Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fans! I trust everyone enjoyed the awesome weekend we had — the weather was perfect to be outdoors! But somebody forgot to tell the fish… lol. It was, for lack of a better word, dismal! Lots of folks out fishing, but that’s about all they were doing — fishing, no catching.

• North Jetty safety reminder: The area between the railing and the painted yellow lines is for the pedestrian walkway and EMT medical emergencies. No equipment of any kind is allowed in that lane. You can stand there and fish, but keep all gear in the center jetty grating area. Thank you for paying attention to this.

Alright—off to the fishing. Like I said, it has been very slow overall, but here’s what did happen.

North Jetty

About the only steady action I saw the last few days was the Spanish mackerel bite. Lots and lots of them were caught on live pilchards, small white jigs, silver spoons, and Gotcha lures. Most fish were in the 14–18 inch range and they were absolute fatties — healthy fish. Quite a few small to medium bluefish were mixed in as well, on the same baits and on both sides of the jetty, best on the incoming tide.

As for anything else, I only saw a couple big black drum and a couple redfish very early at daylight at the tip on the outgoing tide. Along the wall between the bait shop and the bridge on the incoming tide, there were a few nice catch-and-release redfish caught on live baits. No sheepshead and no flounder to speak of.

South Jetty

Over here the action was pretty slow too, with only some blues and Spanish being caught on the incoming tide. The water over here has muddied up quite a bit from the SSE winds, and that brought the catfish and stingrays right back into the mix. And with that being said, it pretty much shut down the flounder bite in the surf pocket area that was going on last week.

T-Dock Area

Back here there hasn’t been a whole lot of folks fishing. The ones that are fishing are reporting some small sheepshead and black drum around the dock pilings and along the shoreline between the dock and the cleaning table — live shrimp was the ticket for them. A few Spanish and blues have been in the channel for those tossing silver spoons and small jigs.

The flounder bite we had has fallen off the wagon again. Not many “flounder boys” were out, and finger mullet have been hard to come by.

Surf – North & South Sides

South side: Forget about it. The waves kicked up a tad, and the SSE winds the last few days turned that water into a muddy, weedy mess. It’s been nothing but catfish and stingrays.

North side: Up at the northern-most parking lot they are still getting some pompano, whiting, and small black drum on live and dead shrimp and live sand fleas — mainly because the water is a lot cleaner over there.

Well folks, that’s all we have for this week. We’re supposed to have another cold front come through by Thursday, but it shouldn’t affect the surf or water quality since the winds will be NNW — it will cool down again though. I keep telling myself… it’s winter, and things can be a bit off.

I wish you all a great week!

– Snookman Wayne

Jump to Tide Report

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fans and fanactics! I hope you all had a nice and enjoyable new years. Here we go with our FIRST report of the new year. First off I'd like to start off with a few jetty safety reminders, rules that are posted on the big sign on the way out to the jetty for everyones safety and enjoyment.

• Live clams rule: Live clams in the shell are not permitted on the jetty. Shuck them at the cleaning station and take the meat out in a container.
• Two rods max: Only TWO rods in the water per angler — and do not strap rods to the railing.
• Behavior: Obnoxious/vulgar rule-breaking behavior will not be tolerated. Keep it clean and courteous for families, women and kids.

North Jetty

The action has been mostly on the early morning high tide phase with the black drum (aka “big uglies”) biting at the tip on clams and dead and live shrimp. Pieces of live blue crabs are also an excellent bait. A few small snook have been caught on live shrimp, but not many due to cold water (65–67°F). Keeper Spanish mackerel and bluefish have been caught on silver spoons and jigs (both tides). Sheepshead have been biting around the pilings on live fiddler crabs and shrimp. Beach side on dead shrimp has produced some small whiting and an occasional pompano. Back toward the bridge (between the bait shop and bridge) on the incoming tide, a few sheepshead have been caught on shrimp and sand fleas.

