Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report by Capt. Joe Ward

JANURARY 4, 2008

INSHORE - The inshore fishing was good before the cold front and hopefully will pick right back up when it warms up this weekend. With trout season opening on the 1st you can look for good action in the deeper cuts and channels like the Moorings Flats and the Harbor Branch Channel. Try fishing a jig slow or a live shrimp on a jig head. The catch and release snook action should remain steady around the local bridges and in the Turning Basin. Try using a live mullet or a pin or pigfish and fish it on the bottom. There are still plenty of snapper and grouper along the channel edges however most of the grouper are under size by just an inch or so. Also, along the channel edges there are spanish mackerel, black drum and sheepshead and they are feeding on live shrimp. The only reports of redfish I had this week were from anglers fishing out of the Round Island boat ramp. They fished around the islands out of the wind and most of the fish that they caught were on a live shrimp or a GULP bait and they were fishing around the mangroves.

OFFSHORE - There have been no reports since New Years Day with only a few sailfish being reported before that. We had a small sailfish tournament out of the Dockside Inn and Resort and on last Saturday there was only one sail caught and released. At that time the bite was to the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet in 180 feet of water. There were a few kings in 70 to 90 feet of water and the were taking ballyhoo or a live bait of you could find some. However, there was plenty of bonita and sharks being caught in that same area. The bottom fishing for snapper and grouper was steady over the reefs and wrecks before the winds started. Still plenty of spanish mackerel and jacks along the local beaches.

TEEN ANGLERS - The next scheduled inshore tournament for the Teen Anglers will be held on January 20th at Jaycee Park in Ft. Pierce. There will be a mandatory meeting on January 19th at 10:00am. If you would like to volunteer to take a Teen Angler fishing or if you would like to join Teen Anglers just go to the website foe more info -- www.teenanglers.org

If you would like to report a catch you ca e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or call me at 772-201-5770. You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com

Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters