Space Coast fishing: Mullet are moving; Sharks, snook, tarpon following

Mullet mania is underway. And fishing is well, mixed, to say the least.

If you ask one angler, the fishing has been great. He has been in the middle of the madness and hooked snook or sharks, tarpon or jacks. But for every one who gives you a report like that, there is another angler who says fishing has been difficult. He or she hasn't had bites from any of the usual predators. Or he has seen mullet and seen nothing biting.

Anyway, the mullet run is always hard to quantify and figure out every year. Sometimes it enhances fishing. Sometimes it's like fishing in a lottery. Either way, try to go now because if you do catch a fish, you'll remember the circumstances.

And if you don't? well, just blame it on the outdoor writer being wrong again.

FWC meeting in Jensen Beach

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet Oct. 4-5 at Hutchinson Shores Resort, 3793 NE Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach. Meetings begin each day at 8:30 a.m. Among the items on the agenda will be final approval of snook regulations and stone crabs rules. The full agenda can be found here. For more information go to MyFWC.com.

Mosquito Lagoon

Try tossing topwater plugs along Turtlepen Point or around Cucumber Island near first light for action on speckled trout. Live shrimp will get bites from black drum, redfish and snook on the flats. Mullet are energizing some of the snook and tarpon near Haulover Canal.

Offshore

The ground swell from Hurricane Lee provided way better surfing than it did chances to fish bluewater. This weekend's forecast is not quite as good for surfing, but it still may be poor for bottom fishing as swells from Hurricane Nigel may be reaching the coast by Friday. When it clears, look for dolphin action trolling ballyhoo in 120 to 200 feet of water.

Surf

Again, the heavy surf over the weekend was way better suited for surfing than it was for casting from the beach. The swell also dirtied up the water pretty good. Better fishing will resume once seas calm. Sand fleas, however, seem to be returning to a lot of beaches.

Sebastian Inlet

Mullet have been the driving force behind the quality fishing in this region. The incoming tide stacks the fish up and the predators, especially during the night time incoming tide, are pounding the bait. The outgoing tide sweeps the mullet out of the inlet and along the beaches where anglers are trying to cast plugs and mullet into the fray with varying luck.

Indian River Lagoon

Fish around Shell Point down to Houseboat Cut in the Thousand Island area to catch black drum and snook, trout and small tarpon on live finger mullet. Casting the eastern shoreline from Bagger's Point to Mangrove Point can result in some snook and redfish being caught on live shrimp.

Freshwater

Lake Poinsett and Lake Washington are good spots to fish for bedding bass which will be moving to the edges to spawn with the next full moon coming Sept. 29. Toss lipless crank baits to keep the lure shallow and get reaction strikes from fish.

Ed Killer is an outdoors writer with florida today. Email him your fishing report at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Space Coast fishing: Sharks, snook, tarpon chasing mullet