Best Jensen Beach Fishing Spots


Jensen Beach has lots of great fishing spots for just about any type of fisherman. The beaches are a great place to catch fish all year round. The Indian River lagoon is another great spot for wade fishing, shore fishing and kayak fishing.

You can expect to catch flounder, spotted sea trout, snook, redfish, pompano, tarpon, bluefish and much more....

I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the flats and beaches around Florida for more than 40 years.

The article below will cover the best fishing spots around Jensen Beach and the types of fish that you can catch during certain times of the year. Many fish in this area are migratory so there are only certain times of year that you can catch them in numbers as they move through our area on their travels.

Watch the video below and catch more snook around the docks.
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​Best Jensen Beach Fishing Spots--Docks

The docks around Jensen Beach are a great place to find fish all year long. Docks in the Indian River Lagoon are like reefs are to the fish in the ocean. The older dock pilings are full of oysters, barnacles, sponges, sea plants and other creatures that offer food and refuge to other marine creatures.

Shrimp, crabs and small fish use the dock pilings for a place to hide from predators. The predators know this and come to the dock pilings to find food. This is why there are always fish to catch around the docks.

When I am fishing the docks around Jensen Beach it is usually for flounder, snook, redfish and spotted sea trout. All of these species along with mangrove snapper, sheepshead and black drum can be caught around the dock pilings all year long.


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 medium/heavy 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.



SNOOK-- I like to target snook with live bait around docks most of the time. If you can get hold of some finger mullet or pilchards, then you are good to go for catching some snook. If you are not proficient with a cast net you can go to the local bait and tackle store and get some premium sized live shrimp. The premium shrimp are the big ones and if the snook aren't biting you can boil them up and have shrimp cocktails.

Snook like to cruise from dock to dock looking for a good one with the right water depth and some food for them to eat. Your job is to find those snook friendly docks. Once you do find those snook docks you will often catch multiple fish from the same dock.

Snook are professional line wrappers. What I mean by this is they will immediately head for the nearest structure when they get hooked. This is why snook fishing for docks requires you to beef up your tackle a little bit. Learn about the best snook fishing tackle here.

I like to float live bait from up current to the dock pilings as opposed to casting up current to the dock. It sounds like a small thing but you are much less likely to spook the fish if you let your bait swim with the current to where the snook are waiting.

I like to use a cork to make it easier to keep track of the bait and to slow it down to give the snook a better chance of catching it. That sounds funny but it has always amazed me at how poorly a snook catches mullet. Mullet are very athletic and the cork slows them down enough to increase your hook up ratio dramatically.

If you like to fish with lures, then it is hard to beat a DOA CAL 3 inch shad. This is a great lure to cover a lot of water to find out where the fish are. I like the white with a 1/8 ounce jig head.

My favorite top water lure for early mornings and towards sunset is a walk the dog style of lure. The Zara Super Spook and the Top Dog Mirrolure are the ones that I use the most. Learn more about the best Mirrolures for snook.

FLOUNDER-- I like to target flounder with one of two different lures usually. I use the DOA CAL 3 inch shad with a 1/8 ounce jig head or a Berkeley Gulp swimming mullet or 3 inch Gulp shrimp with a 1/8 ounce jig head. My favorite color is white with a red jig head or a natural color combination with a red jig head. I'm not sure that the jig head color makes that much difference but I've always used red and it works.

Flounder are not very good fighters but they are fun to catch and delicious table fare. It takes some practice to learn how to fillet them because one fillet is huge and the other is usually like a big fish stick. They definitely have a strange body arrangement. Learn the best tackle for flounder fishing.

You will want to cast your jig up current to the dock pilings or as close as you can get it to them. Let the jig sink and very slowly jig it back to you bouncing it off of the bottom as you do. You can also slow swim the jig but you must keep it within a foot or so of the bottom to keep it in the flounder's strike zone.

Flounder are a lie and wait predator that will be waiting for something good to eat to come to them. They don't aggressively chase down their prey. If your bait is 2 feet or more off of the bottom it is not likely to attract a strike from a flounder. The key to flounder fishing is to keep it slow and low.

During the higher parts of the tide the flounder tend to fan out away from the comfort of the dock pilings and can be found close to the shoreline and in the mud and sand between the different docks. During the lower parts of the tide they are usually very near to some structure.

Watch the video below and catch more flounder around docks.
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WANT TO CATCH A TROPHY SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH OR TROUT? Give us a call and BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
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SPOTTED SEA TROUT-- There are lots of spotted sea trout around the docks all year long. Sea trout are denizens of the grass flats so docks that are close to grass flats will be the best ones for catching them. Unlike the flounder, a sea trout can be found in all parts of the water column and the tend to be in schools.

Once you figure out how deep they are then you can often catch quite a few of them before they move on. Sea trout are good to eat and the bigger ones are decent fighters but the fight is usually over quickly. I like to use a lighter rod and reel set up for trout to make it more fun to catch them. Learn the best tackle for spotted seat trout.

My favorite lures for catching trout are the Berkeley Gulp 3 inch shrimp and the DOA CAL 3 inch shad. I probably sound like a broken record but the white body with the red 1/8 ounce jig head is my preferred combination.

The technique that works best for me is a slow retrieve with a twitch or two every 3 or 4 reel turns. It seems like they like to hit it on the drop as the lure falls from the twitch. Jigs are a great lure to find out where the fish are. Keep moving until you find them no matter how fishy the spot where you are looks. DON'T FISH DEAD ZONES.

The best live bait for sea trout is shrimp. Go to the local tackle shop and get a few dozen live shrimp and you are good to go. The best presentation is under a popping cork. Just like the name implies you will want to pop the cork to attract the attention of the fish. The concave design of the top of the cork makes a "pop" when you twitch it.

Sea trout also like smaller finger mullet and pilchards so if you can net some of those do it. You will fish them under a popping cork too. Keep the cork at least 18 inches away from the bait for best results.

Watch the video below and catch more trout and flounder around docks.
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​Best Jensen Beach Fishing Spots-- Beaches

Jensen Beach has fishy beaches. It is as simple as that. There are all kinds of fish that cruise the beaches all year long in the area. The problem with beach fishing is the waves. Large surf will often stop you from fishing in the Winter months when the fishing for pompano is the best. The good news for fishermen and bad news for surfers is the swells usually only last a day or two.

The most sought after fish along the beaches in Jensen Beach are pompano, whiting, snook, bluefish and tarpon. These fish are mostly migratory except for the snook. They stick around all year.

POMPANO-- Pompano are in the jack family so they put up a great fight. They are also delicious. These two factors make them the most popular fish to catch off of the beach in the winter time. You will know when they are here because the beach will be full of surfcasting rods as far as the eye can see.

Pompano are very particular about the water temperatures that they like. The water has to be in the low 60s to mid 70s if you want to catch a bunch of pompano. This is why the pompano season in Jensen Beach is from about November to April. This of course varies from year to year based on when the first and last cold fronts come rolling through the area.

The best baits for pompano are sand fleas. Their real name is mole crab but nobody calls them that for some reason. Go to the local tackle shop and ask for 5 pompano rigs and pyramid sinkers from 1 to 4 ounces depending upon the wave and current conditions on the beach. You can buy frozen sand fleas and frozen shrimp. I would suggest getting both.

The best lure for pompano is a banana jig. You will cast this out and bounce it off of the sandy bottom slowly back to you. It's a very simple lure to use. Learn more about pompano jigs.

WHITING-- Whiting are often a bi catch of pompano fishermen but are a great fish to target even if the pompano are not around. Whiting are also known as a kingfish but they are not to be confused with the King Mackerel that is also called a kingfish.

Whiting are another one of those fish that like to eat crustaceans like shrimp and sand fleas. This clean diet is probably why pompano and whiting are so good to eat. They are not fishy tasting at all.

Have you ever wondered why so many people like fish that aren't fishy tasting? I've never heard anyone say, "This beef is really good because it's doesn't taste like a cow at all." 

OKAY LET'S get back to fishing. You will want to fish for whiting exactly the same way that you fish for pompano. Use the same pompano rigs, baits, lures and techniques.

Watch the video below and catch more whiting off of the beach.

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​SNOOK-- You can catch snook just about all year long on the beaches as long as the winter doesn't get too cold. Snook like a water temperature range from 70 to about 82 degrees. If the water is 60 degrees or lower it will kill them if they can't find warmer water quickly. When the water gets too cold the snook will head offshore or up the freshwater rivers or around deep bridges and inlets.

When you are targeting snook off of the beach DO NOT cast your bait or lure out far. The snook are usually within 30 feet of the sand that you are standing on. In fact, they are usually in the trough that the waves make right next to the beach about 3 feet out. They like to cruise the trough during the higher parts of the tide to fee on croakers, whiting and small pompano.

The best live bait for snook on the beach is a croaker. Snook love croakers but a finger mullet, pilchard or sardine will also work just fine. You can freeline the bait just past the trough or wherever you think the snook are. Learn more about how to catch a snook.

Use diving birds or bait schools guide you to the snook. They will be where the food is so you will have to find the food to catch snook. Sometimes there will be Great Blue Herons on the beach. This is another great indicator that there is bait on that stretch of beach.

The best lures are mullet imitations. I like to use a Mirrolure suspending mullet and cast parallel to the shoreline to make sure the lure is within 6 feet or so to the trough. Flair hawk snook jigs and DOA CALs are also great lures to fish the trough for snook with.

Watch the video below and catch more snook off of the beach.
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​Best Jensen Beach Fishing Spots--Bridges

Jensen Beach Causeway Bridge is a great place to catch snook, grouper, snapper and pompano. Bridges have big pilings that hold them up and this is a perfect artificial reef for fish. The pilings fill up with barnacles, oysters, sponges and all kinds of other sea creatures.

Bridge pilings usually go down pretty deep so you can catch fish that like deeper water like groupers, big snook and big snapper. You just have to get your baits and lures down deep to catch them.

SNOOK-- The night time snook bite in Jensen Beach is incredible. The best way to catch snook around the bridge lights is with a flair hawk snook jig. Cast the jig up current and way past the light shine in the water. Work it back to you from the dark into the light within a foot or two of the bottom.

The big female snook are usually close to the bottom so you need to keep the lure down deep. The smaller snook are usually higher in the water column.

The deep bridge pilings are a great place to find snook in the winter months. The deep water stays warmer to keep the snook happy when its cold. A few hours before the actual cold front hits is when the snook bite is the best.

GROUPER-- You can catch gag grouper and goliath grouper around all of the bridge pilings. A great lure is the flair hawk snook jig with a shrimp or piece of squid on it to add some smell. You will fish this lure the same way that you would fish for a snook. ie. Cast it up current and bounce it back to you on the bottom. Learn more about catching grouper inshore.

POMPANO-- The easternmost part of the bridge is a great spot to vertical jig for pompano in the winter and spring. A banana jig and a pompano feather jig are both great choices for pompano jigging. The best colors are pink, orange and chartreuse.

The technique is very simple. Let the jig sink to the bottom and twitch it up two or three feet in the water column and let if fall back to the bottom. Repeat until you get on the pompano meat.

I created the complete video fishing guide to help you catch more snook. Sign up for it now and get it right away.