WEEKLY FORECAST

7.5.2022 – 7.11.2022

A CENTRAL FLORIDA FISHING FORECAST EVERY TUESDAY

mahi cow

Getting Fired Up on Your Birthday! Had an amazing b-day celebrated aboard the ???? Fire Fight with Capt. Joe with a couple of big cow mahi mahis! We also released several cobias, kings, big reds and bonitas!

This week, frustrations over the NMFS management of shark has reached a boiling point, culminating with a controversial event in South Florida planned for this upcoming Saturday. Coincidentally, we’ve got a winner picked for the 41″ Blacktip Shark Full Mount giveaway, courtesy of Mount This Fish Co. As for fishing, anglers are facing a difficult choice in where to go and what to target as a slimy brand of seaweed continues to plague expectations from the surf to offshore reefs. If you’re looking to avoid frustration and try something different this week, don’t miss Knox Robinson’s guide to kayak fishing Stick Marsh below!

Sunstate Pest Control

SPACE B.O.I. FORECAST

OFFSHORE

6.4

INSHORE

7.5

BEACH

5.5

WEATHER OVERVIEW: With forecasted high temps in the 90s for much of this upcoming week, it’s gonna be a hot and steamy one on the Space Coast. Offshore, we’re expecting to maintain a gentle to moderate south to southeast breeze through this week. Outside of storms, boating conditions will remain generally favorable, with an increasing wind chop developing behind the Atlantic sea breeze each afternoon. As for the surf, be mindful that the beach cams don’t tell the full story. Weeds/slime has continued to be problematic for both surf and offshore anglers. Hopefully we see this problem dissipate in the week ahead.

Click here to check out the marine forecast from the National Weather Service.

American Air & Heat of Brevard Whether you need HVAC repair or maintenance, or just want to ensure a comfortable temperature in your home, call American Air & Heat, Brevard’s most trusted AC company since 1942, at 321.632.COLD(2653).

Sunstate Pest Control

GIVEAWAY CONTESTS

Mount This! Fish Co. Giveaway

blacktip shark full mount replica

Congrats to this month’s winner of the 41″ Blacktip Shark Full Mount, Heath Sanders. Check back next week for another replica giveaway courtesy of Mount This Fish Co!

This month, there’s another chance to win an incredible piece of art courtesy of Mount This! Fish Company. The prize is a 41” Blacktip Shark Full Mount ($410 value). One winner will randomly be drawn from all entries and will be announced in the weekly fishing forecast on July 5, 2022!

Dolphin Fish Mount

DC Roofing of Brevard

Fishing Reports

In every week’s Spacefish fishing forecast, we turn to both fishing pros and average joe’s for input on what’s happening in and around Brevard County’s many fisheries. Here’s what people are saying about the bite in the Space Coast this week. And don’t forget — anyone — including YOU, can contribute a report to the list below!

Hit the Jettys
October 22, 2024

Hit the Jettys

Unfortunately due to the strong winds, surf fishing will be tough. My advice is hit the jettys or certain portions of the rivers.

by A-A-Ron

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Kayak Fishing: Lake Toho (Brownie Wise Park)
October 21, 2024

Kayak Fishing: Lake Toho (Brownie Wise Park)

KAYAK FISHING REPORT

Bass on Watermelon Red Fluke

Bass on Watermelon Red Fluke

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Today I will be making a short report on a recent trip back into the sweetwater. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done some Bass fishing, and I was not able to make it a full day trip, but it sufficed to knock the rust off at least.

Launch Spot

So I ended up having a chance to fish on a Saturday; I wasn’t sure if my trip would be good enough to do an actual report on, so I decided to check out a new spot. That way, in case the fishing was a bust, I at least would be able to say I did some recon work.

But the fishing ended up being “ok” and better than I thought, so I decided to go ahead and make a report out of this trip.

The location was Brownie Wise Park on the eastern side of Lake Toho – which makes it a much easier drive/commute from Melbourne than the North, West or South side of Lake Toho.

The positives of this launch spot are it is convenient to commute to from the Space Coast, and it is a good area of the lake to fish. The down side, the floating dock/kayak launch is not the best if you have a bigger kayak and rely on a rolling cart, and the steep incline/decline of the ramp is not the best for maneuvering a bigger rig on. See below.

