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Captain Bob Bushholz | "Tripletail Time"It's been over two weeks and the winds are still howling, making offshore fishing next to impossible. Even the local big party boats haven't been out lately. Fortunately I fish inshore where stiff winds out of the east are knocked down by Hutchinson Island. Last Tuesday I drove down to Islamorada in The Keys, spending three days, and was able to fish twice on the headboat "Miss Tradewinds" out of Whale Harbor. With currents ripping it was difficult to hold bottom, so we ended up fishing inside the blue water, catching a mixed bag of yellowtail, mutton snapper, triggerfish and others. Prior to my journey south, fishing in this area had been spotty. The action in the St. Lucie Inlet remains on the slow side. The high winds prevented any chance of fishing near the detached jetty. I've tried drifting the inlet once or twice and then deciding to move on. The Crossroads seem to be holding some fish, but nothing to get excited about. Sailfish Flats has been pretty quiet up until yesterday. The ladyfish have reappeared after a three- week absence and they always provide a great show and lots of bent rods. Further north the trout bite remains excellent. Just make sure you fish early. By 9 a.m. the action is pretty much over. The east side of the Indian River is the easiest area to fish due to the gusty east winds and holds the majority of bait, but the west side is showing more fish. DOA rootbeer and glo shrimp, along with live shrimp are attracting the trout. Last week the Miller family caught a few trout in the 4-6 lb. class, but the majority ran 15-18". Needless to say, they were happy with the results. Some snook can be found in the flats from 5-8 a.m. on both sides of the river, but nighttime is by far the best, with the 10-Cent and Roosevelt Bridges holding the most fish. Action on the channel markers is finally picking up. If you can get the bait past the lane snappers and grunts, you'll find jack crevalle, flounder, sheephead, black drum and tripletail. We boated three nice tripletail last week running 4, 8 and 13 lbs. DOA's CAL lure has been working great along with my "old faithful" bait (live shrimp on a trollrite). Tarpon are scattered near Big and Little Mud Creeks and the Crossroads. The most tarpon action has been reported in the North Fork near Club Med. If the wind ever dies down, the beaches should be hot next month for snook and tarpon action in around 20 feet, but don't forget, snook season closes at midnight May 31. Over all, things are beginning to pick up and the water conditions look favorable for a great summer of fishing. Remember, fish hard but stay cool! Courtesy doesn't cost a cent. New pictures are now on my website. Click on fishing reports, then click on "Fishing pictures are here". I will be updating these 10 pictures every month. |
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