Big schools of black drum on the move in the lagoons.🤩
I spent the past week fishing the Canaveral national seashore area, both from shore and on my hobie outback kayak.

If your able to start at 1st light the shallows and flats are hot for topwater action but it quicky shuts down once that sun 🌞 is up and it warms up. 🔥
Spent 2 days fishing pattilo creek, both shore and from my kayak.  Lots of juvenile tarpon in the deep areas.
The flats and shallows shut down after 8am and the sun is out.  🌞
So I switched it up and went looking around the deeper cuts, channels and any moving water I could find.
  If you don’t see any signs keep moving. 
Once you find them, they are thick.  🤩 I went from dead spot to dead spot with no signs of life…….to seeing multi species cruising the mangroves and ledge.👍

In pattillo creek, I found a good 100 yards of mangroves that had a steep drop off, 1 foot to about 8 feet. 
All of the sudden I was seeing small groups of decent sized reds cruising the edge just off of the drop off.   Some smaller snook tucked into the mangroves. Some smaller sheep’s head and even snappers in the mix.  Then I started to find some schools of a dozen plus black drum… good sized ones too. They too were cruising that ledge. 😉

You will go from catching nothing to catching everything once you find where they are holding.
I was free lining a live shrimp and also using a popping cork with a live shrimp.
I was drifting that deep drop off along the mangroves.  Sight casting big back drum, reds and a few small snook.

A 20″ and a 26″ black drum was the biggest of my trip.
Another tip, and a way to save some 💰 money…
Right now,  all over the Canaveral national seashore is lots of fiddler crabs. You can sneak up and hand grab half a dozen at a time.  I got 3 dozen in 10 mins.

(Keep the area healthy for years to come… Only take what you plan to use that day or next day, release what you dont use)🙏
Fiddler 🦀 crabs are an important part of the ecosystem in our lagoons. 
Pair a fiddler with a sheepshead jig.  Very carefully rig that crab on the tip of the hook just past the barb.
Cast along the drop offs and ledges.  These fish are holding on that ledge…swimming up under the mangroves and feeding on these fiddler crabs.  
You know the saying..”match the hatch”   🤗
I ran into one angler out there, struggling to get on some fish.  I gave him some advice on working the ledge and gave him a couple sheepshead jigs, and a hand full of fiddler crabs. 😁
  Not even 10 mins of him casting it out….  He had a new P.B black drum on the other end.

Ran into a few anglers fishing the area of gator creek and catfish creek. 
Rumor has it…. some big schools of black drums have been spotted moving into the flats this week.  Guys were seeing big drum backs coming out of the water and guys were catching limits😮. 
But just as fast as they are found….next day they can be gone and nothing but catfish. 😬

So….the take this week for Canaveral National Seashore.
  It’s hot as hell🥵, fishing is decent at 1st light with topwater, after 8am fishing is very slow until you find the fish.  So key is to keep moving.  Drive those roads around gator creek, catfish creek, pop into pump house and look for signs of these big schools of black drum…..Maybe cast a few times…but if no signs and no bites..move to the next spot.
  The black drum are definitely on the move.  But if you find them, your sure to catch a limit.🤩  Shrimp or fiddler crabs as bait seem to be the hot ticket right now.

If targeting the tarpon or snook.  A small jig and swimbait seems to lead to the most hits….
Lots of the fish caught are coughing up loads of these 1″ glass minnows.🤔
   So again.🫵..Match the hatch!
  A friend got a small tarpon on a small white jig swimbait. Like 1 to 2″ profile.
I vloged my trips this week and also showed how I like to rig my fiddler crabs 😁 on my YouTube channel “Thumpr Fishing”

As always everyone.  Stay safe, stay hydrated and tight lines 😎🤙

Gear used.😎👇
🔵Florida fishing products (FFP) osprey 3000, 10pound braid, on a 7′ Fenwick inshore elite medium fast
⚪️FFP resolute 4000, 20lb braid on a 7′ med-heavy, fast action UGLY stick
🟣Bajio polarized sunglasses
⚫️Heddon chug n spook topwater. Sheepshead jigs for fiddler.
4 horsemen popping cork, circle hook live shrimp.
🟢Bug spray…bug spray…bug spray 🦟
🔵Space coast bait and tackle, live shrimp.

Let’s go!