How Does Florida Restore the Indian River Lagoon?

The Indian River Lagoon has suffered some serious damage. The development of coastal Florida to an agricultural and residential mecca has enlarged the Lagoon’s watershed by many 100%. The drainage of this vastly larger area and the use of artificial fertilizer and septic systems has dramatically increased the load of nutrients into an ecological system that didn’t evolve handle it nor have the ability to dilute it. In an ecologically short period of time, we have turned a thriving diverse ecosystem into something resembling a pond.

The Indian River Lagoon is a remarkable place that has a unique geographic position. The biodiversity that evolved in or became endemic to the estuarine habitats of this special place relied on seagrasses and epiphytic (attached) algae to be the primary producers using sunlight and available nutrients to be the foundational food resource in the system. This nutrient limitation drove the inhabitants of the Lagoon to specialize and diversify to take full advantage of area’s niches and resources. A magnificent plethora of life flourished in this fragile balance.

The onset of the 20th century boom and efforts to landscape Florida to maximize its capacity to support monocultures of specialized agricultural crops, and to capitalize on the regions climate much of

Florida’s coastal margins were sculped to accommodate urban development and have allowed much of the nutrient loaded topsoil to run into the Lagoon transported many miles unimpeded. Many wetlands were filled or drained. The ground water that is connected to the Lagoon through seepage and artesian vents is polluted with nutrients from sewage. Eventually about a third of the regions stormwater makes it directly into the Lagoon, rather than siting and denitrifying. The unfortunate outcome of these feats of engineering are cycles of phytoplankton blooms, sediment overload and shellfish and seagrass die-offs, fish kills and perhaps thousands of starved and stressed dead or dying manatees and a precipitous loss of biodiversity. There are many organizations ready to try to replant seagrasses in the nearly 350 square miles of the

Indian River Lagoon to help restore the once verdant seagrass meadows. This is a difficult and costly task on a relatively small scale, whether it can be scaled up and whether the state of water quality will allow it to thrive is an open question. There are issues of grass eating animals grazing on the emerging grasses too. These obstacles may not be insurmountable but it will be expensive. Really expensive!

It is interesting that as many of the measured parameters of water quality seem to be improving, while the condition of habitat in the Lagoon is failing. Certainly, it’s worth increasing our capacity to monitor and investigate why. We must continue to try to meet Federally mandated and state regulated standards. We have to find methods of monitoring sediment condition and habitat health and find ways to improve their condition. But we must improve the quality of the waters entering the Indian River Lagoon system from the land. We need to have substantially more conservation and treatment areas to denitrify water before it runs into the estuarine systems. Monies allocated for the purchase of conservation lands must be used for that purpose. It is critical to address the land- based sources of polluted water while we work on the symptoms of the damage we have imposed on our aquatic environments. It can’t be an either or proposition it must be both. The states proposal to fund new projects can’t steal funding from critically necessary land acquisition funds to do what should be public private partnership projects.

It has taken decades of misuse to set the stage for the problems that we now confront, and a healthy ecosystem will not recover immediately or without some serious modification of the ways we treat our natural systems. State agency control has not nearly been up to the task. We have to turn to Federal protections oversite and resources to protect the Lagoon and the near shore reef. Let’s make the Indian River Lagoon and the near-shore reef a National Park.

If you are a business owner and would like to learn more about the benefits of supporting Indian Riverkeeper, email Executive Director Jim Moir at keeper@ theindianriverkeeper.org or call (772) 341-4953. Contact us if you are interested in volunteering at future events, which we will announce on our Facebook page, “Indian Riverkeeper.”

Marina.

Martin County Offshore

Capt. Scott Fawcett

Off the Chain Fishing Charters (772) 285-1055 offthechainfishing.com fishscottyf@bellsouth.net

I’mnot sure if I’ve ever looked forward to March so much. The end of January and all of February were huge let downs off the Treasure Coast this year. We still managed to catch some sails, mahi, blackfin, kings and I will say the wahoo bite was pretty good and we even released a blue marlin on fly one day while fishing with our great friend and client Fred Church, but between poor weather, lack of bait and just barely enough fish to make it worth while going; please let the “March-inal” winds this month start pushing some fish back to us.

With a huge shortage of bait off our Treasure Coast this past season, most fish that pushed down just kept on going. As the winds switch to the south and waters start to warm,

I’m hoping that the bait starts to stage off our beaches again and the sails, mahi, blackfin and other pelagic species will congregate nearby for a little longer than they did on the way down as they make their way back up the beach.

