Pompano, snook bite beginning to turn on in Jupiter

Offshore

Off the Jensen Beach area, anglers are saying that live baits, including threadfin herring, pilchards and goggle eyes, on kites, are working a bit better for sailfish and dolphin. Trolling is still producing bites, but just not quite as good.

Up around the power plant, there have been some nice blackfin tuna caught. That area should start seeing more permit and cobia in the coming month.

Off the Loran Tower and up toward Fort Pierce, the mangrove and mutton snapper bite has been good for bottom fisherman. Live baits on the bottom or grunt plugs are working best.

Off Jupiter, the fishing has been good when conditions allow for going out. The winds are currently forecasted to settle down on Friday and Saturday and turn more northwest, which should greatly improve boating conditions.

They are finding nice-sized dolphin. Fish up to 20 pounds are being caught trolling ballyhoo or squid from the dropoff out to around 300 feet. They have all been singles and are not traveling in schools.

The banded rudderfish bite in the area has picked up considerably with a few driftboats reporting getting their limits. The uptick in banded rudderfish is usually a good indication that more cobia will be moving through the area.

There have been a few big king fish caught off Jupiter as well as a couple of wahoo in the 20- to 30-pound range taken during last weekend's full moon.

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Fishing the waters off the Boynton Beach area, Capt. Geno Pratt had a pretty amazing morning on Tuesday.

Trolling a mix of ballyhoo, skirted bonito strips and rigged swimming mullet in 150 to 300 feet of water, they had four sailfish releases, boated two wahoo and caught six dolphin, one 30 pounds.

Capt. Bruce Cyr said they have caught a few king mackerel and a couple of cobia in 115 to 300 feet. They all hit sardines drifted on one- and one and half-ounce drift rigs.

Yellowtail snapper, grunts and porgies have been hitting squid and sardine chunks fished along the reefs in 40 to 60 feet.

A few small schools sardines and greenies have been spotted hanging around the Boynton Inlet.

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Inshore

Along the bridges and docks in the St. Lucie River, the snook bite continues to get better with plenty of slot and overslot fish being caught. In this area, live pilchards and croakers are producing the best bite. Stuart Live Bait has pilchards right now and the Snook Nook expects to have live croakers by the weekend.

Up at middle cove, there's been excellent action for trout with even a "gator" or two being caught. Live shrimp on a jig or popping cork or a Monster 3X Shrimp lure will get it done.

Along the St. Lucie and Martin County beaches, the pompano bite is holding steady with Electric Chicken Fishbites working best. Bring the big rods as the action is still happening 70 to 90 yards out.

Also in that area there are still good numbers of whiting and croaker being caught in the first trough. Pink Shrimp Fishbites in combination with pieces of shrimp are producing results.

Along the beaches in Jupiter, at the Jupiter Inlet and at the Juno Pier, the time is right for pompano fishing. 

From now through the end of April, schools of the delicious pan fish will be migrating from south to north and moving through the area. The key? Be there when it's happening. Pompano jigs and Fishbites will work and, though they been relatively rare in the area lately, sand fleas work very well.

Around the docks and bridges along the Loxahatchee River and Intracoastal Waterway, the bite for snook is getting really good. Pete Schulz at Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter said this time of year they love to hang out in those areas and wait for the migrating mullet and other baitfish that are moving through. A one-and-a-half- to two-ounce Gulfstream Red Tail Hawk, slowly bounced on the bottom, is pure gold right now and will be for several weeks.

Putting in at Lantana and working his way north through Lake Worth and West Palm Beach, Capt. Pat Smith said the water was very dirty on Monday and Tuesday. 

Working the docks, they did manage to catch a few snook using D.O.A. TerrorEyez and a couple of big jack crevalle, including a reel-screaming 25 pounder, on live mullet.

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Lake Okeechobee

The cool front that passed through the area late Sunday has slowed the bass bite down some. That said, working the inside edge of the grassline, in the early mornings or late evenings, has been productive. Flippin' and pitchin' black and blue creature-style baits or either Senkos or Speed worms, also in blacks and blues, has been effective.

The crappie bite has backed off a bit. Anglers working the deeper areas of the Kissimmee River with minnows are still having some good luck.

Lake Osborne/Ida

On Tuesday, Capt. Pat Smith had his clients into excellent numbers of peacock and largemouth bass. Working the docks and other structure along the Lake Osborne and Lake Ida chain, they were getting hits using live shad as well as throwing flies. Capt. Pat added that they are beginning to congregate around structure ahead of the spawn.

All fishing report information courtesy of Alec at the Snook Nook in Jensen Beach, Pete Schulz at Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter, Capt. Pat Smith, Capt. Bruce Cyr and Garrard's Bait & Tackle in Okeechobee.