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+--- Thread: Stuart Inshore Report: 08-12-03 (/showthread.php?tid=60377)
Stuart Inshore Report: 08-12-03 - catch22 - 08-12-2003
Fishing the past few weeks has been decent. Some really great trips mixed in with other slower ones. The problems we have been dealing with are a combination of cold offshore temperatures and water releases from the lake that has really dropped salinity levels south of the Stuart Causeway. The inlet area is still holding plenty of catch and release snook and tarpon. Some guides are planting dead mullet on the bottom during outgoing tide. Some real bruisers in the crossroads running 150 pounds! Yesterday my morning charter fished the inlet for about an hour with two snook (17 & 18 lbs) along with a mixture of Spanish Mackerel, lookdowns and mangrove snapper over four pounds. The cold water offshore has pushed mutton and mangrove snapper along with grouper inside the inlet and along the beaches where temps are more stable. When fishing the dirty water, try keeping your baits down where the salinity is greater. Tomorrow, it’s recon day so I plan on fishing these snappers and groupers that have come ashore. The plan is live and frozen sardines on the bottom. Bait is an easy find with greenies in the surf around the House of Refuge or run 21/2 miles ENE to the sand pile for sardines. Should be able to bend those rods on bonita and cudas in this area. Last week with calm seas, several of my charters played in this area with great success.
The early morning trout bite remains steady with action on both sides of the Indian River till 9:00 am. Topwater up close to shore is hooking the larger ones with live and DOA shrimp in 3-4 feet catching the numbers. Also in the grassflats are flounder, jacks, pompano, bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel. It’s the middle of summer but don’t tell these winter species. I believe the cold water offshore has
these fish . Bridges are still holding mangrove snapper, black drum, goliath grouper and increased sheephead. Some really nice tripletail the past few weeks with 2 released over twenty pounds. Total for the year is 92 with only eight more to go for that “magical 100”. My advise is finding clean water or fish deep when in the brown stuff. I really don’t see water management stopping these releases in the near future. Waters north of the Jensen Beach Causeway to Fort Pierce are in much better shape. Offshore, find the warmer water. This would be an excellent time to fish the “boils” right outside the nuke plant.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
http://www.catch22fish.com
(772) 225-6436