cast far out for the pompano. Look for plenty of whiting and some croaker in close to shore. I almost forgot to mention the snook and tarpon that will be cruising the shorelines. It’s a great time to cast for snook in the surf. Casting diagonally with top water mirrolures, spooks, bombers, DOA Baitbusters & Terrorize, red tail hawks produces hook-ups. The snook are feasting on whiting near shore. If you catch a whiting, re-hook it and toss it out with a 3/0 live bait hook. It’s a good bet it will catch the eye of a hungry snook.
The tarpon will be cruising a bit deeper in 10-30 feet of water. Drifting live mullet, pinfish or sight casting DOA Baitbusters and Terrorize top the list. With the weather getting increasingly warmer, it’s best to fish very early or late before these guys head for the deep water to cool off. Bottomfishing is strong this time of year on the outside, with larger than average mangrove snapper and grouper. I prefer a long leader (30’) for the muttons using grunt heads for bait. They tap it a few times, but wait until he grabs it and runs, then stick it to him! Always throw a flatline or two out to increase productivity. You can catch dolphin, kings and sails while you’re bottom fishing. It’s easy, it’s maintenance free, and it makes sense.
Inshore, the St. Lucie Inlet will start holding more snook showing up early for their summer spawn. The detached jetty, the perimeter of Sailfish Point (high-water best) and the south side of the Inlet, close to shore will produce fish. The crossroads area from Marker #239 north to the “quarter” bridge (east of the channel to the sand bar) holds early morning tarpon all summer long. On Catch 22 we drift finger mullet in this area until bout 9:00 a.m. while ready to sight cast DOA Terrorize on standby rods. The water in this area near high tide can get really clean and with a 10 foot depth average, you can see bottom very well. I use 20-lb. spinning rigs with a 6-8 foot 60 lb. leader. You can fish lighter, but expect a long battle when that hefty tarpon takes hold. Last year a 9 year old boy on one of my charters hooked a 60 lb. tarpon on 10 lb. test. Forty minutes later and a mile up the River the tarpon was brought to the boat and released. This fish made five runs into the channel forcing me to play water-traffic cop trying to wave boats off. Plenty of tarpon will appear in the St. Lucie River also. The last three years were banner tarpon seasons here. Who needs to go to the Keys to fish, we have it all right here!
Area bridges should hold mangrove snapper, sheephead, black drum and croakers. Live or frozen shrimp on the bottom on light tackle seems to work the best. The night-time snook hang out near structure and shadow lines where the water is moving. May is the last month of open snook season until September, so now’s the time.
In the grass flats, big trout will dominate the scene. Start as early as 5 a.m. and fish until 7 a.m. with topwater lures in skinny water. Docks along the west side from Walton Road north to Fort Pierce are hot. From 7-10 a.m., go to 3-5 ft. deep with soft rubber baits (DOA CAL series and glo shrimp) or live shrimp on a popping cork. On windy days, fishing from a boat, try drifting popping corks 100 ft. behind the boat and set them in the rodholders. Cast your rubber baits downwind to increase your odds. Don’t forget the spoil islands either early or late. Look for diving birds and there’s sure to be trout around. Most trout in these areas will be under 18” so fish as light as 6 lb. test with no leader. The redfish will be close to shore on the west side or under the mangroves on the east side. Johnson’s gold spoons top the list as the lure of choice.
Channel markers in the Indian River have been pretty dormant the past 6 months with big sheephead and tripletail being noticeably scarce. Hopefully, with the water clarity much improved, the river will come alive with the snapper, flounder, tripletail and goliath grouper reappearing. Further north, the Port Canaveral area (the tripletail capital of the world) has shown a big increase in the tripletail numbers which means they should be heading south soon. Around channel markers, start casting soft rubber baits or live shrimp on a jig head from a distance and work a 30’ radius around the piling. Finish off on the bottom, no more than 5 feet from the marker. Lift up an inch or two every 10 seconds. If you feel dead weight, count to 3 and set the hook. Tripletail are sure to run from the boat and towards the piling. Keeping the line from brushing barnacles is difficult but a must if you want to boat that fish. They are strong, ugly and ornery, but one of the best tasting fish you will ever eat and well worth the battle!
