Pole Dancer Fishin' Charters

Tarpon Mania at the Inlet

2026-06-11

If you’ve been anywhere near the inlet lately, you’ve probably witnessed one of the most exciting sights our fishery has to offer. Massive schools of tarpon have stacked up around the inlet, creating action that resembles a full-blown fall mullet run.

From first light until well after sunset, silver kings have been rolling, crashing bait, and putting on an incredible aerial display. Anglers have been treated to explosive strikes and drag-screaming runs as tarpon ranging from 40 pounds to well over 100 pounds patrol the channel edges, sandbars, and bait-rich current lines.

What makes this bite so special is the sheer volume of fish. Large pods of tarpon have been moving through the area daily, often pushing bait to the surface and creating chaos wherever they go. At times, the water seems alive with rolling fish, and it’s not uncommon to see multiple hookups happening at once.

Live mullet, pogies, and large pinfish have been the go-to offerings, but anglers throwing swimbaits, topwater plugs, and soft plastics have also found success when fish are actively feeding near the surface. The key has been staying mobile, watching for rolling fish, and positioning ahead of moving schools.

The inlet has become the place to be for anyone looking to battle one of the strongest gamefish in the ocean. The current, bait concentration, and favorable water conditions have combined to create a tarpon fishery that rivals some of the best action we typically see during the peak of the fall migration.

As always, proper handling is critical. These fish are incredible fighters and deserve careful release practices to ensure they remain healthy for future anglers to enjoy.

With bait continuing to pour through the inlet and tarpon showing no signs of leaving, now is the time to get out there. Whether you’re targeting your first silver king or chasing a personal best, the current bite is providing opportunities that don’t come around every day.

The bottom line: if you love tarpon fishing, clear your schedule. The inlet is absolutely on fire, and the action looks more like a classic fall mullet run than the beginning of summer.

Pole Dancer Fishin’ ChartersCapt. Jeff Patterson https://www.smallboatbigfish.com/

Inshore Fishing Report: Top Spots and Baits for Redfish and Speckled Trout

2026-06-03

Inshore fishing has had consistent action around grass flats, oyster bars, and creek mouths. Redfish and speckled trout were the primary targets, with live shrimp and soft plastic lures producing the best results during the early morning hours. As temperatures increased throughout the day, fish moved into deeper pockets and channels.

Water clarity remained good throughout most of the region, and recent weather patterns helped maintain stable conditions. Anglers should continue monitoring local forecasts, as changing winds and afternoon storms can affect both fishing success and safety on the water.

Fishing prospects remain positive heading into next week. Early mornings and late evenings are expected to offer the best opportunities as fish continue to feed actively during cooler periods of the day. Anglers are encouraged to match bait selections to local forage and adjust their approach as conditions change.

Whether you're fishing from shore, a kayak, or a boat, now is a great time to get out on the water and enjoy what the local fishery has to offer. Tight lines, and good luck on your next trip!

Pole Dancer Fishin’ ChartersCapt. Jeff Patterson https://www.smallboatbigfish.com/

Your Latest Inshore Fishing Update

2025-10-13

The fall mullet run has been very productive although the inlet has been blown out since the beginning of October. Awesome fishing at the inlet this time of year so it’s kind of a bummer only being able to fish a little bit of it with the ocean being churned up.

We have had a lot of rain and a king tide so the water has been very high. I do really well using mullet in October and the high water can make it tricky to get bait at times. I actually decided just recently that I should put a little more effort into finding some areas to get bait when the water is way up and it worked out. One of the easiest ways is to check the shallowest areas you can. Literally drive around and look. Mullet get way up in the mangroves and tall grass and they are very tricky to get to if at all possible. If you know of a sandbar or any type of beach, that’s a good place to start. There’s thick right now so when you find them you can load up!

I’ve been fishing the mangroves a lot and doing awesome with snook and redfish. I’m mainly using finger mullet and shrimp with a split shot and as long as there is some tide movement it’s been fail proof. We’re catching slot redfish every day and usually multiples. It’s not uncommon to land double digits on snook too. The bridges have also been holding a lot of big snook. I’ve been doing best on the beginning of incoming tide free lining a live pinfish. There’s been jacks all over the river and I’ve seen them going crazy busting mullet in the channel a few times. I’ve caught a bunch lately.

The inlet has been holding a big school of redfish if you can make it out there in between the sloppy conditions. I’ve had some days with 20 fish or more. This is also one of the best times to get big snook there too. Live pinfish, croakers, and 6-9” mullet are some good baits. Tarpon are around there too and actually spread throughout the river around the channel as well. I’ve been seeing them rolling every day. There’s some awesome fishing this time of year and I always tell the locals September through November is probably the most consistent fishing of the year. Call me when you’re ready!

Summer Bite is Hot

2025-07-17

The water out of the beach was cold for a month or longer and finally creeped up to 80 degrees. There’s been huge schools of pogies all up and down the beach. I’ve been tarpon fishing around these bait pods and doing awesome! Not to mention there’s been plenty of bait. I’ve been free lining these pogies outside of the bait pods. Quite a few times I have brought some of these pogies back to the inlet and targeted tarpon, redfish, and snook. There has been some big reds and snook in the 30-40” range. Outgoing tide has been producing the most action. I’ve been fishing the river getting a good variety from Ormond to Ponce Inlet. Redfish, snook, flounder, seatrout, tarpon, jacks, and mangrove snapper have all been chewing. Especially up in Ormond I have been seeing tons of bait. Big schools of pogies have been around the channel and deeper docks. Up there they’ve been a little smaller than the ones off the beach and perfect size to use in the river, 3-4”. There has been finger mullet and shrimp all over the shorelines and around docks and fish have been busting them like crazy in the morning. Doing best fishing areas with a good current. Awesome fishing going on as always during the summer!

Redfish, Black Drum, and Seatrout: A Winter Fishing Report

2025-02-03

Well, the new year has been a tough start with a lot of undesirable conditions and pretty slow fishing. We had two or three weeks of lots of wind, rain, and below-average temperatures. Getting towards the end of January, we had that cold front that dropped the water temps dramatically. The inlet got down to 50°, and I saw low 50s in the Intracoastal. I saw a few dead tarpon and snook, but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. They pile up in dead-end canals and other areas trying to stay warm. I found hundreds of snook sunning, and it’s quite a sight with a lot of 30-40” fish.

The focus since all the cold weather has been the shallows. Redfish, black drum, and seatrout have been around oyster bars, and you can find some good schools this time of year on the flats. Some days they bite; some days they drive you crazy and won’t touch a bait. The water has been really clear, which can also make things more difficult. Once the fish get spooked, they may not bite. Also, with the water being so clear, it helps to go with a lighter leader and smaller hooks if you’re using live bait. I typically use a 1/0 circle hook on a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader.

There have been some seatrout in some of the deeper holes around oyster bars in Spruce Creek. Black drum have been around the bridges, along with some sheeps. I’ve been fishing back in the Tomoka, as well as the basin, and the same things are going on up there. Redfish, black drum, and also some flounder have been hanging out in the basin. You might find a school of reds or drum up in the shallows.

Now that we are finally having some much better conditions, the fishing should really start picking up. Hopefully, someone turns the switch back on at the inlet too because, on my last two trips there, I barely marked a fish on the fishfinder and didn’t catch a single one, so I didn’t hang out long. Hoping for a fishy February!

December Fishing Frenzy: Redfish, Snook, Tarpon, and More

2024-11-28

The fishing is awesome in December! So much going on that some times it’s a little tricky what to do. We got our first good cold front and had temps in the low 40s and this cooler weather has the water temp dropping. It quickly went from upper 70s to mid/low 60s. The inlet has been on fire! Outgoing tide has been producing redfish, snook, and black drum consistently. I’ve been using live shrimp and mullet a lot around the inlet. Pinfish and pigs should be some good baits too I just haven’t gotten my hands on them recently. Most of these redfish have been in the 30-40” range. The snook bite has been stellar and I think I’ve had more big snook landed on my boat this year than I ever have. Snook season closes December 15 - January 31 so keep that in mind but they’re still a blast to catch. The black drum have been in the 5-10 lb range but there’s been some fish up to 40lb caught recently. I’ve been getting most of my drum just using live shrimp. It seemed like once this water started cooling down the tarpon showed up in numbers around the inlet. I’ve noticed some days they have been spread out all over the inlet in the channel and also over the shallow area south of the channel. We have hooked some of them while fishing for reds and snook on the bottom and I haven’t even really targeted them specially on recent trips. We have also caught some big jacks around the inlet channel which is always good for drag screaming. Sheepshead and a few pompano have started biting good as well. Two of my favorite eating inshore fish! I like using sand fleas for them over fiddler crabs but they will both work and even just small shrimp can do the trick.

