The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies today. Highs in the mid-80s with east winds 6-9 mph. Seas 2 feet with a dominant period 9 seconds.

Last week, our stalwart fishing guide, “Snookman” Wayne Landry told us how cloudy water was keeping the baitfish away. This week, he reports that fishing has picked back up again with clearer water and plenty of baitfish, greenies and pilchards cruising around the North Jetty.

“Mangrove snapper are back, but most of them are small with a few keepers being caught,” Wayne says. “The Spanish mackeral showed up again with quite a few being caught last week. Several were really nice sized, around 18 to 20 inches, 2 to 3 pounds.”

Anglers are also catching 5 to 8-pound Cubera snappers on the jetty with live and dead majorras. Some are also using majorras to catch redfish ranging between 28 and 30 inches. There are plenty of jacks and blue runners present as well. The daytime catch-and-release snook bite has slowed quite a bit with the bite coming at night now on bucktail jigs with fish averaging 34 to 40 inches. Snook season opens Sept 1st with the size limits being min 28 inches and max being 32 inches, with the tail pinched, with only one fish per person per day bag limit.

South Jetty: Wayne says the bite here has been pretty slow as the water is still cloudy and weeded up from the southeast winds and the swell. 

Surf fishing is improving with baitfish showing back up. Tarpon, jacks, snook, Spanish mackeral and sharks can all be present when you find the bait. Wayne has seen quite a few large schools of mullet running down the beaches and around the jetty, adding that, “hopefully means the fall mullet run maybe going to start.” 

 Offshore: Kingfish are still a good bet from just offshore all the way out to 130 ft.  Fish are averaging 8 to 12 pounds with some 30-pounders being caught. Try slow trolled strip baits and live baits for these beasts. The mangrove snapper bite is still happening with most of the fish being caught in 65 to 80-foot range. Use cut and live baits. Fish are still averaging 3 to 8 pounds. Sharks remain a menace on the reefs, which can be a good thing if you fish them. Sailfish are also a possibility out in 150 ft of water and beyond. Look for the temperature breaks in the water and birds and the weed lines. 

With snook season opening on Wednesday and plenty of folks fishing from boats and the jetty, please remember that a little courtesy goes a long way. As the sign at the north jetty reminds us: “The jetty was built to aid boaters in navigation through the inlet and to provide public access onto the deck. While using the fishing deck, please yield to boaters until they pass safely through the inlet.”

Please, please, please send us your pics!  We need photos and stories to include in upcoming fishing reports.  Our new public information associate, Ed Garland, is chomping at the bit to feature you with your catch. Don’t wait! Do it now! Send in a picture and the details of your fishing trip to the inlet by using the Contact Form on our website.  Pictures work best vertical and if you center the person with their catch, leaving room on the sides. Ed will make you an inlet celebrity!