Windy weekend will likely prevent offshore fishing, but snook, mackerel biting inshore - TCPalm

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Well, all good things must come to an end. Anglers have enjoyed one of the mildest Octobers and starts to November in recent years. Beginning this weekend, that's all about to change.

Winds are forecasted to rise above 20 knots by Sunday and the sea state Friday and Saturday may be closer to 6 feet than 4 feet. Anglers will have to wait a couple of days until it settles down, but when it does, the mutton snapper, mangrove snapper and lane snapper fishing should be very good. Bluewater trollers will also be able to get back to the rip where dolphin and blackfin tuna catches have been great the past to weeks.

Inshore, snook are still biting, but the action has slowed considerably as the fish move back upriver. Tripletail can be caught around structure inshore on live shrimp. Flounder are biting, but must be released through Nov. 30 (see below).

Spanish mackerel and bluefish are migrating along the beaches and feeding near the inlets. 

Closures coming:  Anglers are reminded about three fishery harvest closures currently underway.

  • Flounder: No harvest of flounder is allowed in Florida between Oct. 15 and Nov. 30. Harvest re-opens Dec. 1.
  • Spotted seatrout: No harvest of trout is allowed in the waters of eastern central Florida, from Volusia to Palm Beach counties, from Nov. 1 though Dec. 31. Harvest will re-open Jan. 1, 2022.
  • Hogfish: No harvest of hogfish is allowed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida from Nov. 1 through April 30, 2022. Harvest re-opens May 1, 2022.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com. 

Releasing reds: Duke Energy center and CCA-Florida to boost east coast redfish in Indian River Lagoon

Goliaths protected no more: FWC allows killing of goliath grouper for first time in over 30 years

Got dolphin?: Save the Mahi: Petition aims to conserve dolphin, Florida anglers' most popular catch

Indian River County

Offshore: Snapper fishing has been excellent in 70-90 feet of water. Mangrove snapper to 8 pounds, mutton snapper to 10 pounds and lane snapper to 2 pounds are being caught on the reefs using cut bait and dead bait. Kingfish have been on the nearshore reefs in 40-50 feet of water. The weather forecast doesn't look very good for the weekend, so check the latest weather before making plans.

Inshore: Anglers fishing the Sebastian Inlet jetties slayed the Spanish mackerel the past few days. Use Gotcha plugs, diamond jigs, small spoons and jigs and reel fast to get bites. Bluefish, jacks and blue runners are also in the mix. Some flounder have been showing up inshore and around bridges and spoil islands, but remember, harvest is closed until Nov. 30.

St. Lucie County

Offshore: The Offshore Bar and Bethel Shoal have both been good places to fish for snapper, kingfish and cobia. Once the seas settle, look for that action to continue. Gag grouper and greater amberjack are on the deep wrecks like the Halsey and Amazone.

Inshore: Black drum, sheepshead and croaker have been caught around the bridges and at the pier at Melody Lane on pieces of shrimp and cut bait. To catch tripletail, use live shrimp and cast near crab trap floats or channel markers. Snook fishing is good, but the trout and pompano fishing inshore has been slow.

Martin County

Offshore: The blackfin tuna and mahi mahi fishing has been pretty good for the past month. Anglers are finding them along current rips deeper than 200 feet of water by trolling ballyhoo. The dolphin aren't giants, but 15-20-pounders can be had. The weather probably will not allow for anglers to get offshore, but when they do, expect to find the Spanish mackerel schools arriving in the Kingfish Hole south of the St. Lucie Inlet.

Inshore: Capt. Greg Scherer of Bridge Tender guide service steered anglers to the catch of a couple of snook and croaker on live bait Wednesday. Scherer fished the outgoing tide around the bridges where he said the action was admittedly slow, but even when it's slow, there's a always a chance at getting a good bite. The best snook his anglers caught was a top end of the slot fish.

Lake Okeechobee

There has been decent bass fishing along the edges of the vegetation around King's Bar, in Tin House Cove, around Horse Island and near Harney Pond Canal. Use wild shiners. Tossing spinnerbaits and topwater frogs around the Kissimmee grass can also generate bites. With cooler nights, expect the crappie bite to kick into gear in the Kissimmee River.

Ed Killer is TCPalm's outdoors writer. Sign up for his and other weekly newsletters at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

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