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Surf Fishing Florida

Florida Beach Fishing

Florida Beach Fishing

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

Florida beach fishing report along the Central East Coast has been touch and go this past week. While the rainy weather snubbed out a lot of days, when chance has presented itself, rewarding opportunities have been found. Rain and easterly wind created murky water for surf fishing from Cocoa Beach to the Sebastian Inlet, however, anglers have been doing well catching fish that don’t rely on optimal water clarity.

Beach fishing charters and individual anglers are catching sheepshead, margate, whiting and snook. The beauty of fishing from the shore is that you never know what’s going to grab hold and bend your rod. Be ready for anything and have a mixed bag of bait and presentations. The majority of “dead stick” fishermen with rods in pole holders have been consistently catching margate and sheepshead on the rocky beaches of Central Brevard County. Bait of choice are fiddler crabs, fish bites, sand fleas and peeled shrimp. Dedicate time to observe the structure off the beach before casting surf fishing equipment. The majority of concentrated catches will come from areas where large rock ledges drop off on the west side of the shelf. Casting accuracy plays a vital role in your rate of success for catching or snagging rocks and losing surf fishing rigs. Properly positioned pompano rigs with extra small hooks combined with the bait mentioned above will increase your probability of snagging one of these sought after species.

Snook fishing in Florida this time of year heats up at a feverish pace. If you’ve always wanted to land a beast snook in the surf, now is the time to gear up. Surf fishermen are reporting catches from the north end of the county near Cocoa Beach south to the Sebastian Inlet. While fishing near Melbourne Beach provided some hot snook reports, catching a snook this time of year will depend on how much time you dedicate, as well as the snook fishing rigs you utilize.

Highly successful anglers are employing snook fishing rigs that combine live bait with mobility. This approach allows you to present a live croaker, mullet or pin fish naturally while covering larger areas of shoreline. Recommended surf fishing equipment and snook fishing rigs for this task would be to combine a 7.5 – 8’ medium to medium heavy action rod, 4000-6000 thousand series reel, 20-40 pound braided line tied to a 2-3 foot, 30-50 pound fluorocarbon leader, followed with a 2/0-5/0 live bait hook or circle hook depending on bait size. Use this snook rig to walk up and down the beach deploying your live bait into the first few yards of the shoreline. Focus on fishing the trough and current run-outs for maximum effectiveness. These ambush predators use these areas to lay and wait for opportunity. Fishing Florida beaches with this snook fishing tackle will allow you the possibility of hooking a trophy fish. Good luck!

Florida Beach Fishing

Florida Beach Fishing

 

June 18, 2020
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Sheepshead for dinner!

Central Florida Surf Fishing Report June 2020

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

Central Florida surf fishing report

Central Florida surf fishing report covering areas from Port Canaveral to Sebastian Inlet. Beaches are open, sun shining and people are smiling. This is what we are supposed to be doing this time of year. Families and individuals alike enjoying the beach and the things to do outside. With that being said, we had a great week of surf fishing here in Central Florida. A smattering of species being caught off Brevard County beaches with a wide array of tactics and strategies being employed.

Multiple reports from the rockier coastline areas including southern Patrick Air Force Base down to north Indialantic have reported great catches of sheepshead and snook. Believe it or not, multiple snook have been landed on fresh sand fleas, which is not the typical bait for that target species. In regards to that, I would draw the conclusion that their feeding patterns are adjusting to the lack of baitfish compared to late summer and fall when they mainly focus on live baitfish. Right now they’re heating up and being opportunistic feeders, including any crustacean that crosses the wrong path. So don’t be surprised if your pompano rods go off with a nice snook.

The sheepshead bite has proved best on either side of the high tide.Be sure to cast smaller hooks with small baits near structure to increase your opportunities. How to catch sheepsheads : Use small hooks size 1/0-2/0, makes sure they’re very sharp. Bait choices: sand fleas, clam or shrimp, use small pieces the size of your fingernail, get tension immediately when they begin to bite. They have hard small mouths perfect for bait stealing, so be ready to set the hook.

Surf fishing near Sebastian Inlet has been up and down depending on the time of day and tide. Fishing around a high tide recently has proved better with fish chewing in the stages of the tide change. Don’t count out an outgoing tide completely though. Just with recent catches, more water seems to be key. Look for cleaner water clarity with the greens and blue tints north or south of Sebastian Inlet to be the best grounds. A handful of nice sized pompano continue to swing through and provide that excitement only that they can. Whiting will generally be caught in larger numbers closer to the shore near outflows and rip currents. Fish bites and sand fleas continue to be the successful baits of choice, with fresh shrimp having a nice catch ratio as well.

