Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie Florida
Port St. Lucie has tons of great fishing spots where fishermen can catch all kinds of different freshwater and saltwater species of fish. If you like tarpon, snook and redfish, then Port St. Lucie has you covered.
If you like to catch big bass, catfish and bluegills, then Port St. Lucie has you covered there too.
The Treasure Coast of Florida has lots of world class fishing spots to offer to fishermen. That is why fishermen flock to this area from all over the world.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE here in Port St. Lucie and I have been fishing the ponds, lakes, grass flats and beaches all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you where to find fish in Port St. Lucie; The best fish species to target; The best baits and lures to use and much more...…
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more Port St. Lucie snook.
Port St. Lucie has tons of great fishing spots where fishermen can catch all kinds of different freshwater and saltwater species of fish. If you like tarpon, snook and redfish, then Port St. Lucie has you covered.
If you like to catch big bass, catfish and bluegills, then Port St. Lucie has you covered there too.
The Treasure Coast of Florida has lots of world class fishing spots to offer to fishermen. That is why fishermen flock to this area from all over the world.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE here in Port St. Lucie and I have been fishing the ponds, lakes, grass flats and beaches all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you where to find fish in Port St. Lucie; The best fish species to target; The best baits and lures to use and much more...…
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more Port St. Lucie snook.
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Snook
Port St. Lucie has some great spots to target snook. Snook are one of those fish that can live in both freshwater and saltwater. This means that they can be found just about anywhere that there is water connected to the sea in some way.
They will live up in rivers that empty into the Atlantic Ocean eventually. They will live in canals. They can even be found in freshwater ponds with small drainage pipes that lead into saltwater. In other words, there are snook just about anywhere that there is saltwater close to them.
One of the best places to find snook in the Port St. Lucie city limits is in the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The St. Lucie River empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lucie Inlet. During the Winter months much of the snook population will head up into the river to sit out the cold months.
See my article Winter Fishing for Snook to learn more.
During the Spring and Summer months these snook will leave the river and head to the inlet to spawn. They will be just about everywhere during the Fall and then they will head back up the river for Winter. That's a typical movement cycle for the snook in our area.
BRIDGES AND DOCKS- Your best bet for catching snook is around the bridges and docks that line the St. Lucie river. Snook are a very structure oriented fish and like to use dock and bridge pilings to ambush their prey.
MANGROVES- Another great place is under the mangrove limbs and in the mangrove roots during the higher parts of the tide. The roots of the Red Mangrove Tree is a haven for crabs, shrimp and small fish. Predators like a snook see those roots as an all-you-can-eat buffet. During the higher parts of the tide those snook will be hunting in and near those roots.
SPILLWAYS- The many canals that empty into the Atlantic Ocean will have a spillway somewhere as you travel up them. The spillways are used to regulate the amount of rain water that stays in the canals to prevent flooding. When there is excessive rainfall those spillways will be opened up.
Every snook around will head towards that spillway so that they can eat the bluegills and red eared sunfish that are swept through the gaits with the rush of water.
BEST LIVE BAITS- Your best chance to catch a snook is with live bait. If you can get your hands on live mullet, live croakers or any white baits, then you have a good chance to catch a St. Lucie River snook.
If you are fishing the spillways, then a bluegill is the best live bait.
In the Winter months, they will often be feeding on shrimp. That is another great live bait for snook.
I like to fish with live bait under a popping cork. This lets me control the bait and the water depth better. You will want to pitch your live bait offering to the pilings of the mangroves, docks and bridges and hold on. Snook are very good at cutting your line by wrapping you up on the various structure that is near them.
WANT TO CATCH SNOOK? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Largemouth Bass
Bass account for the largest share of money spent by fishermen in the state of Florida every year. Bass fishermen spend more than 1.25 billion dollars a year to catch big Florida Bass. Port St. Lucie has some BIG bass in its lakes, ponds, canals and rivers.
Any pond that has been dug for fill in an apartment or housing complex will have bass in it within a few years. They are in every canal, pond, lake and river in our area too. My point is that if you see a freshwater body of water in Port St. Lucie, then you can catch a bass if you want to.
See my article How to Catch a Bass in Florida to learn more.
MAN-MADE PONDS- A largemouth bass can grow about a pound per year. So this means that a man-made pond that is 10 years old may have 8 to 10 pound bass in them. That is amazing to me.
The problem with bass fishing in Port St. Lucie ponds is that they are often fished pretty hard. Those bass are often very lure shy. Your job is to find ponds that are more secluded and hidden that are not going to be fished very often. The bass in those ponds will take your lures readily.
ST LUCIE RIVER- The North Fork of the St. Lucie River is full of bass. That is a very long river with many miles of main river and tributaries into the main river.
The St. Lucie River is one of the most scenic in Florida because it has fallen trees and areas that are covered by the tree canopy. These places are great spots for bass to hide in and hunt around.
If you don't have a boat to use, then you can use a kayak to get at those bass. The dark tannic water is a great place to use lures to get on some decent sized largemouth bass.
BEST LURES- My favorite lures are spinner baits and soft plastics like worms, crawdads and lizards set up with Texas Rigged presentations. You can just pitch your lures to those submerged logs and other plant material for those bass in the area.
