Fantastic wahoo bite closes out 2021 - Palm Beach Post

Offshore

Off the Jensen Beach area, heading slightly south, there has been a good dolphin bite in 160 to 200 feet of water. They have been hitting trolled ballyhoo.

The nearshore reefs in the area, in 20 to 40 feet, have been producing decent action for sheepshead and lane snapper with a few muttons in the mix.

Lane and vermilion snapper are being caught at the six- and eight-mile reefs.

At Pecks Lake, the bite for Spanish mackerel has been excellent. Gulfstream Flash Minnows, Got-Cha plugs, spoons and tube lures are all working. If they seem a little sluggish, chumming with some glass minnows will get them fired up and hungry.

Fishing inside the high bar off of Jupiter, Capt. Bill Taylor said the inshore rocks have been loaded with lane snapper the past few days.

There have also been good numbers of muttons in the same area. One client on the Black Dog was having incredible luck catching five, that were all in the 17- to 18-inch range, using an eighth-ounce jig with a small squid strip.

Off Jupiter, the water has been so incredibly clear that Capt. Bill Taylor said they can see the bottom and the king mackerel swimming below. Though they have caught a few, the clear water combined with almost no current has made fishing for them challenging.

The wahoo bite off Jupiter has been really good the past two weeks. High-speed trolling using Ilander lures or big plugs has been working well.

Not wanting to jinx anything, but the sharks have not been too bad off the Jupiter area.

From Palm Beach to Boca Raton, the wahoo bite has been good as well. Not just good in the past week, but for several weeks in a row they have been hammering baits. Though they are mostly being caught in 180 to 250 feet they have been caught in as shallow as 90 feet and out as deep as 450.

Some are on the smaller side in the six- to 15-pound range, but there are bigger ones as well including a 58-pounder caught off Boca this week. They are hitting lures and live baits, including ballyhoo, goggle eyes and blue runners. It has been best in the mornings.

The sailfish bite off the Boynton Beach area has been consistent. Pilchards and goggle eyes, fished either from kites or on the troll, have been producing good results. Look for the rip and color changes in 90 to 300 feet.  

The king mackerel have been scattered and small with fish up to 12 pounds being caught on drifted sardines.

There have been quite a few African pompano caught with nice fish from 24 to 34 inches. They are being taken on small, drifted ballyhoo chunks and plugs as well as live baits. They have been caught on the bottom in 90 to 120 feet off the reef ledges as well as on some deeper wrecks.

Working the reefs off the Boynton area in 45 out 115 feet, the snapper bite has been decent. There are good numbers or yellowtails being caught and although most have been small, there are keepers. Muttons up to 10 pounds have been caught.

While snapper fishing look for cero mackerels. Got-Cha plugs, small vertical jigs and sidewinder jigs are working.

Whether it's a monster or a minnow, if you've got a good fishing photo send it to us at eritz@pbpost.com

Inshore

Working the channel markers and crab trap buoys in the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers has been producing a good bite for tripletail.

At the 10-cent bridge, anglers are reporting getting sheepshead, black drum and croaker using live shrimp on a jig head.

There is a decent snook bite in the St. Lucie River and around the power plant. They seem to be preferring shrimp presentations, especially on cool mornings, but have been hitting small pilchards as well. D.O.A. shrimp or paddle tails have been used with success.

Spanish mackerel are being caught at the Stuart and Jensen Causeways and at the St. Lucie Inlet.

Along the Martin and St. Lucie County beaches, the pompano bite has been hit or miss. When they are hitting, it's Sandflea and Yellowcrab Fishbites.

Along the beaches in Jupiter, the Spanish mackerel bite is in full swing. Surf anglers and anglers working the near shore from boats are getting them on spoons and small jigs.

The pompano bite has been good with schools moving through in spurts. Working the beaches, the Jupiter Inlet and from the Juno Pier, anglers are finding Doc's Goofy Jigs to be the most effective bait. 

At the Boynton Inlet, anglers have been catching small mangrove snapper on cut mullet and snook on the incoming tides using small pilchards.

In the Intracoastal Waterway, concentrated between the Boynton Inlet and the Lantana Bridge and the Lake Worth and Southern Bridges, there have been Spanish mackerel and bluefish. They are being caught trolling spoons and on yellow jigs.

Also around those bridges, the pilings are holding good numbers of sheepshead. They are being caught on live crabs and clam strips.

For past reports and other fishing related information click here

Lake Okeechobee

The spec fishing has been fantastic with the early mornings and late afternoons being the time to hit it. Right in front of the pier and the Indian Prairie Canal have been the hot spots. They are being caught on jigs with white lightning, fire and ice and lilly working best. Lots of anglers are getting their limits.

The bass fishing has been OK. It has definitely been easier to feed them than fool them as live shiners are working more than anything artificial. If going with an artificial, however, Senkos in dark colors have been providing some success. King's Bar, Tin House Cove and Monkey Box have all been good areas.

All fishing report information courtesy of Alec at the Snook Nook in Jensen Beach, Black Dog Fishing Charters, Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter, Capt. Bruce Cyr and Garrard's Bait & Tackle in Okeechobee.