This is a perfect time to utilize the incredible side imaging and 360-degree capabilities of the HumminBird sonars. The ability to spot bait up to one hundred yards away and then mark it on your chart without being over it is an incredible advantage I’ve been utilizing over the last five years turning early spring and summer into our prime fishing time.

This is the time of year when busting out your Tigress kites will benefit you the most off Stuart. Offering a light wind, all purpose and high velocity model, these kites fly extremely well in a variety of conditions and are easy to fine tune, steer, and deploy, allowing you to get your baits away from the boat, keep them on the surface where they are most vulnerable and creating a huge footprint virtually taking the size of your boat out of the equation. These kites are a huge equalizing factor allowing bay boats to cover the same amount of water with their baits as a huge sportfish does. Couple them with a Minnkota trolling motor to keep you heading into the wind at the perfect speed and it’s not only easier and more productive, but it is way more comfortable than drifting or trolling.

Focus along current edges and scattered weed lines in depths along our major reefs which are the six mile and eight mile ranging from 65 feet of water out to 145. Wrecks out to 200, and even Push Button Hill out in about 300 are also good places to concentrate this time of year.

We’ve seen more blackfin tuna than usual the last few years, especially during these spring months so don’t be caught off guard when what you thought was a little tunny turns into a nice tuna.

Whether you’re planning on catching bait or not, it’s always a good idea to call Brian and Mike from Stuart Live Bait to hook you up with a dozen or two of theirs. That way if you see something going on before you catch your bait or if you can’t find bait, at least you’re covered for the day and can still take advantage of a nice outing on the water.

The popularity of our new 39 Contender is way beyond what I had ever anticipated. We still have plenty of days available in the coming months, but we have more trips

Martin County Inshore Nearshore

Capt. Jonathan Earhart

Chaos Fishing Charters

(772) 341 – 2274 www.chaosfishigcharters.com jon@chaosfishigncharters.com

March is a great month for a variety of species inshore and nearshore. Snook fishing really starts to pick up this month. Fishing around structure will yield lots of bites, remember snook size limit is 28-to-32 inches and one per person per day. Also, expect a lot of jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, redfish, and the occasional cubera snapper when fishing near structure.

Martin County Deep Sea

Capt. Rocky Carbia

Safari I Deep Sea Fishing

Pirates Cove Resort and Marina

4307 SE Bayview St. Port Salerno

Reservations: (772) 334-4411

Safari-1.com

Excellent snapper fishing will continue to prevail through the days of March and will highlight the diversity of bottom dwelling fish that can be caught among the many reefs, wrecks, and snags that lay beneath the offshore waters of Martin County. Lane snapper will still be posted up on near shore reefs and artificial structures in 50 to 60 feet of water and will land in big numbers on fish box ice, again this month. Sturdy mangrove snapper will also be representing in a similar zone and on structures out to 90 feet of water. Mutton snapper will make a solid

Tarpon fishing has been hit or miss along the channel edges using large live mullet.

Running the beach this time of showing in the March ocean, with medium to larger representatives of the species (10- to 20-pound fish) making their presence known along the naturally occurring reef line in 70 to 80 feet of salty liquid.

The anchored boat will encompass the best strategy for getting attached to these salty snapper groceries, as precision positioning will be crucial in cycling for “snapper slams” and will allow anglers to settle in overtop of favorite fishing spots to conduct a surgical strike against their scaly opponents.

As the winter days of March slowly and subtlety transition to the spring equinox (March 20), fishing captains and their crews will continue to monitor dynamic weather fronts and the winds that are associated with them. March is typically another windy and rough month in general, especially initially, and historically can taper to more fishing friendly conditions during the latter half of the month. However, since weather forecasting year early in the morning can give you additional chances to sight fish tarpon.

Pompano are still around in is not an exact science, it`s not uncommon to see late arriving cold fronts that wipe out the offshore playing field at any time during the month. So, with this in mind, keep a mindful eye on the weather and be prepared for when a user-friendly window does open. Using forecast savvy web pages like Windfinder. com can help with planning for an offshore fishing trip for a particular week. Another excellent virtual, web page is Windstream at earth.school. net, which is a satellite wind map that gives a snapshot of wind velocity and direction, and allows the user to position a cursor, offshore, via a GPS number to determine wind velocity in an area one may be considering to fish on that day. good numbers. As a general rule they start to vacate the river as we approach April. Bottom fishing in the river will produce plenty of black drum, redfish, snapper, and flounder. Live shrimp or fish bites on a fish finder rig will be your technique of choice.