Watch the video below and catch more Port St. Lucie Tarpon with Lures.
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Tarpon
The North Fork of the St. Lucie River is full of tarpon during the Spring through the Fall in Port St. Lucie waters. Tarpon are a warm water fish that will die if exposed to 70 degree water for a prolonged period of time. This means that they are only around in large numbers from May through November.
We are lucky enough in Port St. Lucie to see a Spring bait run and a Fall bait run. When those bait fish hit the estuaries and rivers in our area the predators follow them. Tarpon are one of those predators that can be numerous in the St. Lucie River during certain times of the year.
Tarpon are a fish with a rudimentary lung. They will often show you where they are as they come up to the surface and gulp air. This makes them a great fish to sight fish for.
See my article Best Baits and Lures for Tarpon to learn more about fishing for tarpon.
The best time to target tarpon is the first few hours of the day; the last few hours of the day; and at night near dock and bridge lights.
BEST LIVE BAITS- It is hard to beat a live finger mullet for catching tarpon in the St. Lucie River. If you can get your hands on some of those delicious tarpon baits, then you can catch some nice tarpon in the river. You just have to figure out where the feeding tarpon are.
WANT TO CATCH A TARPON? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Redfish
There are lots of redfish in the St. Lucie River. They are just hard to find most of the time. Your best bet to catch them is with live shrimp on the bottom near the docks and bridges.
I like to use a couple of split shots to keep the bait on the bottom. You want to use just enough to keep the bait on the bottom but not so much that the redfish feels the weight when it picks up your hook.
The redfish will follow the bait schools into the river along with the snook, tarpon and every other predator in the vicinity. If you can find the bait schools, then usually you can find some redfish too.
Look for birds diving on the bait schools to help you find the fish. Another good indicator is wading birds like blue herons and egrets along the shore line. Those birds like to stay close to their food sources. Just because they are not feeding at the time when you see them doesn't mean that there is not any bait around.
Shrimp will catch just about any fish that swims in the river. So if your are in doubt about what bait to use, then get some live shrimp and go for it.
You might also want to read my article Best Baits and Lures for Redfish.
Watch the video below and catch more Port St. Lucie Sheepshead
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Sheepshead
Sheepshead are another one of those fish that don't mind living in freshwater. These fish can be targeted around any structure, natural or man-made that has barnacles and oysters on it. Sheepshead are a specialist in eating oysters and barnacles. They have specialized teeth to bite through the tough outer shells.
These specialized teeth also make them excellent bait stealers. You have to downsize your hooks if you want to catch sheepshead in the St. Lucie River.
My suggestion is 1/0 hooks at the largest and you only need partial bait on the hook to cover it. The best baits are fiddler crabs and shrimp. You only need a small piece of shrimp on your hook. If you use a whole shrimp, they will often be able to pull it off of your hook without getting hooked.
Your best bet for catching sheepshead in the St. Lucie River is around docks or bridge pilings with a piece of shrimp on a 1/0 hook with just enough weight to get it to stay put on the bottom. That's all that you need to catch a bunch of sheepshead.
You can also sight fish for them when they are rooting around the mangroves during the higher parts of the tide. You have to be stealthy so that you don't spook the sheepshead as you approach their position. Just get your bait close and they will most likely smell it and go over to eat it.
Sheepshead are in our waters in very large numbers after they spawn offshore in the Fall. Read my article to learn more about Winter Sheepshead Fishing Tips.
Best Fishing Spots in Port St. Lucie for Pompano
Pompano are one the Treasure Coast of Florida's favorite snow birds. The pompano move through our area in great numbers from December through to about April. Pompano are the best tasting member of the jack family.
Most fishermen equate pompano fishing to fishing off of the beach. BUT pompano will move up into the St. Lucie River to feed during the Winter and Spring months.
Pompano like to feed on crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. There are lots of crabs and shrimp in the St. Lucie River for pompanos to feed upon. The great thing about pompano is that they are usually in a school. So if you catch one pompano you can usually catch a bunch more.
You need to find sandy spots to find the pompanos. There are many beaches and sand bars in the St. Lucie River where you might find some pompanos to catch. Your best lures are pompano feather jigs and banana jigs. Just bounce them on the sandy bottom until you find the schools of feeding pompanos.
If you want to use bait, then a piece of shrimp or a sand flea on a pompano rig is the best way to target these fish. A pompano jig can be found in your local bait and tackle store. It is just a double hook rig with floats to keep the bait off of the bottom.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano in Port St. Lucie.
Conclusion:
Port St. Lucie is a great place to catch lots of different types of fish. We have something for everyone whether that be freshwater or saltwater fishermen.
Our ponds and lakes are full of largemouth bass, bluegills, red-eared sunfish and catfish. The St. Lucie River is full of snook, tarpon, redfish, sheepshead, black drum, croakers, pompano and many other fish species.
The Treasure Coast is one of the best places in the world to fish for a reason. Offshore, inshore and freshwater fishermen have everything that they need for tons of fishing fun. Another great thing about this area is that you can catch lots of fish during any time of the year.
If you ever want to catch some flounder, tarpon, snook, spotted sea trout...., then book a kayak fishing trip with me. Learn more here kayak fishing charters.
I hope that this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least have more fun fishing.
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