Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty, FL Fishing Guide

Species at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty

• Snook

  low light + moving water

  Season: Mar–Oct

• Pompano

  daylight, incoming over the sand

  Season: Oct–May

• Permit

  outgoing tide flushing crabs off the jetty, low light

  Season: Apr–Nov

• Redfish

  moving water, any of it

• Seatrout

  first light over the grass

• Flounder

  outgoing tide across the bottom

  Season: Sep–Dec

• Sheepshead

  daylight, easy current, pick the pilings

  Season: Dec–Apr

• Mangrove snapper

  dusk into dark

  Season: May–Sep

• Spanish mackerel

  clean moving water, daylight

  Season: Mar–May · Sep–Dec

• Bluefish

  cool-season blitzer, any light

  Season: Nov–Apr

• Jack crevalle

  chaos on moving water, any light

• Tarpon

  silver king on a moving tide

  Season: May–Oct

• Black drum

  structure & bottom, the spring run

  Season: Dec–Apr

What's biting at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty, month by month

Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.

Seasonal runs at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty

The big annual events on the Treasure & Space Coast calendar.

• Mullet Run Inshore · Sep 1 – Oct 31

  The headliner — millions of mullet pour down the beach and every predator follows; the inlets become a blitz zone.

  What turns it on: First fall cold fronts push the bait south.

  Target: Snook, Tarpon, Jacks, Bluefish, Spanish mackerel

• Summer Tarpon Inshore · May 15 – Aug 15

  Big migratory tarpon stack off the beaches and inlets — your shot at a 100-pounder.

  What turns it on: Water into the upper-70s/80s; best on the new & full moons.

  Target: Tarpon, Snook

• Snook Spawn Inshore · Jun 1 – Aug 31

  Snook pile into the inlets to spawn — catch-and-release in the summer closure, but the numbers are unreal.

  What turns it on: Warm summer water + the harvest closure; full-moon nights are prime.

  Target: Snook

• Fall Flounder Inshore · Oct 1 – Nov 30

  Flounder stage toward the inlets — doormats on the jetty rocks and channel edges.

  What turns it on: Cooling water; rides the back of the mullet run.

  Target: Flounder

• Winter Pompano Inshore · Nov 15 – Apr 30

  Surf & inlet pompano all winter — the spring leg is often the best of the run.

  What turns it on: Water in the 62–72°F band behind fronts; NE winds churn the sand fleas.

  Target: Pompano, Whiting, Bluefish

• Winter Blues & Spanish Inshore · Dec 1 – Mar 15

  Blues and Spanish rip through bait off the beaches and jetties — fast, easy-access winter action.

  What turns it on: Cold-front water + NE winds pushing bait tight to the beach.

  Target: Bluefish, Spanish mackerel, Jacks

• Sheepshead Spawn Inshore · Dec 15 – Mar 15

  Convict fish stack thick on the jetties and pilings to spawn — winter's most reliable structure bite.

  What turns it on: Cold water concentrates fish on hard structure; turns on ~January.

  Target: Sheepshead

• Black Drum Inshore · Jan 15 – Apr 15

  Big breeder drum from 15–30+ lb gang up at bridges, inlets and deep holes.

  What turns it on: Late-winter spawn pushing big schools to deep passes.

  Target: Black drum

• Trout & Reds Inshore · Oct 1 – Feb 28

  Cooler water schools trout and reds on the lagoon flats — prime sight-fishing for tailing reds.

  What turns it on: Falling temps + gin-clear winter water make it a sight game.

  Target: Seatrout, Redfish

• Sailfish Run Offshore · Nov 15 – Mar 15

  "Sailfish Alley" lights up when winter fronts push the sails down the coast — the Treasure Coast headliner.

  What turns it on: Cold fronts & N/NE winds tailing sails south against the Stream.

  Target: Sailfish

• Wahoo Offshore · Nov 1 – Feb 28

  Cold-month speed demons on the temp breaks in 120–180 ft off Jupiter & Palm Beach.

  What turns it on: Winter fronts + the color edge; sharper on the new & full moons.

  Target: Wahoo

• Cobia Offshore · Mar 1 – May 15

  Sight-fishing season — brown bombers cruising on the backs of rays as they push north.

  What turns it on: Nearshore water into the upper-60s–70s pulling cobia north.

  Target: Cobia

• Spring Kingfish Offshore · Mar 1 – Apr 30

  Smoker kings pour back through off Fort Pierce & Sebastian on the northbound push.

  What turns it on: Water settling into 68–73°F + bait moving north.

  Target: King mackerel

• Blackfin Tuna Offshore · Apr 1 – Jun 15

  Spring blackfins flood the offshore grounds, mixing with the tail of the sailfish bite.

  What turns it on: Color changes, rips and wrecks in 90–300 ft; best in low light.

  Target: Blackfin tuna

• Mahi Run Offshore · Apr 15 – Jun 30

  The classic run-and-gun — bulls and schoolies on the weedlines just 10 miles out.

