Stuart fishing report for the week of October 1, 2026. October is here and the mullet run is still the whole story on my home water. The full moon is behind us, the big equinox tides have eased, and the bait is still moving south along Hutchinson Island in waves. If you have been putting off a trip to the inlet, this is the stretch of the year that makes the rest of it worth it.
What’s Hitting
This week, snook remain the main event. They are holding on the St. Lucie Inlet rocks and along the beach troughs, and they feed hardest when the tide starts to fall and pulls mullet out of the river. Tarpon are rolling along the beach at first light, jack crevalle are crashing bait pods, and the first bluefish and Spanish mackerel of the fall are showing up behind the schools.
Inside, redfish are getting more reliable along the mangrove edges of the North and South Forks, and the docks in Manatee Pocket are holding snook and mangrove snapper. Offshore, the reef in 60 to 100 feet has kingfish and mutton snapper when the wind lets you get out.
Where to Find Them
Start at the inlet on the outgoing tide and work the north jetty and the rocks on the south side. On the beach, follow the bait, not a spot: drive the island, look for birds and nervous water, and set up on the down-current edge of each pod. The House of Refuge rocks and Bathtub Reef stretch have been steady. Inside, the Crossroads, the Sewall’s Point flats, and the Roosevelt Bridge fenders all have fish working on moving water. For reds, work the flooded mangrove points up the South Fork toward Bessey’s Creek on the higher stages of the tide.
Tides & Conditions
With the last quarter moon this weekend, tides are softer than last week, which spreads the feeding over a longer window instead of one hard push. The next new moon arrives the following weekend and brings another round of high tides, so expect water over the low spots along Indian River Drive again by mid-October. Water temperatures are sliding toward the low 80s. Mornings are calm and the east wind usually builds after lunch. It is still hurricane season, so watch the tropics and the marine forecast before running the inlet.
Tackle & Tactics
A live finger mullet on a 5/0 circle hook, free-lined in the current or drifted just outside the trough, is still the best thing you can throw. For artificials, a 5-inch paddle tail on a 3/8-ounce jig head, a bucktail with a curly tail trailer, or a walking topwater at dawn all produce. Run 40-pound fluorocarbon for snook and bump to 60-pound for tarpon. A 7-foot medium-heavy spinning rod with 30-pound braid covers everything from the beach to the bridges.
Local Intel This Week
Sandsprit Park is the fastest ramp to the inlet, and the Stuart Causeway and Leighton Park ramps work for fishing the river and the Forks. Shore anglers are doing well at the House of Refuge, Bathtub Reef Beach, and the Jensen Beach Causeway. Fish are concentrated at the inlet mouth on the falling tide and wherever the mullet schools are thickest along the beach. Ramp parking fills early on weekends during the run. Snook season is open on the Atlantic coast, but check current FWC regulations, slot limits, and seasons before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
When the mullet schools are thick and the snook get picky, stop casting into the middle of the pod. Put your bait or lure on the edge, a few feet away from the school, where the strays get picked off. A lone, slightly struggling bait gets eaten far more often than one buried in a thousand others.
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