Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots
There are lots of great fishing spots in Fort Pierce. The beaches are full of fish most of the year. The Fort Pierce Inlet is always a great place to catch fish. The grass flats, docks, tidal creeks and bridges are also very fishy.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the flats and beaches all over Florida for over 40 years.
In the article below, I will cover the fish species in the area; the best seasons to find them; the best places to find them; and the best baits and tackle to catch them with.
Watch the videos below and catch more tarpon in Fort Pierce.
There are lots of great fishing spots in Fort Pierce. The beaches are full of fish most of the year. The Fort Pierce Inlet is always a great place to catch fish. The grass flats, docks, tidal creeks and bridges are also very fishy.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the flats and beaches all over Florida for over 40 years.
In the article below, I will cover the fish species in the area; the best seasons to find them; the best places to find them; and the best baits and tackle to catch them with.
Watch the videos below and catch more tarpon in Fort Pierce.
More Fort Pierce Tarpon Action....
Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots-- Inlets
Inlets are great place to catch fish. They act as funnels for bait which attracts underwater predators like, snook, tarpon, flounder, grouper and sharks. They are easy access for fishermen to get at the fish too.
SNOOK--The Fort Pierce Inlet is a great place to catch snook all year long but especially in the summer months. Snook will leave the rivers, creeks and grass flats and head to the inlets around Florida in the summer to spawn. This is one of the reasons that snook season doesn't start until September 1st. They are easy pickings in the Fort Pierce Inlet in the summer time.
This is a place where you will need to get your bait down at least 15 to 20 feet and deal with a lot of current. If you are using a lure then a flair hawk style of jig is a good one to use. This lure is especially effective at night. Snook like to hang out very close to structure of some kind. The Fort Pierce Inlet has huge chunks of granite that causes eddies in the current for snook to wait out of the current for bait to swim by. Learn more about snook fishing with jigs.
You will want to cast up current and bounce the jig back to you. If there are lots of snags on the bottom, then you can swim the jig back to you as long as it is within a foot or two of the bottom. The larger female snook are usually close to the bottom. The smaller males are often higher in the water column.
A live finger mullet or pin fish is a great choice when combined with an ounce or two of sinker on the line above it. A great rig for fishing the inlet is a Jupiter Rig. This rig is a hook combined with a sinker that is between two barrel swivels to keep it from moving down to the bait or high up on the fishing line.
Watch the video below to catch more snook using the Jupiter Rig.
Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots--Grass Flats
The grass flats in Fort Pierce are very fertile. This part of the Indian River usually misses most of the damage that occurs in the river because of the contaminated run off from Lake Okeechobee. Toxic algae and fresh water filled with phosphorous and nitrogen causes all kinds of problems for sea grasses and the marine denizens of this estuary environment. Most of the damage occurs around Stuart, Port Salerno, and Sewell's Point but it effects the whole area.
SPOTTED SEA TROUT and REDFISH-- The grass flats around Fort Pierce have tons of spotted sea trout in them. If you can find some healthy grass flats, then you can get on some decent sized trout. The State of Florida record trout was caught in Fort Pierce and weighed more than 14 pounds. That is a big trout.
I like to catch trout with lures but it is hard to beat a live shrimp under a popping cork. Use a small hook like a 1/0 or 2/0 circle hook with about 24 inches of 15 pound or less leader strength. You also want to use a mono filament line instead of a braided line because a trout has a very fragile mouth that tears easily.
This means that your hook can come out very easily and you will lose the fish. It also harms the fish less if you are not bringing it home to fillet and release into the grease when you get home.
BEST ALL AROUND ROD AND REEL COMBO FOR INSHORE FISHING
In my opinion, the perfect all around rod and reel combo for inshore fishing is a 3500 series reel and a 7 foot medium or strength, fast action rod. Fill the spool with 15 pound braided line and use a 20 pound leader.
I have used many different rods and reels over the last 40 years of fishing like Diawa, Shimano and Penn.
My favorite line of reels that are out now is the Penn Spinfisher series reels. They are smooth, tough; have great drag systems; and best of all a sealed body so sand and water don't get inside the reels.
They are perfect for surf fishing, wade fishing and kayak fishing. (Any fishing technique that makes it likely for water or sand to get in them)
You can expect to pay $150 plus for these reels. BUT they are worth it.
