Good morning, fishing along the Treasure Coast is starting to fall into its spring pattern. I've heard reports the last few days of good catches of sea trout in the Indian River and dolphin offshore.
I received a good report from my friend Jon Meade. He was fishing north of Harbor Branch in the Indian River. DOA CAL baits were the preferred bait of choice. He was sending me pictures of the sea trout he caught. It seemed as they got bigger and bigger as the day went on. He was looking for redfish, but they weren't cooperating. You can expect to start seeing more and more action in the Indian River as the water temperatures rise. Snook, redfish, and sea trout will be on the prowl in the shallower water looking for prey. Topwater plugs will be the preferred artificial bait in the early morning hours, and as the sun gets higher in the sky you can switch to jerk baits.
I received an email last night from Doug Shearer who informed me of some dolphin (mahi-mahi) they had caught. They reported catching several dolphin in 180-220 feet of water out of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The biggest dolphin in the picture I saw looked to be about fifteen pounds. They were as excited to have a big family dinner with their bounty as they were excited about catching them. Great job guys!
If anyone is still wondering, the inlet is open for vessels that draft less than fifteen feet. They will have to close it again when they attempt to extract the sunken barge. I heard that work will be done next week. Lets hope it doesn't interrupt any good fishing days!
Thanks for reading,
-Geoff