Sunset falls near the Intracoastal Waterway in Jupiter. Excellent fishing is coming soon to a dock nearby.
November 05, 2025
By Mark Ambert
The Barefoot Mailman—that legendary beachfront postal carrier of the late 1800s—wouldn’t recognize his old route. Urbanization long ago replaced the trackless coastal wilderness which defined the lower Florida peninsula. Today, the stretch between Jupiter and Miami is chock-a-block with condos and strip malls. The inshore waters—where you can manage to access them—are channelized and fragmented from the once contiguous Everglades.
And yet, stretches of what we now call the Intracoastal Waterway here represent a diverse landscape with plenty of opportunities for fishing. From mangroves, docks and bridges to flood-control spillways and high-speed boating zones, finding the place to start can be daunting. The good news is that most areas like Boca, Deerfield, and Lake Worth share some similarities. And, despite the ubiquity of ”No Trespassing” signs, there are some parks and public boat ramps from which to access the waters.
A kayak ‘cuda catch is always fun. ICW Planning A good topographical map such as Top Spot Fishing and Recreation is essential to finding access points and areas that hold fish. It can be rewarding and productive targeting new areas on a map. Where I predominantly fish, I use map number N214 which covers the Jupiter to Stuart area. Using this map, or another like it, will allow you to quickly target potential fishing locations within the range associated with your mode of transport (shoreline casting, kayak or motorized vessel).
Once a starting point has been identified, cross reference a good tide table. Bear in mind that tides can vary significantly based on location and distance from an inlet. Most tide data sources provide only a reasonable approximation of when high or low tides may occur in your area; with a deviation of up to +/- 90 minutes, and possibly up to 2 hours, in some cases.
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Now that weather, tides and general water conditions have been established, call or visit a local bait and tackle shop before heading out. A local shop can help tremendously narrowing down your choices for baits and lures depending on target species. Fish Rules is a must-have application when targeting various species to determine size limits and seasons.
The Setup My main outfit is a 7-foot medium action rod like the Penn Carnage and a Penn Battle 4000 size reel with the HT-100 drag system providing the stopping power. For line I use 20-pound braid with a 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and attach a Rapala X-10 swimming minnow in ghost finish. This is my go-to setup for scouting large areas of water until feeding fish are located. Beef up your rig accordingly when targeting big fish around structure. I replace the hooks on my lures with 4X strong Stinger trebles from Owner, Mustad or VMC. This adds the holding power needed to stop big fish heading for structure.
Top Spot Chart (portion of N214, here) is one resource the writer uses to dial in on fishy waters in South Florida. The Ride One of the best ways to explore South Florida’s inshore opportunities is kayaking. For me, it’s the mode of transport that makes most sense when targeting backwater species.
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Propeller drive systems available in kayaks such as Native and Old Town , or fin drives like the Hobie Mirage models, are ideal for backwater fishing. I picked my Native Slayer Propel 10 Kayak specifically for use in coastal inland waters, rivers and tidal creeks. This type of fishing requires immediate responsiveness in and around bridges, piers and private boat docks. Here, swift handling, a shallow draft and pinpoint positioning can be the key to success. I selected the 10-foot length for ease of handling in tight quarters. Especially handy is the “instant reverse” achieved by pedaling backwards. These kayaks are light, stable, quick to launch and easily maneuverable.
For increased range of travel, a flats or bay style boat and electric motor to access skinny water is an asset. Kayaking after dark, if you plan to try that, carries some added safety risks. The installation of a bright LED stern light and use of a good headlamp when fishing after dark is essential to see and be seen. I also use reflective tape on the bow and stern of my kayak. For personal safety a belt-pack-style PFD with safety leash can be a good compromise between safety and convenience.
Having the proper landing tools like a quality folding net and a gripper, such as a Boga Grip , is a must, especially with the noticeable increase in shark activity within the ICW waterways. With a stout leader, flip smaller fish into the boat or kayak by grabbing the leader just below where it joins the mainline. For larger fish use the Boga or net. Do not put your hands or feet in the water around fish – especially at night!
Targeting Fish Scouting for local hotspots will yield results. This includes docks, bridges, seawalls and newly restored mangroves--any place ideal for an ambush and especially with deep water nearby. Begin targeting these areas during the day to get familiar with the fishery. The first steps to scouting the flats, grass, oyster beds, mangroves and shoreline is to search for moving bait based on tide patterns. Where there’s bait, feeding fish will be present.
When fishing along the mangroves, I prefer an outgoing tide that’s at least halfway out. This moves bait and bigger fish from under the overhang into the trough that develops in front of the mangroves. Fish will use this dropoff as a highway which congregates bait being washed out from under the shoreline growth.
