South Indian River Fishing Report 10/17 Inshore: It's still hot and muggy out with the rains slowing down as fall arrives on the Treasure Coast. Expect more of the same conditions the rest of the month. Water temps have dropped to the low eighties on the river. The mullet run continues this week and there has been signs of red tide along some of the beaches lately. Hopefully this will be short lived for our coast. Watch conditions and plan your fishing carefully. I did manage to get out this past weekend before the storm arrived on the other coast. Scott was down from West Virginia and we attempted to fish on a day that had lots of winds to challenge us. We caught lots of snapper for most of the morning. Had a few hits on top water lures, but no takers. It was a tough day, but we caught lots of fish anyway. Darren and his family were out with me recently. Everyone caught lots of fish which snapper, ladyfish and jacks seemed to be everywhere. Wyatt lost a nice redfish around the docks, and they even caught a tripletail off the docks. It was a fun morning for all! Don, Art and Sherman were back up this month to enjoy a morning on the water. Once again the snapper were plentiful and some nice sized ones for the guys. Jacks and a nice snook rounded out the morning. Everyone had an great time. Snook fishing around the inlets, bridges and docks has been best at night on the high ends of the tides. Look for redfish around docks and mangroves with DOA shrimp or live bait. Trout has been best to the north of Fort Pierce on the grass flats, like Harbor Branch. You can find snapper, jacks and ladyfish just about everywhere. Fishing has been good this month and it should continue for us. Enjoy October fishing! As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!! Good Fishing and Be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

South Indian River Fishing Report 10/9 Inshore: It's still hot outside and afternoon storms still are a threat for the Treasure Coast. It has been windy lately and it seems like it's going to be that way for a while longer. Water temperatures are in the mid to high eighties still and that means that early mornings or late evenings are the best time to fish. Watch the forecast and plan your trips carefully. Snook fishing continues to be good at night or early mornings around the inlets, docks and bridges of the area. Live bait, Top Water, DOA Terror Eyz or Bait Busters have been working well. Fish the docks for redfish, snapper and sheepshead. DOA shrimp is the best choice in those areas. Jacks, mackerel and ladyfish are abundant in the river. Snapper have been everywhere the past few weeks. The September Treasure Coast Casters Tournament was a great example. The kids caught lots of snapper for the weigh in. Go to treasure coast casters on Facebook to see all the results. I fished the Michael Shields Memorial Inshore Tournament again this year. This was the 10th anniversary. Mike Burke and his boys, Rhys and Cameron, were with me again. We decided to keep 6 year old Rhys busy and spent most of the time snapper fishing. The boys are always great kids and we all enjoyed the day. I have no idea how many fish the kids caught....but it was a lot! They even caught enough nice fish to take some home for dinner. It's an awesome tournament that benefits Project LIFT. I always enjoy helping out for the tournament. Plan on lots of hot weather ahead and drink plenty of fluids. Sunscreen is a must as well. The mullet run is going strong and fishing has been good. Enjoy October fishing on the Treasure Coast! As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!! Good Fishing and Be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

October Fishing Forecast – Treasure Coast October marks the transition into the fall weather patterns along the Treasure Coast. You can expect temperatures to begin to cool down somewhat into more comfortable days to enjoy the outdoors. Water temperatures will begin to slowly cool off as well. October provides great weather and hungry fish. It's a fantastic month to be fishing! The fall mullet run will continue to dominate the area as large schools of finger mullet fill the beaches, inlets and rivers of the area. It has been an active season this year. You can expect lots of big fish to be feeding on them both day and night. Snook fishing will be best during the night hours on the higher ends of the tides. Live finger mullet, croakers and pigfish will be the best live baits to use. DOA Terror Eyz, Bait Busters and feather jigs will be good artificial lures to use for snook. Try around the jetties, turning basin and bridges as well as many of the deeper docks around the river. Lighted docks are especially productive when fishing at night. Redfish has continued to be a wonderful fishery for us again this year. Each year has seen their population increase and many anglers have enjoyed the experience of fishing a large school of reds this year. October will continue to be a productive month for those who seek redfish on the flats. The new DOA 2 3/4“ shrimp or CAL grub tails are two of the best choices for redfish along with a variety of live and cut baits. The west shoreline south of Fort Pierce is always a good area when looking for redfish. The trout bite will be good this month. Get out early with a top water lure for some exciting action on the river. Switch to a DOA shrimp or CAL jerk bait later in the mornings. Harbor Branch, Queen's Cove and Middle Cove are all great areas to fish for trout around the Treasure Coast. Look for some sheephead, black drum and snapper around the bridges, docks and channel edges. The surf will be alive with jacks, snook, bluefish and other predators, which will all be chasing the bait schools along the beach. Snook season has been in full swing for the past month and anglers are always looking for that slot fish to take home. Beaches, jetties, bridges and mangroves are all popular areas to seek snook. Top water lures, DOA Bait Busters, CAL Airheads and live baits are all great ways to target snook in October. It's another great month to fish along the Treasure Coast! Have fun and get out fishing soon! As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!! Good Fishing and Be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

