Best Times & Seasons to Fish near Jensen Beach, FL (A Guide)

Only a short drive from Miami, Jensen Beach also offers amazing fishing that is nearly unrivaled in American waters. Knowing the best seasons to fish in Jensen Beach will make your trip one to remember.

While Jensen Beach boasts truly great fishing all year round, the best times to fish are from April to October. The best season for Jensen Beach fishing is the summer into early fall.

Species	Best Season to Fish in Jensen Beach Waters
Barracuda	Year-round very good fishing. May & June are only down seasons.
Grouper	May through December are best for grouper fishing.
Sailfish	September through November & January through March are the best months.
Swordfish	August through November are the peak months for fishing.
Mahi Mahi	Spring & Fall are the best seasons for Mahi Mahi fishing.
Tarpon	May-July are the best months.

Located on the east coast of Florida, Jensen Beach is known for its great fishing and views. One of the most popular places to fish in Jensen Beach is in the St. Lucie River, this river runs south of Jensen Beach and has a wide variety of species including largemouth bass in the north branch of the river.

Best Time to Fish Jensen Beach

The best time to fish in Jensen Beach is in either the late spring or early summer. This is because the widest variety of fish is available during this time due to the water warming up and more fish migrating north. Of the fish that are in season at this time, tuna, Mahi Mahi, and barracuda are the most popular to target.

Fish will also be moving into the St. Lucie River during this time, making them much easier to find compared to if they were scattered in open water.

The best season for you depends on what fish you will be targeting, spring and summer are great times to catch a mixed bag, but it doesn’t make sense to book a trip outside of your target species’ peak season.

Species of Jensen Beach (Best Time to Fish)

Barracuda

Barracuda can be found in the Jensen Beach area for the entire year. There is no offseason for barracuda, making it one of the most sought fish in the area. As for the time of day, barracuda generally feed in the morning and look for cover in deeper water as the water starts to warm up.

Barracuda almost exclusively feed on baitfish. Their diet is mainly made up of mullet and herring, but any kind of baitfish should work. You can use the whole baitfish or cut bait, either will work extremely well.

Barracuda are offshore fish that can be found near reefs and wrecks. They can sometimes be found in inshore waters, but if you’re targeting them, your best option is to go to offshore waters.

Barracuda generally like to hide in cover and ambush their prey, so try to get your bait to the lower part of the water column, and eventually, you will get one.

Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)

Mahi Mahi are usually in the Jensen Beach area in the winter and spring. They can be found year-round, but are more commonly caught during these times. The time of day doesn’t matter as much as the tide does. Fishing for Mahi Mahi is usually at its best during high tide, more baitfish will be moving around, making them much more active.

Mahi usually like to feed on baitfish, the most popular choice of bait for them is ballyhoo. You can also try other baits, or even cut bait, but trolling ballyhoo is a great option.

Mahi Mahi are open water offshore fish, they will usually be swimming in schools out in the open looking to feed on bait that is close to the surface. You can find Mahi Mahi by looking for patches of weeds, or by finding a flock of feeding seagulls.

Mackerel

Mackerel are a very popular fish throughout most of Florida but is especially popular in Jensen Beach. Mackerel are available year-round, with their peak season being in late spring and late fall. Fishing for mackerel in the morning will be your best option as there will be much more activity in the area when compared to other times of the day.

Mackerel usually like to feed on baitfish or thin strips of squid. You have the option of either trolling or jigging your bait. Trolling works better if you don’t know where the fish are and jigging works better if you’ve found a school of them and can hold your boat over the school.

Mackerel are generally offshore fish, occasionally swimming within range of piers. When fishing for them, you should look for offshore reefs and wrecks and try different depths until you find a pattern that works.

Cobia

Cobia can be found in the Jensen Beach area year-round, with their peak season running from November through April. As for the time of day, the only time you want to avoid is in the mid-afternoon, the water will become too hot for cobia and they’ll move out to deeper water.

