Conference wahoo::fishing

 I would imagine that there will be some red drum (spot) and spotted sea trout
(specks) fishing at the end of this month. The bluefish will probably still be 
around somewhat as well. There may be some fluke; I'm not sure.

 Perhaps the best way to find out what will be around is to find out the name of
a local tackle shop and give them a call before you leave so you'll know what to 
bring.

 In Florida, I always had good luck using live shrimp for bait. They seem to be
in pretty high demand by the denizens of the not so deep. Snappers seemed to
be fairly easy to catch using shrimp.

 The Doctah

    re: .last
    
    	Thanks. I *think* that its closed season for redfish right now, but
    	specks are worth a shot! I will try using live shrimp this time
    	(last time down there, I used frozen shrimp and got a lot of
    	saltwater catfish - perhaps live shrimp will entice the more
    	desirable species).
    
    	I hear there are ladyfish down there - anybody know anything about
    	fishing for them?
    
    				Robert.

 a question: where is Port St. Lucie? North, middle or south part of Fla?

 Ladyfish is a small and slender member of the tarpon family that is quite
common in south florida. They are most abundant in the winter months, being
found in bays, estuaries and freshwater rivers where they congregate in large
schools. They are supposed to be easy to catch with all manner of artificials
when found in such schools. Expect to catch them in the 1.5-3 lb range.

 Mangrove snapper can be found in brackish canals and estuaries and are quite 
fond of live shrimp and small jigs.

 Cobia will probably be in season at the end of this month. They are often
caught in bays, inlets and along open beaches and are prized table fare. Small
crabs are supposed to be a good bait for them. Look for them around pilings,
floating debris, channel markers, etc.

 Snook should be legal to take now. Closed season is usually June to August
which corresponds with their spawning run. Fishing for them is best at dawn
and dusk, with large topwater plugs favored for large fish.

 Jack Crevalle can be found in inshore waters, and are very powerful gamefish.
The big ones don't come in until June and stay until Spetember.

 Best of luck. And we want a full report. :-)

 The Doctah

    re: .3
    
    	Thanks for all the info! If I can tie into one or 2 of these
    species I'll be a happy man. I am curious, is it possible to get
    cobia from shore (I doubt I could handle one with the heavy freshwater
    rig I plan on bringing - they seem to be a tough fish!).
    
    Port St. Lucie is about 25 mile north of West Palm Beach. The Indian
     River is about 1/2 mile wide there separated from the Atlantic by
     Hutchinson Island.
    
    I will bring back an honest report if things go well, otherwise, I'll
    lie. :-)
    
    			Robert.

       First let me say that I fish the other coast of Florida every spring
    for about 12 years now. (Can't wait for the first week of April!)
    Most of my fishing is from jetties but I also rent a boat every year
    for some inland waterway/bay/pass fishing.
       There is NO comparison between frozen and fresh shrimp as far as
    the fish are concerned.  You have to keep them aerated or change the
    water OFTEN but it's worth it.  You can catch just about anything that
    swims down there on live shrimp.  
       The Cobia like to hang out near bouys, pilings and other surface
    breaking obstructions.  Mostly boat fishing depending on the area.
       Probably the most important lure in Florida is a white bucktail
    or variations of it like nylon hair, a little red trailer, a little
    shrimp on the hook.
       Mono leaders ONLY!  Almost everything down there is leader shy.
    I made myself crazy one day on a school of decent sized Spanish
    Mackerel!  25lb. leader I'd hook up and get cut right off, change to
    a 40lb. and not get a bite!  One of the guys on the jetty who I've
    gotten to know over the years gave me some crystal clear 30lb. and
    I started landing fish.  Had to cut off some leader and retie after
    each fish because they were almost cut through.
       Have you looked into renting a small center console for a day?
    I've had some great days with the seatrout and as an extra spent
    some time with wild dolphins right at our hands!  Great time that
    my kids will never forget!
       I'm rambling.  Send me mail if you want more.
    
    					B.C.