In the intracoastal I’ve been hitting the bridges and docks for drum and snook but I’m sure there’s some sheeps around too. Select shrimp and live mullet are a couple of the baits I’m fishing the bridges with recently. I’ve heard lots of other reports of people getting black drum and snook around all the bridges in our area.

This time of year the weather can be absolutely gorgeous or about as bad as it gets with Northeast winds cranking with cold fronts so take advantage of the nice conditions when you can! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from Pole Dancer Fishin’ Charters! Looking forward to making awesome memories on the water in 2025! Get your rod bent!

Mullet Madness: Redfish, Snook, and Tarpon Thrills During Peak Season

2024-09-26

We have some of the best fishing of the year right now! The mullet run is in full force and I’m focusing on redfish, tarpon, and snook more than anything. Around the inlet I’ve been using bigger mullet 8-10” for snook and it’s working out great. Some days I’ve even just free lined them against the rocks, which I have never done before at the inlet for snook, and it’s been very productive. I’ve also caught them on the bottom when there’s a stronger current, using up to a couple ounces of lead. Here lately the beginning of the incoming tide has been the best for me. It also seems like there’s been a lot more fish caught in the evening than in the morning recently. Snook season opened September 1st so everyone will be trying. Tarpon have been all over the inlet and north up the beach and I’m sure they’ll be very active over the next month during the mullet run. I’ll be honest I’ve been struggling with tarpon lately and when targeting them it hasn’t been productive. One day I had four different kinds of live bait and didn’t get a bite. Then, of course when I’m targeting redfish we end up hooking them and a tarpon jumping slinging a weight around isn’t a good combo! However, sometimes we luck out and still land them.

So far I’ve only seen a bunch of mullet around the inlet 1 day since they started running but something tells me it’s going to happen more often by the time this report gets out. There’s been slot redfish and I’ve also caught some bigger fish in the 40” range. It’s nice being able to get both this time of year if someone’s looking to keep a couple fish. We have caught some big jacks up to 10-15 lbs while we are targeting reds and snook which are always a blast to fight.

In the river the jacks have been everywhere going crazy on mullet. There’s been a bunch of nice river mangs hanging around docks and oyster bars which make for some awesome fish tacos! Redfish, snook, and flounder have been productive around mangrove banks. I’ve been using finger mullet and live shrimp fishing these areas. Best time of the year and most consistent for inshore fishing in my opinion and I always tell the locals that fish with me, now is the time to book a trip! Get your rod bent!

Inshore Fishing Highlights: Snook, Tarpon, and More in the Tomoka River

2024-06-26

We have made it to the heat of summer. We have gone through some funky conditions the second half of June but things have chilled out for now. We went from minimal rain for several weeks to a bunch of rain over a short period of time with a system we had off the East coast. Inshore up in Ormond there’s been quite a bit of snook action back in the Tomoka River with a bunch of jacks mixed in there too. There has also been a bunch of tarpon further back in the Tomoka West of the US-1 bridge. I have been getting reports from a couple different people doing really well throwing artificial back there. We have even been getting keeper mangroves on small divers when targeting snook. There’s lots of fresh water back there from all the rain so keep that in mind if you’re using live bait.

The shrimp have started running so you can expect a good variety in the intracoastal from Ormond down to Port Orange in the ICW. Seatrout, snook, redfish, flounder, and mangroves have been around docks and oyster bars. The shrimp just started running but hopefully by the time this report comes out they should be running even better. I really like using the local shrimp for bait but their shell can be softer than the usual West Coast shrimp that you typically find in the bait shops most of the year so I always bring extra.

