Fresh Cocoa Fishing Reports

Surf fishing along the Space Coast looks to remain strong with pompano, whiting, bluefish and flounder available on local area beaches. The sand renourishment projects will absolutely deteriorate the beach and surf fishing conditions, so make sure to stay clear of those “projects”. Additionally the blacktip shark migration will be in full effect! So if chasing trophy sharks is in your wheelhouse then spring months have a lot to deliver. Pompano fishing looks to remain consistent if you can stay with the pockets of fish. As these fish charge back to the north we should get another shot at higher quality pompano fishing. Although finding the cleaner water will continue to hold the keys for success. Be sure to look for shades of blue and green waters with a translucent look when the waves roll through. Consequently fish the edges of deep troughs and sandbars for the highest probability of finding a concentration of fish feeding. In addition to the pompano coming back through, we can celebrate the whiting bite that’s typically very good this time of year. Traditionally March and April have a phenomenal whiting bite of large bull whiting. This year has been on the slower side when compared to years past. Certainly I’m looking for that to change for the better as we approach this spring fever and really get an opportunity for insane whiting bites. The go to rigging for pompano, bluefish, whiting and drum will remain the standard pompano rig with circle hooks, beads and floats. Using multiple color beads and floats is a sure fire bet to find the optimal color combination fish prefer that day or tide. Rig your pompano rigs with live sand fleas, cut shrimp, or clams for the best opportunity to catch pompano and whiting. With that being said if it’s bluefish you’re after then make sure to use chunks of fresh cut bait on the same pompano rigs with heavier leader. In conclusion it looks to be an outstanding month of surf fishing from Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach south to Sebastian Inlet. Spring marks one of my favorite times of year because of the diversity on tap. With everything from pompano to blacktip sharks to catching flounder on jigging rods it’s a fun time to fish the beach. Make sure to get out there and spend time on the beach and surf fishing with the family. If you want to book a beach fishing excursion, then please contact us online or directly at **hidden content**.

Brevard county surf fishing persisted with challenging conditions over the prior week. Large swells and heavy rip currents made it tough to present and maintain surf rigs on local area beaches. This combined with debris from the hurricane made it quite the task to effectively fish the surf. With that being said there are fish available to catch for those who can fire out the right equipment for the job at hand. Pompano, jack crevalle, redfish, black drum, whiting and bluefish were the most commonly caught species. As mentioned prior it wasn’t an ideal week of surf fishing along our coast. But the best bites came with our custom tied pompano rigs with electric chicken Fishbites and fresh shrimp. Black drum are thick right now and most of the puppy drum are smaller, but fun to catch and beautiful colorations when they’re this size. Along with the black drum the smaller sized jack crevalle persisted at times with a relentless attack. Knowing of the challenging conditions it remains key to know how to read the beach and water. Too often surf anglers setup without that knowledge and are destined for failure when there’s swell and current happening. You want to be able to distinguish the depth changes, troughs and runouts for the best opportunities. These areas continue to hold fish even in the most trying conditions. Being able to locate these areas of fish concentration will get you an entirely different result then those who don’t understand this concept. The highlight of this weeks surf fishing catches were definitely the keeper sized pompano, bluefish, black drum and redfish. All of the above species were eating similar rig colors in the ebbing waters off the rip currents. Worth the mention is all redfish must be released on our local waters. The fish pictured in this article was quickly released to ensure a healthy survival.