Because snook are ambush feeders, you can capitalize on the boat wakes by timing their arrival at docks, pilings or seawalls and casting to the structure right after. The wake throws smaller fish into disarray and the confused baits become easy targets predators can’t refuse.
I also like to fish the breaks in protective seawalls along the mangroves casting close to this structure. My go-to-lure for this type of fishing is the Rapala Twitchin Minnow . In extreme skinny water, a topwater lipless plug can’t be beat.
Moving out to the deeper navigation areas in the Intracoastal Waterway, there are three distinct areas to fish: close to the shoreline structure, the first distinct drop off and the deepest part of the channel. When scouting I adhere to the “20 minute rule.” If nothing is biting after that period of time, I move on.
The writer lined up a full moon, the mullet run and a favorite lure to score a whopper dock snook. Exploring the Night Bite When venturing out around dusk, you will notice a definite pattern. Once the dock or bridge abutment lights come on, it’s like ringing the dinner bell—baitfish along with snook, jacks, ladyfish and the occasional tarpon show up to feed. I am targeting familiar bridges, but only during the week when boat traffic is at a minimum. I wear an inflatable life jacket and always use a safety flag and lights when fishing at night.
Start your fishing around dusk. When approaching bridges, look for any lights used to mark the abutments. Fish both sides and on both the outgoing and incoming tides. With snook, current is everything. I like to target the three-hour window covering a tide transition. Either low to high or high to low tide—snook will usually sit with their noses into the current waiting for bait to be swept by. Vary between a moderate speed steady retrieve and a fast twitch retrieve to induce a strike. Keep the lure swimming just ahead of the current. I like larger, big profile lures when targeting bridges and deeper drop-offs. Flair hawks (Gulfstream Lures) or similar, fished close to the bottom, work well. Day or night, a slow retrieve along the shadow line at bridges and abutments is best.
When fishing dock lights, I use a size 8 Rapala X-Rap with the belly treble hook removed. I also swap the rear hook for a 4X strong alternative.
Fishing the Loop I had just finished what I call “the loop”—a favored group of lights, seawalls and channel inlets along the ICW that I fish regularly and without a bite. Normally, in this area I like to fish swimming lures with an outgoing tide and in the same direction as the current. Without a single bite, I began the reverse trip to capitalize on the new changes direction. I altered my retrieve as now the lure would be swimming into the current. I have learned from experience that reversing direction and retrieving your bait like it’s injured, slowly crawling it against the current then letting it flutter back, can trigger a vicious strike.
On this night, that proved the case with a 32-inch slot snook and a 20-pound jack that nearly spooled my 4000 series reel. The combination of the strengthening water flow and a change in direction triggered things. Same lure, same spots just an adjustment to direction and technique.
Additional Choices What of times when large schools of bait are present, but the use of live baits isn’t producing? Switch to an artificial designed to get their attention. Top choices include some infamous producers like the Strike King Sexy Dawg , Heddon Super Spook and the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil . Use a “walk the dog” retrieve for explosive strikes.
For stick baits, my absolute favorite lipped plug is the Rapala X-Rap in Ghost. I have spent countless hours watching bait swim through underwater lights and to me, this lure best imitates that motion. A close second is the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow. I like both natural and ghost finishes.
You can never go wrong with having some variation of the venerable hair jig in your arsenal. A white bucktail is both old school and productive. Tipped with a small piece of shrimp, this combination can be deadly especially bounced along a drop off or channel edge. Include a pre-rigged soft plastic shrimp or a swim bait and you’re set.
Natural Baits When baitfish are in abundance using artificial lures can make it difficult to compete. Some good choices include finger mullet (during the run), large live mullet or fished dead on the bottom (try a dead crushed mullet or mullet head for bigger fish), croakers and pinfish (summer), any white bait in season such as pilchards or greenies, and live shrimp.
When fishing live bait from a kayak, you may want to invest in a bait cooler like the Hobie Livewell Bait Tank V2 , Frabill Magnum Bait Station or the Engel Live Bait Cooler . Another alternative is cut ladyfish in 1- to 1 ½-inch pieces. Cast against the mangroves or alongside bridge abutments and deep channels using the correct amount of weight and let it drift close to bottom with the current.
If I’m dropping bottom for bigger fish, I upsize my outfit to a Shimano SpeedMaster conventional style reel in a 12 or 16 size with 80- or 100-pound braid. These reels have 40 pounds of max drag and paired with a Penn Rampage 7-foot, 6-inch 100-pound-class rod have the stopping power. Don’t be surprised if you hook into another frequent ICW dweller—the mighty grouper!
