Best Jupiter Fishing Spots

Jupiter, Florida has some of the best offshore fishing in the world but many savvy fishermen know that the inshore fishing can be amazing too.

The Jupiter Inlet just might be the best inlet in all of Florida for catching monster snook. During the Summer months the snook will stack up in the Jupiter Inlet like bundles of firewood so that they can spawn.

You can't keep any of them during the Summer months but they are still very fun to catch.

You can also catch tarpon, mangrove snappers, groupers, sheepshead, flounder, pompano and all sorts of other fish species in the waters of Jupiter.

I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the inlets, mangroves, oyster bars and just about everywhere else in Florida for more than 40 years.

In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about catching tons of different species of fish in and around the city of Jupiter, Florida.

Let's get started.

Watch the video below and catch more snook with live bait using a Jupiter Rig.

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​Best Jupiter Fishing Spots- The Jupiter Inlet

The Jupiter Inlet is a very small inlet and that has caused a lot of problems for small boats coming in and out of the inlet when the current is ripping. This current also brings a lot of nutrients in and out of the inlet and the fish love it. The snook fishing is amazing but so is the mangrove snapper and mutton snapper fishing during certain times of the year.

Snook Fishing>

The snook fishing in and around the Jupiter Inlet is second to none. The outgoing tide is usually the best for fishing with artificial lures because the water is dirty and murky. Snook have great eyesight and are hard to fool in an inlet that gets a huge amount of fishing pressure like the Jupiter Inlet does.

Use a Jupiter rig on the incoming clear water times in the inlet with live bait like a mullet, pinfish, or a croaker. Those baits will not get ignored very often by the hungry snook on the bottom of the inlet. Live bait is the way to go on the incoming tide.

This is true right around the docks in the inlet itself. Pitch a free lined live bait of some sort to the docks on the north side of the inlet and you can get on some huge snook.

The outgoing tides are a different story. That is why you want to focus your snook fishing with lures on the outgoing tides. The water is always a little bit dirty and murky during the outgoing tide. This means that the snook can't get a very good look at your lures like they can during the incoming tides.

The snook like to congregate near the bottom of this inlet so you need a lure that can get down low if you want to catch some monster snook. The best lure for this scenario is going to be the renowned flair hawk jig. The flair hawk jig has probably caught more big snook out of inlets around Florida than any other lure ever made.

Why? Because this lure gets snook to bite once you master the fishing technique necessary for fishing this lure. It is actually a simple lure to use but you have to do it correctly to catch a lot of snook.

I wrote another article on this website that covers in much more detail the best lures for catching snook. You can see that article by clicking right here.

Cast the flair hawk jig up current and let it sink to the bottom. Then retrieve it about the same speed as the current is moving and bounce it on the bottom as you bring it back to you. That is just about all that you have to do to catch a ton of snook in the Jupiter Inlet.

In my opinion, the best color for the dirty water of the outgoing tides is pink. The pink colored flair hawk snook jigs seem to work the best in the stained waters.

You can fish the clean waters of the incoming tides with flair hawk snook jigs too. The best colors for the clean water are white and chartreuse. You will fish them the same way that you did for the outgoing tide. Just cast up current and work the lure back on the bottom at about the same speed as the tide is moving.


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​The night time snook bite is the best. Focus your efforts around the areas of the inlet where there are lights that shine into the water. Cast past the lights into the darkness and bring your snook jigs through the light. You will often get a bite right as your lure enters into the light. 

The snook like to wait in the shadows for unsuspecting prey items to show themselves in the light.

Watch the video below to learn more about catching snook with flair hawk jigs.

Tarpon Fishing>

The tarpon fishing in the early morning, during sunset and at night in the Jupiter Inlet can be stellar when there are baitfish schools migrating through the area.

The tarpon in the Jupiter Inlet can get well over 100 pounds and give you all of the fight that you ever wanted. During the Spring and Fall bait runs that move through the Jupiter area the tarpon fishing is amazing. The key to catching the tarpon is trying to match the hatch as best as you can.

In other words, if the baitfish in the area are 6 inch mullet, then try and use a lure that is approximately 6 inches long and mimics a mullet. If the tarpon are feeding on small 3 or 4 inch threadfin herrings, then use a lure that matches that bait.

