Southeast Florida Forecast
January 03, 2024
By Capt. Jonathan Earhart
Capt. Jonathan Earhart predicts fishing trends from Wabasso Beach to Boca Raton, including Vero Beach, Ft. Pierce, Stuart, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth
Action Spotter Podcast
Jan. 3 Report Happy New Year my fishing friends! I hope everyone is enjoying the start of 2025. Fishing has been very good over the past few days inshore for pompano, sheepshead, blackdrum, snook, seatrout, jacks and the occasional flounder. Bottom fishing with shrimp will provide plenty of action and multiple species this month. Shrimp walker hooks also work well with larger shrimp for snook, black drum, redfish and pompano. Free lining or fishing a fish finder style rig with the shrimp walker hook combo will provide better bait presentation for those larger wary fish. Nearshore fishing has been great at Pecks Lake for Spanish mackerel when the weather allows us to get out. Find the boats, find the fish. Casting Tsunami 3/8 glass minnow jigs with a Quantum strive 3000 or 4000 size class rod and reel will allow you to cast multiple times without wearing out your arms in between passing schools of mackerel and bluefish while fishing at Pecks Lake. Smaller reels with lighter braided line will also allow you to cast further, allowing for more chances at multiple strikes before you get tight!
Photo courtesy of Capt. Jonathan Earhart Offshore fishing has been great for mahi this week. Deeper water has been better around weedlines and color changes. Trolling or drifting live baits around said weedlines will work best. Sailfishing has been hit or miss as of lately but any day now we can expect large numbers of migrating sailfish off the Treasure Coast. One to three sailfish a day has been the norm this week. Expect a few mahi, tuna, kingfish and a stray wahoo while trolling for sailfish. Bottom fishing has been good on the 6 and 8 mile reef for muttons, mangroves, red grouper and amberjacks.
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Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS Dec. 13 Report December fishing is in full swing. Cold fronts are cooling local water temps which means slowing your bait or artificial presentation for increased hookups. Pompano fishing has been very good this week around local inlets and along the Indian river on sandy shallow water flats. Drifting and casting pompano jigs is your best bet to locate these schooling fish. Expect some bonefish, ladyfish, flounder, jacks, and bluefish in the mix while targeting pompano. Nearshore the Spanish mackerel run is really starting to gear up near pecks lake. Casting shiny lures with a fast retrieve will yield plenty of bites. Find the boats find the fish. Offshore we can expect good action from migratory sailfish this month. Trolling in 90-160-foot depths will produce the bites while trolling ballyhoo with mullet dredges. Expect some mahi, tuna, kingfish, cobia and the occasional wahoo while trolling.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Earhart Nov. 15 Report Fishing this month we can expect to catch snook, tarpon, redfish, seatrout, pompano, black drum, sheepshead, snapper, Spanish mackerel, jacks and sharks. Snook fishing will taper off as we start to have cold fronts pushing down eventually cooling water temps. Mullet run is at its tail end but you can still have some decent days fishing live mullet this month. Snook and tarpon will be your best bet using live mullet as bait. If you can't find mullet for bait fish we like to use shrimp this month for a variety of species on the Indian River. Bottom fishing usually is going to yield the best results and don't be surprised if you catch some big snook while using shrimp fished on the bottom with light leaders and small weights.
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Sea trout fishing has started to make a comeback on the Treasure Coast, fishing around seagrass beds along the Indian River. Using DOA cals on a 1/8 oz to 3/8 oz jighead has been producing good numbers of sea trout this month in 2 to 5 feet of water. Also, fishing nearshore is known for great Spanish mackerel runs that will start this month and run through the month of March. Fishing south of St. Lucie inlet down toward Pecks Lake will yield good action for large schools of Spanish mackerel. Casting and retrieving shiny jigs at high rates of speed will generate aggressive strikes until your arms are sore. Expect some jacks and bluefish as bycatch also. Pompano fishing will be a popular activity off most local beaches using surf casting rods and sand fleas on pompano rigs. Tight Lines.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Jonathan Earhart Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
Sept. 12 Report September on the Treasure coast can be some of the season’s best inshore and nearshore fishing. Big snook, tarpon, jacks, ladyfish, seatrout, redfish and sharks are plentiful and hungry for migrating mullet as our annual mullet run takes place this month along local beaches and up and down the intracoastal waterway. Fishing around large schools of migrating mullet will get the bites you desire. Fishing live mullet on circle hooks and heavy tsunami fluorocarbon leaders will get the job done. Snook season is now open, which means one fish per person per day with a 28"- 32" min & max size limit.
If you're keeping a slot-size snook I suggest bleeding your fish while it's alive, this will drain almost all of the blood from the filets, this will enrich taste and you will notice the filets will actually be much whiter when you go to filet the fish.
Tarpon fishing has been good around deeper channel edges using larger live mullet and live crabs. Heavy tackle recommended as these fish are running XXL this week. We landed one this week close to 140 pounds. Heavy tackle with heavy leaders will allow you to catch the fish faster and ensure a quick safe release without tiring the fish to the point of exhaustion. Nearshore fishing along local beaches has been awesome for snook, tarpon, sharks and jack crevelles. Find the mullet, and the predators will be close behind.
