The lagoon is coming out of its summer doldrums. The mullet run is pushing through Sebastian and Fort Pierce inlets, the redfish are schooling on the flats, and the first slightly cooler mornings have the trout feeding harder at dawn. This is my home water, and the first week of September is when I start fishing it seriously again.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week: redfish schools of 20 to 60 fish on the flats around the spoil islands and the Fort Pierce and Vero grass beds on the higher water. Trout are on the deeper grass and the edges of the channels at first light, and there have been some big fish among them. Snook and tarpon are on the mullet at Sebastian Inlet, Fort Pierce Inlet, and along the spoil islands on the inside. Black drum and sheepshead are on the bridge pilings, and jacks are chasing bait up and down the whole lagoon.
Where to Find Them
The spoil islands from Sebastian down through Fort Pierce and the flats around Round Island and the Vero power plant are holding redfish. Trout are on the deeper grass off Vero Beach and in the Fort Pierce area. Sebastian Inlet on the outgoing is the snook-and-tarpon show, and the Fort Pierce Inlet jetties are producing the same. The Wabasso, Vero, and Fort Pierce causeways are black drum and sheepshead spots.
Tides & Conditions
Lagoon temps are in the upper 80s and clarity is fair; a few cooler mornings this week put the fish in a better mood. The lagoon tide is minimal away from the inlets, so wind and light matter more than tide on the flats — fish the calm mornings and the leeward shorelines. Outgoing tides at the inlets are prime for the mullet run. Watch the tropical forecast.
Tackle & Tactics
Redfish on the flats take a gold spoon, a weedless soft plastic, or a small topwater early. Trout want a soft plastic on a light jig head or a topwater at dawn. At the inlets, a live mullet on a 5/0 circle hook and 40-pound fluorocarbon for snook, upsized for tarpon. A live shrimp on a jig head takes drum and sheepshead at the bridges.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Sebastian Inlet State Park ramp, the Wabasso Causeway ramp, the MacWilliam Park ramp in Vero Beach, and the Stan Blum ramp in Fort Pierce. Fish are concentrating on the flats around the spoil islands and at the inlets on the mullet. Snook season is open on the Atlantic coast with slot, bag, and permit requirements — check current FWC regulations before keeping fish, and note the redfish rules for this zone.
This Week’s Tip
Redfish on the lagoon flats in September are spooky in the clear, warm water. Approach from downwind with the trolling motor off, and make long casts ahead of the school. If you see the school flush, wait it out — they usually settle back down within 15 minutes.
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