Big and Little Mud Creeks are the hot spot for tarpon between 5-8 a.m. Lots of unmolested tarpon lurk inside Big Mud with the yellow boom blocking the entrance. If the Creek is still closed, try fishing the entrance and the channel leading into Big Mud from the main channel. There’s nothing like seeing that giant silver fish leaping when he’s attached to the end of your line.
Good luck and tight lines!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436 |
Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2005 - 5:34 am: | |
April is a transition month with winter pompano, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on their way out, bringing an increase of baitfish inshore with tarpon and snook hot on their tails. Water temperatures both inshore and offshore will continue to rise – “summer’s not far behind”.
Offshore, look for cobia still hanging around inside 100 feet deep around wrecks and beneath giant manta rays. With more east winds around, weed lines begin to form making the area prime for you dolphin fans. Ricky Who ???. Look for a strong dolphin run in late April or early May with fish migrating north from the Keys. You cannot go wrong with trolled ballyhoo, allowing coverage of more ground than drifting live baits. The kingfish bite should be good in the 40-60 ft. range using greenies, sardines or dragging dead baits. There’s still a need a watch the weather in April due to traditionally strong east winds from time to time. Bottom fishing is always good in April (someone once told me never say “never” and don’t ever say “always”, but year after year it’s proven to be so.
In the surf, the biggest bluefish of the year will be terrorizing everything that moves. Look for fish over 12 lbs. both in the surf and inshore. Spoons, plugs, poppers and cut bait on the bottom seem to attract the most attention. Blues are excellent sport fish providing screaming runs on light tackles. There are still a few pompano around (mostly far away from the bluefish). Sand fleas still rule in the surf. Snook and tarpon will be cruising in the first trough, mainly in the dark hours near sunrise and sunset. Live baits, soft rubber or lipped lures work great! Windcheaters work extremely well when its blowing out of the east.
Inside, look for a definite increase in baitfish. Small greenies can be found right off the Stuart Causeway boat ramps with bunker under the quarter bridge at night fleeing from large tarpon just outside the shadow lines. Mullet will be cruising in the shallow grass flats. From the bridges , snook are still banging flair hawks along the bottom along with shrimp and mullet. Get those baits deep!!!
The trout bite is good in April with many fish under 18” around. Look towards the east side of the river near Herman’s Bay if the wind picks up. Otherwise, the west side should be hot with trout, snook and reds. This area along Indian River Drive should produce a fair number of inshore slams.
Tripletail season swings into full gear with most of them within 30 feet of channel markers and bridges. Live shrimp on a trollrite or DOA CAL and shrimp are my favorites and seem to be the tripletail’s favorites too. This morning’s trip proved very “hot” with the largest at 14 lbs. I encourage releasing any fish that’s not dinner for the night, but especially the ones over l5 lbs., insuring a population for the future. The minimum is 15” with 2 per angler.
Tarpon mania will soon be underway, with fish at the normal spots (just outside the channel south of the quarter bridge to marker 239, IRP channel, Club Med and outside Big and Little Mud Creeks). Don’t overlook the grass flats. There will be tarpon well over 60 lbs. tracking bait schools. Drifting live baits or sight casting with DOA silver and black baitbusters or rootbeer terrorize will hook you up!!
I’m looking forward to a great month of April fishing here on the Treasure Coast.
The days are getting longer, so get out there and fish!!!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436
|
Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 5:56 am: | |
March is here, bringing warmer weather to the Treasure Coast. Slowly our water temperatures will rise from the chilly 57 degrees that we experienced early in the year. Look for inshore fishing to improve dramatically, especially for snook that have been struggling to just stay alive. Pay attention this month to wind direction, which will dictate your fishing strategy. If it blows from the east, surf fishing and offshore can get “sporty” to say the least. Fishing inshore offers plenty of protected areas. As the water warms up, you will also notice an increase in baitfish inshore. Early morning flats fishing will resume so get those topwater lures ready!
