South Indian River Fishing Report

[Captain Charlie Conner]

November 23, 2006

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Inshore:

Where did that cold front come from this week? I had to check my drivers license to make sure I hadn't woke up in the wrong state! We were out on Tuesday and it was cold....cold....cold..... But as always in Florida, it's gonna warm up by the weekend and looks like great fishing weather ahead.



Cody with a snook caught on the flats....

If you could find a place out of the wind there were fish to be caught. Last weekend was great fishing just before the front came through. I had Dave and Cody Howard out with me and we caught a variety of fish. Cody with a little help from dad, caught trout, redfish, snook, flounder, jacks and ladyfish. We had a great day out there. The weather was fantastic!



Cody battling another fish on the Indian River flats....

Jim Witham was with me Tuesday and we struggled to find a place out of the wind most of the day. We caught redfish, mackerel and jacks in the places we could find. Later in the afternoon, the wind finally eased up and we found a small school of reds around the mangroves and Jim pulled a nice 27" redfish from the island. We had a great day in spite of the weather.



Jim with a 27" redfish caught along the mangroves....

Look for the redfish to be on the flats once the sun rises and starts warming up the water. They have been going shallow by mid morning and that seems to be the best time to fish for them. Soft baits, gold spoon or live bait should be the best options. Round Island and around some of the docks have been holding redfish of late.

Snook anglers have been slowed down this week. Some reports of snook being taken and even some slots, but it has been quite a bit slower this year so far. We keep waiting fof it to take off any day. The best areas are still the turning basin and bridges, with shorts being taken around the mangroves. Dave Howard lost a nice size around the mangroves that would have been close to slot, but we did get a few shorts anyway.

Bridge anglers are enjoying sand perch, sheephead and black drum catches this week. Most are using live or dead shrimp for bait. The inlet is holding lots of jacks, spanish mackerel and bluefish, while there are whiting and some pompano being taken off the beach. We did see several pompano in the river this week, so look for that to pick up soon.

Tip of the Week:
This is one of those weekends that will be super busy on the water. Lots of people off work for the weekend and after stuffing yourself full of turkey, many will head out on the water. This is a weekend to practice courtesy, patience and safe boating habits. It's gonna be crowded, so lets all have a fun and safe weekend!

From my family to everyone, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby, it's an ADVENTURE!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Capt. Charlie Conner

www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com