May 2023

As we approach the gauntlet of the summer months we are starting to see the snook spawn in full swing. Snook will gather in schools in the inlets and shallow bars as they get ready to produce the next generation of snook. Similar to April the snook fishing has been outstanding. Almost every single bar is lined with snook with some redfish mixed in as well. May is my favorite time of year to fish Sebastian Inlet and the Indian River Lagoon. The Indian River is still very clear because we haven’t reached the peak rainy season yet. During the summer months with rain almost every day, it can stain the water like a sweet tea color. With the clear water it can make it challenging to entice one of these larger Snook to feed. They don’t get big being dumb! We tend to lighten our leaders and use smaller hooks which allows us to get the bite.

Once we transition into a full summertime pattern and the sea breezes are minimal it allows us to run the beaches in search of big Tarpon, Jacks, Snook and kingfish. June, July and August are when I will be running most of my trips off the beach. The fish tend to move from the bath tub hot River water into the cooler ocean water. This allows us to fish for numerous different fish and enjoy beautiful scenery on the beaches of the Treasure Coast.

Some Trophy Catches of May:

April

Due to being out everyday, I’ve gotten behind on some reports. April is a transition time for fish. They are now pretty much out of their winter homes and moving onto shallow water bars and flats. These fish have been very lethargic all winter long and are warming up to feed. These next couple months are going to be the best snook fishing this year has to offer. The snook are getting ready to spawn and are gorging themselves on baitfish to fatten up. The snook are hanging in less than 2 feet of water in schools of 5-20 fish. These snook will range from 35-43”. During my trips this April we got our hands on many big snook. A lot of 40” mark fish were landed to happy customers. This is one of the times of year we can target only the big snook. While the rest of the year it is a mixed bag of fish.

NFL Player Catches 1st Snook

I was excited when Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals reached out to book a trip to target snook here in Sebastian Inlet. Upon talking we ended up making a game plan to fish south at and around Fort Pierce Inlet. The trip was booked for a Saturday and sometimes it makes it really difficult fishing Sebastian Inlet with all the boat traffic.

We Launched out of Vero Beach and drove south along the Indian River. Is was one of those glassed off mornings. We arrived at our 1st stop a short time later. We sat on a big school of snook that just weren’t hungry so we made a move to catch a tide else where. Well I’m glad we did because we were doubling up and catching snook for the next hour or so. Both Trey and his good friend Zach landed their first snook and both were able to take one home for dinner. We had an awesome time and Trey looks to come back in April to hunt down some of the big ones!

March 2023

With one of our warmest winters from memory providing consistent temperatures in the mid 80s allowed the fish to warm up early. This time of year the fish are transitioning from their winter stays into the shallow sandbars and flats in the Indian River. This is a great time to start targeting fish in this shallow water. From now through May these fish will stage here until the summer heat drives them into cooler waters.

Pictured above is some of these trophy snook I like to target in the spring months. These fish are some of the biggest in the state. There isn’t many places you can target these big female snook in shallow water. This is a very unique fishing experience especially when these big fish are laid up in less than a foot of water. Most snook fishing is found around the inlets and bridges but here we have a very special fishery that allows us to target big snook in shallow water. These fish are very powerful and very smart, a quiet stealthy approach is what entails a huge bite explosion. This is the closest thing to big game hunting as it gets. The best part about this time of year, you are able to get away from the busy inlets and find yourself tucked away on a mangrove shoreline awaiting your fish of a lifetime.

This is a time I look forward to fishing the most and is a great time to plan a trip. I’m typically covering the area from Fort Pierce Inlet to Palm Bay. I like to travel to the best fishing I’m always able to accommodate where you are staying.