Let’s start with inshore and work our way out. If history repeats itself, March could be an east shore bit zone with strong winds at times out of the southeast. Shallow water early in the morning will pick up, throwing topwater lures for trout and snook. Try to get up close to docks on the west side or mangroves on the east side of the Indian River. By 9:00 a.m., drop to 3-4 feet with soft rubber baits in the flats. I mainly use DOA shrimp and CAL lures. Throwing both light and dark colors will produce a feeding pattern. Water clarity can dictate choice in colors. If the water is dark, throw rootbeer shrimp. In clean water I prefer a lighter color such as a glow shrimp. Live shrimp on a popping cork is another great option. The main thing is slowing down your bait presentation. Plenty of species also roaming in the flats include pompano, flounder, jacks, bluefish, redfish, baitfish and many others.
Area bridges will be holding plenty of mangrove snapper, sheephead, black drum, pompano and everyone’s favorite – snook. The snook will be an early morning or night bit along the bottom. Gulfstream’s flair hawks or red-tail hawks, dragging slowly along the bottom seems to produce the best result. If you can find mullet or pinfish, weigh them down with a 2 oz. egg sinker with 4 feet of leader. Its amazing, but a crushed mullet head planted on the bottom is very attractive to big snook.
In the St. Lucie north fork, look for deep holes around river bends. Bounce a 3/8 oz DOA rootbeer terrorize along the bottom and hold on. Some of these holes are quite deep, so work that bottom machine. Each year the St. Lucie produces some monster black drum. A few weeks ago a 60+ pounder was caught at Sandsprit Park off the bulkhead! Black drum regs are 14” minimum, one over 24”, with 5 fish maximum.
The largest pompano will be in the River, responding well to Gulfstream redfish and shrimp jigs in the grass flats of Sailfish Point and deeper in Hell’s Gate area. From the quarter bridge on the Stuart Causeway, look for the pompano brigade on the southwest section of the bridge, throwing bullethead nylure jigs. When targeting pompano you can expect to find ladyfish, jacks and blue runners as well.
Look for a strong trout bite with the early morning bite coming alive. Also look in deeper channels in the Indian River like the Dolphin Grill and Anchors Aweigh channels. Sheephead will be thick in the St. Lucie Inlet. Get your bait to the bottom in a rocky area near slack tide (after high tide is best) using a ¼ oz. trollrite and a small piece of shrimp. Before clearing the detached jetty just south of the channel is an excellent bet. This area was not disturbed during previous dredging. The water on the north side near Sailfish Point is now much deeper than before and less rocky. Also just outside the north jetty you will find plenty of sheephead, snapper, spots and margates. Remember sheephead must be 12” to the fork with a 15 per angler maximum. On Catch 22 we don’t keep anything under 14” and only what can be eaten in one sitting. Of course some people have a larger capacity than others in one sitting. If you’ve ever cleaned a sheephead you know that a 12” fish is not worth the effort.
Tarpon should begin to show up just south of the Stuart Causeway to the inlet as well as further north around Nettle’s Island and outside Big and Little Mud Creeks. Live bait on circle hooks or sightcasting topwater poppers, DOA baitbusters and terrorize will get their attention. As we progress into the summer, the tarpon will get better and better. Last week tarpon were rolling near Club Med in the North Fork.
Most of the redfish have been concentrated north of the powerlines in shallow water. Reds are easily spooked, so keep it stealthy. Soft Rubber and gold spoons top the list. Further north into Fort Pierce and Vero north to the Cape have always been the most productive areas for big redfish.