Sheepshead for dinner!

Sheepshead for dinner!

Snook in the surf.

Snook in the surf.

Florida Pompano

Nick with a couple Florida pompano

 

June 9, 2020
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Florida Pompano

Florida Central East Coast Surf Fishing Report May 2020

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

May 2020 Florida Surf Fishing Report Central East Coast 

Surf fishing Florida during the month of May has offered family fun fishing experiences due to the opening of beach accesses across Florida. Getting to the beach has been one of the top things to do outside on the Space Coast. Incredible weather and social distancing measures are a few factors that make beach fishing Central East Coast of Florida a top choice. Use the opportunity to get surf fishing equipment down to the waters edge to provide a fun-filled fay for all members of the family.

Florida Surf Fishing Pompano

Florida surf fishing pompano

Surf Fishing Treasures

Surf Fishing Treasures

The cooler weather patterns that graced us during early May made mornings crisp and clear. Look for that to become a thing of the past as we steadily creep towards the dog days of summer, accompanied by high temps and humidity. Surf fishing conditions from Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet for the first weeks of May were challenging due to the wind, waves and onslaught of seaweed that blitzed our coastline. Water clarity was one of the few positives that kept things interesting amongst the negatively contributing factors.

Pompano fishing the surf in Brevard County continued to remain consistent. Moreover, fish that have stuck around are providing beach fishing anglers with the perfect chance at catching, cleaning, and cooking this Florida delicacy. Catching your limit of six fish has proved more difficult compared to months prior when the water temperatures were more conducive. With the surf fishing water temps currently holding in the 75-76 degree range, anglers have been reporting fewer fish. How to catch Florida pompano: Cast pompano rigs with a variety of colored floats and no floats, baited with Fishbites (sandflea, crab, clam) and a live or frozen sand flea. Cast surf fishing equipment various distances from shore to ensure you’re targeting areas of concentration. 

Snook fishing the surf has steadily increased as the water temperatures continue to climb. Focus your efforts on area beaches around Sebastian Inlet and Melbourne Beach. Beach fishing for snook around a high tide with live mullet or croakers have received the best results. Catching snook in the Florida surf requires slightly different equipment than traditional surf fishing. Make sure to beef up your tackle with braided line, 30-50lb fluorocarbon leaders and hook sizes that match the bait size accordingly. Snook fishing Florida beaches will continue to heat up, so get out there and dialed in for the rest of the season. 

Surf fishing equipment

Surf fishing equipment

May 22, 2020
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Beach Fishing Florida

Surf Fishing in Florida April Report: Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet

By Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters

April 2020 Central Florida East Coast Fishing Report 

Surf fishing in Florida during the month of April has provided fantastic opportunities for anglers able to gain access to area beaches. Under the current social distancing guidelines, all Brevard County beach parking lots have been closed. Fishing is currently considered a recreational activity that satisfies the state guidelines. Finding where to park has become a major obstacle in accomplishing a successful day of surf fishing in Florida at the moment. There’s accessibility with parking across A1A, then shuttling your equipment over to the beach. 

  • Fishing in Cocoa Beach
  • Pompano
  • Surf Fishing in Florida
Spring Surf Fishing Florida

Days continue to become increasingly warmer making it important to get out and fishing before the heat of the day overwhelms the bite. Early starts have anglers fishing in Cocoa Beach and Port Canaveral reporting  good results of catching whiting, catfish, black drum and pompano. Learn more about these species here. Catching these species on surf fishing rigs with sandfleas, shrimp, and fishbites as the bait of choice. Look for areas where the water clarity color goes from brown and murky to shades of green with hints of blue  mixed in. 

Surf fishing in the Sebastian Inlet  area north to Indiatlantic catches of pompano, Spanish mackeral, whiting and Ladyfish have been stellar. The most successful results have come at times when the glass minnows are present in the surf fishing zone.  

The best results as of late have come on a falling tide. Try to align the days when the winds aren’t brutally whipping from the south dirtying the water. The catfish and sharks at first light seem to be feeding heavily,  but that bite has been waning as the morning progresses and target species turn-on. 

Pro Tip: Make sure to stagger your beach fishing equipment to locate the target fish concentrations during tide fluctuations. It’s the best way to diversify your portfolio and dial in on a school.

April 24, 2020
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