Sebastian Inlet Inshore/Offshore Report with Captain Sherrie Stovall

Blue-water trolling days are here again! The dolphin run is starting, and several huge bulls have already been caught. A few dolphin in the 50-lb. range have been reported by boaters out trolling close to the Gulf Stream and along weed lines.

Strong east winds have pushed in a lot of weeds and debris from the Gulf Stream and trade currents. Sargasso weed houses colonies of small bait fish and will keep most of the dolphin close by. Pick a direction on the weed line and begin dragging some rigged or naked ballyhoo up the cleanest side of its line. Turn around and work back down the other side of the weed line if nothing is happening. Throughout the day, a rip or surface current may form; these are great places to look for fish. Most of the fish are on the clean side of the rips, but if the temperature is right, they might be swimming on the dirty side to help camouflage themselves. Look for dolphin, sailfish and wahoo coming by to take a swipe at your bait.

While trolling, keep a watchful eye out for large floating boards or any pieces of debris. Exposed trash on the surface can house a tripletail or a small school of dolphin. Larger boards or objects that extend down into the water may hold some wahoo down below. Trolling should be good starting about 130 ft. out to the 400-ft. cones. If you're looking to burn some old fuel in the boat, head out toward the Gulf Stream at the start of your day and catch the early bite. April is a great month to boat good numbers and larger sized dolphin.

Sheepshead are still stacked in the inlet around all of the bridges. Fiddler crabs and sand fleas are choice baits, but be ready to take lots with you. Sheepshead are quick to steal bait right off the hook without even making a tug.

Large bluefish have been landed using spoons and cut bait from the jetties, while pompano are also caught off the south jetty this time of year. Cut clams and fleas are the old favorite, but sometimes a light jig tipped with a small piece of shrimp works better on the sandy bottom. Expect to add a black drum or snapper into the take.

Many fish are being caught during the day on shrimp, mojarras and pins off the north jetty. Nighttime anglers are hooking up by using lures from the rocks and bridges. Try throwing dark color bombers, windcheaters, or bucktails toward the channel to locate pockets of snook. Keep the cast net close by and look for schools of croakers, pins or mojarras to gather under the catwalks and present a chance to net some live bait. Hook the baits up with a little bit of weight and an #30 lb. leader and cast them into the channel for the snook or redfish. Keep a camera close to get a nice snapshot of those oversized fish and take care in releasing them.

Several trout have been caught on the flats in early morning. The trout fishing will really pick up as the river continues to warm. The schools of bait are rising up as the sun gets high which triggers the trout and redfish to feed. Try throwing Mirro lures and Zara Spooks for surface action, along with your favorite-colored jerk baits to work various depths of the water column. As the sun gets higher and the flats warm up, watch the schools of mullet move out to the deeper water to stay cool. Work out with them and switch over to lures that will track deeper, like the Yozuri Pins or Crystal Minnow. Schools of redfish are also cruising along most of the grass flats north and south of the Inlet.

As usual, for all the latest info, contact us at the store and we’ll be glad to give you an update.

Capt. Sherrie Stovall

For more fishing information and pictures, check out www.whiteysonline.com

Sebastian Inlet Fishing Photos

Whitey’s
(321) 724-1440
- Capt. Sherrie Stovall
www.whiteysonline.com