December can be great as the water temps cool down and some migrating fish species show up in the river and along the beaches. The Spanish mackerel and blue fish are always fun and easy fish to catch along the coast between the St. Lucie Inlet and Peck’s Lake Beach. They also show up inshore near the bridges and Crossroads. The best lures for catching them are Gulfstream Flash Minnows, Spoons, and Got-Cha Plugs. You can always chum up the mackerel with glass minnows to keep them feeding behind your boat as long as you want.
The snook have moved further back in the St. Lucie River in search of warmer brackish water. The 10 Cent Bridge and Roosevelt Bridge are the two best spots to try for them during the winter. They mostly position themselves down low near the bottom close to bridge channel fenders and abutments. For artificials, we use First Light Jigs, Giles Jigs, DOA TerrorEyz & Shrimp. Cast these lures up-current and bounce along the bottom close to structure. The dock lights can be great in December for catching snook as they feed on minnows and small shrimp. This is a fun option for fly-fishing with a 7 or 8 weight fly rod and casting any small minnow fly pattern.
Lots of anglers like to target pompano in December and there are many strategies to try for them. Cruising the flats for skipping pompano can produce the best numbers but takes the most work and luck. Basically, drive all over the Indian River in 3-4 foot depth covering as much area as possible while looking back for pompano “skipping” in your boat’s wake. Have rods ready with sand flea chicken rigs and cross your fingers. Some other strategies are wading Sailfish Flats with a fly rod or spin rod using clousers and jigs. Lots of pompano are also caught jigging the Stuart Causeway Bridge’s West section with incoming tide. And of course, surf-casting is a great option during incoming tide, using sand fleas, clam strips, or FishBites flavored bait. Some popular beaches are Hobe Sound Beach, Tiger Shores, and Jensen Beach.