September Fishing Forecast September is always an exciting month to fish along the Treasure Coast. August was another hot month for us. Anglers eagerly await the arrival of the annual fall mullet run. The beaches and rivers will be filled with mullet and you can find lots of predators following the bait this month. Look for tarpon, snook, jacks, bluefish and many other species feeding on the mullet this month. Top water and suspending lures work fantastic in September. Try a DOA Baitbuster or Big Fish lure while fishing around the large schools of mullet. It's a great time of year to fish early mornings along the beach. The fish will be cornering the bait along the surf and action can be fun and exciting. Snook season opens again on September 1st. Anglers have been patiently awaiting the chance at keeping a slot fish for dinner. A few things to keep in mind while you are anxiously getting ready for the start of the season are making sure your license and snook permit are not outdated. Know the slot size, which is 28” – 32” and a one fish per day limit. Check your rods, reels and fishing line. Don’t lose that keeper fish because of something that you could have avoided by a little preparation. Remember that there will be lots of anglers heading out the first several days of the season. Have fun and be safe! You will be able to find some redfish schools this month as they gather up to head out to the ocean. Look around the shallow sandy flats for them to be feeding. DOA shrimp or CAL jerk baits can coax them into biting. Look for trout around the usual flats like Bear Point, Harbor Branch and Round Island. Deadly Combos fished on the edges of the bait schools will find some action with trout and other species. Snapper can be found along channel edges and around structure. Sheephead, drum and snapper can be caught on the catwalks of the bridges. Live or dead shrimp will find these fish. September Tip: Fish the bait schools! It's easy to spot the bait this time of year. If you don't find bait around your favorite fishing spot, you will most likely not find many fish there. Move around if you need to in order to find active bait. Fish love this time of year and they are out there gorging themselves on the bait in anticipation of the coming winter months. Try a CAL Airhead or DOA Bait Buster around the mullet schools. Early mornings can be exciting on the flats. You can find big fish in shallow water around the bait pods. It has been a long hot summer and finally temperatures will begin to mellow out and water temps will get back to normal. It's a great time of year to be fishing! Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE! Good Fishing and be Safe, Captain Charlie Conner

Inshore: Mornings haven't been so bad this past week. Getting out early or late in the day can keep the worst of the heat away from you. Seems like around noon is when it starts getting hot and that's the time to get off the water. Water temperatures were in the mid eighties this week and the fish were cooperating nicely for us. The St Lucie River continues to have it's issues with water quality, but there are places to enjoy the fishing and avoid those troubles. Don, Art and Sherman were back again this month and we had an awesome day on the water. There are plenty of mutton snapper in the river even though we can't stretch them out to 18". They put up a nice fight anyway. Lots of lane and mangrove snapper as well. The guys caught plenty of snapper! Sherman caught one nice slot redfish and lost a bigger one while fishing docks along the river. They even added a nice sheepshead to finish off a good morning. Rick and Brody joined me with Brody's good friend Van. The boys caught lots and lots of fish and kept up with Rick all morning. Brody caught a nice mackerel and a 16" tripletail to top off his day. Van caught a nice sheepshead and mangrove snapper to add to the days catch. It was a nice morning to enjoy the fishing! There are still lots of snapper along the channel edges. Sheepshead are also hanging around most any structure. Redfish have been around docks along the river. DOA shrimp or live bait can help you hook up to a slot fish. The jetties have been good for snook, especially at night. Look for trout around Bear Point or Harbor Branch on the flats. Early morning top water lures or Deadly Combos have been good for sea trout. Mackerel, jacks and ladyfish have been coming in with the tides and are abundant in the channels. Make sure to stay hydrated and use lots of sunscreen this time of year. Watch the weather and avoid being caught in an afternoon thunderstorm. Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE! Good Fishing, Captain Charlie Conner

South Indian River Fishing Report 8/9 Inshore: The Heat of summer continues to challenge any outdoor activities. Getting out early or late in the day is essential for successful fishing and staying out of the worst of the heat. We have been leaving the dock around 6 am to get us back before noon to enjoy the fishing. Water temps are still in the mid to upper eighties and we have been fishing deeper water to get the most action for our anglers. The fishing around the Fort Pierce area has provided a good mix of fish for us. Plan your trips carefully and watch the weather for those afternoon rains. We have enjoyed a good mix of fish this past week. Paul, Pam and Grace were out with me recently. Grace stole the show and caught some nice fish. She landed a nice slot redfish along with a very nice flounder to take home for dinner. They also caught a short snook, a couple tripletail and croakers along with the many snapper and ladyfish to make for an exciting day on the water. Rich and Henry joined me on a slower day, but caught lots of snapper, jacks and ladyfish to keep them busy. Jim, Amie, Miles and Lauren were back this year for another adventure. We weren't disappointed! Amie had the hot fishing rod and caught a nearly legal tripletail and a very nice flounder along with a few keeper lane snapper. She also caught a nice triggerfish and a short pompano. The family caught jacks, catfish, croaker and lots of ladyfish to add to a fun morning. It was a hot but awesome week on the water. Snook season is only a few weeks away and angler will be getting ready for the September 1st opening soon. Channel edges have been holding lots of snapper and many other species. Our redfish have been hanging under docks. Try the DOA shrimp around docks. Get out early or late in the day! Keep hydrated and use plenty of sunscreen! Remember, as always, fishing is not just another hobby……it’s an ADVENTURE! Good Fishing, Captain Charlie Conner