Double snook. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Jonathan Earhart) PREVIOUS REPORTS Aug. 15 Report August is a great month for fishing on the Treasure Coast. Inshore, snook fishing has been excellent early morning and late afternoons. Live bait fishing has been your best bet using live whitebaits or larger croakers for big breeder snook during the summer spawn. Fishing around the local inlets or along local beaches are providing good action for large schools of snook, oftentimes you can sight fish said schools. Pick off the lead fish so that you don't spook the whole school right away, this will enable you to catch multiple snook without making the entire school wary of your presence.
Photo by Capt. Jonathan Earhart Tarpon fishing is also heating up this week along local beaches. Again sight fishing the lead fish will be your best bet. Live mullet or crabs will get the job done. White hogys will also work well if you prefer to cast artificials. Offshore has been decent for sailfish, mahi, cobia and plenty of mutton snappers this week. Sailfish are holding good in depths of 90-160 feet. Live bait trolling or drifting is producing the best action with mahi, cobia, bonita, kingfish and tuna mixed in. Bottom fishing remains strong on the 6 & 8 mile reef for mutton snapper using long leader rigs and white baits.
Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
Photo by Capt. Jonathan Earhart Updated July 11 Fishing this month is off to a great start. Inshore our snook spawn is taking place currently from Lake Worth to Ponce Inlet. Good amounts of spawning snook are concentrated around local inlets and along local beaches near structure. Use heavy tackle as the predators seem to be bothersome this month. We have had multiple shark and goliath grouper encounters while trying to catch spawning snook over the past few weeks. Tarpon fishing has been great along the beaches from Lake Worth to Sebastian. Fish large chaining schools of tarpon and cast to the lead fish, and hold on! Threadfins, mullet and crabs have been working well. Also, try a white paddle tail swim bait for constant hookups. Permits are around; just need to find where they are staging offshore right now. Lots of crabs are flushing out of local inlets so scoop up a few and drift them around your favorite permit hole for some morning or afternoon fun. A few redfish, black drum and the occasional cobia are mixed in while fishing crabs nearshore or offshore this week. The sailfish bite is red-hot offshore right now in 90-to-160-foot depths. Live bait fishing is working best this week. There are a few mahi, blackfin tuna and kingfish mixed in as well. Snapper fishing has been excellent when the tides are not ripping. Red snapper season is open July 12th. Lets go!! It’s one fish per person for one day this year. We have been seeing some larger fish to 20 pounds in 140 feet of water this week.
Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
Photo by Capt. Jonathan Earhart June 13 Report It's starting to feel like summer here in SE Florida. Warm air and water temps have larger predators more actively feeding this month. Inshore fishing has been great for oversized snook and tarpon this week. Snook fishing local inlets from lake worth to ponce inlet has been holding good concentrations of spawning snook this month. Large live or dead baits fished on the bottom will yield plenty of bites. Tarpon fishing is also heating up from Lake Worth to Sebastian along local beaches and inshore along deeper channel edges. Live mullet or crabs are producing the bites. Nearshore fishing has been stellar for kingfish, jacks, snapper, permit, sharks, goliath grouper, and sailfish. Fishing around bait schools are providing anglers with a diverse selection of predatory fish as of lately. Offshore has been good for sailfish, mahi, kingfish, wahoo, & tuna. Depths from 70-360' have been best around varying conditions. I've seen some wahoo caught this week up to 87 pounds locally and some nicer mahis caught north of Ft. Pierce in 140-160'. Let's go fishing!
Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
May 1 Report May is prime time for snook in Southeast Florida. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Jonathan Earhart) May is prime time for snook fishing here on the Treasure Coast. As we approach the summer snook spawn, expect to catch bigger snook as the month progresses. Live bait fishing around structure is key. Pilchards, greenies, pinfish, croakers, & mullet are all working well for snook, jacks, tarpon, redfish, & inshore snapper as of lately. Artificials are producing snook and tarpon at night around local bridges. We can also expect to catch some very large jack crevelles this month both in the rivers and along local beaches near shore. These large schools of jacks are very easy to see from a distance. Cast live bait or artificial to the lead fish in the school and hold on! Nearshore fishing will also present some great opportunities this month for tarpon, permit, kingfish, sharks around bait fish schools. Offshore this week we are seeing good numbers of mahi migrating along the treasure coast near weed lines and color changes or random drifting debri. Trolling or drift fishing with live or dead bait is working well. Some cobia, sailfish, bonita, blackfin tuna, kingfish, & the occasional wahoo are in the mix when targeting said mahi. Bottom fishing has been hit or miss for grouper but the season is now open so take advantage by dropping a large live bait to the bottom on the 6 or 8 mile reef. Remember to reel them in quickly as the sharks have been bad lately. Check your local regulations for size and bag limits on the fish rules app. Bottom fishing for snapper should also pick up this month for large mutton snapper and larger mangrove snappers in 70- 120'. Long leaders and live or dead sardines on or very close to the bottom will work best.
Capt. Jonathan Earhart www.chaosfishingcharters.com