Brownie Wise Park - Kayak Launch

Brownie Wise Park - Kayak Launch

Fishing Report

Ok so yes the weather has cooled off a bit, but that being said – unless it is really cold, I would much rather be Bass fishing at the lower light periods of dawn/dusk. But the fall time is my busy season, and I just couldn’t get out for a full day – I had to make due with the time I had which was late morning; early afternoon.

So I was limited in what I could throw the generate bites. In Lake Toho the hydrilla is pretty prevalent; and if I am not fishing weedless topwater over the hydrilla, I am usually fishing a weedless jerk bait/fluke. If it is bright and sunny, I am going to opt for “natural” colors. Pictured at the top of the report is a fish that was caught on a Watermelon Red fluke, and pictured below is a small Bass, along with a nice clump of Hydrilla caught on a Watermelon Seed colored Fluke. These Flukes were made by a local bait company in the St. Cloud area – Tackle Tech Custom Baits; and you can buy them at Dumont’s Bait & Tackle in St. Cloud.

Bass & Hydrilla - Watermelon Seed Fluke

Bass & Hydrilla - Watermelon Seed Fluke

While bumping the weedless, and weightless Fluke through the hydrilla was my main approach, I also rigged a Fish, or Die “Musket” on a Texas Rig with the weight pegged down on the hook. It was basically the same rig I use for Speed Worms. I was not getting hit on the Speed Worm, so I went to the Musket to target holes in the hydrilla. I wouldn’t have won in any tournaments with this approach; but I was able to put a few more small Bass in the kayak with this approach. I used the color called “Ben’s Bifocals” which is a Green Pumpkin/Gold Flake pattern.

Small Bass on Musket

All in all, it was no where near a banner day for me in terms of Bass fishing success, but I got a chance to knock some rust off, and honestly did better than I expected for the time of day I fished, I ended up catching 8 total fish in about 4 hours, but most were dinks.

But as we transition from fall to winter, I aim to do more Bass fishing. Luckily for me, there is a great opportunity to learn more about how to target Florida’s trophy Largemouth Bass. Read below!

Kayaks By Bo

Big Announcement from Kayaks By Bo!

November 2nd from 2-4 pm Kayaks By Bo Inc. is hosting a Free Fishing Seminar with Chris Mitchell! Are you ready to level up your kayak fishing game? Don’t miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the sport!

Chris M has been a guy I’ve been watching on YouTube since I moved to Central Florida in 2020. Florida Bass fishing is so much different than what I’d experienced in Georgia, Chris has been a guy I’ve learned a lot from over the years!

He is a seasoned kayak angler with:
9 1st place finishes
10 2nd place finishes
6 3rd place finishes
52 Top 10 finishes
Back-to-back Kayak Anglers of Florida Championship wins (2020 & 2021)
Angler of the Year (2021 & 2024)

Chris will be sharing his top tips for landing trophy bass, navigating tricky waters, and excelling in kayak fishing. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting, this seminar is packed with knowledge!

Date: November 2nd from 2-4 pm
Location: Kayaks By Bo, Cocoa FL
RSVP Now: 321-474-9365

Kayaks By Bo - Chris M Fishing

Kayaks By Bo - Chris M Fishing

Well that’s all for me today folks. Thank you for taking the time to read. Have a great week!

kayaks by Bo

by Knox Robinson
Spacefish Prostaff

BT's Welding - Custom Aluminum Products

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Able to Get Out A Few Days this Week
October 21, 2024

Able to Get Out A Few Days this Week

We only fished a few days this week till the winds blew up on us and it looks like they are here for a while. It’s normal for this time of year I guess though. Anyway, Capt Joe and Capt Ricky were both able to get offshore and have a little fun with the mahi and some bottom fish. Due to Milton the waters were muddy out to about 200 feet and that did not make the most ideal conditions. But they powered through with it and did ok.

by Capt. Chris Cameron
Fired Up Charters | (407) 222-3573

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Brutal Winds This Past Week @ Inlet
October 21, 2024

Brutal Winds This Past Week @ Inlet

snook inlet

This happy angler caught a 30-inch snook using live finger mullet. He caught this beast at the seawall (in the background) near the bait and tackle shop.