I normally begin my assault on tripletail around this time of year. Channel markers and bridges will hold most of them. Soft rubber and live shrimp are the baits of choice. . Last year was a decent season ending with 145. Most of these fish until April will be under 6 pounds, with the summer catch averaging 8-12 lbs. Last year, on Catch 22, my anglers caught 8 fish over 20 lbs. Great rod-pulling action and super table fare. Remember the 15” minimum, and two per angler. I release all tripletail over 15 lbs which allows the big females to reproduce.
Let’s head to the surf, with bluefish and Spanish mackerel dominating the scene in close all day long. Cut bait (mackerel, mullet, ribbonfish) on the bottom attract the most attention. Normally 2 oz. will hold, but if the southeast wind picks up, 4 oz. may be necessary. Once you locate these fish, break out a small spinner, casting silver spoons or topwater lures for great fun. Don’t forget the steel leader for these toothy critters.
Look for large dark clouds in the water just outside the inlets and along the beaches. This is the time of year to play with monster jacks running 15 to 30 pounds. I ran a trip yesterday with one of my anglers hooking up to a 20 pounder on 12 lb test resulting in a half hour battle. Jigs, spoons and topwater poppers work great but nothing beats a live greenie. I would suggest beefing it up to 20 lb mainline or expect a good half hour battle on 12 lb.
Pompano will be out far, so break out the long rods. Double or triple kayle rigs with sandfleas, shrimp and clam strips is the prime choice for bait. When using these triple rigs, if you have a pompano on, let it set 30 seconds. Pompano run in schools, so why not catch 2 or 3 at a time! In the surf, expect a 2 lb. average, with the larger one inshore. There are plenty of sandfleas out there and it’s worth taking the time to get them. Nary a pompano can turn down a sandflea. For custom surf rods or any more information on pompano fishing, feel free to call my friend, Ward Woodruff, who is this area’s pompano guru. He can be reached at (772) 334-1708 and will be glad to answer any questions or build you that special rod.
Offshore should be great, with cobia topping the list. Last year’s bite was awesome. Large manta rays make their appearance this time of year and the cobia can be found cruising underneath them. It’s not uncommon to see a dozen cobia under a single ray. Keep your eyes peeled for these rays and have a Gulfstream cobia slayer ready to cast or add a chunk of cut bait or large grub tail to a large bullethead jig. If the cobia come to the top while anchored or drifting, toss them a DOA Baitbuster and hold on. When boating these fish, have a cobia club handy and a cooler open. I’ve seen some incredible damage from a thrashing 40 lb. cobia.
Dolphin should be in 120’ to 250’. Last year in March, there were plenty of dolphin in the 8-20 lb. class. There’s no sense in keeping any schoolies. At the rate of growth of these fish, by the end of summer they will be worth catching again and you’ll have yourself a “real” fish. It is really aggravating to see boats coming in with multiple school-sized fish. Down in the Keys (and some a little closer to our area), there are charter boats that pose with as many as forty 3-lb. dolphin. You’d think they would be embarrassed. There needs to be a legitimate limit on dolphin (say 28”) and watch the population skyrocket in one year.
Sailfish could be in really close, depending on the bait schools. Plenty of kingfish are still in the area, inside the 6-mile reef. On the bottom, large grouper and mutton snapper with some true red snapper have shown up north of the St. Lucie Inlet. South of the inlet to Pecks Lake, the Spanish mackerel are still in residence, hitting spoons, minnow jigs, tube lures, shrimp tipped jigs. In other words, just about everything!
Remember, with all fish limit your take, don’t take your limit !!!
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436
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Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 6:56 am: | |
Well, the New Year is well underway, the temperatures have been cold, but the trout action has been hot!.Let’s begin offshore and work our way inside. Look for plenty of sailfish action between 120 and 180 feet where the water is a bit warmer. Trolled ballyhoo, split-tail mullet or drifting live baits will get their attention. While fishing this zone, you can expect some dolphin to bend those rods. Inside 6 miles (30-65 feet) kingfish and cobia are a definite possibility. Don’t forget those stinger hooks on your live greenies and watch your kingfish catch skyrocket. February brings plenty of manta rays in our area. Under the rays are where to target some nice cobia. Have a rod rigged and ready to cast. I like using a 2 oz. jig with a chunk of cut bait or a large white grub tail attached. We cast 20 feet in front of the ray and let the bait sink. Cobia are great fun and fantastic table fare. Use extreme caution when boating them. Have a cooler open and ready when you bring them aboard.
