Sebastian Inlet Fishing Report – Dec 15, 2025 (Cold, Stained Water & Winter Species)
Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing and sightseeing fans! We couldn’t ask for much better weather than we had — the only bad thing is the fish took a vacation! Lol.
Cold and stained water from the Sebastian River made things a bit tough for fishing. Water temps dropped into the 65–68 degree range over the weekend. That’s good for winter species like drum, sheepshead, pompano, and flounder — but the water quality was off quite a bit from the freshwater runoff.
North Jetty
Most of the action was on the outgoing tide at the tip. Live, dead, and artificial baits all attracted plenty of jack crevalle, bluefish, and those pesky catfish.
On the incoming tide very early, some black drum and redfish were caught on live shrimp. No snook were caught — the water was just too cold.
Reminder: Snook season is closed right now and will reopen on February 1st. Redfish are catch and release only in our area.
Lookdowns were caught on small jigs, and a few nice sheepshead were caught on dead shrimp and live fiddler crabs between the pilings and over the rock pile.
Sunday also produced a couple nice pompano and whiting toward the surf area on cut shrimp.
South Jetty
Sunday was pretty dismal over here. Only a handful of blues and jacks were caught at the tip on the outgoing tide, along with catfish.
Incoming tide (very early or very late) produced a few small snook and redfish on live baits and flair jigs.
Flounder action slowed quite a bit. Most flounder chatter was coming from boats west of the bridge, which were still catching some nice fish despite the dredging.
T-Dock Area
Slow fishing back here. A few sheepshead were caught around the dock pilings and along the adjacent shoreline.
A few flounder were caught, mostly smaller fish in the 12–14 inch range — remember, flounder must be at least 14 inches to keep.
Jacks and small bluefish were hitting silver spoons in the channel. No snook or redfish back here this week.
Surf – North & South
North surf was pretty good with calmer and cleaner water. Lots of nice whiting, plus some pompano, small black drum, and bluefish. Cut shrimp and live sand fleas were the best baits — even the blues were hitting fleas.
South side was slower when stained water pushed south on the outgoing tide, but still produced some pompano, whiting, and drum — with more catfish mixed in.
Monday and Tuesday were forecast to be rough again with strong NNE winds (20–30 mph) and seas building to 6–7 feet, which would likely muddy the water again. Conditions were expected to calm by Thursday heading into the weekend.
Winter season is here — fish smart and stay safe.
– Snookman Wayne
Plan your trip: Tide Report & Moon Phase
Back to the archive: Sebastian Inlet Fishing Report Hub
Bait tip: Cold-water fishing is all about the right bait. Stop by Saltwater Cowboy Bait & Tackle for live shrimp, fiddler crabs (seasonal), and frozen bait.