Today’s forecast calls for mostly clouds, a high of 77 degrees, northeast winds at 8 mph and waves at 3 to 4 feet.

Our illustrious fishing guide, “Snookman” Wayne Landry, reports that the North Jetty remains slow, although some anglers are catching mangrove snappers on small live bait and pieces of cut bait. Most of the snappers, however, are too small to keep.

“The water temp at the inlet is down to 78 degrees as of this morning and most of the bigger snappers have moved out,” Wayne explains. “I saw a few nice-sized Spanish mackerel caught over the weekend, with a couple in the three-pound range, but most are 16 to 18 inches.”

Some bull reds were caught from the boats on live pigfish and a couple from the jetty on live shrimp and cut bait, he adds.

“The snook are still on a vacation. Only smaller fish are being caught. At the currently cooler water temperatures, the snook are going to be harder to get to bite because they like warmer water,” he says. “I call this time of the year the ‘transition’ from the summer bite to the winter bite. The water cools off and the warm water fish swap out with the cooler water fish, such as the bluefish, black drum, sheepshead, pompano and flounder. We just need them to show up!”

 Like the North Jetty, the South Jetty has also been slow due to the water being clouded from rain runoff and surf-tossed seaweed. However, a lot of small snook are lurking in the area, along with a few keeper-sized mangrove snappers. Wayne says nobody is talking about reds anymore, so they likely moved on.  

“Surf fishing has been pretty rough the last couple of days due to the nice swell we had coming in from the northeast, but the water is pretty clean,” Wayne says. “Snook are still being had with live mullet if you can find them. Also, with the cooler water temps, pompano and bluefish might be present as there are still some finger mullet coming down the beach for the blues, and possible Spanish mackerel.” 

 Wayne says he saw a few fellow anglers catching mangrove and vermillion snappers at the T-dock area, “but they were on the small side and not big enough to keep.” Keep an eye out for big jack crevalles crashing the bait schools The nighttime snook bite has tapered off, according to the bucktail folks talking to Wayne.

“The weather is nice, and the winds will be pretty light, so go out and wet a line” Wayne says. “Who knows? This time of the year you might catch that dream fish!! Tight lines everyone!”

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