Of course live bait will almost always outperform an artificial lure so get live bait if you can. There are many bait boats out on the water that will sell you live baits. You can also get live baits at some of the local bait shops in the area.

The best live bait fishing techniques for tarpon in the inlet are free lining and cork fishing. I like to fish with a cork if I am using a species of fish that likes to dive to the bottom. Pinfish and croakers like to dive to the bottom so if that is the live bait that you are using, then you should put them under a bobber of some sort.

If you are using a mullet, then you can free line them because they like to stay in the upper part of the water column. The tarpon will usually be feeding in the upper part of the water column in the early morning, sunset and at night.

I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail the best lures for catching tarpon. You can read that article by clicking right here.

When the mullet are in the area it is hard to beat a DOA Bait Buster mullet lure. Those lures come in different weights for fishing in the various parts of the water column. You can get a shallow, medium or deep diver version of this lure. The tarpon love this lure at first light, last light and at night.

I like the natural looking color combinations of this lure the best. Get yourself something with a dark back and a white or silver belly and you will be all set to catch some monster tarpon in the inlet.

Another great tarpon lure is a large silver spoon. A large silver spoon will catch the heck out of tarpon and just about every other predatory fish in the sea. It amazes me how fishermen forget how effective this simple lure is.

It is easy to use too. You just cast it out and reel it back in. Vary the retrieval speeds until you figure out what the tarpon want on that day.


Want to Catch a Trophy Snook From a Kayak? We offer a fishing charter where you can target Snook with lures. Click here to learn more!!!



​Best Jupiter Fishing Spots- Off of the Beach

The beaches of Jupiter and Jupiter Island are excellent places to catch fish all year long. You can catch bluefish, tarpon, snook, pompano, whiting, permits, Spanish mackerel any many more species when you are surf fishing Jupiter.

Snook>

Snook are in the trough on every beach in Jupiter and Jupiter Island all year round. So if you like to catch snook, then walk the beaches at first light and you will catch a ton of snook.

The key to catching snook off of the beach is to not cast out too far from the beach. A parallel cast out 10 feet or less from the beach is the best cast that you can have.

This is only good during the higher parts of the tide when the big snook are more comfortable in the shallow water by the beach. Focus your efforts during the higher parts of the tide for snook fishing off of the beach.

This is a great place to toss a 3 inch paddle tail shad with an 1/8 ounce jig head. I like the DOA CAL 3 inch shad in white and root beer colors that best for snook in the trough. Just cast it ahead of the direction that you are walking and bounce it on the bottom as you retrieve it back to you.


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.



This is another great spot to use a flair hawk snook jig. Fish it the same way that you fish your DOA CAL for the best results. Use white for clear water and pink for stirred up water conditions.

I created a FREE ONLINE SNOOK FISHING COURSE that is also on this website. You can see the course by clicking on the blue fishing course link above.

When the beach conditions are relatively calm you can use a walk-the-dog type of top water lure and get some snook on the end of your line too. I like the bone colored Zara Super Spook and the natural looking Top Dog Mirrolures for clean water and the darker colored top water lures for the stirred up water conditions.

This is a great choice when you are fishing over the reefs that are so close to the beach in Jupiter and Jupiter Island. Your jigs will get snagged and you will lose them on the rocks. Your top water lures will float above all of the rocks so you won't lose them unless you get a monster snook on the line.

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

Pompano Fishing>

The pompano, croakers and whiting fishing off of the beaches of Jupiter can be exceptional at various times of the year. Those fish species are often together in the surf so we will treat them the same. They are all three caught using similar baits and techniques. 

Pompano are one the most popular species of migratory fish that hit the Jupiter area every winter. These fish are very picky about the water temperatures that they like. They prefer temperatures that are between 65 and 75 degrees (give or take a few degrees on either side).

The whiting and the croakers stick around in the hot months too. You can catch them for most of the year and they are great to eat like the pompano is.

Pompano fillets will set you back about $20 dollars a pound in the fish market so there must be something good about pompano, right? 

Well there is something good about pompano. They are in the Jack family so they fight very well. They are also one of the best tasting fish that swim in the sea. They is why they command such an expensive price to get at those beautiful fillets of theirs.

