What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Port Canaveral, Florida for the first time?

If you’re fishing in Port Canaveral for the first time, your best bet is to start with a trusted local charter—especially if you're unfamiliar with the area and species—and be ready for a great day out on the water. Port Canaveral offers a variety of catches, from tasty snappers and grouper to feisty cobia and kingfish, and seasoned captains know exactly where to find them. That said, be especially cautious around the cruise ship channels, as these massive vessels are constantly maneuvering in and out; watch your depthfinder and maintain good situational awareness whenever a liner is on the move. Whether you’re targeting reef dwellers or the open-water gamefish, having a knowledgeable crew on board can make all the difference, ensuring both a successful and safe first-time experience in Port Canaveral.

Go early and brig sunscreen, hat and glasses. Mike had plenty of water and bait. Bring a camera too, you’d be surprised at all the stuff you see in addition to the fishing. For kids seeing dolphins, a manta ray, Space X boosters etc could be even more memorable than catching fish.

Weather can be tricky so book closer to the beginning of your trip so you may have possible options to reschedule for a later day if available with the charter. Most charters are flexible and willing to reschedule if they have availability.

Port Canaveral is an awesome place to start a charter. It is very original, authentic Florida, especially after a full charter day you have great tiki bars and restaurants with very fresh fish. C-Suite charter with Captain Rick and his mate Max are an incredible team. The 45 Hatteras is tremendous and worth every minute spent on it. The catch was unbelievable, we tagged two sailfish, kingfish and dolphin on an incredibly beautiful day with blue waters. In 42 years of fishing, this was the most enjoyable day I have ever spent on Florida Waters. World class deep sea, offshore fishing!!!

Make sure you allow a little bit of time for locating the pier. Our jumping off point for this location was at a local bait shop / Marina. This is definitely a good point to mention for new anglers, as they may show up unprepared with lack of water, food, or gear appropriate to weather. Something to had when you have your members mention in your descriptions that seems to be pretty standard with all the Anglers

I think if you want big fish cross your fingers. Also I would not take young children but that just my opinion. My grandsons are older and they did have to tag team to reel in the amber Jack and they were nice size, my thought is 14 or older but it depends on the child and their behavior. I had a wonderful experience!

Make sure you do a morning trip, afternoons in Florida during thunderstorm season can be questionable. Better to be out there most of the day already and dodge them coming in then to be on the way out fighting to get to fish

We brought all the materials the captain recommended to us: water, sunscreen, towels, and a hat. I know the wind had died down from what was earlier in the week. We had only 7 knot winds and it seemed to get better throughout the morning. My son's friends' dad took Dramamine, and I usually don't get seasick, but I felt myself getting sick a few hours into the charter, so I took two of them and it really helped! WE THOUGHT CAPTAIN RYAN WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS. HE WORKED HIS TAIL OFF GETTING US SOME FISH ON! Brad Kriel

Port Canaveral is a fantastic location for a fishing adventure, especially when fishing with a charter boat. Here are a few recommendations for first-time anglers: 1. Choose a Reputable Charter: Do your research and choose a charter company with good reviews, like the one you had with Captain Mike and CJ. Look for charters that prioritize safety, customer service, and have experienced, knowledgeable crew. 2. Understand the Species: Port Canaveral waters are home to a wide variety of fish, including Kingfish, Red Snapper, Grouper, Tarpon, and many more. Familiarize yourself with these species and their seasons to know what to expect. Fishing in Port Canaveral is a fantastic experience. Enjoy your time on the water and the thrill of the catch!

March is the slow time for fishing in Port Canaveral, but if you find an experienced guide like we did with the Denise Marie you will have a good time. We only booked a 4 hour trip and we caught 5 different types of fish ranging from a 25lb red fish to a couple 16 inch white fish. If you come down during spring break be perpared for rough waters and if you get a good captain he will delay the trip so you don't get sea sickness.

