Central Florida fishing: It's time for trout; Snapper offshore & pompano on the beach

There certainly has been some great fishing in the area — and that's no April Fool's.

Snapper fishing offshore, pompano along the beach, snook and trout inshore and bass in the freshwater have all been energizing anglers all week long. It's been a good week to wet a line for sure.

Temperatures may feel more like summer than the first weekend of April, but the fish have been responding to live baits. Topwater plugs early in the day will get bites from trout. Casts to the sand bar parallel to the beaches will catch pompano as they head back to the north.

Closures & regulations changes in effect: Anglers are reminded about these fishery harvest closures currently underway and ones about to begin and end.

• Lobster: Season closed April 1. Two day sport season (mini-season) opens July 26-27, 2023. Regular season opens Aug. 6.

• Grouper: Harvest opens May 1, 2023. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind & rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1, 2024.

• Hogfish: Harvest opens May 1, 2023. Harvest closed from Nov. 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024.

• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.

• Snook: Harvest opened Feb. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required..

• Spotted seatrout:  Harvest open as of Jan. 1 in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin & Palm Beach counties. Harvest closes November and December 2023.

• Redfish: Harvest of redfish is banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon beginning Sept. 1. FWC will re-evaluate later in the year.

• Alligator: Hunt season open Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.

• Dolphin: New fishing regulations began May 1, 2022 for state waters. Bag limit is now five fish per day per angler; Vessel limit is now 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit.

• Tilefish: Harvest is open as of Jan. 1.

• Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

Mosquito Lagoon

Speckled trout, redfish, black drum, snook and jacks can be caught on live shrimp fished around the islands and along the shorelines. Sight casting opportunities are numerous in the shallow waters of the norther lagoon. Look for schools of redfish or black drum around Biolab ramp.

Offshore

The Canaveral Princess out of Port Canaveral had a couple of great snapper fishing trips recently. Mangrove snapper and mutton snapper catches are good, but anglers can also catch kingfish, occasional cobia and one customer had a 25-pound African pompano. Dolphin, blackfin tuna and wahoo are being caught on the current edges. This weekend may not have calm enough seas for bluewater fishing, but look for these bites when the seas calm.

Surf

Pompano have begun to show up for anglers casting Fishbites and Fish Gum to the sand bars parallel to the beaches. Use pieces of shrimp or sand fleas if they are available to have more action. Whiting, croaker, bluerunners and bluefish can be caught, too.

Sebastian Inlet

Snook action is what's driving the angling effort at the popular state park. Snook can be caught from both jetties using live croaker, shrimp or mullet. Jacks are being caught in and just outside the inlet as they spawn. A customer caught a legal sized gag grouper from the T Dock but since it was out of harvest season, the fish was released.

Indian River Lagoon

Speckled trout fishing is best in 2-3 feet of water early in the mornings. Use topwater plugs like a Rapala Skitterwalk, A Bomber Badonkadonk or a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil to get trout fired up and eager to feed. Wade fishing is a good tactic to catch some of these fish. Sheepshead are holding around dock pilings or bridges. They'll take live fiddler crabs or pieces of shrimp.

Freshwater

Bass fishing has been excellent throughout the region. Cast stick worms and topwater frogs to the edges to get bites from fish guarding beds and nearby. Crank baits will work in deeper waters when the sun gets high. Bluegill and shellcracker fishing has been best on live crickets fished with cane poles.

Ed Killer is an outdoors writer for florida today. Email him your fishing reports to ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Coast fishing: Trout, snapper, pompano & snook are biting