This winter has been very active with lots of baitfish showing up inshore near the Crossroads getting chased by snook and monster jacks early in the morning. These bait-schools can be seen weaving through docks and on the edges of the flats. It’s a great opportunity to throw topwater flies and lures at the bait schools for explosions on the surface. We see this mostly during the first hour of sunrise with incoming tide. It’s also a great opportunity to cast-net bait on your way to the next spot..
The water has cleared up allot and the snook are being caught more back in the St. Lucie River along docks, seawalls, and bridges. The old oyster beds near the Roosevelt Bridge are loaded with jacks for fun with artificials. Back in the South Fork, I like to slowly trolling-motor the mangrove shorelines casting DOA CAL Jigs and Giles~Jigs for snook, trout, and redfish. This can be a good backup plan to escape the wind during the fronts in February.
Another fun option during the winter months can be bass fishing Lake Okeechobee. We launch the boat on the South side at “Slims Fish Camp” or on the North side at “C. Scott Driver Park” at the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Both the North and South Side of the lake have great fishing opportunities, but there is much more accomadations on the North side. During the winter, large mouth bass are caught along grassy clumps in the shallows casting Gambler Big EZ’s and dragging them along the surface. We also to well using Texas rigged rubber worms along weedy shorelines with deep drop offs.
The Spanish mackerel and bluefish are here for some easy fun casting jigs and plugs along the beach or down at Peck’s Lake Reef. Enjoy the rest of your winter and get ready for some early Spring-time action!