Silver Kings Kayak Charters: Inshore Fishing Report (Fall Season)

Heading into Fall, we are now seeing some changes to the Inshore Fishery here on St. Croix. The bait has started to move back to shallower waters across Lagoons and the Southshore Flats. There remains some bait out West by Sandy Point but in much lesser numbers than we saw in Summer.

Salt River Bay Update:

During peak summer months, we saw the number of baitfish in the Bay reduce sharply. That trend now looks to be reversing with large baitballs now back in the Bay. Tarpon sightings have increased significantly with the best fishing occurring in the morning and late afternoons. We are also starting to see some more Jacks, specifically Blue Runner & Yellow Jacks, but have yet to see the Crevalle or Lookdown comeback in the numbers we saw in the Spring. The Snapper Bite has picked up with most fish coming in between 10-14". Barracuda (12-30") remain plentiful and can be caught on almost any lure. As is true with all inshore fishing (and even offshore fishing) here on St. Croix, one of the best ways to find the fish is to look to the skies. Our best marker for finding Tarpon, Snapper, and Jacks remains tracking Pelicans, specifically when there are 2 or more diving in the same region.

Favorite Lures:

Rapala X-Rap Twitchin' Mullet (Color: Pinfish )

Berkley Storm Shad 3" (Color: Ghost)

Southshore Update:

The Southshore will always be are favorite location for Inshore Fishing. It is where we've caught the most number of unique species as well as our biggest Tarpon, Snook & Bonefish. Molasses remains the best place to catch Tarpon as there is a very healthy population of 30-100lbers. We have also recently seen pods of 100+ "fun-sized" Tarpon feeding along the Flats to the West of Molasses Pier. Submerged Mangrove Trees are harboring a variety of big fish from Snook (24-36") to Snapper and Jacks. Shell Island continues to be a consistent location for finding Bonefish, most of which are over 5LBs. High Tide and late afternoons have been the most consistent. Pelicans diving are a great sign for potential Bonefish and Tarpon activity. They are queued into Fry (baby sprat) and can be caught on Jigs, 3" jerk-baits, flies, and cut bait. We are seeing less tailing lately as the Bonefish here are mostly going after baitfish. Looking for their distinct V-Shaped Wakes is the best way to spot Bonefish in the shallows. Due to the large size of the Bonefish we are seeing and catching, we rarely see groups of more than a Dozen, with the biggest Bonefish operating in groups of 1-5. Other species that we are consistently seeing include Barracuda, Snapper, Horse-Eye Jacks, and Blue Runner. Kayak Fishing the Southshore in general requires winds to be 12mph or less for us to have the best shot at catching big fish. When winds are 15mph or more, waves will typically rise to 4+ feet, making kayak fishing near impossible.

Favorite Lures:

Rapala Saltwater X-Rap 3" (Color: Pinfish)

Berkley Storm Shad 3" (Color: Ghost)

Buggs Fishing Jigs - Bitty Bugg & Loco Bugg (Color: PBT / Natural)