Sebastian Inlet fishing report 2-13

[Fishing Report]

02-11-11 FRIDAY: CHILLY AT THE INLET THIS MORNING

TGIF Anglers!

Yesterday, there were lots of fish to be caught and several anglers reported Blues, Sheepshead, Spanish Mackerel and Flounder. One Angler caught a huge Redfish while fishing under the bridge. The carcasses from last week's fish kill out at sea have definitely thinned out at the Inlet. Depending upon the direction of the wind, the stench isn't too bad now.

Today's picture, courtesy of Mike Ricciardi, is of Dennis from St. Cloud. He caught this flounder on a live mud minnow. Way to go, Dennis!

The weekend weather prediction states lots of sun and not too cold and not too hot. Should be just perfect for heading out to the Inlet with your families and your fishing gear. Be sure to visit Tommy at the Inlet Bait & Tackle Shop (next to the north jetty) for any fishing needs and/or advice!

We wish a safe and splendid weekend to all of our viewers, and please send in your photos and stories!



02-10-11 THURSDAY: SPANISH MACKEREL, DRUM AND REDFISH, FLOUNDER AND SHEEPSHEAD

It's a little cool with winds approx 25 mph coming out of the East this morning at the Sebastian Inlet. There are approximately 15-20 anglers out there on the north jetty. Yesterday, the fish catch included lots of Blues, along with Spanish Mackerel, Drum, Redfish (in the drum family), Flounder and Sheepshead.

In case you were wondering, some people say that Spanish Mackerel are a bit 'oily', but they are very yummy. Flounder are really delicious and Drum are very good as long as they are below 10 lbs. Any Drum above that tend to have worms. Sheepshead are good eating but they are difficult to clean!



Today's photos are a bit different but beautiful of the Inlet sunrise taken on different days. And finally, another yummy fish dish cooked up by Lydia Le, an Inlet regular from the City of Sebastian.

Please send us your photos and fishing stories!



Good morning Anglers!

Not many fishermen on the jetties this morning, but it is warming up nicely. The wind is about 9 mph and blowing out of the southwest.

A report from Walton at the Inlet Bait & Tackle Shop this morning said that many anglers limited out on Spanish Mackerel yesterday using gotcha plugs. They also brought in lots of Sheepshead using shrimp, and if nothing else, they caught Blues using just about anything!


One of our favorite Inlet regulars, Lydia Le, sent in the photos you see today. Not only is she a great fisherman, she is also a terrific cook! Thank you, Lydia!

We look forward to getting more stories and photos from any successful angler out there at the Inlet, so please don't hesitate to bring along a camera and send us your fishing tales!


02-08-11 TUESDAY: BLUES AND SHEEPSHEAD

It's pretty chilly out on the jetties this morning. Winds are blowing at 18 - 20 mph and there is a moderate chop on the water. Small craft should exercise caution.

The stench is abating as the dead fish clear out, we could see them wash in and out for a few more days but there are less and less of them each day. There aren't a lot of people out on the jetties this morning. Yesterday morning was very slow on the north jetty according to Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach. Mike fished from 8:00 - 12:30 p.m. and reported two Sheepshead and one Flounder only. Thanks for the update Mike!

The afternoon tide change brought a strong Bluefish bite along with a few more Sheepshead for anglers using live shrimp.

Our angler of the day is our "field correspondent", Mike Ricciardi. Mike poses with a real nice Sheepshead he landed last Thursday off the north jetty using live shrimp. Nice catch Mike!

Send us your updates and photos!



Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach with a nice Sheepshead.
02-07-11 MONDAY: BLUES AND SPANISH MACKEREL

We're sure everyone is wondering what is going on with all the dead fish at the inlet. According to Park Rangers, the cold water mixed with a low tide and an enormous school of bait fish (menhaden), depleted the oxygen in the Indian River and the fish suffocated. It is not uncommon although we've not seen a kill in this proportion. Fishing was slow over the weekend but the dead fish seem to be clearing out. The outgoing tides are taking the carcasses out and making the air a little fresher!

This morning Blues and a few Spanish Mackerel are biting. Blues aren't particular but spoons work well for both species. Gotcha plugs are a favorite of the Spanish Mackerel.

For those of you that didn't make it to the inlet over the past few days, a couple of photos sent in by our readers will get you up to speed. Photo #1 was sent to us by Bruce Johnson. Bruce arrived at the inlet at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. Bruce reported the clear water on the eastern side of the tide line contained dead or gasping fish. On the other side, the fish apparently were in more oxygenated water and were very much alive. Bruce landed a Pompano and a Spanish Mackerel on his first two casts and then got very little afterward. Thanks for the photo and update Bruce!

Mike Ricciardi was out on the north jetty Friday morning as well and heard about the fish kill before he witnessed it. On the outgoing tide the dead fish started pouring out of the inlet and began littering the beaches at a rapid pace as you can see in photo # 2. Thanks for the update and photo Mike!



Lydia Le of Sebastian sent in photos three and four of the fish kill. Thanks Lydia!

FWCC UPDATE: The FWC is waiting for results from their East Coast field lab on water samples taken from the inlet. They are checking for an algae bloom as algae is known to lead to dissolved oxygen in the water and may have caused the fish kill.

The FWC Fish Kill hotline is 1-800-636-0511.