Pinfish and squid are the two most popular baits for cobia, but any baitfish should work. You should attach your bait to either a jig or live bait rig and let it sit in deep water currents. You can slowly retrieve your bait or leave it in the same spot, giving it a few jigs every once in a while.

Cobia like to find places that have some structure and are next to the current. The current will bring bait right to them with the structure giving them cover from the current. River mouths, reefs, and passes between islands are good places to start, but they can also be found in offshore wrecks.

I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic if you want to create your combo.

Recommended Fishing Charters in Jensen Beach

These Jensen Beach-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters	Type of Fishing Offered
Kovach Fishing Charters	Wreck, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Reef
Fishing Chris Fishing Adventures	Wreck, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Reef
Crossroads Charter Fishing	Wreck, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Reef
Catch 22 Fishing Charters	Flats, Nearshore, Inshore, Backcountry & River
Papa Bear’s Fishing Charters LLC	Inshore & Offshore
Benny’s Book a Mate & Fishing Charter	Inshore & Offshore
Tighten Up Fishing	Wreck, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Reef

Best Time of Day to Fish Jensen Beach

Fishing in the morning is the best time of day to fish for almost any situation, Jensen Beach included. During the morning, more fish will be in the St. Lucie River and inshore waters, making them much easier to find and catch.

There are also benefits of fishing in the morning for offshore fish as well. They will be much less scattered and feed near structures, making them much easier to find. All of this somewhat depends on what the tide is, but the morning is generally the best time of the day to go fishing in Jensen Beach.

Tidal Impacts on Jensen Beach Fishing

Tides impact fishing a ton and can make or break your day of fishing. In Jensen Beach, not only the ocean is affected by tides, but the St. Lucie River also changes based on tides.

High tide is generally the best tide to go fishing, there is more oxygenated water being pushed into the area, the area isn’t as choked out, and there are more baitfish being moved around from the extra current during the build-up to high tide.

The times right before and after high tide can also have good fishing, but peak high tide is the best. During peak high tide, more fish will be actively feeding, and there will be less current, making it easier to hold your bait in one place.

Affect of Rain & Tropical Storms on Fishing in Jensen Beach

Tropical storms will always be a factor while fishing in Florida. As mentioned before, the tropical storm season in Florida is from June to the end of November. These storms can pop up without warning and can be very unpredictable, but it’s still a good idea to check the weather multiple times throughout your trip.

Fishing before a tropical storm can be bad. There are high winds, rain, and high pressure in the air. All of these things make it so that fish will scatter and head out to deeper water, where the roughest water is.

Fishing during a tropical storm is nearly impossible and extremely unsafe, if you happen to book a trip and a tropical storm comes up, you may be able to get a refund.

Fishing after a tropical storm is probably your best option, the air will be calm and fish will start to move back into their normal areas. All in all, it’s best to avoid fishing around the times of a tropical storm, fishing won’t be great anyway and it’s not smart to take that risk.

Night Fishing in Jensen Beach

Night fishing is very popular on the St. Lucie River because of the amount of artificial light on the river. The river is surrounded by cities with lots of light which makes it much easier for fish to feed at night.

Another reason why night fishing is so good on the St. Lucie River is because of the number of piers and docks on it. Most of these will be well lit at night, making it easier to fish from them and attracting fish because of the light.

While fishing at night, it’s best to use live or cut bait, preferably a smelly, oily baitfish. This will make it easier for fish to find their bait by using less sight and more smell. The same species that are there during the day will also be there at night, plus a few species normally found in deeper water may move in closer to shore.

Another option for night fishing is fishing from the surf, this is most popular when fishing for sharks. Wherever you go, make sure you have plenty of light, it will make your time much more enjoyable. 

Shore & Surf Fishing in Jensen Beach

There are plenty of great spots in Jensen Beach to fish from shore at. One of the most popular spots is the Jensen Beach Causeway Park. This area has a few docks, surf spots, and a decent-sized pier to fish from.

