The offshore mahi-mahi run has been the centerpiece off Palm Beach this week. Boats working the weed lines and current edges in 250 to 600 feet are finding schoolies and the occasional gaffer, with the birds marking the better water. Trolling and run-and-gun casting to fish under floating debris have both produced.
Along the beach and over the nearshore wrecks, the kingfish and bonito are crashing bait pods, offering fast action on live goggle-eyes. A few cobia and blackfin tuna are mixed in over the same structure for the run-and-gun crowd.
Tarpon are rolling along the beach on the morning tides and through the Lake Worth Inlet, taking crabs and mullet for anglers fishing the moving water early. Snook are around the inlet and bridges but must be released — the Atlantic season is closed.
On the reef, mutton and mangrove snapper are biting on the deeper edges, and there are scattered grouper over the structure. The reef bottom bite has been a reliable fallback when the offshore trolling slows.
Conditions have featured clean blue water close in and light morning winds before the sea breeze fills. The mahi bite should continue through June — start early, watch the storm line, and keep the tarpon gear ready for the morning beach roll.
Spots & Access This Week
Mahi are the draw out on the edge, with anglers running the weed lines and color changes east of the Palm Beach and Lake Worth inlets, while tarpon are piling into the inlets and along the beaches on the night and early tides. Phil Foster Park at the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach is the closest ramp to the Lake Worth Inlet and the popular bridge tarpon and snook fishery. Currie Park in West Palm Beach serves the central ICW and the inlet, and the Lake Worth ramps reach the southern inlet and beaches.
Inshore, snook and big jacks work the bridge shadow lines after dark, and bottom fishing on the nearshore reefs is producing mutton and mangrove snapper.
This Week’s Tip
For mahi, run east and look for frigatebirds, weed, and any current edge — even a scattered grass line will hold schoolies, and a pitched bait to a single fish often pulls the whole school to the boat. Time the inlet and bridge tarpon to the outgoing tide and the low-light windows at dawn and after dark. Summer storms build fast offshore, so watch the radar and plan a morning bite. Snook season is closed for harvest in summer on the Atlantic side as well — release them in the water, and check current FWC regulations before you go.