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Summer Space Coast Surf Fishing Report

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

Currently, our surf fishing charters are catching whiting, pompano, catfish,  blacktip sharks, and jack crevalle with the occasional snook in the mix. The red slime that’s plagued our central east coast region stretches from Fort  Pierce to Cape Canaveral. This has definitely been the biggest factor impacting success of surf fishing anglers along the Space Coast. While many are deterred to battle with the slime there are fish available to catch for those determined few.

Space Coast Family Fun Fishing Charters

Whiting and pompano continue to show in spurts from Patrick Air Force  Base to Sebastian Inlet. Many of the pompano are undersize with a few keepers in the mix. The whiting are also relatively small compared to the bulls we get in the winter and spring. But with that being said, if you can put a catch together with a handful of whiting, croakers and one keeper pompano that’s a good day under the current conditions.

Fishbites, sandfleas and peeled shrimp have performed the best for the whiting, croakers and pompano. Pompano rigs with white and chartreuse floats have seemed to outperform the rest. Currently, the first and second trough have produced more exciting catches then beyond the sandbar. I  look for this trend to continue with the slime that’s taken over accompanied by the fact the bait fish are going to start pushing down the shoreline running in those inside waters.

Surf Fishing Charters Cocoa Beach Florida

Blast off with September surf fishing along the Space Coast. This time of year traditionally marks the beginning of the fall mullet run. Millions of  baitfish will be migrating down the shore lines and evading all the opportunistic predators along the way. Big snook and tarpon along with jack crevalle, bluefish, ladyfish and sharks will be a few of the species electrified by this phenomenon.

Melbourne Beach Surf Fishing

Surf fishing tactics may very from angler to angler depending on their experience and species targeting techniques. Live bait rigged with or without a weight is always a good choice when presenting to these nearshore water predators. Also using a fish finder rig or split shot can be effective in presenting your baits down in the strike zone if there’s high surf. Alternatively casting a diving plug, swim bait or bucktail along the first and second trough will ensure a high probability for success.

All in all it’s an exciting time of year to hit the beach for surf fishing. If we could see relief from the slime then that would make it that much better.

It’s challenging to fight through the slime and sargassum, but for those willing to put in the work rewards can be had. Whether your targeting whiting or pompano or catch and release sharks it’s all out there for the opportunistic and ambitious few. Good luck and have fun.

Snook Fishing Charters in Melbourne Beach

August 5, 2022
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Space Coast Surf Fishing

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

June surf fishing typically holds trophy catches for those looking for large snook and tarpon. While summertime surf conditions create a perfect scenario for these predatory species to roam the beaches feeding on baitfish. June, July, and August are personally my favorite times of the year to target them with live bait and artificial lures. Included with snook and tarpon we’ll see great catches of whiting, croakers and pompano.

Summer Snook Fishing

With that being said the shark fishing will continue a great addition to anyone looking at hooking blacktip sharks as well. The name of the game during the summer months is to get out early or later when the temperatures aren’t scorching hot. These feeding periods will consist of snook and tarpon crashing baitfish in the first and second trough.

Shark Fishing Charters in Cocoa Beach

Live baitfish including mullet and croakers either freelined or rigged with a split shot generally see the most success. Although another great way of targeting snook or tarpon will be to enact the use of swim baits, bucktails or suspended plugs casting diagonally to the shore with a steady retrieve. It’s worth mentioning that large breeding snook along with tarpon should be handled with care and to emphasize a quick release with minimal exposure out of the water.

 

Pompano fishing this time of year usually doesn’t make the headlines but it’s worth noting that our resident pompano will be out in force. The key to having success will be those surf fishing anglers willing to seek out the clean water and runouts. Surf fishing near Melbourne Beach north to Cocoa Beach should have tight concentrations of fish throughout the Space Coast region.

Summer Space Coast Pompano Fishing

Pompano rigs with shrimp or clam flavored Fishbites combined with live sandfleas or fresh peeled shrimp will have the most fortune. By far the most active species during the summer months are whiting and croakers. At times the bite can make for nonstop action reeling one in after another, often with two on at once. A great way to repurpose the croakers are to rig them on a live bait rig with a fish finder setup on a one to two ounce sliding weight and recast in the first trough.

 

Beach fishing charters catching loads of whiting make for a great family fun experience and on top of that whiting make phenomenal table fare. Everyone that hits the shore looks like a fish taco to me. In conclusion look for the weeks and months ahead to consider heading to the beach for surf fishing fun. Diversified setups with pompano rigs and live bait rigs will have you covering all your bases for snook, tarpon, whiting, croakers and pompano.

