Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | Fishing Report for
July 29th, 2004
"Dog Days"
As August nears, expect
much of the same weather pattern (HOT!). So far this year, the majority of
the rain has remained west of I-95 with easterly breezes keeping most
storms inland. But, don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Keep
your eyes peeled if fishing in the afternoon. The last thing you want is
to be caught in the open water when the lightning starts flying. The
inland waters by 10 a.m. have reached 89 degrees. If you are targeting
trout, get out there early (5-8 a.m.) with your favorite top water plugs
in shallow water. After that, back off to 3-5 ft. with soft rubber or live
shrimp. Most of my charters this year have departed at 8:00 a.m. with an
average of 4-5 people fishing, so I have been staying away from the
shallow grass for the most part. I found out many years ago that fishing a
large group in shallow water after 8:00 a.m. doesn't produce good results.
Trout can spook easily and having 5 people casting is like setting off
hand grenades. I did have two early departures last month with small
groups and did really well with trout over 8 lbs., jacks and ladyfish.
The water quality inshore has been excellent. There are areas where you
can see bottom that could not be seen for many years due to the Lake
Okeechobee discharges. We have been fortunate the last several months with few
or no discharges, but that could change any minute unless the pressure is kept
on the politicians to "keep our water clean". As you go north in the Indian
River, between Nettles Island and the Power Plant, visibility is unbelievable!
Remember the area in the general vicinity of marker 209 is a slow current zone
located right between St. Lucie & Fort Pierce Inlets. The reason is that as
you near the power lines, the current changes direction (you are now picking
up the Ft. Pierce Inlet current flow). Once you're north or south of the area,
you'll notice some more water flow.
Structure fishing so far this summer has been great, keeping up with last
year. Last week I noticed a decline in baitfish (glass minnows) around bridges
and markers. Diving birds and porpoises have been a rare sight. This is not
uncommon. Each year you will have slow periods lasting a week or so. I'm sure
things will pick up shortly. My charters up to July 20th pr produced lots of
flounder, tripletail, snapper and black drum and made fishing very exciting. A
combination of live shrimp (if you can find them), frozen shrimp, or a DOA or
Glo & Root Beer lures have worked best. We did release two tripletail over 20
lbs. in July, both caught on a pearl DOA CAL lure. In the deeper water (around
bridges) several snook to 12 lbs. and Goliath grouper under 10 lbs. are
inhaling ½ oz. jigging spoons. It's amazing how many goliaths are inshore.
This year alone we have released over 80. (REMEMBER, both species are catch
and release). Capt. Joe Massaro from Stuart designed some spoons about a year
ago and let me tell you, "they work well". You will want to stock up on that
tackle for the winter mackerel and pompano bite as well. The spoons hold up
great to the toothy Spanish macs. You can contact Capt. Joe at 772-286-0702.
Moving to the St. Lucie Inlet, tarpon & snook are the targeted species.
Pick up live baits outside on sabiki rigs and anchor up or drift with circle
hooks. Snook season is closed until September 1st, so catch and release a
"few" fish and treat them gently. Each year you'll notice boats around the
jetties targeting these spawning linesiders. Do yourself and the fish a big
favor and don't target them all day. They are here for a reason - to spawn -
not to be hammered by "so called sport-fishing anglers" that cannot catch a
snook when the season opens and they're not sitting ducks.
Outside the rocks along the beaches, tarpon, jacks and permit are
possible. Don't be surprised to see cobia in close also. Last week we released
two "cobes" under 33 inches, keeping one 20 pounder. When spotting cobia on
top, try a pearl DOA shallow running Baitbuster.
The ocean has been cold most of July, with cold up-dwellings present. I
have gone over a few pockets at 73 degrees. The bait situation lately has been
decent with plenty of sardines and greenies around. Just because you see 100
boats in one area doesn't mean everyone is catching bait. Most times it's
counter-productive. A small school may surface and within 5 seconds there are
10 boats spooking them. Try running outside the boats and load up on a school
of your own. Remember, there might be a nice sized kingfish under the bait.
Inside 60 feet, the bonita have been plentiful with scattered kingfish and
cobia action. I've been outside a few times resulting in some decent catches.
Stay Cool,
Capt. Bob Bushholz
(772) 225-6436
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