Jetty Park "Fishing Reports" 2013 to 2022

[tears143]

Nice job on the shark man, that's a good one!! I'll be out there the next couple of weekends so ill definitely see you jetty, I'll PM you closer to the time. It's good to hear the bait is showing up, that usually means the fishing will improve. This week a lot of the snapper were 9 inches so hopefully by next weekend they will be keepers. Tight lines!

West coast is the same thing. A lot of really close snappers but a lot of keeper as well! Tons of mojaro showed up as well. Caught my limit in 1hr. It should be good really soon!

[fishboy]

Yeah definately, hopefully as the summer goes on they will get bigger!

[fishyfingas]

I will visiting my dad in Orlando for a few days and will have a chance or two to do some fishing from the inlet and the Jetty Pier. It will be my first time fishing there and I'm taking my dad who is not too mobile any longer. However, I still want to have a real shot at cobias, keeper flounders, triple tails, anything to pull on our lines would be great. I don't have much time visiting and I could use any, and all advise from the experts regarding our best chance to catch something (we can't walk long distances). I am very interested in best bait for the different fish and where I can buy it at.

Thanks guys

[fishboy]

I will visiting my dad in Orlando for a few days and will have a chance or two to do some fishing from the inlet and the Jetty Pier. It will be my first time fishing there and I'm taking my dad who is not too mobile any longer. However, I still want to have a real shot at cobias, keeper flounders, triple tails, anything to pull on our lines would be great. I don't have much time visiting and I could use any, and all advise from the experts regarding our best chance to catch something (we can't walk long distances). I am very interested in best bait for the different fish and where I can buy it at.

Thanks guys

For most of the species you mentioned just chunk a live bait(mullet or any fish you can get) out as far as you can on a knocker rig or Carolina rig and its a waiting game. If you want to have fun get some shrimp and fish them close to the rocks for a shot at the snapper which are a bunch of fun and good eats if you get them over 10"... Good luck, and let us know how it goes!!

[opiato]

Dont have to be very mobile to fish there. Just grab a parking spot by the rocks and hop out and fish. Would require you to climb down the rocks and grab the fish tho. There are some cleaning tables close too the parking lot that you can fish from too. Another easy option is fishing by the draw bridge at the end of mullet rd. Again just park and start fishing. Ive never had any luck there but i know others have. Mullet live or cut will be your best bait. Docs baithouse usually has em live. Pretty much everyone has em frozen.

If mobility is an issue theres also the skyway pier in st pete on the west coast. Bout 2hrs from orlando. I prefer the fishing at jetty park but you can drive on the skyway pier so that would make things even easier on your dad.

[fishyfingas]

Excellent info guys. Opiato I like your suggestions. I wish I could take the old man to the west coast. Fishing on a concrete pier right next to the car sounds perfect, but the long drive there and back would be too much. I will have to find a good spot along the rocks near a parking spot. I want to target flounders. Are they still around? Can I use Berkley Gulp for them? Last thing, can I fish for small sand perch for bait on a sabiki rig anywhere nearby? I've had success with them going for snappers.

[fishyfingas]

Hey jettypark28,

You are absolutely right. Time with dad is more important than anything else. He is the one responsible for my fishing addiction. He is near 90 now, and hasn't gone fishing in many years. I know that every moment with him is a gift. My thinking is that Jetty Park will give as a chance to spend some time together on the water, and maybe catch a fish or two while we are at it. Thanks for your advice and helpful tips.

[fishboy]

Fished the park last Friday, last Saturday and this Saturday. Last Friday the fishing was slow but we got one 13" mangrove, two 10" mangroves and a little Goliath grouper which was released. Saturday I expected it to be busy but it wasn't that bad, probably due to the rough weather. We got two keeper flounder, a jack and a 10" mangrove. Yesterday it was WINDY, but the fishing was good(for me). Fished from 2-8. I got my limit of mangroves with one 10", two 11", one 12" and one FAT 13" fish. Didn't see anyone else catch much, only a nice trip landed and a bunch of little whiting/croakers and pinfish. Even the guys I was fishing with got skunked haha. The water in the middle of the inlet was MUDDY, but strangely enough near the rocks and in the beach it was pretty clear. Next weekend I may hit Sebastian and go camping or Jettypark depending on whether I can get a campsite. Hopefully the fishing improves!

[tears143]

Good job man. Over here it's pretty much dead for me both days this weekend. Snapper spot is not producing like it used too...

Saw a guy kept a snapper that is like 5"-6"... >.<

They probably caught and kept all the snapper...

