Stuart Area

[Captain Kevin Drennan]

This fall has been very windy making it difficult for a lot of boats to fish offshore. The past week and a half has been no exception until this weekend. The Stuart area has had two sailfish tournaments this past week. The first one lasted two days and only released 42 fish. The second lasted three days and 108 fish were released. These competitors fished in very sloppy conditions that would have kept most boats inside. A fair amount of dolphin were caught along with some blackfin tuna. The Spanish mackerel bite south of the inlet has been unbelievable. We caught 75 fish in a couple of hours yesterday trolling Gulfstream glass minnow lures and Clark spoons. The anglers were a father and his 9 year old son. It is a great time for kids because they do not get bored because the action never stops. Close to the beach, bluefish and mackerel are being caught on cut baits and spoons. Look for kings in 60 to 80 feet .Pompano are being caught at the crossroads and on Sailfish flats. The Roosevelt bridge is holding some large snook as well as black drum and sheepshead, I saw a large black drum caught there yesterday as we were going by. There are also some nice mangrove snapper at the bridges as well. Snook are being caught on live mullet as well as trolled bombers in the north fork of the St. Lucie river. We have boated several this week and also lost some big ones. Remember that snook season ends December 15 so get in on the action now. More later.
Captain Kevin Drennan