Family Fun Surf Fishing Charters

If your feeling extra ambitious get a large chunked bait rigged up for the shark fishing scene that is sure to be a hit. Get out on the shore before work or after work to enjoy the height of this summer surf fishing season.

June 4, 2022
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Space Coast Surf Fishing Report

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

pompano bag

Shore fishing charters didn’t disappoint while surf fishing the Space Coast last week. Pompano, whiting, bluefish, Jack crevalle and croakers galore kept the lines tight. The red slime that has infiltrated the coastline is much of a nuisance, as one could imagine, making it difficult at times to effectively fish a diversified setup of beach fishing equipment.

pompanos

Pompano fishing continues the spring run with catches coming in bunches of paired fish. Needless to say, most pompano were caught roaming the outer edges of the surf zone with the water color change. The outer surf zone on the sandbar or beyond also has less slime and seaweed. The size of the pompano caught diminished from the giants weeks prior, but still are healthily in the keeper range.

3 pomps

On certain days it seemed impossible to keep a line in the water long enough to catch the desired pompano or whiting. The croakers flooded every section of the water and could be caught two or three at once. It’s fun to catch something, but at times it absolutely becomes an annoying nuisance reeling them in and having to re-bait. The croakers also roamed in cohorts with bonnethead sharks and seemed to move in and then off the bite, relieving the flurries. Those were the times when the targeted species had an opportunity to find one’s bait.

flounder

Preferred baits for the prior weeks consisted of peeled shrimp, sand fleas and Fishbites. Although we’re still lacking the clusters of sand fleas our area is prone to, there are a few around. The mid-tide coming off high tide has worked best for finding live sand fleas. With that being said, our fishing charters are finding plenty of production with fresh shrimp and fishbites rigged solo by a pompano rig.

beach

Consistent with the season, shark fishing charters brought smiles all around last week. Blacktip sharks and lemon sharks made up the majority of catches. Fresh chunked bait deployed in the first and second trough made short work of the incredibly resilient sharks. Never ceasing to amaze one in the fierce battling capabilities with violent head shakes and blistering runs, these catch-and-release species truly do make for a catch of a lifetime. Be sure to get out and enjoy the surf fishing on hand as it’s a lively time of year to catch!

April 27, 2022
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Surf Fishing Report for Melbourne and Cocoa Beach Florida

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

Surf fishing anglers scattered across Space Coast beaches celebrated many catches during the month of March. Pompano fishing near Melbourne Beach and Cocoa Beach hit spurts of schooling fish with excellent catches followed up by a whiting bite that created nonstop action. Everything from bluefish to Jack crevalle, croakers and bonnethead sharks made it a scenario where one could only guess what was on the line. Rounding off this diversified fish species list were the blacktip sharks that continue their presence off local beaches.

Family Fun Surf Fishing Charters

For the most part, the surf fishing conditions were optimal many days in the previous weeks with ideal water clarity and correlated temperatures to match. This in turn fired up the pompano to charge back north from south Florida beaches. The largest of pompano ranged from 16” up to 19” and were the majority of catches for multiple weeks on end. Fresh peeled shrimp or sand fleas were the baits of choice, rigged with Fishbites in the crab or clam flavor on a standard pompano rig. While many of the fish roamed the outside sandbars, there was a decent percentage that came from the first and second trough.

Join us on a fun surf fishing adventure!

Family fishing charters couldn’t get enough of the action with the whiting infiltration that ensued with kids reeling in doubled-up whiting cast after cast. This kind of whiting bite always brings joy when it heightens anglers activity level scurrying from rod to rod. Certain days brought as much whiting as one could handle while selectively keeping the largest for a fine meal. First and second trough casts pulled them in by the twos with Fishbites alone being all one needed to catch.

Pompano Surf Fishing

With all the pompano, whiting and bluefish catches to keep one running, the trophy catches in the mix are worth a mention. Giant jack crevalle and sharks were by far the largest species caught in weeks prior. Jack crevalle exceeding 40 pounds have been blitzing up and down the coast from Sebastian Inlet to Port Canaveral. While many of the fish tend to be out of range of surf fishermen they occasionally skim in range of shore-casting anglers. This has resulted in some giants being landed on light tackle and a feat to be recognized.

Jack Crevalle put on a hard fight for anglers!

Shark fishing charters paved the way for big time catches of blacktip sharks using fresh chunked bait. Often seen jumping and crashing through the surf this time of year, they are extremely prevalent currently. You might lose a few of your fish catches to them as inundated as the Space Coast waters are with sharks at the moment. Regardless, when targeting sharks they make for one heck of a fight and a memory for all. Heavy tackle with a quick battle to the shores and an expeditious release ensures we’ll maintain this fishery for generations to come. Take advantage of the good weather windows and hit the shores for beach fishing fun.