Keep in mind the Cruise ships are mucking up the seabed and that the vibration from all of the now regular SpaxeX launches may also be chasing the bait fish away from the area. As long as your expectations are reasonable I imagine you will have a good experience. A bad day fishing beats any day in the office.

I would recommend Capt Ron we had a great day. Met him the day before we went out on our fishing trip. He was in contact with me. The entire time made me feel comfortable. We got to the boat. He had everything ready. We had a great day and we caught fish. That’s a bonus.!

definitely try to get on the Patriot captian Tony had us on the fish as soon as we got to the fishing spots we had our limit of Kung mackerel in about 3 hrs and then got on the red snapper right after that although the snapper was out of season had a blast catching them

If you are new to fishing the ocean, you can buy dramamine over the counter at Walmart or other places to prevent motion sickness and avoid getting sea sick on a choppy day. If you have back problems, instead of sitting near the bow (front) of the boat, stand closer to the stern (back) of the boat and hold on to the hand rails near the captain.

We went on a trip with Captain Jimmy and it was by far the best deep sea fishing I have ever done. Within 2 or 3 minutes of dropping the lines we had fish on the hooks and the entire trip was like this. What an amazing time! Can't wait to go out again!

Do your research and book early! Reviews matter. We’ve gone out with 5 star and 1 star folks and they tend to live up to their reputations. The highest rated crews book out early, and they’re what makes the difference between a great trip and a bad sea story.

The offshore weather was weather was unfishable, so we switched to inshore in the Indian River, so we didn't experience the ocean fishing, Captain Michael Atwill had to work very hard to give us a wonderful experience on a "tough bite" day.

Understand that fish bite when they want to, and it’s virtually impossible to be certain which species will be feeding when you go out. You’ll almost always catch fish but they may be different than the species you prefer..

Contact the Captain prior to booking to help customize your trip and help them best meet your expectations. Also know that fishing depends on the behavior of the fish, when they’re not biting, they’re not biting.

go to Rising Tide Tap and Table for lunch or dinner. IT is without question NOT tourest table food. Sunrise Marina has a great tackle store. IF you fish with Rick on the Chellie there is a Pool at Cape Marina you can take a dip in. It is a secret gem!!!

Be watchful of weather, it changes quickly! No reflection of any fishing business, just part of the area. Storms move in quickly. Take motion sickness meds, the water can get choppy in areas. Parking was easy. Cook your catch restaurants nearby were awesome.

Get there early lots of traffic in the evening big multi use area. Find your way to the ramp contact your guide till they wave at ya! Lots of boats! Go in the evening place really emptied out then you have it to yourself for sunset.

we had a good time but only landed 1 lady fish on our 4 hour trip. there were 4 of us fishing for a total of 1 fish.tell people the fishing has been good or bad. $500-for a bit more we could have bought gear and fished for the whole month of april off the breakers, shore or piers. steve b.

Do not go with too high of an expectation, it's a big ocean with a load of variables against you. Go for the day out and experience, if you catch fish its an added bonus, but do not let it get you down if you come back without a catch.

We went March 1, 2020. Took 4 hours to even find some small Spanish mackeral. We went all over the coast area and even in port and saw nothing on the radar until heading back to dock. The other boats were not catching anything either. I would do this trip again but at a different time of year.

Captain Art does it right. If there is fish to be caught he will find them and get you on them. Captain Art is extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy. He is passionate about making your fishing experience one you won't forget. Thanks again for another great experience.

We got the choice of fishing for big fish and possibly not getting anything or just fishing. We picked to just fish. We caught 35 Fish and had a blast. No trophy fish but we didn’t care. We wanted some action.

Make sure you verify that the fish you are looking to catch are actually in season at time of trip. Also, may want to know if legal size of fish you can keep. Never thought a fish would be considered "too big".

Make sure you get only the people on theboat that you are expecting to get. A captain and his mate was all we expected but not what we got. Plus the captain promised to send photos he took but we never recieved them.

Plenty of potential. Check the weather forecast first. Was very choppy and windy the day we went and that hurt and fishing experience but no fault of a captain he did the best he could under the circumstances