Hurricane Ian made a mess of things, but fishing should get back to normal soon

Ed Killer, Florida Today
·2 min read
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Hurricane Ian rearranged the map of Southwest Florida, went north of Lake Okeechobee and departed the northern end of the Space Coast Thursday.

People fished anyway and surfed anyway, although conditions were pretty bad.

This week's fishing report will not be like all the rest.

Dirty water: See where Hurricane Ian spills the most sewage

Tree trouble: Watch for trees felled by Ian

Water levels restored: Ian lifts St. Johns River by a foot or more, raising risk of future flooding

Sonny East of Fort Pierce pulling off a Florida man photo Spt. 26, 2022 before Hurricane Ian's arrival by catching a flounder and a raccoon kit.
Sonny East of Fort Pierce pulling off a Florida man photo Spt. 26, 2022 before Hurricane Ian's arrival by catching a flounder and a raccoon kit.

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

  • Redfish: Harvest of redfish is banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon beginning Sept. 1.

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

  • Snook: Season opens statewide Sept. 1.

  • Lobster: Regular season opened Aug. 6.

  • Dolphin: New fishing regulations began May 1 for state waters. Bag limit is now 5 fish per day per angler; Vessel limit is now 30 fish per day. Captain & crew may not be included in limit.

  • Grouper: Shallow water grouper season is open May 1 through Dec. 31. That includes gag grouper, red grouper, scamp and six other lesser species.

  • Hogfish: Harvest of hogfish is open May 1 through Oct. 31, 2022 in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

  • Tilefish: A commercial fishing closure is in place beginning July 6 until Dec. 31, 2022.

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

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

For this week's fishing report, we'll combine into a couple paragraphs. The regular format will return to normal next week.

Offshore: Seas will still be rough Thursday and Friday, but by Saturday expect to find fishable seas. West winds will actually calm the chop. The water will be dirty, but dolphin and wahoo can be caught on the outside of the current rips in deeper water. Bottom current will factor into how good the snapper fishing is.

Inshore: Snook love the post-storm conditions. They feed aggressively on outgoing tides carrying lots of flotsam along. Use jigs to reach the bottom where the snook are feeding. Tarpon are in that zone, too. Redfish, all catch & release, can be caught along the mangroves.

Freshwater: Ian added a lot of water to the St. Johns River system bringing lakes and parts of the river back up to regular stages. Bass fishing will light up in the aftermath and with cooler temperatures.

Ed Killer is florida today's outdoors writer. Friend Ed on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at  ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Calm waters return fishing patterns to normal quickly on Space Coast