South Jetty

Incoming tide at the tip (beach side) has produced a few nice pompano on goofy jigs with clean water and the right temps. Inlet side on the same tide has produced some small snook on live baits, but remember snook season is closed until February 1st. Closer to the bridge on the incoming tide along the seawall, there has been some solid flounder caught on live finger mullet (3–4 lb class). Outgoing tide at the tip has been a lot of small to medium bluefish on jigs/bait/silver spoons. Dead shrimp has produced black margates, whiting, sheepshead, and a pompano or two. The surf pocket area is finally producing decent flounder on small rubber swimbaits and small live finger mullet/mud minnows — most fish in the 14–16 inch range and they are keepers.

T-Dock Area

The big story back here is the flounder bite between the cleaning station and the bridge — flounder in the 3–5 pound range have been seen on live finger mullet. Either tide can work; you just need to be there when they decide to move. Fishing on the dock has produced small Spanish mackerel and bluefish on small swimbaits and silver spoons (either tide; incoming is better when it isn’t moving so fast).

Surf – North & South Sides

South-side surf has produced some flounder between the jetty and sandbar where it hits the beach (live shrimp and finger mullet). Shrimp and sand flea anglers have also picked up a few pompano and whiting. North-side surf is similar but without the flounder — add in some black drum. Best water has been north of the jetty at the northern-most parking lot where a big sandbar keeps the water shallow.

Well folks, that’s it for this week — still kind of slow for cold-water species, but the weather looks good. If you get out, hope you catch something! Happy New Year everyone — hope it’s a good and prosperous one!!

– Snookman Wayne

Hello all my Sebastian Inlet friends and fans! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas with friends and family!! Santa forgot to bring us some fish, guess we've been naughty again, so this report will be another brief one as it was pretty slow all weekend, and most of last week. Here we go.

North Jetty

About the only fish I saw, and heard about were some decent black drum on the early day break outgoing tide. Not many, just a few. Live and dead shrimp. Sunday I saw a couple nice sheepshead caught over the rocks at the tip, dead shrimp enticed them. Also I saw one of my friends catch 2 slot snook on live shrimp, but they had to be released as the season is closed now, will reopen on February first 2026. I did also see a few small Spanish mackerel caught on small metal jigs, but they were barely keeper size. Another species I saw caught were some small whiting back towards the surf on dead shrimp. No blues or jacks this weekend, which is odd. Along the seawall between the baitshop and bridge, nothing. Back west of the tide pool along the rocks around the steel they have been getting some smaller flounder, 12 to 15 inches, on live shrimp and mud minnows.

South Jetty

Slow as well, with only a few fish being caught. Some small snook on live baits at the tip on the incoming tide. I did hear about some small flounder being caught in the beach pocket area on small live baits and small rubber jigs.

T-Dock Area

Extremely slow on either tide. The noise from the dredging has the fish on edge and they don't want to bite due to all the activity. The dock has been open on weekends, but not many anglers have been taking advantage of it. I did hear that a few small flounder were caught at the cleaning table, but didn't see them.

Surf – North & South Sides

North side: decent whiting, small puppy drum, and a few nice pompano. Live sand fleas and shrimp are the baits of choice. South side similar, but stingrays have been more abundant. Surf closer to the jetty can be a staging area for flounder before they push into the inlet. Small live baits and small rubber swimbaits will work.

Monday will be the last warm day, then another cool down for the rest of the week into the weekend. I wish everyone a safe and prosperous New Year! Stay well everyone!!

– Snookman Wayne

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing/sightseeing fans! Couldn't ask for any better weather that we had — the only bad thing is the fish took a vacation! Lol. Cold and stained water from Sebastian River made things a bit tough for fishing. Water temp went down to around 65–68 over the weekend. Good for drum, sheepshead, pompano, flounder — but the water quality was off a lot from the fresh water runoff.

North Jetty

Most action was on the outgoing tide at the tip. Live/dead/artificial all attracted lots 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 (water too cold). Snook season is closed now and won't open back up until February 1st. Also, redfish are catch and release only in our area — no keeping them. Lookdowns were caught on small jigs, and a few nice sheepshead 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

Dismal on Sunday: only a handful of blues and jacks at the tip on outgoing tide, plus catfish. Incoming tide (very early / very late) had a few small snook and reds on live baits and flair jigs. Flounder action slowed quite a bit; most flounder chatter was from boats west of the bridge getting nice fish despite dredging.

