Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | Fishing Report for
January 1st, 2007
"Happy New Year"
First I would like
to wish everyone a Happy New Year !! Along the Treasure Coast in
January, water temperatures play a major role when fishing shallow
water. Like offshore, a degree or two can make the difference between a
slow or successfull day. When water temps drop into the low 60's or
upper 50's,there are several things anglers can do to increase their
odds of catching and not just fishing. Keep an eye on your temperature
gauge for changes. If you notice warmer water, stop and give it a shot.
Concrete seawalls and bridges tend to hold heat so hit those structures.
Also fishing deeper holes is a good idea. Target the inlet areas where
warmer ocean water is present. Some days the water just north of the
Jensen Beach Causeway can be as low as 57 degrees but if you travel
south to the inlet, you will notice warmer water up to 14 degrees !!
Finally, slow down your presentation. Fish get sluggish when cold.
Remember these tips and it will make you a better cold weather angle! r.
Starting in the grassflats, trout season opens January 1st. Early
morning topwater plugs, soft rubber and live shrimp work great. As far as
rubber baits, I like to throw a combination of DOA and Gulp shrimp using a
SLOW presentation. Mixed in the flats this time of year, expect to encounter
some pompano, flounder, ladyfish, jacks, bluefish, mackerel, redfish and
snook. I always keep my eye out for skipping pompano when idleing around in
manatee zones.
The Jensen and Roosevelt bridges will see lots of action from landlocked
anglers. Seems like the pompano brigade have relocated to the Jensen
Causeway since the new Stuart Causeway bridge has been built. Jigging bullet
head nylure jigs, bannana rigs and sandfleas planted on the bottom will
attract the pompano mainly on late incoming or early outgoing tides when the
water is cleaner. There are two new fishing docks located on the southwest
corner of the crossroads in Rocky Point near the St. Lucie Inlet which are
open to the public. This is an excellent location especially in the winter
where warmer water is normally present.
The Sailfish Flats near the house of refuge is a busy place this time of
year and plenty of action with leaping ladyfish, scattered pompano and
bluefish. Closer to the spoil islands, look for trout and redfish in the
early morning. Along the east bank there are plenty of docks that hold
snapper, sheephead and black drum. Some boats anchor up here fishing
sandfleas on the bottom for pompano. However, most anglers including myself
prefer to drift. This allows you to cover the entire area. Many times fish
here will hold in certain areas and you really need to scout around and find
them. It seems on windy days, this area really picks up due to the fact that
you are covering so much ground in little time.
In the St. Lucie Inlet itself, anglers will anchor up to intercept
pompano. Triple sand flea rigs is the norm here. I do a lot of drifting in
the inlet all year long. We mix it up with live shrimp, soft rubber baits,
shrimp tipped jigs and live mullet and greenies. Around the south shoreline
near the mouth of the inlet, flounder and mackerel are sometimes present.
Its shallow and rocky here so bring plenty of rigs.
Finally, the Spanish Mackerel bite will be in full swing near Peck's
Lake. For those of you who have not tried fishing here I suggest you give it
a go. You can fish as light or heavy as you wish. I suggest between 8 and 12
pound mainline. These fish will be hitting tube lures, jigging spoons,
minnow jigs, silver spoons, shrimp tipped jigs, flys. When the macs here are
thick, I have caught fish using beef jerky!!! Most weekends can get very
crowded here so be respectfull and bring your patience.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
(772) 225-6436
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