Jupiter & Palm Beach Offshore Saltwater Fishing Report

West Palm Beach Spring Sails Call! After harping over and over about the mediocre sailfish season. We've been pleasantly surprised with abundance of sailfish we've seen and caught over the last two weeks. They are here and hungry, chasing sardines, herring and cigar minnows. Drifting live bait is almost a sure-fire method of getting there attention. Lack of rain has prevented the South Florida Water Management District from dumping polluted fresh water into the ocean and has helped keep the inshore and nearshore water clean and at normal salinity levels, encouraging large schools of baitfish to show up a month or so early this year. Almost every morning we've found schools of bait from just outside Jupiter Inlet to the Juno Pier. One morning a school of threadfin herring(greenies) made there way inside the ICW, just north of Burt Reynolds Park. I need thank Capt. Scott Hamilton. Having forgot my cast net in the garage, Capt. Scott made one toss of the net and handed me the draw string to the net. Needless to say it took two people to pull the net in my boat and both of my livewells were "blacked out" with bait. Thanks Scott! A wise fisherman should not leave the dock expecting to load up on live bait every morning. Erratic Spring-Time weather has made for erratic bait fishing. There have been days when we've found them but they were not happy, and we could not catch enough for the day. Having fresh dead or frozen on board will assure a productive outting.