The inlet went downhill after all the rain and rough seas making the water really dirty so I’m hoping that clears up soon. There’s a lot of fish around but it definitely makes fishing tougher. There’s a bunch of tarpon of all sizes and I’ve been getting them to eat pigfish and croakers. Redfish have been hit or miss. I’ve had days with one or two and then others with a handful. Most of these fish have been 30-40” with an occasional slot fish. We have been catching some nice flounder around the inlet too, so I’ve been trying to bring some mud minnows when I’m out there. The mangrove snapper should start getting thick any time now and we will catch some nice fish for inshore up to a couple lbs.

I get a lot of people looking to target sharks this time of year and there’s no shortage of them. Spinners, black tips, bonnet heads, hammers, black nose, tigers, and a few others can all be caught off the beach and some even inside the inlet and up in the river.

We have some awesome fishing coming up the next couple months so give me a shout if you’re interested in setting up a trip!

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Variety is the Spice of Life: April Fishing Report from Daytona Beach, Florida

2024-04-25

The weather has been beautiful! The water temps are heating up and the fishing has been red hot! All kinds of variety going on in the river. Snook bite has been awesome in the back waters fishing mangrove shorelines and docks. Free lined live shrimp has been working well. Pinfish are good to use around the bridges especially near the tide changes. About an hour into the tide change they start chewing. Both beginning of incoming and outgoing have been productive. I like outgoing better myself. Redfish and flounder have been hanging around the oyster bars so mud minnows are a great choice for both. The inlet has really picked up over the last couple weeks! We’re catching upper slot and over slot redfish using select shrimp and live pinfish. Most of the reds have been in the 30-40” range.

It seems like the big bluefish we’ve been seeing over the past month or longer are moving out of the inlet with the water warning up. We’ve been catching quite a few 30-35” fish targeting the big reds. There’s been some big snook around the jetties but the bite has been different from one day to the next. Now that the water is up to the mid 70s the tarpon have showed up around the inlet. I haven’t checked at all yet but they’re probably on the beach too. I’ll probably be checking before this report goes out because I’m itching to try! I have noticed a bunch of bait off the beach and some days I’ve found huge schools of spanish mackerel going crazy on them. You can also start expecting bonito off the beach too around these bait pods. It seems like quite a few people have been fishing the nearshore spots off the beach and loading up on good size sand trout and weakfish. I haven’t tried myself but I’ve seen several catches of 20-40 fish with quite a few up to a couple pounds or bigger.

There’s so many different types of awesome fishing going on right now and we’re getting into the busy season so if you’re planning on doing a charter don’t wait last minute!

Tight lines!

Looking forward to Spring!

2024-02-21

Man am I looking forward to Spring!

The weather the last couple of months has been making fishing conditions tough and pretty undesirable. Not to mention, not many people want to go on a fishing trip when it’s raining and the wind is blowing 20 knots, or both!

The inlet has gotten very slow for the most part and the water has been just about filthy, so I haven’t been fishing it much. Inside the inlet the water has been pretty dirty for a good little way too, so that part of the river has slowed down quite a bit too.

There’s been a bunch of sandbar sharks that are 3-4’ which some of my clients have actually had a blast with. I’ve been fishing some 10-15’ deep areas and just using live shrimp. I’ve had some trips catching 5–10 sharks in a fairly short period of time, and we have even found some bonnet head sharks which my clients have brought back here and there. The sandbar sharks are protected, but you can keep 1 bonnet head per person and up to two sharks total per boat.

Once you get further away from the inlet, the water starts getting cleaner and has been more productive. I’ve been finding a decent amount of flounder and redfish around oyster bars and live mud minnows have been a good bait. However, the water has also been extremely low so some areas I was doing well, I can’t even get to lately. I can float in about a foot of water but some areas I was just fishing recently are completely dry on low tide.

Up in Ormond I’ve been seeing more life than anywhere else. Lots of bait from the Tomoka Basin all the way up to Flagler. I tend to fish up that way more this time of year. On calm mornings, just about every trip, we’re finding redfish pushing up in the shallows. There’s some good size fish, but I have been noticing a bunch of smaller rat reds. I’ve been liking fishing artificials up there and covering some territory. A white paddle tail on a 1/4-3/8 oz jig head has been one of my go-to baits. We’ve been catching redfish, snook, flounder, blues, and lady fish in that area. Now that we’re approaching Spring, hopefully we get some better conditions. We should start getting into some hot fishing in the near future. Tight lines and call me to set up a trip!