T-Dock Area

Slow: a few sheepshead around dock pilings and adjacent shoreline. A few flounder caught back here, mostly smaller (12–14 inches) — they must be at least 14 inches to keep. Jacks and small bluefish hit silver spoons in the channel. No snook or reds back here.

Surf – North & South Sides

North surf was pretty good with calmer/cleaner water: lots of nice whiting, plus pompano, small black drum, and bluefish. Cut shrimp and live sand fleas were best (even for the blues). South side was slower when stained water flows south on outgoing tide, but still produced some pompano/whiting/drum — with more catfish.

Monday and Tuesday were forecast to be rough again with NNE winds (20–30) and seas building (6–7 ft), likely muddying the water. Calming was expected by Thursday into the weekend. Winter season is here — stay safe.

– Snookman Wayne

Good morning all my Sebastian Inlet fanatics, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It was a bit breezy to say the least. Winds were sustained around 22 mph with gusts near 39–40 mph and seas up to 6 ft — not ideal. The good news: the water did not get very dirty this time because winds were more ENE, so it shouldn’t take long to pick back up once things calm down. Water temp was still good at 70–72°F.

We really only had Sunday that was fishable enough to get a decent look, and it was slim everywhere.

North Jetty

The only consistent fish I saw caught were at the tip on the outgoing tide: very small jack crevalle, bluefish, and blue runners on cut dead baits. A couple nice sheepshead were caught on cut shrimp, plus two decent black drum on cut shrimp. Snook/redfish were basically a no-show in daylight, with only a few reported at night on jigs.

South Jetty / T-Dock / Surf / Rocks

South jetty was rough and mostly empty. T-Dock, beaches and rocks were fishless and/or too rough to fish with the ENE swell.

This week was expected to improve with winds turning more westerly to calm and clean things up. Happy December!

– Snookman Wayne

Good morning, Sebastian Inlet friends and fans! The weekend weather was about as nice as it gets — and with the water cleaning up, the bite has picked back up just like we hoped. Water temps are in a good range and improved clarity has had fish chewing again all around the inlet.

Most of the best action has been on the early-morning high tide and the late-evening high tide. Outgoing tides have produced some fish, but not with the same consistency or quality as the incoming highs. Here’s your breakdown by area.

North Jetty

The incoming tide has been the time to be out here. There were a couple of notable “surprise” catches over the weekend. One angler landed a solid cobia in the 50–60 pound class on an artificial lure Saturday morning. A little later, another surprise showed up: a longnose gar — a freshwater species you almost never see on the jetty in salt water. Just goes to show, you never really know what might swim through Sebastian Inlet.

Over the rock pile at the tip, snook fishing has been pretty good early on the incoming. Live shrimp has been the go-to bait. Plenty of the fish have been undersized, but there have been a fair number of slot snook and a few overslot fish released. Redfish, black drum and pompano have also been caught in good numbers on live shrimp and cut dead shrimp.

On the beach side of the jetty during the same tide, anglers have found more snook, drum, reds and pompano on similar baits — live shrimp for snook, cut shrimp for drum and pompano. Spanish mackerel have been active as well, hitting small jigs, silver spoons and Gotcha-style plugs.

On the first part of the outgoing tide, before the water dirties up, some anglers have picked off black drum, pompano and sheepshead on cut dead shrimp. Once the water quality drops, the snook tend to move off, and the bite shifts more toward small bluefish and jack crevalle on the inlet side tip, hitting a variety of lures and baits.

Along the north shoreline rocks between the bait shop and the bridge, one angler reported a few undersized mutton snapper (remember, they must be at least 18 inches to keep), along with some good mangrove snapper — including one fish around 17 inches, which is a quality mangrove. Sheepshead are also being caught in this stretch. Live or cut shrimp have been the main baits.

South Jetty

The south side has been a bit slower overall, with shallower water and not quite the clarity of the north side, but there are still fish being caught. At the tip on the incoming tide, anglers are connecting with snook on live shrimp. Most have been undersized, but there are a few slot fish in the mix.