Near shore, Spanish mackerel action reaches its peak. Capt. Joes Jigging Spoons, Gulfstream’s flash minnows, green and chartreuse tube lures, Clark spoons, white bucktails tipped with shrimp all produce. We played around and caught fish on beef jerky last week so what does that tell you! There’s no need to cruise all the way to Peck’s Lake. Just keep your eyes open for birds and baitfish on top, and there you will find the macs. It’s more fun fishing away from the pack and you’ll probably boat more fish. It also allows you to be more sporting, using 6-8 lb. test, producing longer runs and better fishing. If the action slows down, before moving to another area, try allowing your bait to drop 20 seconds before retrieving. Many times these macs will sit near the bottom. When I have smaller groups of 3 or less, I like to troll the area. This seems to lessen cutoffs . For you small boaters, check sea conditions before departing. This month can spark northeast winds in a hurry.
Along the surf, bluefish action will dominate the scene. Normally, 2 oz. will hold the bottom using cut bait (mackerel, mullet, ribbonfish) while casting in the first trough. Whiting will also be in close. Small crappie jigs tipped with shrimp, claims or squid will catch ‘em. Usually when the bluefish are biting, the pompano are hiding. If fishing for pompano, try long-casting triple kayle rigs with a combination of sand fleas, clams and shrimp. There are plenty of beach accesses in our area. If you pull up to one and the water looks dirty, drive north or south for cleaner conditions.
Inshore, look for calm water when things kick up. Aboard Catch 22, I spend many hours on the east side of the Indian River. Calmer water always holds more baitfish, making this zone very fishable. The trout bite in February is excellent. Topwater lures up close and shallow, fishing early, will result in some great action. The mangroves on the east side or docks on the west side in the Indian River hold some gator trout between 7-9 lbs. Later in the morning and afternoon stay in 3-4 feet or near the spoil islands, throwing soft rubber baits or live shrimp. I use a combination of live and DOA shrimp and CAL lures in the grass flats during the afternoon hours.
Snook season opens February 1st and the majority will be deep, near area bridges and seawalls. Big baits like Gulfstream’s flair hawks and redtail hawks along the bottom are your best bet. You can also plant a mullet head deep and let it sit. Eventually something big will inhale it. Snook regulations remain the same with a 26-34 in. slot, 2 per person. The season for those linesiders remains open until June 1st. Choppy conditions pump up snook, making them more aggressive. When the water temperature drops, slow down your presentation. Snook get lazy and sluggish in cold water.
Area bridges hold plenty of sheephead and black drum on the bottom. Frozen shrimp on trollrites are at the top of the bait list. Most drum in the Indian River run 4-10 lbs., but the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart historically holds bigger fish. Know your limits. Sheephead need to be 12” minimum from the head to the fork in the tail. Black drum must be at least 14” with one fish over 24”. Try the Indian Riverside Park dock for drum, sheephead and flounder. Fish the east end of the dock where its 6-8 feet deep. On the riverside, there’s plenty of action with flounder to 3 lbs. feeding on live shrimp along the bottom. Casting redfish jigs on incoming tide provides nice pompano action in this area too.
If you’re serious about flounder, take a ride north to Fort Pierce and fish the south jetty. Look for a sandbar and cast past it into the deeper water, dragging the bait up into the sandbar and watch the action. This month, flounder in the Sebastian area move south making the south jetty an excellent choice. Again, shrimp on trollrites work the best.
Last year tarpon made an early appearance just south of the Stuart Causeway and farther north just outside Big and Little Mud Creeks. It’s worth a try using live mullet, DOA terrorize and Baitbusters. In the grassy areas, a wide selection of trout, redfish, jacks, ladyfish, pompano, flounder, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are plentiful.