The best baits to catch a pompano is with a sand flea, piece of shrimp, clam strip or a sand flea flavored piece of fish bites on a 1/0 circle hook. The typical pompano rig can be bought at every bait and tackle shop in the Jupiter and Tequesta area.

Just go into the bait shop and say that you want 5 pompano rigs, 5 two ounce sinkers and some pompano baits. You can use any of the ones that I mentioned above.

The fish bites don't stink up the place and you don't need to keep it in a cooler. Those are what I use most of the times but I am lazy. The sand fleas definitely work the best.

During the higher parts of the tide you won't have to cast out very far to find the fish. They are sometimes less than 10 feet from shore. Other times you might have to cast out as far as you can to get at the fish during the lower parts of the tide.

I created a Free Online Surf Fishing Course that covers in detail how to catch pompano off of the beach. You can see that course by clicking right here.

Pompanos, croakers and whiting will all hit banana jigs if you like fishing with lures. Banana jigs are shaped a lot like a banana. Some people refer to them as goofy jigs but they are all just oblong shaped jigs that you bounce on the sandy bottom to catch pompanos.

The best colors for pompano fishing jigs are pinks, oranges, chartreuse and white. Those colored jigs seem to catch the most pompanos when they are running through the waters of Jupiter.

The fishing technique for catching pompanos, whitings and croakers are all the same. You will just cast out the jig and bounce it off of the bottom as you retrieve it. You can even just drag it on the bottom if you want to but making it come off of the bottom by about a foot or so works better. When it hit the sand you will often get a hit.

Watch the video below and learn how to make the best pompano and whiting rigs.
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Best Jupiter Fishing Spots- Docks

Docks are an exceptionally productive place to fish. Older docks with big boats are especially good places to target fish. The older docks will have all sorts of marine life growing on their pilings. There will be barnacles, oysters, sponges and different types of sea plants encrusted all over them.

That attracts small marine creatures like crabs, shrimp and small fish. Those creatures attract predators that like to eat all of those smaller prey items. An old dock is a mini ecosystem that attracts all sorts of fish species.

When those older docks have big boats attached to them that means that they have a deep channel next to them. These channels will often hold very large fish even during the lower parts of the tide.

You can catch groupers, snappers, snook, tarpon, sheepshead, flounders and many other species of fish around the huge numbers of boat docks in Jupiter. Docks are hard to fish because the fish can wrap you around the pilings so you will often need to beef up your rod and reel combos for getting those big fish out of the pilings.

Snook Fishing>

I know that I keep mentioning snook a lot in this article. The reason is very simple. Snook and Jupiter go together like college football and chicken wings; like peanut butter and jelly; like beer and bowling..... I think that you get the idea.

You can catch snook all over Florida but the apex of the snook fishing is in south Florida and Jupiter is one of the top places in the state to catch snook all year long.

Snook like to be near structure most of the time. They love to wait amongst the dock pilings so that they can ambush passing fish, crabs and shrimp that the current brings to them.

The key to fishing the docks with live bait is to approach them from up current and let the bait drift to the docks with the current. The snook are almost always facing into the current so you have to present your baits from the up current side of the snook for best results.

A free lined mullet, grunt, pinfish, croaker, threadfin herring, scaled sardine, menhaden or any other white bait is a great choice for getting those big dock snook to eat your hook. You want to get the bait as close to the dock as you can without letting it get you wrapped on the pilings.

Goliath Grouper>

There are some huge goliath grouper around the docks of Jupiter. These fish have been protected since the 1990s and have gotten humongous. You can catch these fish around the docks that weigh a couple hundred pounds.

They are actually very easy to get on the end of your line. They will eat anything that you send down to them. They will eat a whole barracuda, stingray, bluefish..... It really doesn't matter because they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths. BUT you will need your heaviest tackle to get them away from the dock pilings.

These fish are protected so you can't keep them or bring them out of the water but they are a blast to catch. The Florida Wildlife Commission is thinking about opening up the season on these groupers because they are taking over many reefs and wrecks around Florida.
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Mangrove Snapper>

The mangrove snapper can be caught around the docks of Jupiter especially in the Summer months. The snapper will move into the inlets around the state from offshore. They are very good to eat and fun to catch with light tackle.

