Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | Fishing Report for
October 4rd, 2004
'Stuart
"Hurricane Capital Of The World"'
October is here
bringing along a few changes, both in weather and fishing possibilities.
The St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon and coastal waters have taken a
beating since early September in water quality due to the Hurricanes. I
will be fishing deep as possible to find the salinity in the water. I just
launched my boat yesterday and will be docking at Pelican's Nest Marina on
SR 707 in Rio until my home marina ( AA marina) is back and running which
may take several months. The first hurricane (Frances) launched a palm
tree across the bow of my boat taking out the port side railing. I
consider myself lucky because when the tree came down, it landed on a seat
support which actually held the tree up from doing more damage.
On to fishing----Starting in the River, mullet will still be around,
bringing with them predators of all species. Redfish, trout, snook, jacks and
tarpon will be having a field day on huge schools of baitfish. Normally we see
an increase this time of year with northeast winds driving the majority of
baitfish to the calmer east side of the Indian River. Look for large bait
schools and cast just outside of the schools throwing your favorite lure or
live bait. Lures should "match the hatch". Black and silver is the color of
choice. DOA baitbusters and swimming mullet, Yozuri crystal minnows, and Gag's
Mini Mambos are a few that deserve mentioning. If fishing with live mullet,
try trimming ½" off the tail with a pair of scissors which forces the mullet
to swim erratically, thus drawing more attention as a wounded bait rather than
just blending in with the school. When wading or fishing open areas the best
tackle is a 12-lb. mainline with a 2' 40-lb. fluoro-carbon leader with live
bait and a circle hook. Apply the hook near the top dorsal for topwater or
hook them in the tail, which forces them to swim deep and away from the
angler. Circle hooks work great as long as you remember not to attempt to set
the hook. Simply reel slowly to allow a perfect hook-up.
Area bridges will hold big snook, so beef it up to 20-50 lb. mainline with
80 lb. leader. These fish need to be turned quickly to avoid those guaranteed
break-offs when they head for structure. Pompano should be showing up in the
grass flats and near bridges. In the flats, Gulfstream shrimp or redfish jigs
tipped with a small piece of shrimp work well, bouncing or dragging along the
bottom. South of the Stuart Causeway the last three hours of incoming tide is
the best. Pompano like clean water and that's where they will be found. >From
bridges nothing beats a nylure jig. Just vertical jig it with a slow retrieve
bouncing on the bottom. Where there are crowds of anglers bunched up on the
southwest side of the Quarter Bridge, it's a sure bet the pompano are in and
biting. The tripletail action slows down on channel markers until spring, but
look for an increase in sheephead and flounder.
In the surf, bluefish and Spanish mackerel can be caught casting silver
spoons or bottom fishing with cut bait. Whiting and croaker are at your toes
in the first trough and respond well to light tackle using shrimp or squid.
Break out the 14' rods, long-casting for pompano. Sandfleas on triple kayle
rigs work best. Remember, two rods per person in Martin County is the limit.
St. Lucie County north allows a 4-rod max. There will still be mullet cruising
along shore, so look for tarpon and snook to be in hot pursuit. When you see
the mullet school, cast out diagonally, working the first trough area. The
results can be some rod-bending excitement.
Offshore, the sailfish bite should be good with plenty of large residents
still around and hitting on live greenies and sardines. Kingfish and cobia
should appear in around 40' with wahoo and dolphin a good possibility chasing
trolled ballyhoo. In closer near Peck's Lake (2 miles south of St. Lucie
Inlet), look for Spanish mackerel. Silver spoons, glass minnow lures and tube
lures always seem to attract their attention. Of course they won't turn down a
shrimp tipped jig either. If it shines, they'll hit it. Line weight max should
be 12 lb., with a 30 lb. mono leader produces lots of action, but expect to
lose a few rigs to those toothy critters. You can also try an 8" thin steel
leader which minimizes cutoffs, but the visibility of the leader also
minimizes the hookups.
Looking back over the past few years, our water quality has bounced back
around this time, but we also weren't faced with the major fresh water
releases that began in early October. Hopefully history will repeat itself and
Mother Nature gets a chance to recover. If left alone she always seems to
rebound. Our ecosystem each year is stressed to the max with the water
releases. I hope everyone faired well during the storms and looking forward to
getting things back to normal again.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
(772) 225-6436
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