Bank Fishing In St. Lucie County, Fl

[Hondabiker95]

Hey yall. Long time lurker here, just decided to make an account. I just moved down to Port St. Lucie, and I'm stumped. I've heard amazing things about the fishing here, but I've gone 5 times or so and haven't caught a thing. I'm really new to saltwater fishing, that'll take some time. But right now I'm looking for a place to land some FL pigs from the bank! I just don't know where to go to catch largemouth!! I've heard about c24 and 23 canals, but they're closed for a while (It's bone dry here), I've heard of lake melaleuca, but can't seem to find any more info on it's location other than at the end of green river pkwy (I didn't see anything like it's description on the map). I actually live off the st lucie river, but I'm told there's no bass in this brackish (makes sense). I just want to find one good pond or lake that has a few hogs in it. I'll throw whatever, even worm fishing lol I just want to catch a bass here! Help! 

[BassinLou]

I do not live in Port St. Lucie, I live further South, but what I can tell you that might help you a bit is Google Earth. That site has helped me find spots til this day.  On a side note, our fish down here are finicky this time of year. With cold fronts coming and going these next few months, our fish will turn off for a few days at a time. Once things level off, the fishing can pick up dramatically and then shut down again when the next front blows threw. Hope that helps, good luck.

[hawgenvy]

Agree with Google Earth. Try residential ponds, or golf course ponds if you can get access. The bass fishing will generally get better after the first week or two of November and can be excellent through June in such areas, based on my experience fishing ponds around Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens. Access is the key, given the number of gated communities. Look for nongated communities with two or three story apartments.  People will usually be friendlier to unknown faces there. But you could still be asked to leave. Anyway, If you know anyone (or get to know anyone) who lives on one of the numerous golf courses in the area, you are going to have a great time wrestling some huge bass this winter and spring from the bank. Look for areas with shoreline vegetation and pads. Also, catching snook and small tarpon with lures in the St Lucie on a rising tide can be a blast. Good luck!

[buzzed bait]

just came back from a work trip to tampa/hudson area and i'm about ready to move to FL!!  everywhere you look is a lake or pond and the weather couldn't have been better!  good luck OP!

[Hondabiker95]

Thanks yall! I love the idea of the residential ponds as the area is just littered with them! but I always thought I'd have trouble getting access. Guess I'll just have to go to some and see what happens. Another question, I've heard around here that nearly every body of water holds bass. But the other day I fished the pond at the St. Lucie county civic center and got completely skunked, didn't even see any baitfish. I was throwing everything you could imagine, from frogs thru the pads, to texas rigs, all sorts of crankbaits, even jigs. Nothing!

[BassinLou]

Thanks yall! I love the idea of the residential ponds as the area is just littered with them! but I always thought I'd have trouble getting access. Guess I'll just have to go to some and see what happens. Another question, I've heard around here that nearly every body of water holds bass. But the other day I fished the pond at the St. Lucie county civic center and got completely skunked, didn't even see any baitfish. I was throwing everything you could imagine, from frogs thru the pads, to texas rigs, all sorts of crankbaits, even jigs. Nothing!

 

We have had a couple of fronts move through already. Depending on what day you went fishing the fish could have been off. 

[hawgenvy]

Thanks yall! I love the idea of the residential ponds as the area is just littered with them! but I always thought I'd have trouble getting access. Guess I'll just have to go to some and see what happens. Another question, I've heard around here that nearly every body of water holds bass. But the other day I fished the pond at the St. Lucie county civic center and got completely skunked, didn't even see any baitfish. I was throwing everything you could imagine, from frogs thru the pads, to texas rigs, all sorts of crankbaits, even jigs. Nothing!

Fished two evenings after work in the past few days and caught a bunch of 1 pounders in a golf course pond from 5-6 pm using a small Zero senko on an 1/8 oz shaky head that I kept moving to keep it off the gunk on the very bottom. Don't ignore areas away from the shoreline as nice numbers of aggressive small bass in schools can be roaming anywhere this month.  Caught about twenty this evening. Fun on light tackle.  Bigger fish expected next month that will suck in your chunkier baits. I'm not really that experienced, but this is what I've been finding. Also, some ponds are very good and others are not, so keep searching. Good luck!

[tshare18]

I haven't been on the site in a while or else I would have responded sooner. I've banked fished PSL for the past 15 years, used to have to ride my bike around when I was a kid. The best bank fishing spots are in the gated communities in the Saint Lucie West area. The golf courses are amazing but they really don't like people fishing them most of the time. The tradition area is also pretty good bank fishing and much easier to gain access too. I love using fire tiger color rattle traps as big as you can find them. Spinner baits, dark color 8"+ worms, and top water hollow bodied frogs work great for me too. I really haven't fished the areas around the part of town where you live so I can't help you there. 

[JDHoss]

Has anyone fished the ponds on Green River Drive just as you leave PSL and enter Martin Co? We went there late this afternoon and although we didn't catch anything, they hold several gators, if not fish. We fished spinnerbaits, topwaters and Flukes, but didn't get the first bite. We didn't get around to fishing the pump house side, but may try that next time. We left there and stopped by the Savannah Preserve park off of Midway Rd for about an hour. Several people were fishing there and I lost three fish on a pearl Fluke. That was our first time there and I'd like to explore that a little more. I also saw an article from 2015 about a pond in the Treasure Coast Research Park that was stocked, but drove out there and didn't see any way to get to the pond that you can see from I-95, assuming that is the same pond in the article. Any other suggestions for St Lucie or Martin Co fishing without a boat? We just retired here in January, and the only other place I've tried is the Indian Hills recreation area in Ft Pierce, but with no luck. 

[Don51]

Bass fishing in FL is frustrating to say the least. I have never seen so much private property. I have stopped wasting my time chasing water using Google Earth. As stated, these bass are super finicky to any weather changes. It's not as easy as Roland Martin makes it out to be!  ?

[NittyGrittyBoy]

5 hours ago, Don51 said:

Bass fishing in FL is frustrating to say the least. It's not as easy as Roland Martin makes it out to be!  ?

Sure it is... If you have access to the water he does.?

[gnappi]

I've had little luck with the big water management system canals. They're heavily fished down here, and water flow / quality are hard to deal with too. I now fish small canals, ponds and lakes and do not drive as far either.

 

[BareHook]

PM me for a couple locations. I used to live in PSL, and there are some decent lakes.