Pompano fishing reaches the Space Coast with a flurry. At last the moment we’ve been waiting for, Florida surf fishing anglers anticipating the annual pompano migration rejoice. The recent reports have had mixed results but those in the know have been striking it big! Bait, rigs, location and tides hold the key to success or failure in targeting pompano. For this reason we encourage all seasoned and new coming surf fishing anglers to brush up on their skills and put themselves in a position for success. Although pompano remain the highlight of our Space Coast surf fishery, there’s been plenty other species perusing the surf. Bluefish continue to feed furiously in waves of fish biting anything from cut bait to lures and anything in between. When bluefish are fired up in the first and second trough it seems you can’t keep them off the line. If bluefish are your intended species then be sure to use flashy pompano rigs or throw gotcha lures and spoons with a rapid retrieval for best results. In spite of the bluefish flurries there’s also jack crevalle, black drum and ladyfish in the mix. Furthermore these species are all being caught on similar rigs. Custom tied pompano rigs with floats and beads in various renditions prove the most successful. Adding small pieces of Fishbites in the chartreuse and electric chicken colors with flavors persisting of clam, crab and shrimp seem to be work the best. Knowing this we love to teach our clients how to tie these custom rigs. Store bough rigs are useful, but lack the capability to target specific patterns for detailed fisherman looking to catch exponentially more fish then others. Certainly with all this life about the sharks are in no short supply. Blacktip sharks taking fresh cut bait in the first and second trough prove quite the battle for most shore bound anglers. Heavy drag makes the battle quick work albeit some back breaking action when you really put the hammer down to get their heads turned. Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing (hyperlink) (**hidden content** shark fishing charters are a great way to experience the thrill of catching a shark near Cocoa Beach or Melbourne Beach. Especially if you want to learn the process of safely catching, landing and handling a safe release on these apex predators. With the holiday season coming up and the pompano season upon us, be sure to be up to speed on the fishery. For this reason we are offering another surf fishing seminar this Saturday, December 10, 2022. Having such a good turn out for the previous seminar and so many happy clients we decided it’s time for another. We’ll be going over everything it takes from start to finish to successfully catch fish in the surf. Specifically targeting techniques revolved around catching pompano, whiting, black drum and bluefish in the surf. We’ll also be covering how to read the beach, weather forecasting, tying pompano rigs, best equipment, one on one surf casting lessons and so much more. This once a month, four hour on the beach surf fishing seminar is available for individuals. There’s 8 spots left available and the prices is $150 per individual. Be sure to book your spot so you don’t miss this chance to take your surf fishing game to the next level.

Surf fishing charters following hurricane Nicole were surprisingly bountiful. The beaches were overcome with massive beach erosion not seen in my time here in 30 plus years, but the water clarity rebounded in rapid fashion. With that being said there was plenty of debris awash in the surf including pieces of boardwalks, dune vegetation tree limbs along the coast. Shortly after Nicole we saw continued catches of jack crevalle, bluefish and pompano. Much to our surprise the water clarity at specific beaches gleamed with colors symbolic of good conditions. Although the debris drifting through the surf was a factor at some local Space Coast beaches, if you searched enough opportunities were available. For this reason one of the topics we cover in our monthly fishing seminars is how to read the beach and the waters, which in turn leads to night and day results compared to other surf anglers. We had to work through some bycatch including catfish and ladyfish but were able to find pompano and whiting roaming the surf. Most of the pompano were undersize but a few keepers were landed on the last of the outgoing tides. This pattern persisted for the majority of the weekend into the early part of the week. Tidal influence will dictate how area specific beaches concentrate food and will in turn instigate a bite or diminish it. Remember to take detailed notes to understand what’s taking place at certain times throughout the tide. Headliner species such a as pompano and whiting weren’t the only species to make an appearance. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel were also abundant at times and make for a fun fight and good eating when treated properly. Casting traditional pompano rigs with fresh cut bait worked well for the bluefish. While casting and retrieving spoons for the Spanish mackerel led to better results for this aggressive species. Regardless of which species you land if your goal is to harvest them then make sure to effectively bleed and ice your fish prior to processing. If treated properly the meat quality of either is good for the table fare.

Enjoy the beach fishing charter experience with the best in all of Florida. We pride ourselves on our 5 star review rated trips and boast the fish and experience to match. This week has been great fishing for bluefish, pompano, black drum, whiting, and Sharks! Shark fishing is a great way to share a family fun fishing experience. We do all catch and release, as we treat them as a sports fish. There’s no better feeling then hooking into a trophy blacktip shark and watch it scream line off the reel as it jumps acrobatically. Cook your catch charters have also been very popular over the last week with many families choosing to cook their catch at our local restaurants. Do as the locals and eat what you harvest from the beach. Send a message to inquire about the possibilities of this trip or the shark fishing combo trip.

The best Surf Fishing we have seen on the east coast in months. It’s an all out red hot fishery with fish biting on each and every cast. Currently we’re catching anywhere from 30-50 fish a trip in four hours. Who knows when the end is in sight but you definitely want to take part in this beach fishing experience while the fishing is this good. Pompano are biting great on fresh shrimp and Fishbites in all tides. Black drum in the good eating size are eating baits closer in to shore. The sheer numbers of bluefish, jacks and ladyfish biting on the outside sandbar is relentless and tasty too for the dinner table. Shark fishing charters are also red hot. With so much life crushing the beaches right now it’s no wonder are clients have been ecstatic. Just check out the reviews to see the customer reviews of late and fish pictures of their days catch. Give us a call or book online to get hooked up on the enormous amount of fish available.