Windy But Nice on the Beach

If I were to include a picture of the ocean this morning, it would be similar to the one I posted yesterday, but only the water has somewhat of a light brownish tint. There is about a 12 MPH wind out of the south southeast.

I didn't see anyone fishing, but there were a number of people walking the beach. With the warm temperatures, today would be a nice day to feel the warm sand between your toes as you hiked up or down the beach.

One thing I've been on the lookout for are right whales. I read where this is the time of year that they migrate past our central Florida coast. On a couple of occasions in past years I have seen them. I'm hoping that this will be one of those years.

Rough Surf this Morning

I was thinking of going fishing this morning until I walked down and looked at the surf. As you can see from the picture I took this morning, the ocean is on the rough. side There is a strong southeast wind that has the ocean rolling. The water is still fairly clean, but usually southeast winds eventually cause dirty water conditions. Perhaps things will look better at high tide this afternoon.

One beach veteran was telling me that there is not a nice fishing trough this year along the beach in Indialantic. He blames it on the beach renourishing that was done earlier in the year in Satellite Beach. He said that some of the sand sand has washed down the beach and has filled the trough making the ocean shallower in this area.

Cool but Beautiful

Today is a great day to be on the beach regardless if you are walking, fishing, sun bathing or treasure hunting. It is slightly on the cool side, but the sun is warm and the temperature is rising. The wind is light out of the east south east. The water looks clean and inviting. I was surprised not to see fishermen in the usual spots, but maybe it was because the tide was on the low side.

Manatee in the Surf!

Usually I include a picture with each post, but I missed the picture that I wanted. Yesterday afternoon I was on the beach when I saw a manatee just off shore. I had my camera with me, but by the time I readied it to take a picture, the manatee disappeared in the water and I never saw it surface again.

A couple of years ago I was fishing alone along the Beach in Indialantic when I saw something huge in the surf. It scared me because I didn’t know what it was. At first I thought it was a big shark, but then it surfaced again and I recognized it as a manatee. It is rare to see a manatee in the surf here. I feel badly that I missed getting the picture to share with you.

Fishing Conditions: When I walked to the beach this morning, I did not see any fisherman. Although the ocean is fishable, there is a brisk northerly wind to contend with and probably a strong current. There is wave action and you can see some whitecaps in the distance. The water clarity is slightly on the murky side. There is still no seaweed in the water.

Decent Pompano Catch

-- Click picture to enlarge--
I took this picture of someone who had laid their pompano in the grass after washing the sand off of them. The fisherman caught them using frozen sand fleas earlier this week in the surf in Indialantic. They ranged in size from 11 to 13 inches.

This morning I didn't see anyone fishing, but conditions look favorable. The water is clean and there is some wave action. There is still no evidence of sea weed. The morning wind was light and the waves were coming straight in from the east.

It is really a beautiful morning on the beach. Walking the beach on such a morning should be a delightful experience.

Fishing Conditions

Fishing Conditions: I’m writing this on Wednesday morning. I’ve just came back from the ocean where I noted that the water has good clarity today. There is enough wave action to stir up the sand fleas for the pompano to devour. The wind is about 5 MPH out of the NW. One man had just started fishing and had caught a whiting and a blue within the first 15 minutes. He said that there is a strong current with which to contend, so you will need a heavy sinker. It is cool, but conditions seem to favor a good fishing day.

Sand Flea Colonies

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago of sand flea pods or colonies. Sand fleas are crustaceans and they live together by the hundreds and probably thousands in tightly knit pods or colonies that are clearly visible to beach walkers. Although the pods are clearly visible, some beach walkers probably never realize what is beneath those wrinkles in the sand.

Sand fleas are prized bait for pompano fishermen and a source of food for various birds like ibis pictured here looking to pick a sand flea out of the sand. Unfortunately, colder weather has forced sand fleas deeper and/or further out in the water. As someone said, they are scarce as hen’s teeth right now. When January and February come, they will be even more difficult to find.

Fishing Conditions: The water clarity is not good this morning. Fortunately, there is not any sea weed visible which is a big help. There is a light wind from the northwest. There also is some wave action. The ocean is definitely fishable, but the lack of water clarity may make it not good for catching pompano.