Boating & Fishing

Florida has over 8,000 miles of coastline and 4,500 square miles of inland waterways, making it a paradise for boaters. The Treasure Coast boasts some of the most beautiful scenery and finest fishing. Stuart is the Sailfish capital of the world but numerous species are to be found in our magnificent waters. Owning your own boat can open up a whole new dimension to life on the Treasure Coast.

Whether you are plying the waters of the Sebastian Inlet, cruising the St. Lucie River or exploring the Intracoastal Waterway, the playground of water is a perfect place to enjoy one of man�s favorite toys � the boat.

Red Pigs Love Fish

Captain Joe Wards Weekly Fishing Report

AUGUST 8, 2010

INSHORE - The inshore fishing has improved over this past week with the snapper bite being the best thing going. Try along the channel edges or around any structure and use a small live shrimp. Most of the fish this week were 1 to 3 pounders. The redfish has been a little on the picky side but I did have a few reported coming from along the docks of North Indian River Drive. Try using a gold spoon or a live shrimp. The trout bite has been steady but you had to be there before first light or just before dark. Most of the trout were 5 pounds and under. Try using a topwater bait if you are fishing early or late and the rest of the time use a pigfish. There has been good catch and release snook action in the Ft. Pierce Inlet. Fish the first hour of the out going tide and use a pinfish, pigfish or a mullet and keep them on the bottom.

OFFSHORE - We had very few dolphin come into the docks this weekend. The ones that did have dolphin caught them in 60 to 120 feet of water and the biggest one was 15 pounds. A pink/white skirted ballyhoo worked best. Several anglers reported sailfish in 100 to 120 feet of water to the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet and they were also hitting ballyhoo. Over the reefs and wrecks there were the usual snapper, seabass, jacks and plenty of cuda's to keep you busy. Several anglers reported seeing tarpon off the North Beach but said they were not feeding. The divers that went out of the motel had a good number of lobster and there were several over 5 pounds. One boat had 6 lobster over 5 pounds and most were 3 to 4 pounders.

JUNIOR TEEN ANGLERS - The first from shore tournament for the new school year is scheduled for Saturday - August 28th at Harbour Pointe Park in Ft. Pierce. Junior Teen Anglers is for the 5 to 11 age group. If you have a child that would like to fish with the Junior Teen Anglers you can call 772-201-5773 for more info or go to the web at www.teenanglers.org.

If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or you can call me at 772-201-5770.  You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.

Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters

Florida Dolphin Watch