Treasure Coast Fishing Forecast - April 2019 April is here on the Treasure Coast and brings Spring conditions to the area. Mild temperatures and windy days will be the norm this month. Fishing will be very productive as bait fills the river and the fish are hungry. It has been a mild winter and I am always excited to welcome Spring back again. Have fun and enjoy the fishing! The grass flats will be active with trout and redfish. I love using a DOA Deadly Combo in April to locate the fish. There will also be pompano cruising the deeper flats. Doc’s Goofy Jigs are great pompano lures when they are in the river. Mackerel, bluefish and jacks will be plentiful around the inlets and channels this month. Small shiny lures will find you some action. April will bring lots of opportunities to the area. Snook fishing will continue to be good this month. Inlets, bridges and sea walls can give you a good chance at catching a slot fish. DOA Bait Busters, feather jigs, live pilchards or pinfish are all excellent choices for snook fishing. There are many great areas to fish so plan on getting some fishing in this month. Bridges will continue to hold sheephead, jacks, bluefish and some black drum. The sheepshead were in early and many have already left the river. The warmer water this year has progressed things earlier than normal, but there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Docks will hold the same fish and an excellent chance at hooking up with a redfish. The surf will hold whiting, pompano and a host of other fish feeding on the bait schools along the beaches. April is the first month that fish can enjoy all the many baitfish schools and they will be feeding heavily on the schools around the flats. With the mild winter the water temperatures have remained mild and will be warming up more this month. Expect lots of action all around the area and enjoy fishing in April. As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!! Good Fishing and Be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

March Fishing Forecast Inshore: March always comes in like a lion! You can expect windy days, but much warmer as we transition into spring. Chances of rain are on the increase so watch the weather and plan your adventures carefully. Water temps will be on the rise this month and you can expect lots of exciting action around the Treasure Coast. Trout will be moving onto the shallow grass flats as the sun warms things up. Try a DOA Deadly Combo or live shrimp on a popping cork to locate trout. A DOA CAL will also work well this month. Look for redfish to be around mangroves and docks. A DOA shrimp is always a good choice for reds. Sheepshead, drum and snapper will be along channel edges and docks and willing to take a live shrimp. Snook fishing will pick up around the inlets, bridges and docks. Live pilchards are a favorite bait in March. Mackerel, bluefish, jacks and many other predators will be coming in with the tides and feeding around the inlets and channels of the river. Small shiny lures work best for these fish. Pompano are in the river and along the surf and willing to take a Doc’s Goofy Jig, shrimp or sand fleas. They usually can be found in channels and deeper parts of the flats in March. We have had great success on croakers the past few years. There will be nice sized fish in the river and along the beaches feeding with whiting. They are fun to catch and super to eat! Spring is almost here already. Winter wasn’t so bad even though we complain about it. It’s a good time to check equipment. Both fishing and the boat should be checked a few times a year to make sure everything is in good working order. Some of these windy days will provide a good chance to check rods, reels and safety gear for when good weather arrives. Have a great March in 2019! As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!! Good Fishing and Be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

Inshore: February has been a warm month with some record highs in many areas of the Treasure Coast. It has been a mild winter so far and Spring is almost here already. Water temperatures are in the low to mid seventies and the fish have been biting. Windy conditions are the norm this time of year so plan your fishing accordingly. Look for the rest of February to continue with these conditions. Variety has provided us with some awesome days lately. I guess the best bite has been sheepshead which is typical this month. John, Wayne and Carroll were out with me this past week and found them cooperating. The guys caught over thirty sheepshead and most of them in one spot. Tim and Emily were out with me also and found a good assortment of fish in spite of the winds picking up that afternoon. Some nice drum along with sheepshead, lots of bluefish & mackerel and many other fish to make for a fun fishing day. Lillian, Mary and my wife, Eva, joined me for a quick morning trip. Again the variety makes for some fun fishing. The croaker bite has picked up with some nice sized fish out there. Great eating and they give a good fight. Look for structure to be very productive this month. Sheepshead, drum, snapper and lots of other fish can be found around bridges, docks and channel edges. Bluefish, jacks and mackerel will be coming in with the tides and chasing bait. Tim and Emily caught lots of them on bare jig heads. Snook have been biting around the jetties, bridges and sea walls this week. Our trout have been in deep cuts this week. Redfish are hanging around mangroves and docks. The pompano are still in the river on the grass flats in three to five feet of water. Enjoy the fishing the rest of the month and get out soon. Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE! Good Fishing, Captain Charlie Conner

