Treasure Coast anglers can look forward to good fishing for tarpon and snapper

Catching a tarpon is something that every angler should strive for. What's not to like?

Battles with tarpon often begin by sight fishing them. Anglers pitch a live pilchard or sardine, or a well-placed fly right in front of a feeding fish. Then there's the bite. As the tarpon opens it's oval shaped mouth it sucks in the offered bait, and the battle begins.

Silver kings will leap, twist, pull with their brute strength and do everything possible to spit out the hook. Sometimes, they do. But a savvy angler, or a novice angler listening to a wise and experienced fishing guide can bring the tarpon boat side.

Remember, the tarpon should never leave the water, and the hook should be removed quickly. To get a photo, lean over the side of the boat, or jump in the shallows, to get a photo with the fish. It is against the law to lift the fish out of the water even for a photo.

DEP is a bust: Gov. Ron DeSantis could have resurrected DEP and cleaned Florida waterways. Why didn't he?

Starving: 'Dissolving on the inside': Photos show how starvation is killing Florida manatees

No more redfish?: Florida Redfish regulations: Which areas could lose access to harvesting redfish

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.

Indian River County

Offshore: The SISA Reefs in 70-80 feet of water is a good spot to try for mangrove snapper, lane snapper, kingfish and cobia. Deeper water has provided triggerfish, grouper and amberjack along with catch and release red snapper. Tarpon, kingfish and sharks have been in 20-40 feet of water around bait schools.

Inshore: Sebastian Inlet was a better place to fish this past week than the previous week because the seaweed blew out with the west winds. Mangrove snapper fishing has been better on cut mojarras and live shrimp. Atlantic spadefish can be seen schooling around the rocks. Use clam strips to get a bite out of one.

Freshwater: While lakes upstream in the St. Johns River system have been recording low levels due to a lack of meaningful rainfall, levels at the Stick Marsh and Headwaters Lake have been left alone, for now. Still, bass fishing is fair at best due to the heat.

St. Lucie County

Offshore: The mutton snapper and mangrove snapper fishing seems to be very steady right now. Bethel Shoal and the Offshore Bar both have reefs where snapper specialists are zeroing in on muttons up to 14 pounds and mangroves up to 7 pounds. There has been a few dolphin on the current edges.

Inshore: Crystal clear water has been the norm throughout the area, even on the outgoing tide. With little rainfall causing runoff, anglers can see the lagoon bottom from the power plant to the county line. This may make fishing harder actually since the fish can see a boat or more easily see fishing lines.

Surf: So, in some spots along Hutchinson Island the seaweed seemed to break up or blow out a little bit. Anglers did not exactly find great fishing, however. It's still a little early for pompano or large whiting so anglers have to settle for small whiting and a few croaker. This zone will pick up in activity in about a month.

Martin County

Offshore: This summer has been a good time to troll for wahoo. Places like Push Button Hill have been a good spot to target since there are a pair of seamounts which make up the relief of the sea floor there. Currents swirl around them and hold smaller fish which the wahoo prey on. Tarpon are being caught close to the beach.

Inshore: Tarpon and snook, both catch and release, are the two main fish driving the fishing action around inshore waters here. Common snook are being caught around docks of Rocky Point, Sewall's Point, Sailfish Point and the inlet. For a change of pace, catch a tarpon snook or a fat snook under docks along Hell's Gate and the west shoreline of the St. Lucie River.

Lake Okeechobee

Bluegill and shellcracker fishing has been good at Nubbin Slough, Taylor Creek and in Lakeport at the Harney Pond Canal. Use live crickets for the best action. Bass fishing is a little slow. Watch for alligator hunters who can now hunt in daylight hours.

Ed Killer is TCPalm's outdoors writer. Sign up for his and other weekly newsletters at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage. 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 Treasure Coast Newspapers: Treasure Coast fishing: Tarpon and snapper are keeping anglers busy