Week of October 24: Wind and waves, but look for snook, redfish, black drum, sheepshead and others
The forecast: Look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 80 degrees, NNE winds at 13 mph and three to five-foot seas. Sunny or mostly sunny the rest of the week.
And now for Wayne “Snookman” Landry’s weekly fishing report: Good morning, fishing fans out there, I hope everyone had a great weekend with this cooler and drier weather. Fishing at the inlet, overall, has been fairly good, even without the mullet masses we experienced earlier. More have been arriving the last few days, so keep an eye out for another potential mullet run, which isn't unusual for this time of year. Winds have dictated where to fish to escape them and the rough surf.
North jetty: NNW and NNE winds at round 15 to 20 mph, with higher gusts and big waves made fishing wet and uncomfortable for most, but those who ventured out and fished had a mixed bag of species. Early morning and late evening high tides have been producing many snook and redfish. Live pigfish, pinfish and shrimp are the baits of choice. I also saw and heard reports of nice Spanish mackerel last Wednesday and Thursday on live greenies. Also, I saw a few black drum and sheepshead taken at the tip of the north jetty on live and dead shrimp. The drum were in the 18 to 22-inch range, and the sheepshead around 12 to 14 inches. I saw anglers catching pompano early last week on ocean side, low tide on ‘goofy’ jigs. Folks were also catching jack crevalles, blue runners and some ladyfish on any bait tossed out there. The water has been a bit dirty over here from all the runoff, and the winds have blown in a LOT of seaweed again. Over the weekend, I saw mullet showing up again - coming down the beach. Big ones and several schools of finger mullet.
South jetty: Here, the word is snook! The early and late incoming tide has been the best. Use live pigs, pins and mullet. The outgoing tide is very dirty and the blue runners, jacks and catfish have dominated the bite at the tip. There are some snook and reds being caught for those knowing the best fishing spots.
Catwalks, both sides: The North side is still closed. AT the South side there have been sheepshead caught on live fiddler crabs and small pieces of frozen shrimp. Black margates and some undersized mangrove snapper have been caught as well around the pilings and the fenders on both tides.
T-Dock area: When I chatted with folks last week, they were catching some Spanish mackerel, blue runners and jacks on small jigs and spoons on both tides. Around the dock pilings, sheepshead are taking up residence and can be caught using live fiddler crabs - their favorite bait, but they’ll eat small pieces of frozen shrimp as well. Small mangroves are still around, but most are too small to keep. Along the shorelines back here, I saw boaters, both drifting and anchoring, and landing really nice snook and redfish on the outgoing tide using live pins and pigs for bait. Remember, the redfish are still only catch-and-release.
Surf, both sides: The surf has been blown out by high winds, seaweed and a 3 to 5-foot seas. If you can find clean water at high tide, expect to find some whiting, Spanish mackerel and possibly a pompano or two. The cooler water is drawing them, but it just needs to calm down a bit and clean up.
It is supposed to calm back down this week, but it is fall and you never know. Grab your gear and head out to the inlet or the beach. Enjoy the Florida outdoors. Cheers! - Snookman