February Fishing Forecast Hard to believe that Valentines Day is just around the corner… Don’t forget your sweetheart and enjoy the fishing this month. Winter is well established, and you can expect weekly cold fronts to blow through the area bringing windy days and cool temperatures with them. Water temps will fluctuate this month and you must adapt to the changes for better success. The trout bite has picked up and we are seeing more sea grass growing on the flats. I like to use a DOA Deadly Combo when looking for sea trout. Look for redfish around docks and mangroves. We have already had good success finding redfish this year and it should prove to be another banner year for them. Snook fishing will be best at night around the bridges and jetties. Live bait or a DOA Bait Buster will be good choices. Sheepshead are plentiful this month. You can find them along with black drum and snapper hanging under docks or along channel edges. Live or dead shrimp always works well. It has been a good bite so far. Pompano can be found along beaches, in deeper areas of the grass flats and in channels. Doc’s Goofy Jigs are great for pompano with live shrimp and sand fleas good choices, too. Mackerel, jacks, bluefish and ladyfish will all be coming in with the tides and small shiny lures will work best for them. We have enjoyed more normal winter weather and the fish bite has been good for us. Winds will still be blowing and the water will begin to gradually rise in temperature. Fishing your lures slowly will certainly give you more action on the river. Fish tend to be sluggish in the colder water. Be willing to fish deeper water if the temps drop below 68 degrees. Working your lures or bait slower along the bottom will give the fish more time to react to it and will result in more bites for anglers. Have fun this month and get out fishing Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE! Good Fishing, Captain Charlie Conner

It has been awesome weather so far in January! Days can be windy and cool, but overall it has been beautiful on the water. Water temps are in the mid 60's lately and that usually means deeper water for better results. As the day warms up, you can fish shallower water when the fish move up onto the grass flats. Expect those weekly cold fronts to move through the Treasure Coast and keep the water cooler this month. Winter is a short time for us and spring will be here soon. The Treasure Coast Casters had their monthly tournament and the kids all had a great time. You can go to their Facebook page for the results of the tournament. If you have kids or grandkids in school who love to fish....check out the Treasure Coast Casters! The kids have a wonderful time and learn boating and fishing and have a good chance at winning some super prizes and trophies. I had Nick and Bruce this month. The boys caught lots of fish, but they were all too small the check in. Lots of black drum and snapper along with a nice trigger fish and red grouper to add to the catch. Everyone had a fun day! Look for trout to be on the grass flats as the water warms up in three to five feet of water. Our redfish have been hanging under docks along with drum, sheepshead and snapper. Channel edges and bridges have been good for snapper, sheepshead and drum. Mackerel, jacks and ladyfish have been coming in with the tides. Offshore has been good for sailfish when you can get out. Bottom fishing has also been good when the seas allow. It's winter....so you have to work with the weather for best results! Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE! Good fishing! Captain Charlie Conner

South Indian River Fishing Report 1/15 January has been much kinder to us this year. Last year, it was rough weather the first half of the month and a challenge to get out. Milder temperatures have been nice to enjoy and the fishing has been very good so far. Expect similar conditions for a while with weekly cold fronts to cool things down a little. You should look for lots of windy days this time of year and plan your outdoor adventures with that in mind. Water temperatures are still mild for the season. Enjoy the rest of the month and get out fishing! We have enjoyed a good variety of fish so far. Black drum, redfish and sheepshead around the docks have been good to us. Dave and Cheryl were visiting the area and had a fantastic morning fishing the docks. Dave landed three redfish and they teamed up for several nice drum and sheepshead before heading out to the channel edges to play with snapper, ladyfish and jacks for a while. Dave missed several good snook bites as well for a action filled morning on the water. Spanish mackerel have been coming in with the tides along with bluefish, jacks and ladyfish. Small shiny lures work best for all of these fish. Docks, channel edges and bridges are loaded with sheepshead, drum and snapper this time of year. Winter fishing is always fun and exciting! Pompano have been in the deeper cuts on the flats and in the channels as well. Doc's Goofy Jigs work great on finding pompano. They have also been in the surf along with lots of whiting. Look north around Harbor Branch to find trout on the grass flats and try a DOA Deadly Combo when looking for the trout bite. Plan on getting out fishing soon! Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE! Good fishing! Captain Charlie Conner