My second favorite non-sealed reels are the Diawa BG reels.
They are the reels that I use on my flats boat because I know that they are unlikely to get dunked in the water or to get beach sand in them.
You can expect to pay $100 plus for these reels. They are a great bargain in my opinion.
I think that the two best lures for catching sea trout is the white DOA CAL with a 1/8 ounce jig head and the white Berkeley Gulp 3 inch shrimp with a 1/8 ounce red jig head. There are times when those lures will out fish a live bait. I like to use a slow retrieve with a twitch every 10 feet or so.
Watch the video below and catch more spotted sea trout on the flats with DOA Shrimp.
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Redfish are out on the grass flats rooting around for shrimp and small fish to eat. Redfish are not picky eaters and you can catch them if you can get their attention. They have 4 nostrils and use that heightened sense of smell to find prey.
A live shrimp with a split shot that is cast into the sandy potholes that are all over the grass flats is a great way to catch a redfish. A pin fish under a popping cork with just enough leader to keep the pin fish out of the grass is irresistible to any redfish around.
The best lures are scented jigs like the Berkeley Gulp shrimp. Those work the best but they will readily hit the DOA CALs and DOA shrimp too. I prefer jig fishing for redfish because you can quickly cover a lot of water and find out where the predators are at. Don't waste your time fishing in dead zones.
Keep moving around until you start getting bites from predators. The predators will all be where the food is so if you find one species, then you will probably find more. Learn more about fishing with Berkeley Gulp baits.
Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots-- Mangroves
Fort Pierce has lots of mangroves for you to fish around. The key to fishing the mangroves is to get as close as possible to the mangrove roots without getting hung up on them. The strike zone is within 2 feet or so of the mangroves. Any further out and your chances to catch a fish drop dramatically.
The roots of the red mangrove tree are a nursery for all kinds of marine life. There are shrimp, crabs, small fish and barnacles and oysters for predatory fish to eat if they can get at them. When the tide is in its higher stages the larger predatory fish can get at all those delicious creatures. That's when you can catch those predators for your dinner plate.
SNOOK and REDFISH-- I like to fish for snook and redfish around the roots of the mangrove tree during the top parts of the tide. The snook and redfish will cruise the mangroves with the tide as it comes in and out looking for prey. A great way to catch these fish is with dead bait if you have some time on your hands.
I like to use a ladyfish head or a mullet head that is cast right up to the mangroves during the upper parts of the tides. Just soak the bait and let it put all those odor molecules in the water to attract the fish from hundreds of yards away.
Mangrove fishing requires beefed up tackle because the reds and the snook will run the line right into the mangrove roots to break you off. If you normally fish with a 2500 series reel you may want to beef it up to a 4000 or higher to get the large snook and redfish out of the mangrove roots. Learn more about the best tackle for snook.
MANGROVE SNAPPER and SHEEPSHEAD-- The mangroves are also a great place to catch mangrove snapper and sheepshead with frozen or live shrimp. Just pitch your bait right up to the roots during the upper parts of the tide and get ready to catch some fish. I like to use a split shot or two and a 1/0 sized circle hook for this type of fishing. Sheepshead are hard to catch and can steal your baits without getting hooked if the hook is too big for their mouths.
Watch the video below to see some August bait run beach fishing techniques.
Fort Pierce has lots of mangroves for you to fish around. The key to fishing the mangroves is to get as close as possible to the mangrove roots without getting hung up on them. The strike zone is within 2 feet or so of the mangroves. Any further out and your chances to catch a fish drop dramatically.
The roots of the red mangrove tree are a nursery for all kinds of marine life. There are shrimp, crabs, small fish and barnacles and oysters for predatory fish to eat if they can get at them. When the tide is in its higher stages the larger predatory fish can get at all those delicious creatures. That's when you can catch those predators for your dinner plate.
SNOOK and REDFISH-- I like to fish for snook and redfish around the roots of the mangrove tree during the top parts of the tide. The snook and redfish will cruise the mangroves with the tide as it comes in and out looking for prey. A great way to catch these fish is with dead bait if you have some time on your hands.
I like to use a ladyfish head or a mullet head that is cast right up to the mangroves during the upper parts of the tides. Just soak the bait and let it put all those odor molecules in the water to attract the fish from hundreds of yards away.
