As work commitments and weather conditions conspire against our angling pursuits this February, I find myself reminiscing about an unforgettable fishing trip from February last year. On that memorable Friday morning, I rendezvoused with my buddy, Chris Klingler, at the bustling dock around 6:30 am, eager to explore the offshore waters. The day unfolded with choices between seeking Sheepshead to the north or venturing south to the Boils, where the promise of fruitful fishing awaited my friend Chris. Join me as I recount our fishing expedition’s excitement, surprises, and abundance. This day left us with a cooler full of fish and cherished memories of dolphins and sea turtles and the sheer joy of being out on the water.

I meet my buddy Chris Klingler at the dock at about 6:30 am on Friday morning. The dock was busy, I was the third person to show up, so we had a bit of a wait. We ended up getting loaded up and heading out around 7:00 am. We were heading offshore, but I was torn if I should go north seeking Sheepshead or south to the Boils where I knew I could put Chris on fish.

As we were heading out of the inlet, I saw the bait boat, so we pulled up to the JW Live Bait boat and got $20 worth of greenies. As we were heading out the inlet, I decided to head south to put Chris on some fish.

We got to the boils about 8:00am, and there was life everywhere. We saw bait fish and Spinner Sharks jumping all over the place. It didn’t take long for the action to begin. Chris drew first blood with a small Jack Crevalle. Next drop Chris had a double hook up with a Jack on both hooks of the Runcl jig. The first fish I caught was a 14-inch Spanish Mackerel. I was happy to catch a fish to put into the cooler.

While getting ready to drop my line, Captain Ed called me and told me he was up north and jigging well. He said there were lots of Spanish Mackerel and Lane Snapper, and he even had a sheepshead in the boat. At this point, we decided to make the 10-mile run north to get into the action Captain Ed was having.

We arrived near Vero Cover at about 9:00 am. We were fishing the ledge from 12ft to 21ft. We were drifting northwest, so we went over the ledge pretty quickly, but we were hooking up with fish every time we drifted over the ledge. While we were jigging, I put a greenie on a live line. I hoped to catch something nice on the greenies, but we only caught a decent Bluefish.

The action was non-stop. Even in the shallow water, we were catching fish, but they tended to be on the smaller side. By 10:30 am, we had a 2-man limit of snapper. We had 17 Lane snapper from 11in-16in and three Mangrove snapper from 12in-14in.

Since we had our snapper limit and still had a lot of bait, I talked Chris into going into the inlet and looking for some Snook.

We ended up back at the inlet around 10:45 am. It was an incoming tide, so we drifted the rock along the north side of the inlet. About halfway through the drift, Chris had a good thump but unfortunately did not hook the fish. The drift was quick, so we moved further into the river. We did drift back into Tucker’s cover with no action; however, we did see lots of bait, and I am pretty sure I saw one Snook swimming alongside us.

We finished the day at the wall near the waste treatment plant. It was the right current, but we didn’t even get a bite. Since Chris and I were getting hot and there wasn’t any wind to cool us down, we headed in. We got up back at the dock right around noon. While I was cleaning our fish, fellow club members pulled up to the dock. They had a good day on the water also. Guy caught a 43in 38lb Cobia, and Luis caught two triggerfish and two Lane Snapper. My buddy Captain Ed came home with a ton of fish.

All in all, we had a great day on the water. We caught lots of fish; we got to see lots of dolphins, several sea turtles, and a Manta Ray. Tania and I pray all who made it out today and this weekend have a blessed and safe trip. May you all have tight lines and good times!

Tania and I send our best wishes to all fellow anglers, hoping your fishing adventures are safe, blessed, and full of tight lines and good times! Until next time, keep casting and chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now holds monthly meetings in Fort Pierce on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings are exclusive to inside members, who receive various perks, including 20% off tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. Monthly tournaments and guest speakers are also set to feature. To become an inside member, click the link below to receive a FREE pack of Slam Shady or a 10-Day Test-Drive of The Smart Fishing Spots App and The Salt Strong Insider Club. They ship you $35 worth of FREE Lures, an “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” Book (Physical copy), and decals – Yours to Keep Even If You Cancel!