This spot is located on the Jensen Beach to Jupiter Inlet Aquatic Preserve, which is somewhat like a saltwater river that separates the mainland from Hutchinson Island. Another good area to try is on the St. Lucie River.

There are tons of public fishing areas and fish in the river. Towards the mouth of the river, you’ll find some deeper water species along with nearshore species. As you head further inland, you’ll find some more shallow water species and in the northern part of the river, you can even find a healthy largemouth bass fishery.

Your last option for shore fishing is fishing the surf off the coast of Hutchinson Island. This offers your best chance at getting some bigger, deeper water fish. There are plenty of public beaches on the coast of the island and even a couple of piers you can fish from.

Best Fishing Spots in Jensen Beach

Surf/Shore Fishing

Jensen Beach Causeway Park

This park is located right next to the causeway bridge that connects the mainland to Hutchinson Island. The bridge goes over the St. Lucie River. The park holds plenty of fish and makes it much easier to target fish in deeper, more open waters.

The park is located off the coast of the mainland, on a small piece of land that the bridge goes over. At this spot, you can expect to find sharks, cobia, and snapper, along with a few more inshore species.

Indian Riverside Park

This park is on the south part of the coast of Jensen Beach and faces out towards the St. Lucie River. The main area for fishing is on the beach, which has a canal with rocky jetties on each side of it. Fishing the jetties can be very productive for species like snook, sea trout, and smaller snapper.

If you want to target bigger fish, you can rig up a big baitfish and throw it out as far as you can. You’ll never know what you’re going to pull in next, which adds to the fun of it all. 

Jensen Beach Park

Jensen Beach is located on the Atlantic coast of Hutchinson Island. The spot s mainly a recreational beach but offers some great fishing. At this spot, you can find a large variety of fish, and most of them will be bigger than the fish that you can find at other spots.

You can expect a lot of cobia and deeper water species, but also can find nearshore species like snook and trout as well. Shrimp and baitfish are the most popular baits here, but any live or fresh bait should work.

Inshore

Jensen Beach to Jupiter Inlet Aquatic Preserve

This preserve is the large body of water that separates the mainland from Hutchinson Island. This body of water is much like a saltwater river, there is a strong current that goes out into the ocean and attracts fish.

The preserve connects with the St. Lucie River and the Atlantic Ocean, and the area where all three of those connect is a great fishing spot. You can find almost any inshore species in this area along with a few offshore species as well.

St. Lucie Inlet

The St. Lucie Inlet is located just outside the mouth of the St. Lucie River and is surrounded by a few islands and plenty of open water.

At this spot you have the options of either offshore or inshore fishing, both can be very productive. If you want to inshore fish, fishing near and in between the islands is the best option for you and if you want to fish offshore, fishing straight out from the islands will be your best option.

Offshore

Offshore fishing is one of the most popular ways to fish in Jensen Beach. Offshore fishing offers the biggest fish in the area and you can catch a wider variety of species.

Some of the species you can find offshore include marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, and barracuda. If you are planning on going offshore, your charter will take care of the bait, tackle, and finding spots, giving you a relaxing day on the water.

Best Seasons to Book a Charter (Best Times)

The best season to book a charter also depends on what your target species peak season is. It makes the most sense to book your trip during this time, but there are other things to think about as well. You should also take into consideration how busy the charters will be and what the weather will be like. The tropical storm season runs from June until the end of November.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t book a trip during this time, but you should pay attention to the weather before you get out on the water. Charters will be pretty busy throughout most of the year, with their most popular times being in the summer and spring.

Fishing in the winter can be very good for offshore species during this time and charters will be less busy, but the fish may be harder to find. If you plan your trip early enough, you shouldn’t have an issue with booking a charter.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Stuart, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Cape Canaveral, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Stuart, please check out this helpful guide.