Mangrove fishing requires beefed up tackle because the reds and the snook will run the line right into the mangrove roots to break you off. If you normally fish with a 2500 series reel you may want to beef it up to a 4000 or higher to get the large snook and redfish out of the mangrove roots. Learn more about the best tackle for snook.
MANGROVE SNAPPER and SHEEPSHEAD-- The mangroves are also a great place to catch mangrove snapper and sheepshead with frozen or live shrimp. Just pitch your bait right up to the roots during the upper parts of the tide and get ready to catch some fish. I like to use a split shot or two and a 1/0 sized circle hook for this type of fishing. Sheepshead are hard to catch and can steal your baits without getting hooked if the hook is too big for their mouths.
Watch the video below to see some August bait run beach fishing techniques.
Watch this video and catch more Black Tip Sharks in the surf.
Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots--Beaches
The beaches around Fort Pierce are all pretty good places to catch fish during just about every month of the year. The best time of the year is during the bait runs that we get in the area. During August the bait migrations usually start and they end by November.
This depends upon water temperature and hurricanes and other weather factors but in general those are the best beach fishing months if you want to catch tarpon, blacktip sharks, mackerel, bluefish, snapper, jacks and lots more right in the surf.
TARPON, SHARKS, SNOOK-- Those are some of my favorite species to target during the Fall bait run. The run usually starts with the smaller bait like minnows, sardines, threadfin herring and others. It culminates with the mullet run as millions of mullet work their way through the area followed closely by everything that likes to eat them.
The key to catching the fish is to "match the hatch". That means if it is minnows that the predators are feeding on, then you have to use smaller lures. I like to use small silver spoons and DOA CALs when I am fishing schools of smaller fish. BUT when the mullet start to move through you will have to increase your bait size to maximize the fish that you will catch.
When the mullet are moving through a Mirrolure Suspending Mullet is a great choice for snook, tarpon and sharks. Larger soft 5 inch plastics with a 1/4 ounce jig head is another great choice. If the water is not too rough, then you can use a walk the dog type of lure like a Zara Super Spook or a Mirrolure Top Dog to great effect. Learn how to use a walk the dog lure.
POMPANO and WHITING-- The pompano and whiting begin to show up in numbers when the water temperatures drop to around 75 degrees. This usually happens in November if we have early cold fronts. These two fish species are some of the most sought after for beach fishermen. There are good reasons for that. They are great to eat and fun to catch.
The best bait for these fish is sand fleas and frozen shrimp. Just go to your local bait and tackle store and ask for 4 or 5 pompano rigs with 1 ounce to 4 ounce pyramid sinkers. You never know what the surf and the current is going to be like. The bigger the waves usually means that there will be more current. You will need heavier sinkers for higher current conditions.
During the higher parts of the tides the fish will be within 20 feet of shore most of the time. When the tide is in its lower stages you will have to cast out 50 yards or so to get to them.
The best lure to catch pompano and whiting is the banana jig. You will want to bounce this jig slowly off of the bottom as you retrieve it. Learn more about pompano jigs here.
Watch the video below and catch more whiting off of the beach.
Best Fort Pierce Fishing Spots--Docks
The docks around the Indian River are great places to find fish. You can find redfish, snook, flounder, spotted sea trout, mangrove snapper, black drum and many more species around the dock pilings. The older the dock, the better. The older docks have more barnacles, oysters and sea plants attached to them. This in turn attracts shrimp, crabs and small fish that all get eaten by larger predators.
SNOOK, REDFISH, FLOUNDER-- I like to fish around the docks with finger mullet when they are around. If you are fishing from up current you can just free line your bait back to the dock pilings for best results. If the mullet do not want to cooperate, then you can add a float to the line and the tide will do a better job pushing the mullet to the dock pilings. A shrimp, pinfish, pilchard or sardine works great too.
My favorite lures are the DOA CALs and the Berkeley Gulp shrimp or swimming mullets. These lures catch just about every fish in the sea but snook, reds and flounder definitely love them. Cast the lure up current under or as close as possible to the dock and bounce it slowly back to you. You will need to slow it down big time if you are targeting flounder. Retrieve it about half as fast as you would for a snook or redfish.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish around the docks.
Bonus Video-- Catch more flounder with DOA CALs around docks.
Bonus Video #2- Catch more snook with live baits.
I created the complete video fishing course to help you catch more snook. Sign up below and get it right away.