Offshore Report: The Blackfin Tuna bite has continued to be consistent off of Palm Beach, Juno, and Jupiter. The best bite has been at first light in the morning and later on in the evening hours. They can be caught a couple of different ways. Kite fishing for them with smaller live baits (pilchards/sardines) seems to be the best bet going right now. They can also be caught trolling daisy chains or small feathers. Most of the fish have been between 100-250ft of water. Sailfish have still been around as well in the same area.
June’s full moon is this Friday, which should cause the wahoo bite to pick up. The best times for wahoo are going to be first thing in the morning and the last hour or so of daylight in the evening. Trolling for them is going to be your best bet. Two of the best spots in our area for wahoo are from the Dodgewall to Lost Tree and from the Juno Pier to Jupiter Inlet. A good plan would be to troll in a zig-zag pattern from 100ft out to 350ft of water and back in. If you get in much further than 100ft, your chances of your bite being a barracuda go way up. Horse ballyhoo, splittail mullet, or bonito strips are all great options if you prefer natural baits. If you want to go the artificial route, Nomad DTX Minnows, Yo Zuri Bonita Plugs, and weighted “junkanoo” lures all work great and can be trolled at higher speeds than natural baits.
Inshore Report: Snook have been packed into the Palm Beach and Jupiter inlets for a few weeks now. This time of year they congregate around the inlets to spawn. Fishing live baits on the bottom will be your best bet. Sand perch, pilchards, mullet, and grunts are all great bait options that should entice a bite. All snook fishing is catch and release until season opens back up on September 1st, so using circle hooks is suggested to ensure a safe release. If you’re trying to get out on the water and keep your kids busy, the patch reefs in the Rybovich reef and other patch reefs in the Lake Worth Lagoon have been great recently for Lane Snapper and Grunts. Fishing a chicken rig on the bottom will work best. Shrimp, squid, or silversides are all great bait choices.