October 2021

Active waters made for a lively surf fishing scene here on the Space Coast. The mullet run continues to deliver bubbling surfaces with predatory fish like tarpon, bluefish, ladyfish, jacks and sharks taking full advantage. Each day has brought with it waves of mullet, pilchards and horn bellies sweeping down the beach. This in turn has resulted in varying schools being ambushed at local area beaches with the higher tide proving to be the most successful.

Surf Fishing Sebastian Inlet

Opportunities at hand have been thwarted specifically when the seaweed and dirty water takes over. The abundance of seaweed can restrict one’s ability to access the first and second trough with any effectiveness. Not all days encountered this issue. Certain days provided ample conditions while others just simply were too detrimental to access the fish. Reports varied on a daily basis. Cocoa Beach was freed of the inhibiting seaweed later in the week while Melbourne Beach to Sebastian Inlet beaches had an influx after the northeasterly winds shifted the seaweed south.

Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing

All in all, plenty of fish are being caught with the above-mentioned seaweed issues. The persistent surf fishermen are having success with whiting, short pompano, bluefish, ladyfish and jack crevalle and sharks, caught on bait or lures. Fresh cut bait deployed in the exploding first trough resulted in the majority of bluefish and sharks, while a rapidly retrieved spoon created catches of ladyfish, jack crevalle and a few Spanish mackerel. Fresh dead shrimp, sand fleas and Fishbites brought home the targeted whiting, pompano and sheepshead for supper.

Space Coast Surf Fishing Charters

Relying upon one method of surf fishing isn’t a wide choice this time of year. The wide variety of species running the shores has resulted in our surf fishing charters staying flexible and diverse. Running surf fishing equipment for sharks and tarpon while coinciding with light tackle, live bait fishing and dead sticks with pompano rigs for pompano and whiting. This playbook ensures a unique approach to let the current conditions dictate the most effective manner to target fish with the multiple opportunities on hand.

Surf Fishing for Pompano

Exciting times are upon us as everyone eagerly awaits the first major schools of pompano to show. The water clarity has continuously improved from prior weeks, which will dictate the probability of success when the pompano do make their presence in Brevard County waters. The lone rangers and resident fish are currently present but the big numbers are still up the coast north of Jacksonville. With all that being considered, it’s just a matter of weeks coupled with a few cold fronts to get the show underway.

Space Coast surf fishing delivered mixed results with varying conditions being the main contributing factor. Certain days were definitely more productive than others, while location played a significant role as well. Tarpon, snook, sharks, pompano, bluefish and catfish were amongst the frequently seen species. With the mullet run still in full swing, it’s been a roll of the dice on which beaches and tides have delivered the best results with the correlating bait migration.

Surf Fishing for Pompano on the Space Coast

Live bait fishing the trough continues to bring in big catches of tarpon, snook, bluefish and sharks. Tarpon rolling and feeding close to shore gives surf fishing anglers an opportunity to hook into a trophy sports fish. Multiple hookups on tarpon with live or chunked dead bait left anglers chasing these acrobatic powerhouses down the shore edge. Hooking into these mystical beasts is one thing, but actually getting them to shore for a safe release becomes an entirely different challenge. While employing these live and dead bait rigs the sharks have also been prevalent, so be prepared for cutoffs if you don’t have wire leaders.

Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing

The flurry of mullet ceases to amaze me day in and day out watching tarpon and sharks crashing through these schools. With the above mentioned tactics being ignored, we have been able to find keeper pompano and bluefish also in the mix. Plenty of short pompano are being caught in between these keepers, but persistence pays with filets of pompano rewarding those consistently targeting these fish. Blanched sand fleas with white clam or pink shrimp Fishbites on a pompano rig performed well this week while fishing either side of the high tide. Water clarity maintains the single largest contributing factor for finding success with pompano, so put in the due diligence in finding optimal conditions.

Snook Fishing the Space Coast

No matter the efforts put in, the sharks continue to dominate the lively ocean realm. Food-driven bait leads to other predatory fish which in turn leads to sharks. Plenty of cutoffs have been delivered by these toothy specimens in search of our edible target species. With that being said, now is an incredible time for shark fishing from the shore on local area beaches. Blacktips reign supreme with a crushing strike and aerialist display for those live or chunked baits fishing the first or second trough.

All in all it’s been a rollercoaster ride each day fishing the Space Coast beaches depending on water clarity and seaweed as to catches of catfish or your intended species. Multiple days led by afternoon southern winds dirtied waters to the benefit of catfish. These adaptable scent feeders can tarnish any hopes for riches with each strike, seeing their whiskers approaching the shore! Fish hard and diversify your setup to open up all the possibilities on offer for the current season, all while knowing each day will deliver something completely different. Have fun and be safe!

Snook Fishing Sebastian Inlet