[opiato]

You were there friday the 9th? Howd you even get a line in the water? That was the most crowded ive ever seen it. And on top of it, everyone had at least 5 or 6 rods out. I did one walk down the pier then left. Went n fished at some boat launch near the air force base i stumbled on to but just got cat fish n stingrays. If you go to sebastian, try out that t-dock. I went down there yesterday to shark fish but it was too windy on the beach. So i ended up at that dock n still hooked 3 big ones, probably bulls, but they all came off before i could get em in. Sheepshead, ladyfish, macks n jacks there too. Well its sebastian so theres alot more there but thats all i saw last night.

[fishboy]

Good job man. Over here it's pretty much dead for me both days this weekend. Snapper spot is not producing like it used too...

Saw a guy kept a snapper that is like 5"-6"... >.<

They probably caught and kept all the snapper...

Dang dude, poachers got to your spots ... I have that problem here too, when they see you catching a fish they come and sit on your spot and it gets pretty annoying. Usually by the time I catch a couple fish they have become weary so I move on and let the googs try and catch one. Hopefully it improves for you!

[fishboy]

You were there friday the 9th? Howd you even get a line in the water? That was the most crowded ive ever seen it. And on top of it, everyone had at least 5 or 6 rods out. I did one walk down the pier then left. Went n fished at some boat launch near the air force base i stumbled on to but just got cat fish n stingrays. If you go to sebastian, try out that t-dock. I went down there yesterday to shark fish but it was too windy on the beach. So i ended up at that dock n still hooked 3 big ones, probably bulls, but they all came off before i could get em in. Sheepshead, ladyfish, macks n jacks there too. Well its sebastian so theres alot more there but thats all i saw last night.

Thanks for the tip! Hopefully the weather is good next weekend and it's productive! Sent you a PM.

[yy007]

I went there for almost 6 hrs without catching any thing meaningful and did not see any one catching anything either (including one flouder master who tried whole day without a bite) except for one regular who got a big mack earlier in the morning. The reason that the place got crowded might be due to a rumor that trippletails up to 30 lbs had been caught over the past 9 weeks.

[yy007]

I hear you. Cobias have been caught at JP including one I saw. TTs have been caught at JP but I have never seen one. It was just when I heard the similar rumor from 3 unrelated people, I become interested even though I know they have/will never run at JP nor SI. If I keep trying, one of those days I may get lucky.

[tears143]

Fishing is pretty much dead at SI because of the dredging... that's why people went to JP instead?

I was trying to get bait for offshore today and had a very hard time.

[tears143]

That is true. Just know where to go for certain conditions. Just all my usual spot for bait came up empty handed.

[fishboy]

Fished JP Friday night and Sebastian Saturday untill 4. The fishing was absolutely awful for me... Got completely skunked and didn't have any good bites. Weather and conditions were perfect but the fish didn't seem to be biting. At Jettypark I saw pods of bait in the morning around sunrise but nothing was busting on them. At Sebastian there were a bunch of mullet around but nothing feeding on them either. Also there was this horrible black weed in the water which you could barely get off your line at Sebastian. I fished the north side until I ran out of bait and then I gave up. I went snorkeling at Sebastian and saw a couple snook in the surf but they had lock jaw. I have no clue why the fishing was so bad in both places, maybe the meteor shower? Also the rumor about triple tail at Jettypark was true. They were getting a bunch of them a couple weeks who, but I haven't seen one caught recently so it must have ended...

[opiato]

I was at si sat night too surf fishing the south side. That seaweed was unforgiving....like tar. Saw some tarpon jumping like 80 yards out. The guy next to me hooked one but lost it. I only got 3 bonnetheads and a 4 ft blacktip that somehow managed to swallow an inline tournament legal circle hook n didnt wana come back to life so called it a night early so i could clean her up for the grill memorial day.....just realized im posting an si report in the jetty park forum. Whats that tell ya bout the recent fishing at jp?

[opiato]

[fishboy]

Fished the port yesterday with a couple friends from 1pm-9pm in hopes of landing a slot snook. They started dredging the north side again . Water was pretty clear though near the south rocks and the crowds were not crazy. Fishing was great and the bite was hot! Final tally was 9 keeper snapper (biggest 14") a keeper flounder and a big margate between us... I also landed a second big margate but dropped it over the side of the pier .I lost a couple bigger snapper and had some great runs. Most fish came on shrimp or bait fish. Sadly I didn't land my snook and have to wait till September... Saw a couple other guys catch some whiting but didn't see any triple tails landed. The fishing seems to be improving, tight lines!!

[opiato]

Sucks about the dredging. Any mullet?

[fishboy]

Got a few small mullet in the river while netting minnows, but didn't see any in the port. Saw a bunch of glass minnows and those leatherjacket fish but they make horrible bait from what I have heard.

[fishboy]

haha, when you heading out?

[SaltyDog]

Cool report JP looks like you ll be doing a lot of fishing thats a slob red btw