The really big ones stay on the offshore reefs and wrecks but some 2 an 3 pounders can be caught around the docks. The best way to catch mangrove snapper is with shrimp and a 1/0 circle hook or smaller. They are renowned for their bait stealing abilities so keep your hooks small.

I wrote another article on this website that covers how to catch a mangrove snapper in more detail. You can read that article by clicking right here.

This is one of the few fish that seem to bite best when the tide is not moving. During the ebb tide you can catch tons of snapper around the dock pilings with shrimp or small herring or sardines. They are voracious predators and they will devour live baits and fresh frozen shrimp.

I was about 5 years old when I first started catching mangrove snappers and sheepshead. That is what got me hooked on fishing and I still like catching them to this day. Back then I used a cane pole for most of my fish but you can have a lot of fun if you catch them with a 2500 series reel and a medium power rod.

Flounder>

The flounder fishing around the docks of Jupiter can be pretty good. The key to flounder fishing is to keep your baits or lures within 18 inches of the bottom. A flounder will not chase a bait or lure up in the water column very far away from the bottom.

The best way to catch flounder is to use a Gulp shrimp or swimming mullet with a 1/8 to 1/2 ounce jig head. This is the best set up to catch flounder but you have to fish it very slow. Slow and low is the way to go for catching a whole bunch of flounders around docks.

There are lots of lures that will catch flounder like a DOA CAL 3 inch paddle tail, a bucktail jig and even top water lures in water that is less than 18 inches deep. The GULP baits work the best so just use those.

Watch the video below to learn how to catch flounder around docks with lures.
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Best Jupiter Fishing Spots- C-18 Canal Spillway

Spillways are great places to fish during the rainy months all over Florida. The local officials open up the flood gates on all of the spillways when they think that there has been too much rain.

The spillways dump millions of gallons of freshwater that eventually runs into the sea. Freshwater tolerant predatory species of fish like snook and tarpon love it when the flood gates are opened up. These spillways dump freshwater prey items like bluegills, sunfish, tilapias, and many other small fish species for the waiting predators to eat.

Tarpon and snook>

Tarpon love it when the spillways get opened up during the rainy season in Florida. The bluegills and other fish are disoriented as they are swept over the falls from freshwater into brackish waters. The tarpon and snook will take advantage of this situation to get some lunch.

A great way to target these tarpon is by catching bluegills and sunfish on the freshwater side of the spillway with a hook and line. You cannot use a cast net in Florida to catch panfish. This is true even if you are using them for bait and not keeping them.

Catch a half dozen of these panfish and put them under a bobber with a 4/0 circle hook through their back and pitch them into the current of the spillway. The tarpon are often waiting for the fish just outside of the current so the fish will be swept right past them.

The snook will do the same thing but are often holding on the bottom and tighter to the sides of the spillway banks. You can free line the bluegills or even add an egg sinker to them to get them to the bottom to find out where the hungry snook are hiding.


Best Jupiter Fishing Spots- Loxahatchee River

The Loxahatchee River flows right out of the Jupiter Inlet and into the Atlantic Ocean. The area where this freshwater river meets the saltwater is the place where you can get yourself a "Loxahatchee Slam". A Loxahatchee slam is when you catch a largemouth bass, a snook and a tarpon during the same fishing trip.

As you move into the river from the saltwater side you can catch some decent sized bass, tarpon and snook in the tannic acid stained waters that come out of the river. This is a great spot to pitch the DOA CAL 3 inch shad soft plastics with 1/8 ounce red jig head. The root beer and the white colors seem to work the best for all three species in this scenario.

At first light a walk-the-dog type of top water lure like a Mirrolure Top Dog or a Zara Spook will catch all three fish species too. I like the natural color combinations the best. First light, last light and during the night around docks that have lights on them are your best bet for catching all three species.

The bridges nearest to the mouth of the Loxahatchee River are another great place to find all three species of fish. A DOA Terror Eyz root beer colored lure is a great way to catch snook and bass under those bridges. You can get a tarpon to hit the lure near the bottom sometimes but they usually are hunting more in the middle and upper parts of the water column.

P.S.

Do you want to learn how to catch redfish? If you do then get on our email list and we will send you our Free Online Fishing Course for catching Redfish.
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