Giant pompano delicacy
December 07, 2021 Cocoa Beach 1 photo

Trip Summary

At last Pompano have finally have made their presence known here along the Space Coast. Among the pompano we’re also seeing black drum, whiting, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and sharks cruising the surf. Fishing near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach saw an increasing number of black drum, pompano and whiting. Meanwhile central and southern Brevard county beaches including Indiatlantic, Melbourne Beach and Sebastian saw a larger influx of bluefish, whiting, Spanish mackerel and keeper pompano with many short pompano mixed in. All in all the surf fishing conditions finally cooperated with the abating weather of November in the rear view mirror there’s much to celebrate. Consistency seemed to be increasingly difficult to come by in the week prior with many anglers being skunked or off the trail of the target species. Reading through all the reports on social media and talking directly with fellow anglers it seemed to be an uneven scenario for different groups of fisherman. While some had great luck with pompano and whiting, it seemed to leave twice as many scratching their heads about the lack of success. The fish are absolutely present in the waters and fooling them into biting maybe the issue to combat. We’ll go into this more in the following paragraph but the key is to vary your rigging and setups to find what’s working. Don’t stick with your same program if your not having luck and few others are. Noting on the above mentioned variations in surf fishing get in the habit of experimenting with the variables that play into a productive day. Consider everything from water temperature to water clarity, to barometric pressure, tidal influence, bait on offer, presentation, bait scent, and much more. The reason being is wile some find tremendous success while others struggle especially in the prior week it has to do with these many variables that are involved in the fishing and surf fishing realm. So try different rigs, places, tides and baits to see what works best for you and adjust accordingly as the conditions change. While the blue fish and Spanish mackerel have kept the spin casting anglers armed with spoons plenty busy it’s the pompano and whiting that we’ll focus on this week. One factor to note was the location of the fish whether it be near the shore or out on the sandbar. Our fishing clients produced well with many fish coming right at the shores edge while other tides and water conditions mandated casting out to **hidden content** plus yards. Observing these variations makes it all the more important to keep a constant pulse and stagger gear to achieve the best results. Once again the Fishbites crab and clam scent in the white, chartreuse and electric chicken worked best and these synthetic scents were matched with live or blanched sandfleas or clam. In summary it’s an exciting time to be hit the beach for surf fishing, with the pristine weather on display and fish scouring the surf it’s a great combination for a way to spend time catching dinner. Nothing like enjoying the spoils of fresh pompano baked whole or blackened whiting tacos to share with family and friends. Or if it’s a rod your looking to bend the shark fishing charters continue to produce many blacktips and lemon sharks for shore bound anglers. The forecast looks like continuing beneficial weather patterns so there’s plenty of opportunity on hand to hit the shore for surf fishing. Get out there and have fun!
Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters
Cocoa-beach, Florida, United States
Shark And Fish Combo Beach Fishing thumbnail
Shore fishing, without a boat! Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters is where the fun happens! Their experienced guides are ready to take you on a fishing trip, no matter how (in)experienced you are. These trips are completely customizable and you can adjust ...

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RED HOT BEACH FISHING
RED HOT BEACH FISHING
May 4, 2024
May and June mark the seasonal species changing of the guard along the Central East Coast of Florida. Meaning, summertime surf fishing translates to big fish with early morning and late afternoons providing the best conditions. With the heat of the day causing a slowing of all species and activity it remains vital to hit the surf in the coolest periods of the day. Look for giant snook and tarpon to be active feeding on baitfish in the near shore troughs and beyond the sandbars. The best methods to target these trophy fish will be illustrated in the text below. While the central focus of summertime surf fishing will be headlined around snook and tarpon. It’s important to understand there is still a good quality bite for pompano, whiting and sheepshead. With that being said, our go to setup for fishing the beach this time of year consists of a diversified setup. Typically we prefer to run 3-4 standard pompano rigs casted at various distances from the shore, targeting pompano and whiting along with the other species. In addition, we will run 1-2 live baits setups with mullet, croakers or chunked bait casted in the first or second trough. Lastly, we employ a light action casting rod worked along the shoreline with a bucktail, diving plug, or swimbait. The pompano run has continued to impress local anglers with the run providing an extended version that keeps the fun coming. Mid tides have been best with the water clarity and seaweed. Various floats and multicolored beads are the key to success. Note it’s important to learn to tie pompano rigs. For those using store bought rigs, you are at a serious disadvantage. Because you can’t adapt and run diversified setups with store bought rigs. For example, we constantly tie specific customized rigs based on the daily conditions. This will lead to exponentially higher catches. Diving deeper into the targeting techniques for snook and tarpon, we will discuss how these species react to various presentations. There’s three main techniques that prove most effective for catching snook and tarpon from the beaches along the Space Coast. Firstly, soaking live baits on a fishfinder rig in the first or second trough gives one the ability to work multiple rods simultaneously which increases the opportunities. Fish finder rigs consist of a one to three ounce weight, a one to two foot 40lb fluorocarbon leader and a 3/0–5/0 circle hook. Hook mullet, croakers or threadfins in the nose or anal fins for best presentation. Secondly, one of my personal favorites is casting live baits in the breaking waves along the shore. This method imitates a confused baitfish being washed in and out from the beach. In turn, causing nearby ambushing species lurking in the first trough to take notice and pounce on the opportunity. The fun part of this style is actively working the shoreline with repetitive casts and presentations. Not to mention when strikes occur it can be right at your feet in ankle high water. There’s nothing like seeing a giant snook go airborne on your bait just fingertips away from you. Then the battle ensues on light tackle gear. Lastly it’s the gorilla style approach of light tackle equipment with a small case of lures and lots of walking along the shore edge. This method is all about finding the fish and not waiting for them to come to you. Using swimbaits, diving plugs and bucktails you’ll work the shorelines casting 45 degrees out and retrieving them while maximizing the presentation in the troughs where these fish will be most concentrated. Casting in this regard isn't for the faint of heart as you can ensure there’s a lot of walking and a lot of casts. But understand the reward that comes when the startling strike ignites your adrenaline with a leaping tarpon or drag screaming snook.
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BEACH FISHING ON FIRE!!
BEACH FISHING ON FIRE!!
April 3, 2024
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