Open weather friendly windows will lead to a colorful bounty of snapper during this offshore calendar month and will also have the potential to host a flurry of cobia activity, as hungry cobes glide through our zone during the fishy days of March.

Nearshore fishing this month is always good for cobia, snapper, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish. Cobia jigs on a heavy rod while cruising along the beach looking for rays will be a great way to find these large tasty brown critters. Spanish mackerel are still hot and heavy at Peck Lake south of our St. Lucie Inlet.

Snapper fishing with chicken rigs around nearshore wrecks will produce the snapper bites you’re looking for.

Tight lines!

Trip Times

Adults

Adults $80; Children $70

Forecasts

FISHING ST. LUCIE COUNTY DEEP SEA

Capt. Scotty Gold

Miss Fort Pierce Fishing (772) 766-0191 fortpiercefishing.com

AsMarch is upon us, so is the wind. We must make the best fishing choices to go fishing in between the “weather windows,” March tends to be the roughest sea conditions.

This month the bottom fishing for mangrove and mutton snappers takes a big step forward. More activity as they increase their feeding for the late spring breeding. Triggerfish become more plentiful as well as porgies and lane snapper. You will see more kingfish make their presence known as well. As always fresh cut or live bait is the key. Be prepared to bottom fish in 70-100 feet of water. booked in advance than I’ve ever had. Even going back to the days when I ran the BoneShaker the calendar this year is way more busy. Fortunately since we still have the 31, which was totally redone a couple months ago, we are still usually able to get you and your party out for the day so please call and ask, but if you’re thinking about treating yourself to the 39 and experiencing the incredible difference just a few feet makes along with the how much the Seakeeper eliminates the roll on a vessel like this, I recommend you call us sooner than later.

The Miss Fort Pierce continues to sail daily on our all-day schedule weather permitting.

Come join us on the Treasure Coast’s “Queen of the Fleet,” the largest only all day fishing boat, the party boat that fishes like a charter. We look forward to seeing you out on the water. To book your reservations, visit us at www. fortpiercefishing.com or call us at (772) 766-0191.

We have always offered exceptional light tackle sport fishing charters out of Stuart, but we have been doing much more fly fishing too the last few years. If you’re interested in catching any offshore species on fly rod, or light convention tackle please give us a call to discuss your options. Whatever you decide to target this March I hope you’re successful in doing so, and I hope your next trip is Off The Chain

Capt. Adam White

St. Lucie Flats Fishing Charters

(609) 820-6257 www.stlucieflatsfishing.com

March has arrived bringing lots of windy days to the area. Utilize the winds to your advantage to get the best fishing opportunities. Warmer weather will bring water temperatures up into the 80s. Fishing is always good this month on the Treasure Coast so get out and enjoy!

Sheepshead, drum and snapper will be along channel edges and docks and willing to take a live shrimp. Snook fishing will pick up around the inlets, bridges and docks. Live pilchards or greenies are some of my favorite baits in March. Mackerel, bluefish, jacks and many other predators will be coming in with the tides and feeding around the inlets and channels of the river. Small shiny lures work best for these fish.

Pompano are in the river and along the surf and willing to take a Doc’s Goofy Jig, shrimp or sand fleas. They usually can be found in channels and deeper parts of the flats in March. There will be nice sized fish in the river and along the beaches feeding with whiting. They are fun to catch and very good on the table!

The blacktip and spinner shark migration should be in full swing by now. Getting out on the beach and targeting these hard fighting acrobatic sharks is a blast. On most days you can find all the bites you want at the boils or Walton Rocks. Trolling or drifting small live jacks, blue runners, bluefish and the like, is almost a sure thing on getting a hook up.

Winter wasn’t so bad even though we complain about it. Living in Florida spoils you! March is a good time to check equipment. Both fishing and the boat should be checked a few times a year to make sure everything is in good working order. Some of these windy days will provide a good chance to check rods, reels and safety gear for when good weather arrives. Have a great March and enjoy the last little bit of cool weather. Summer is knocking at our door.

Capt. Bo Samuel

Pullin Drag Charters (772) 971-6661 facebook.com/Pullin-Drag-Charters catainbofishing@gmail.com

March is a terrific time to go fishing and you don’t need too much luck because our Treasure Coast waters are an angler’s dream! This windy month we typically see big migratory fish move closer to shore as they follow schools of bait fish. That means anglers of all ages will have plenty of opportunities for trophy cobia, kingfish, and tripletail. Keep an eye out for manta rays this time of year also. While these shadowy gliders migrate down the coast you just might find some monster cobia swimming along with them. It pays to be prepared with a handy pitch rod for just this reason. Cobia can be found from just off the beach all the way out to the offshore wrecks and are highly attracted to buoys, wrecks, and floating objects. These powerful, pelagic fish are very aggressive feeders and will take almost any bait, live or artificial, from shrimp and crab to pilchards and mullet. I always have a gaff ready since these feisty “brown bombers” can get up to 100 pounds and are known for their awesome fight. They are also well known for being one of the tastiest fish in the sea with firm white meat.

Catching one of these will definitely feel like you’ve found treasure!

Bottom fishing should continue to be solid with fish boxes full of mangroves, lanes, and muttons found at around 60-80 feet of water. February gave us some super snapper days and we are still pulling drag on some good size fish. Watch for those great weather windows and head for the reefs.

Finally, a big shout-out to good friend Dr. Lorae’ Simpson Foltz of the Florida Oceanographic Society for the February 4th oyster matting day at Sailfish Brewing Company in downtown Fort Pierce. This was a very successful event with over 40 oyster mats made by volunteers. As part of the Living Docks Program, these mats will be used in the St. Lucie Estuary to help improve water quality. Saving our waters is important to sustaining our fishing industry. Get on board and learn more at https://www.floridaocean. org/living-docks

If you need a ride out to our bountiful reefs, just give me a call. Pullin Drag Charters is the fishiest boat on the Treasure Coast and hits all the hot spots off our beautiful Fort Pierce Inlet. Looking for that famous pot o’ gold? It’s in the water! Hope your St. Patrick’s Day includes a bit of luck Pullin Drag!

Dean Rocco is a believer in the advantage the stealthy approach wading provides. This nice trout took a gently presented live shrimp in 18 inches of water.

Capt. Gus Brugger

Pattern Setter Charters

(772) 360-6787 www.WelcomeToSebastian.com

March is a transitional month for the Sebastian area inshore fishery. Warming waters improve snook fishing at Sebastian Inlet and kick start tarpon and snook fishing in the Sebastian River while an increase in shrimp and baitfish activity turns on the bite for all species throughout the lagoon.

SEBASTIAN RIVER – March is a fine month for tarpon and snook in the Sebastian River and an excellent option if the wind is howling on the open waters of the lagoon. Once water temps are in the 70s the Sebastian River and its juvenile tarpon become active. D.O.A. Shrimp and TerrorEyz jigs along with MirrOlure MirrOdine plugs and Yo-Zuri 3D minnows are my go-to lures for the Sebastian River. The upper south fork seems to be the first area that juvenile tarpon begin to show themselves. Snook of all sizes are spread throughout the entire river system, but backwater bays and shallow areas that warm quickly with the sun seem to be the best places to get them to bite.

INDIAN RIVER LAGOON – Trout, snook and redfish are the main targets of lagoon anglers in March. From the backwaters to the spoil islands trout of all sizes can keep anglers busy. Redfish and snook are also available and will generally be found close to shoreline cover but stay alert as pods of reds and big snook are often laid up sunning on the flats. A 4-inch D.O.A. C.A.L. jerk-bait on a ⅛-ounce head is a great all around lure for everything that swims in the lagoon in March. Wade fishing will give anglers an edge, and March is probably the best month to employ this tactic. Spoil islands are excellent areas to wade and often hold good numbers of trout in March. The close proximity of the islands to the deeper waters of the Intracoastal Channel make them excellent places for all types of fish to lay in wait for the migrating shrimp that use the channel and its current as a highway this time of year. A live shrimp fished with a natural drift while wade fishing can be amazingly effective in this situation.

SEBASTIAN INLET – Sebastian

Inlet snook fishing should pick up as water temps rise. Bucktails at night and live pinfish, pilchards and shrimp both day and night are effective. In addition to the snook, Sebastian Inlet will play host to big jack crevalle, redfish, bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and sheepshead are also available to inlet anglers in March.

NEAR SHORE ATLANTIC – The waters from the beach to a few miles offshore can be very productive in March if the wind allows boaters and surf fishermen the opportunity to fish them. Surf fishermen target pompano, bluefish and mackerel on both bait and artificials with a preference for incoming tides. Boaters keep an eye open for cobia, cruising schools of big jack crevalle as well as bonito and Spanish mackerel chasing minnows. Tight lines!

Capt.

Old saying goes, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”. However sometimes it’s the last week in March and we’re still looking for that lamb. The fishing should be worth the wait.

Look for good catches of mangroves, triggerfish and hopefully still some cobia lingering. Last year in the 85-to-90-foot range, fishing was great, when we could find clean water. The winds of March can sometimes leave us with a decent ocean but dirty water conditions. Good to be prepared to run to 160 feet or deeper to find clean water. Chicken rigs with squid will produce catches of vermilion snapper, trigger fish and porgies. It’s a great way to salvage the day and put some dinner on the table.

Offshore trolling should be slow but there’s always a chance of a black fin tuna occasional dolphin or wahoo. I like to troll some ballyhoo from spot to spot while I’m looking for a mark of fish on the bottom. There’s the chance of picking up a fish as well as giving the rest of the crew something to do other than stare at you, starring at the bottom machine.

I’ve found the water to be stirred up after long periods of March winds to where fish don’t mark or bite right away when you get to a spot. If that’s the case, you might give it some time. Stay to make it pay. If the water is dirty the fish will be back in the ledges and take some coaching to come out and bite.

The fishing near shore is usually tough due to lack of calmer water keeping it stirred up. With the crazy changing weather patterns though you never know will we get a couple weeks of decent March weather or just a couple days. If it’s the latter, I take advantage of this time to prepare for April fishing. I go through everything from safety equipment, bilge pumps, engine maintenance, tackle, also a good time to respool reels and restock your spare parts inventory. Sometimes having an extra fuel filter or set of spark plugs can salvage your fishing day as well as your reputation. If there’s a calm day in March I’ll be out there on the Big Easy.

“Fish On Gotta Go!”

March is a wonderful time to fish from shore. Snook are starting to move onto the beaches and make it easy to catch them.

The first place I would look to fish would be the inlets. Fort Pierce or St. Lucie Inlet where the ocean meets the river. First light or sunset being the best time. I love throwing plugs and you can’t go wrong with the Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow in black and silver. This lure in the suspended model will get the bite when others won’t.

I tie 50-pound leader to 30-pound braid with an 8-foot rod. I use the Spinfisher VI from Penn. I cast right in the surf, the rougher the better, most bites will be right at your feet.

Tarpon will be plentiful around the old Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart. My main bait would be a live herring or sardine on an 80-pound leader tied to

50-pound braid. Look for them when the tide is moving right along pilings and use heavy gear to catch and release. On the beach, you can’t beat a spoon. These tarpon are 100-poundsplus.

Jack crevalle fishing will be hot river or beach and they come in packs. These fish will be in numbers, some will be over 30-pounds. I like to use spoons and top water plugs to get them to bite.

So, this month is going to be hot for onshore fishing.

Send your pics to Chris Beachwalker Sharp on Instagram, until next time, tight lines!

Kayak Fishing Forecast

Brian Nelli

Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters (772) 201-5899

Brian@tckayakfishing.com www.tckayakfishing.com

INSHORE: Spring is in the air! We have had a much drier start to the year this year and clean water has been much easier to find. Snook, redfish, and trout will still be along mangroves and in between docks. Focus your time on points in the mangrove line and docks with the most current. Throwing D.O.A. Shad Tails and jerk baits will work well matching the hatch of glass minnows in the water. There will still be some pompano action around as well. Fish the channel edges with D.O.A. Shrimp and Goofy jigs.

OFFSHORE: Fishing will start to pick up this month with larger kingfish and more mahi swimming through. The sailfish bite will continue to be good as well. Cobia in March has always been good for us. These fish will start to move from the beach to the reef line. Fishing Jupiter to Delray Beach reefs bouncing the bottom with jigs, sardines, and pilchards are your best bets. Put your time in and you should find a few.

FRESHWATER: The last few cold fronts slowed things down a bit, but the peacock bass, largemouth, and clown knifefish are still biting. Live shiners and/or shad are your best bets. All three of these fish will be looking for deeper water when the water temps get colder. Find the right depth and you will find the fish.