Along the rocks, small sheepshead, mangrove snapper and a few black drum are showing up on live and dead shrimp. On the outgoing tide at the tip, goofy jigs have produced some nice pompano — one angler reported a full limit. Cut shrimp on the bottom has turned up black margates, jacks, blue runners, sheepshead and small mangrove snapper, along with the usual puffers and catfish. Small bluefish have also been taken on spoons and jigs.

T-Dock Area

The T-Dock remains closed due to the ongoing dredging project and barge activity, so there hasn’t been any fishing directly off the dock. The surrounding area has been on the slow side, but one angler reported catching small mangrove snapper around the tide pool rocks and having some light-tackle fun with those. Overall, it’s been pretty quiet back here.

Surf – North & South Sides

The north-side surf around the jetty and just up the beach has been producing a nice mix of whiting, black drum, sheepshead, pompano and some decent bluefish. Cut dead shrimp and live sand fleas have been the key baits there.

The south-side surf has looked similar, with calm, cleaner water bringing more fish into range. One bonus on this side is that anglers have been catching more pompano just south of the jetty in a known “pompano hole” area, although stingrays have been around as well.

That’s the rundown for this week — a big improvement over the tougher stretch we just came through. When the water cleans up, the inlet almost always responds; it just takes a little time.

– Snookman Wayne

Weekend weather was beautiful, but the bite was slow. Very dirty, tannin-stained water and plenty of seaweed around the inlet kept the fish picky, even though water temps were right where they should be.

Quick reminder from the park rules: you may fish with two rods in the water per angler, and you need to stay with the rods you’re fishing. If you’re ever unsure about the jetty rules, stop by the ranger station and they’ll get you a copy.

North Jetty

Action was limited and mostly tied to the early high incoming tide. A few decent snook were caught on live shrimp, along with some nice black drum — it’s time for the “big uglies” to start showing. The hot spots were the beach side of the tip and the inlet-side rock pile. On the outgoing tide, the tip produced small bluefish, jacks, stingrays and catfish, and not much else.

South Jetty

Water was pretty messy here. A couple of black margates came over the rail, along with plenty of catfish, stingrays and puffers.

T-Dock

Extremely slow. The only consistent catches were puffers.

Surf – North & South Sides

On the north beach, a few nice whiting were taken on cut shrimp, mixed with the usual catfish and stingrays. The south side proved even weedier and dirtier, with more catfish than anything else.

The good news: water temperature is holding around 70–72°F, which is right on target for this time of year. Once the clarity improves, the bite should follow.

– Snookman Wayne

Another pretty weekend, but the inlet bite was held back by poor water quality. Freshwater runoff from the Sebastian River and C-54 canal dirtied up the inlet and pushed tannin-stained water through the system. Water temps are where they should be and a few finger mullet are still around, but predators aren’t fully engaged.

North Jetty

The outgoing tide dominated most of the day, and the water stayed dirty. Jacks were the main players, with small bluefish, ladyfish and catfish mixed in. Hard-core snook anglers reported very slow fishing, even around the incoming tides.

South Jetty

Very similar story: jacks, small blues, ladyfish, catfish and puffers. A handful of small snook were caught on live pinfish during the late incoming tide, but most fish were undersized.

T-Dock

A few small mangrove snapper were picked off the pilings with dead shrimp, along with a couple of small sheepshead. Puffers are still thick. Anglers working silver spoons and jigs in the channel found some jacks and bluefish.

Surf – North & South Sides

Surf calmed down, but extremely dirty water kept the bite quiet. Mostly catfish with a few small whiting reported on the north side; otherwise, it was very slow.

Brisk NNE winds are expected over the next several days. A stronger north component may help clean things up, so keep an eye on conditions.

– Snookman Wayne

Happy Monday from Sebastian Inlet. Before the latest stretch of strong winds and big surf, fishing had started to look good again. Then the weather flipped the switch and washed out much of the weekend.

Heads-up on park hours: starting November 12, operating hours at the South Ranger Station will follow standard park operating hours (8 a.m. to sunset), with after-hours access only for registered campers or visitors with an annual pass and after-hours permit. The North Ranger Station will continue operating 24/7. For the most current details, always check the official Sebastian Inlet State Park website.