  What turns it on: Warming Gulf Stream; hunt birds, debris & weed on the 100–200 ft edge.

  Target: Mahi

• Mutton Snapper Spawn Offshore · Jun 1 – Jul 31

  Summer full-moon bite — muttons stack on the shelf-edge ledges and eat with abandon.

  What turns it on: June & July full moons; fires 2–5 days after the moon.

  Target: Mutton snapper

• Fall Kingfish Offshore · Sep 15 – Nov 30

  The big southbound migration — kings follow bait down the beach, peaking off Fort Pierce & Sebastian.

  What turns it on: Cooling water into 68–73°F + huge bait schools pushing south.

  Target: King mackerel

Coastal runs that pass Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty

These species travel the coast with the seasons, so they show up on a schedule rather than living here year-round.

• Bluefish

  a fast bait-blitz run

  Timing: southbound Jan, Nov–Dec · northbound Mar–Apr · Driven by: temp + bunker/herring · Pace: fast, tracking the bait

• Bonito

  Atlantic bonito — erratic year to year; NC spring blitz + NE summer

  Timing: northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Oct · Driven by: sand eels, anchovies, butterfish · Pace: moderate; often just ahead of the albies

• False albacore

  false albacore — fall cascade Nantucket→Cape Cod→NJ→NC; the Cape Lookout run is famous

  Timing: southbound Aug–Nov · northbound Apr–May · Driven by: temp (75–86°F); bay anchovies, silversides · Pace: very fast — NC→Keys in ~23 days, ~50 mi/day

• Redfish (red drum)

  bull-red fall surf run cascades by latitude: Mid-Atl Sep–Oct → FL Oct–Nov → Gulf Nov–Dec

  Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps trigger the nearshore spawn run · Pace: cold-front-latency tide more than fish-following-fish

• Pompano

  the strongest, cleanest cascade we have — FL Treasure Coast winter run; Gulf spring run hits Pensacola ~April

  Timing: southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May · Driven by: sand fleas & the 68–75°F edge on the move · Pace: cold-front driven; ~2–4 wk lag NC→Miami in fall

• Cobia

  SE-Atlantic stock — winters off S.FL/Keys, sight-fishing run up the beach; no clean fall cascade (disperses offshore)

  Timing: northbound Feb–Apr · Driven by: warming water; rides with cownose rays & bunker, near the surface · Pace: ~6-wk spring run; arrives NC May–Jun, Chesapeake late May

• Spanish mackerel

  Atlantic stock — strong cascade up the SE coast in spring

  Timing: northbound Feb–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: glass minnows & scaled sardines · Pace: tracks the 68–70°F water; ~2–3 wk lag SC→NC

• King mackerel

  Atlantic stock — winters S.FL/Keys, runs N in spring, S in fall

  Timing: northbound Apr–Jul · southbound Oct–Dec · Driven by: temp + menhaden · Pace: arrives NC ~May, smokers off NC Oct–Nov

• Mullet bait run

  THE keystone bait — the resident snook/tarpon/jacks gorge the moment it arrives

  Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps + photoperiod · Pace: the famous fall mullet run, S down the FL east coast; peak Sep–Oct

• Bunker (menhaden) bait run

  bunker/pogies — the gamefish stack right under the schools

  Timing: northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: temp + plankton blooms · Pace: huge schools shift the coast; the #1 trigger for the fall striper/blues blitz

How Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty fishes

Open water lies to the east of Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty. A wind out of the east is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a west wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

Tide is the clock: moving water pulls bait through the mouth, and the turns around slack are when most of the roster feeds hardest.

Tides here are read from NOAA station 8722212 at 27.4700, -80.2883 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

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Common questions about Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty

What fish can you catch at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty?

Snook, Pompano, Permit, Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, Sheepshead, Mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, Bluefish, Jack crevalle, Tarpon and 1 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty.

When is the best time to fish Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty?

April has the most species in season (10 of 13) — Snook, Pompano, Permit, Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Bluefish. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

Which wind is bad for Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty?

Open water lies to the east, so an east wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A west wind flattens and cleans it up.

What are the seasonal runs at Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty?

Mullet Run (Sep 1 – Oct 31); Summer Tarpon (May 15 – Aug 15); Snook Spawn (Jun 1 – Aug 31); Fall Flounder (Oct 1 – Nov 30); Winter Pompano (Nov 15 – Apr 30); Winter Blues & Spanish (Dec 1 – Mar 15).

Where are the tides for Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station 8722212, at 27.4700, -80.2883. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Fort Pierce Inlet, south jetty

• Fort Pierce Inlet, Binney Dock 1 mi
• South Point, St. Lucie Inlet 23 mi
• Sebastian Inlet bridge 29 mi
• Hobe Sound bridge 30 mi
• Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island 32 mi
• Conch Bar, Jupiter Sound 35 mi
• North Fork, 2 miles above entrance 36 mi
• Tequesta, North Fork entrance 38 mi

Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.

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