Surf Fishing for Sharks in the Space Coast

Book a shark surf fishing charter!

April 12, 2022
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Cocoa Beach to Melbourne Beach Surf Fishing Report

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

Pompano resurgence hits the Space Coast! Pompano and whiting came back with a vengeance last week while surf fishing near Cocoa Beach south to Melbourne Beach. Bluefish continued their seasonal onslaught while catfish and bonnethead sharks filled in the blanks. Clean water graced the coast for the latter half of the week before the front that hit over the weekend. To sum it up, it looks like we’re in for a good run of surf fishing lining up for the next couple of weeks.

The signature strike of a surf-roaming pompano excited our beach fishing charter clients. Towering rods bent over with the telltale signs signified a pompano on the line. The rig of choice was a combination pompano rig with pink floats and clam Fishbites tipped with fresh shrimp and sand fleas. This same rig accounted for multiple other species as well including black drum, bluefish and whiting.

Leaving no exception for the glorification of pompano had the whiting fighting for their shot at fame. They came in numbers and size this last week while surf fishing near Patrick Air Force Base and Melbourne Beach. On specific days these fish only wanted the Fishbites with a smaller profile in lieu of traditional surf fishing baits like sand fleas, clam and shrimp. As recommended, always try a broad array of baits to help isolate the feeding patterns of intended species.

Dirty water and high winds culminated on certain days to create an ideal environment for catfish and bonnethead sharks to shine. While interested pompano and whiting struggled to find bait over the scent-feeding species, it became a challenge to fish through these unintended species for our prized fish. When in doubt, make it stand out! Bright floats and color change rip currents minimize certain catches on days where conditions are challenging. Make your rigs custom to the day to increase results.

No matter the conditions or winds it never put a damper on shark fishing charters. Blacktips are in full force and we had at least one if not multiple hookups on each shark fishing trip. Fresh chunked baits along with live bait had them chewing. Heavy tackle and tight drag helps in fighting these sporadic sharks to an expeditious catch and release. In conclusion, I would say get out and take part in the surf fishing over the next few weeks. Conditions look favorable for this week and beyond.

March 16, 2022
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Cocoa Beach Fishing Report

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

What to do with surf fishing conditions of late? As we transition from the colder winter months into the warming spring ocean temperatures, things are beginning to look up. Consistency was difficult if not impossible for surf fishing anglers along Brevard County’s Space Coast over the prior two weeks. With that being said, beach fishing charters provided a wide array of species to be caught from the shore. Black drum, bluefish, whiting, pompano and Jack crevalle to name a few. Each day presented its own challenges and opportunities, but with persistence, our efforts paid off.

Black drum continue to infiltrate local beaches with fishing near Cocoa Beach and south showing daily catches. Puppy drum were caught fishing with pompano rigs tipped with shrimp and clam. Fishbites in the crab and clam flavor were also a favorite during these times. While the majority of the black drum caught were keeper size, there are a few that don’t make the cut and had to be released. These fish seem to prefer the first trough as that is where we had the most fortune when targeting them.

surf fishing for black drum

Surf Fishing for Black Drum

When in doubt, blast it out! As mentioned previously, a lot of the black drums were caught in the first trough. With that being said, there are a plethora of opportunities when casting further out to the second trough or sandbar. Bluefish in all sizes were a sure-fire bet to bend rods along with Jack crevalle and the occasional pompano. Fresh chunked bait accounted for the majority of keeper bluefish, although lots of bluefish, jacks and pompano were caught with sand fleas, shrimp and Fishbites.

Diversity held true with our daily catches racking up into the double digits on different species. Croakers, catfish, and sharks were also particularly active even though some days they weren’t our intended species, which makes it all the more interesting when one does get a bite while enjoying a day of beach fishing. Not to mention, the shark activity is on an elevated level. Reeling in many catches could be challenging before a shark eats your intended species. One way to alleviate this is to be sure and tighten the drag with a rapid retrieve when necessary to minimize the times of reeling in a cutoff line from a shark.

Space Coast Family Fun Fishing Charters

In conclusion, the waters have warmed to an ideal temperature for pompano and whiting to become a main staple again fishing the surf. Be sure to pay attention to the water clarity for maximizing any opportunities.

Shark fishing charters will also continue to be red hot, as this time of year they’re out in abundance. Bluefish and black drum will still be on tap for the near term until we reach water temperatures that aren’t conducive. All in all, it’s a great time of year to go out and go fishing. So have fun and see what’s out there waiting for you!

March 3, 2022
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