April has been dominated by wind and passing cold fronts, with a little rain in the area. Once we start getting some consistent rainfall, we should see a big increase in bait both in the lagoon and along the beaches. Expect threadfin to show up along the beach outside of Sebastian Inlet, bringing snook, tarpon, kingfish, jacks, and plenty of sharks in with the bait pods, along with bonito chasing schools of glass minnows. Through the month of May, both bait and gamefish should be moving steadily up and down the beaches.
The snook bite, along with some redfish action at the jetty, should be strong throughout May. Anglers can expect good catches both during the day and in the evenings using live pigfish or pinfish rigged on a 6/0 VMC circle hook with a 50 lb leader.
Inside the lagoon, mullet and glass minnows should start pushing in from the feeder creeks. When you find those bait schools grouped up, there’s a good chance of locating larger trout feeding nearby. Topwater lures like Rapala Skitterwalks and Twitching Mullet plugs have been effective around bait pods, along with producing snook, redfish, and jacks. The X-Rap 10 worked along mangroves, as well as soft plastics like the DOA CAL paddle tail and Rapala Crush City Mooch Minnow or other jerkbaits, continue to be reliable choices for consistent action.
Bait pods will likely stack up along mangrove shorelines in areas like Honest John’s canals, Hog Point, nearby coves, spoil islands, and scattered grass flats. Bull sharks, jack crevalle, along with some tarpon and snook, are already active throughout the creeks from Sebastian to Melbourne and should remain through May.
For artificial presentations, Rapala Skitterwalk topwaters and the X-Rap 10 are go-to hard baits, while the Mooch Minnow has been a standout soft plastic. For live bait anglers, finger mullet remains the top choice. Focus on shorelines and docks holding mullet or other bait, and target those areas closely. Mullet can be free-lined or fished under a natural cork, with the best bite typically happening early in the morning and again at dusk.