Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report

[Captain Joe Ward]

January 19, 2006

INSHORE - The inshore fishing has been good but nothing to brag about. Look for trout in 3 to 5 feet of water around the Spoil Islands to the north of the North Bridge and along the docks to the South along the Indian River Drive area. Soft plastic baits or live shrimp have been hard to beat. The catch and release snook action has been steady for anglers throwing feathers around the bridges and in the Turing Basin after dark. Bottom fishing has been good for sheepshead, black drum, croakers and sandperch around the bridges and docks along the Ft. Pierce Inlet. I did get reports of some nice redfish around the docks of St. Lucie Village but they were moving fast. Look for croakers and weakfish around the Sand Pit area -- once you find the fish they have been feeding good.

OFFSHORE - On the nice days there has been a lot of dolphin action with fish from 4 to 15 pounds being caught. They have been scattered from 100 to 300 feet of water. The sailfish bite has slowed down but there has still been some action in 100 to 140 feet to the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. The kingfish bite remains good around the 60 to 90 foot range and they have been taking live baits. There has been a good snapper and grouper bite around the Northeast grounds and also over the deeper reefs and wrecks. For some light tackle action try the closer reefs for a good spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish and pompano action.

TEEN ANGLERS - The inshore tournament for the local chapter of Teen Anglers was canceled again last Sunday due to the high winds and the cold temps. The next scheduled inshore tournament will be held on February 5th at 6:45am at Jaycee Park in Ft. Pierce. If you would like more info on Teen Anglers just go to the web at www.teenanglers.org.

If you would like to report a catch, call me at 772-201-5770 or e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.

Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters