Humberto’s waves great for surfing, not so much for surf fishing – Florida Today

The pounding surf from Hurricane Dorian causes extensive beach erosion along the Brevard County coast and exposed many sea turtle nests. Craig Bailey, Florida Today

The winds are still brisk out of the northeast and that will create issues for anyone who is seeking to fish offshore or along the beaches. The trade off has been a long stretch of really good surfing conditions so some are not concerned with having to leave the rods at home as they take out their boards.

Big redfish brought big smiles for this couple who fished this week with Capt. Jon Lulay of Mosquito Lagoon Redfish Charters in Titusville.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY JON LULAY)

Mosquito Lagoon:Capt. Jon Lulay of Mosquito Lagoon Redfish Charters in Titusville said it's getting to be that time of year. The big redfish are starting to school in the lagoon and anglers can catch them using soft plastic jerk baits on light jig heads, gold spoons or shrimp. Be stealthy when approaching these schools because they spook easily and are getting a lot of angling pressure. Big black drum are also in the mix and there are some trout and medium-sized tarpon around, too.

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Offshore:Big seas will keep even the bigger boats in port through the weekend and into next week. The swell from Humberto, while generating big surf, is not doing much to encourage fishing.

Surf:Big surf is keeping anglers from being able to fish for whiting, snook and pompano inn the trough. Dirty water will linger for days after the swell finally drops out. Expect to find some beach erosion, too, as high tides are bringing the waves all the way up to the stairs and dune crossovers.

More: Humberto brings waves and surf to Brevard

Indian River Lagoon:There is always somewhere in the lagoon where an angler can find a place to fish out of the wind. That will be helpful the next few days. Trout and redfish can be caught along shorelines where there are mangroves. Sight casting will not be possible, really, as the winds have the waters dirtied again. Blind cast with cut bait or free-lined finger mullet, if they can be cast netted. Snook are biting, too, around seawalls and under docks. Tarpon are in the canals and channels.

Sebastian Inlet:Expect to find access to the north jetty deck closed temporarily as repairs are being done, and high seas will keep it off limits anyway. Still, fishing from the shorelines is productive for snook, redfish, flounder, snapper and black drum. The beginning of the outgoing tide is probably the better time to fish.

Freshwater:The water levels are pretty high throughout the region, as they should be during the peak of rainy season. Tilapia are along the edges of canals, lakes and water retention ponds and can be caught with a cane pole and dough ball on a small hook, or with bowfishing gear. Bass fishing has been picking up since water temperatures have been falling slightly.

Ed Killer is an outdoors columnist for the USA Today Network based on the Treasure Coast. Friend him on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter or Instagram at @tcpalmekiller, email him ated.killer@tcpalm.com.

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Humberto's waves great for surfing, not so much for surf fishing - Florida Today