Stuart Area Offshore and Inshore

It has been tough to get offshore because of the winds and high seas the past month or so, but there was some decent fishing when you could get out. Bottom fishing was great south of the inlet with plenty of catch and release sea bass and vermillion snapper along with porgy and trigger fish. We can only hope we can still find the vermilions when the season reopens April 1st. A few dolphin are being caught by the bigger boats in about one hundred and twenty feet. The Spanish mackerel have thinned out but the fish that are being caught are huge. The hottest bite outside the inlet has been cobia. They are being caught around structure from the Sand pile to the Pipe Barge. Be aware that there are plenty of sharks trying to grab them after they are hooked. Moving inside, the pompano bite has been inconsistent due to the warm water temperatures. Snook are at the bridges and a lot of them are being caught at night on flair hawks. There are plenty of trout being caught in the Indian River from Nettles Island up to the power plant. We are anxiously waiting for the winds to die down and the spring mahi run. More later.