Tripletail remain scattered until March, but the first week of January produced 3 tripletail aboard Catch 22. Most of the early tripletail are under 5 lbs. but they still put up an excellent fight. We released 2 of the 3, all being well above the 15” minimum.
Want to load up on sheephead? Head to the St. Lucie Inlet and anchor up a half hour before low or high tide. This will give you about an hour of great fishing when the current is slow, allowing your bait to stay near the bottom. We fish ultra-lite on Catch 22, using 6 lb. test, with 12 lb. leader and small pieces of frozen shrimp on 1/0 quarter-ounce trollrites. Using a small hook and small bait will increase production. At high tide, look for a rocky bottom and you’re in the target zone. Marker #235 in the ICW is also a rocky area, holding plenty of sheephead in the winter.
Finally, Hell’s Gate in the St. Lucie and the Crossroads are hot on high outgoing tide. In Hell’s Gate, anchor up for pompano, mackerel and ladyfish or drift the Crossroads. The pompano bite has picked up in the inlet and near the quarter bridge. You can’t go wrong with sand fleas on the bottom. A buddy of mine caught 16 pompano last week near the house of refuge on late incoming using live fleas.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
(772) 225-6436
http://www.catch22fish.com
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Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 6:40 am: | |
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Cooler weather the past few weeks have kept water temperatures in the upper 50’s to lower 60’s inshore. I’ve heard of scattered pompano catches from a few of my commercial fisherman friends that search for pompano in the surf during the winter months, and some other reports from people fishing the bridges and flats, but nothing much to get excited about. One of the best pompano-fisherman I know says sand fleas have been easy to find and are the bait of choice. We have been catching a few pomps here and there but lately most of my trips have been 5 or 6 anglers which forces me to drift with jigs and shrimp rather than anchor up with sandfleas.
Speaking of the pompano fisherman, Ward Woodruff from Jensen Beach, is not only one of those commercial pompano guys, but he builds custom surf rods. These rods are beauties, one-piece 14’ lamiglass casting or spinning rods and can include your name, pompano decals or anything else you might want to include on your rod. The price of the rods at $185.00 is well worth the money. He also carries l-lb. spools of 15 or 20 lb. black mono to fill the reels with. Ward says that black line in the surf is a well-kept secret – oops, not so much of a secret anymore. His latest report is that the best fishing lately has been between North Hutchinson Island and Vero Beach. In the past month, his best daily catch was 26 pompano. At $5.00/lb. paid by local restaurants and fish houses, you can see why commercial fishing is not only a life-long dream but profitable too. You can contact Ward at (772) 334-1708 to order surf rods or line (or to just hear a good fish story). He’s got a great workshop and is always proud to show off his workmanship.
In the River last week, with trout season still closed, I’ve been running south, fishing different areas near the St. Lucie Inlet. At full high tide or dead low tide, I’ve been anchoring on the south side of the Channel about 200 yards west of the detached jetty. Water depth is around 9 feet with scattered rocks. This is the best time for bottom fishing using minimum weight (1/4 oz. Trollrites with frozen shrimp is the bait of choice). You can expect mangrove snapper, mutton snapper under 16”, sheephead to 4 lbs and an occasional pompano, black margate and lots of spots. Normally an hour in this spot is productive while the current is slack. Once the current starts cranking, it takes lots more weight, so Plan B comes into action (drifting the Inlet).
On the drift we hooked some snook, sheephead, mangrove snapper and big jacks. The Crossroads area has been holding a few pompano, ladyfish and jacks, with one of my anglers lucky enough to boat a 10 lb. permit in the same area. A couple of days last week were a real challenge with cold water in the upper 50’s and high winds. Sometimes the cold water leads to lockjaw. The good news is the water temps are back up to lower 70’s in the inlet.