    My $.02:
    
    I lived in Indialantic/Melbourne for 8 years, which is a little North
    of Port St. Lucie on the Indian River.  I agree with Doctah for trout.
    My personal favorite is to fish the Indian river for them early.  I
    would get out there before dark.  Usually the bite drops off once the
    sun clears the palm trees, but during winter and early spring they
    often hit until 10 or 11; especially on a cloudy day.  
    
    My favorite rigs would be live shrimp under a natural bobber (brown
    cork).  The other thing that I have had great luck with is top water
    plugs.  Try a bagley's black and silver or a red and white johnny
    rattler.  When you retrieve them, jerk them every now and then and
    don't give a smooth retrieve.  The trout like to hit injured fish.
    I think their favorite natural target is a wounded pig fish. 
    (sometimes you can get them for bait)
    
    Also, try Snook fishing!  To get them you would best go to the nearest
    inlet (Would that be Jupiter) on a night with a good moon.  There is a
    slack in the inlet from 30 minutes before the tide change to 30 minutes
    after.  You would want to get yourself on the jetty and wait for the
    slack.  Cast a 9" bomber or maverick in red and white, silver and black
    or puke yellow/green and retrieve repeatedly for an hour (it will be
    obvious when the tide is too swift to fish).  They get up to 20 or 30
    lbs.  Great fighters.  Excellent taste.  Very white meat.  They close
    the season in February but I believe it's open in March.
    
    Lastly, you can surf fish with clams for whiting and...and...and...
    ......Doctah, what do you call those other tasty little surf fish?
    
    Pompano?
    
    Yea that's it.  A killer meal to be sure everytime.
    
    /brett     

    re: .all
    
    	Thanks, great information! re: -2, when you talk of a white
    	bucktail, I assume your referring to a jig ; what would be a
    	good size? 1/4, 1/2 ounce ? If the weather cooperates (and I
    	assume it will), with the info from these notes I think I have
    	a good shot at some great fishing!
    
    				Robert.
    
    PS - last year, while fishing a bridge in Stuart; I saw a nice looking
    	snook right below me (maybe about 8 lbs), I dropped my dead shrimp
    	right in front of his nose, he turned, looked at it, and swam away
    	- wish I had known about live shrimp then!!

 When my uncle was alive, he was a really great fisherman. He had a 40 foot
wooden boat with twin screws that he operated from North Miami Beach. I only
wish he was still around- what a wealth of information has been lost. :-(

 He's the one that got me psyched to fish the warm salt. When I was 11, he took 
us to the keys. We caught all kinds of neat fish, from triggerfish to
yellowtails to mangrove snappers and a few that I don't remember. he also
took us out on the ocean, for some big game fishing, but we didn't catch 
anything that day. I saw some pretty awesome pictures of blue marlin and
sailfish that he had caught though. He also caught a 700 lb mako.

 We went out on a party boat in the keys and caught yellowtails and grouper and
moray eels (it was a night trip) and saw a 15 foot tiger shark. I remember the
night vividly- my uncle knew the captain of the party boat, and so we went up
into the cabin. The captain asked me if I knew what a sonar was. So I explained
how the sonar worked. I never saw a guy look so funny in my life. :-) An 11
year old explaining how sonar works- he just couldn't get over it. :-) 

 When we went to Virginia a couple of years ago, you couldn't find live shrimp 
anywhere. I was really bummed. I've had such great luck with them- they have
to be one of the best baits money can buy. Like live goggle eyes for sailfish...

 Anyway, I'm pretty jealous- so you'd better have a good time and make it worth
my while. :-) :-)

 The Doctah

    Due to a death in the family, I had to cut my Florida vacation short
    (I was there 2 days). The wind was howling for those 2 days so I didn't
    get to do much fishing. I did see one person hook into either a small
    tarpon or a ladyfish - a very acrobatic display! (I asked him what he
    had, he said 'you tell me!', brought the fish into shore, and lost it
    before I got a good look). I also watched another person land a snook
    of about 20 lbs and talked with a guy who was cleaning some bluefish -
    he said the day before he had gotten some spainish mackerel in the
    surf.
    
    I'm convinced that FLA is THE place to live if your an angler (or a
    windsurfer!).
    
    			Robert.