North Jetty

Before the swell, water clarity was improving and temps had cooled back to seasonal norms. Most of the action came on the high incoming tide. Snook and redfish were caught on both sides of the jetty on live pinfish and shrimp, with lots of shorts and a decent number of slot snook mixed in. Spanish mackerel were chewing on small jigs, silver spoons and live greenies along the beach side. Bottom anglers fishing sand fleas and shrimp found a few pompano, some black drum and at least one keeper permit. On the outgoing tide, the tip produced jack crevalle and small bluefish on spoons, jigs and finger mullet.

South Jetty

Similar pattern: incoming tide was best. Small snook and a few slot fish were caught on live pinfish, with some redfish in the mix. Mangrove snapper and a few pompano were also caught — the pompano responding well to goofy jigs at the tip. Outgoing tide action was mostly jacks, catfish, small blues and puffers.

T-Dock

Fishing was a bit slow but still produced mixed bag action on incoming water. Spanish mackerel hit live greenies and small white jigs. Small mangrove snapper were caught around the pilings on dead shrimp and cut bait; most were undersized, with a few keepers. A couple of undersized mutton snapper also showed (remember, they must be 19 inches to keep). Anglers reported some black drum and sheepshead as well. Snook and redfish have been hit-or-miss back here.

Note: dredging work will resume near the T-Dock, and that area will be closed while the project is underway.

Surf – Both Sides

Surf has been blown out and will stay rough as swells tied to offshore weather systems continue. That’s keeping beach fishing limited for now.

When conditions line up again, expect the bite to rebound quickly — it was just starting to fire back up.

– Snookman Wayne

Another beautiful weekend at Sebastian Inlet with plenty of finger mullet pouring through and predators on them when the water cleaned up. Before the details, a couple of safety reminders for everyone sharing the jetty:

• The area between the railing and the yellow lines is a pedestrian and emergency access lane. Please keep it clear of carts, coolers, buckets and extra rods.
• Set your gear on the metal grates in the center of the jetty so everyone can move around safely.
• Everyone has the same right to enjoy the jetty — fishing, watching wildlife or just taking in the view. Kindness on the rail goes a long way.

With that said, mullet schools have been thick and the water temperatures have finally dropped into the mid-70s. Visibility is still up and down with dirty water rolling through at times, but there are fish around when it cleans up.

Highlights

On cleaner high-tide periods, snook and redfish have been caught on live shrimp, mullet and pinfish at the North Jetty, with jacks, ladyfish and small blues on the outgoing. The South Jetty has seen similar action with jacks dominating rougher periods. Around the T-Dock, incoming tide has produced snapper, the occasional snook and other mixed species on live and dead baits. Surf conditions have been variable and often too rough, so results there have been limited.

– Snookman Wayne

Tropical weather offshore brought 9–11 foot swells, forcing a temporary closure of the North Jetty and the park over the weekend. As of this report, the park has reopened, but the North Jetty remains closed until wave heights drop back to safe levels.

Before the swell, the North Jetty offered a good bite of snook and redfish on shrimp, mullet and majorra, along with Spanish mackerel and lookdowns. The South Jetty was a bit slower in the dirty water but still produced some snook and reds on pigfish, pinfish and mullet.

Expect water to stay stirred up for a bit after large swells like this. Once clarity improves, the bite should come back online.

– Snookman Wayne

ENE breezes kept things comfortable, but water quality continues to be the main challenge. Dirty, silty water with too much freshwater on the outgoing tide and 84°F temperatures have slowed fishing.

North Jetty

Some Spanish mackerel, lookdowns, blue runners and jacks have been caught. Snook are scarce and only a couple of redfish were reported at the tip on incoming tide.

South Jetty

A few snook have been caught on live pinfish during the incoming tide; outgoing tide has mostly produced catfish, puffers, blue runners and a few bluefish.

T-Dock & Surf

Back areas and surf have been very quiet due to dirty water and seaweed. A few small snapper and muttons have shown around structure, but most are undersized.

Once water temps drop into the upper-70s and clarity improves, expect a more typical fall bite. In the meantime, enjoy the wildlife and stay ready — the switch can flip quickly this time of year.

– Snookman Wayne