During the week, I cruised the Sailfish flats a few times when the water was high. The pompano action was non-existent even though lots of boats were drifting the area. A few ladyfish, jacks and others in the area. Sooner or later the pompano action will pick up. I believe once the winds die down around Wednesday and the water cleans up, we will see a huge increase in pompano inshore. These fish do like the cleaner water. So far this year I have not seen any large crowds on the SW side of the quarter bridge. The pompano brigade took the holidays off but I expect to see them up on the bridge shortly. Looks like you need to park on the east side of the bridge with construction going on.
Spanish mackerel will remain thick around Peck’s Lake (2 miles south of St. Lucie Inlet). They should be in the area for about 3 more months, hitting Capt. Joe’s jigging spoons, minnow jigs, tube lures and various other shiny baits. They should be real hungry with no fishing pressure the last few weeks due to the high east winds.
Yesterday was a recon day and we played around using the ultra-lights in the grass flats throwing DOA rootbeer and glow shrimp for a few hours getting ready for trout season. For trout, fish early and remember 15” minimum size, 1 over 20”, 4 per angler. Trout season will find me running northward to find the “hot” spots. Many trout and small flounder were released that day. Up near Walton Road in shallow water, trout and redfish running 24” can be found just off the docks but the majority of fish has been up along the east side in calmer water.
Snook season re-opens in February, and March through October will be tripletail time. In 2004 we ended up with 140 tripletail with 10 over 20 pounds. Looking forward to a great year of fishing and hope to hear from lots of you anglers soon. The water quality has incredibly improved since the hurricanes. There are still some
Planks and 2x4’s floating around so keep your eyes peeled. I have noticed some lately in the St. Lucie between the 10 cent bridge and Sandsprit Park.
Again I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436
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Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 7:36 am: | |
Cannot believe it’s December already. The inland waters have really cleaned up mainly due to the stopping of water releases just west of us at the spillways. The Indian River actually has a green tint to her and you can tell by the increase in both baitfish and fish being caught. The trout bite remains very strong on both sides of the Indian River. I have heard reports of over 100 fish in 3 hours. Best time seems to be morning but fish can be caught in the afternoon with the temps dropping. Remember trout season is closed now and will reopen January 1st.
The pompano are slowly starting to show up in a few locations. The other day we spent an hour or so in the Sailfish Flats and did see a few skipping around and did manage to catch a few around 2 pounds. Tons of jacks in this area with scattered ladyfish action. I have noticed several boats anchored in the St. Lucie inlet on the outgoing tide waiting for the pomp bite but really didn’t see much happening. The inlet lately has been quite interesting with a variety of fish. Snook, redfish, flounder, jacks, and sheephead to name a few.
Outside the mackerel bite will remain strong into March or April of next year. Just have to get mother nature to cooperate. Capt. Joe’s jigging spoons remain my bait of choice. The larger macs have been on the bottom lately.
We have been doing some structure fishing at area bridges and some pilings with mixed results. Some days are great with snook, grouper, flounder, goliaths, drum and sheephead. Other days you really have to work at it. Guess that’s why they call it fishing!!!
Looks like I will be returning to my home marina on Indian River Drive February 1st. Right now they are pouring a new seawall and still have the new docks to go in. I would like to thank Dean over at Pelican’s Nest on 707 in Rio for offering dock space till my marina is finished.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436
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Capt. Bob Bushholz (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 9:12 am: | |
After getting hammered with 2 major hurricanes on the Treasure Coast this season, the inland waters are beginning to show signs of improvement. Finger mullet that simply refused to enter the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers weeks after the storms are now roaming our waterways. The west bank of the Indian River is loaded with baitfish and is a definite good sign. The water is still brown but salinity levels are slowly creeping up. The diesel smell is gone and I believe things will get back to normal real soon.
Starting in the grassflats, trout are all over the place and why not. Season closed November 1st . Sometimes I believe these fish read the Stuart News knowing it’s safe to enhale anything that moves and they will be safely released. We have mainly been throwing DOA glow and rootbeer colored shrimp in 3-4 feet along wi | |
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