Good morning all you Sebastian Inlet fishing fans, I hope everyone had a great weekend! It sure was nice out, except for the winds and the seas being up and wildly rough at the inlet! Going to start off our report with a little heads up on the construction project slated to start on the north side wall, jetty and rock shoreline on November the 4th, which is when they are going to start mobilizing heavy equipment, supplies, and fence off the area as a construction site. Access to the north jetty when the project starts will at times be OFF LIMITS for the duration of the project. So, if you are planning to come over to fish the north side, I would suggest you call the north ranger station at 321-984-4852 to check on the area status. More info can be found on this link to the Sebastian Inlet District website, and their Facebook page. Also if you noticed, the webcam is down due to storm damage, and will remain down for the duration of the construction project. The cameras have been removed so as to not sustain any damage by the heavy equipment in the area.

https://www.sitd.us/sebastian-inlet-s-north-jetty-slated-for-repairs-improvements

Also on the Sebastian Inlets State Park website:
https://www.floridastateparks.org/Sebastian-Inlet

Updates to how the project is going will be provided by the Inlet District on their Facebook page, and on their website. SebastianInletDistrict.com, under the “news and events” section. Now on to the fishing.

As you all know the winds have been absolutely brutal over the past week, and also the weekend, and with seas running 6-7 foot, and morning high king tides along the coast, it was pretty much a war zone down at the jetty’s! The waves were busting OVER the north jetty, and also the south jetty and rocks, making it very dangerous to be out there, BUT, there were some quite a few folks out risking their safety to catch a fish. About the only fish I saw being caught were lots of jack crevalle and ladyfish on the north jetty. The seaweed was very bad also making it tough to fish. Not ideal conditions at all.

Back inside the inlet along the north seawall between the jetty and bridge, I did see some spanish mackerel caught, along with some really nice black margates, sand perch, and various snappers, mangrove and schoolmaster snappers. They were all keepers! One young man I saw did catch a nice slot snook in that area on live mullet, as pictured in the AOTW photo! South side in the back around the cleaning table and t-dock was kind of active, the water had cleaned up some. The incoming tide was producing some snook on live pigfish and shrimp. Also a few nice catch and release redfish. Spanish mackerel, jacks picked up the slack for those tossing small jigs and spoons to the channel area. Not much else back here. So, there you have it for this week’s report. The winds and seas are supposed to start calming back down by Thursday. So, we’ll see how that goes.

Hope everyone has a great week!

by Wayne "Snookman" Landry
Sebastian Inlet State Park | (321) 724-5175

Falcon Boats USA

Enough Honey Doing
October 21, 2024

Enough Honey Doing

bass fishing

I’ve had enough Honey Doing around my house lately. I gave up the heat for my fishing habit for the month of September and spent this past week cleaning up after the hurricane. Our weather has finally given us some feelings of fall. Water temperatures are now in the mid 70’s and the fish are happy and willing to chase some lures. Lures of choice to be on the end of your rod tip consists of Lipless Crankbaits, Squarebills, Jerkbaits and your favorite top water plug, especially if it has a prop.

bass fishing

Our weather patterns will consist of cold fronts every 5 to 10 days apart. Winds will be most likely before and after all these frontal systems. As long as we don’t have a large drop in air and water temperatures the bass will be putting on their feeding bags. The Fellsmere Grade is being worked on to get it ready for a paving procedure so finally us anglers will finally get a much needed break from years of dust on your towing vehicle and boats. I never would have thought this day would ever come. I’ve been waiting 30 years for this.

by Terry Lamielle
| (321) 537-5346

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Pretty Darn Good Fishing
October 21, 2024

Pretty Darn Good Fishing

Early in the week with the low winds fishing was pretty darn good in the lagoon. Plenty of trout, jacks and snook on the menu. Artificial baits worked very well as I didn’t get into the routine of getting live bait since hurricane Milton. Water is still dirty but the fish are chewing well. Once the winds picked up out of the north Wednesday the bite got tough. We still managed some trout and a few pompano along with jacks and a bunch of ladyfish. Flounder bite should get better with the cold fronts even though the season is closed till the end of November.

Looks like the winds will be up most of this week and the forecast is also calling for strong winds most of next week as well so the plan will be to get into the lagoon and fish the mangroves with DOA paddle tails and jerk baits and some Rapala twitchin mullets to see if we can keep up the trout and snook bite. If the forecasts change we will be getting into the inlet and off the beach to get back on some redfish, tarpon and sharks.

by Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters | (321) 863-8085

Miley Marine Surveyors

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Large Mullet Schools Moving Through
October 21, 2024

Large Mullet Schools Moving Through

red

The site fishing has been very good for redfish this past week with a few trout and some snook mixed in. We still have some really nice tarpon in the channels. With the large schools of mullet moving through the next couple weeks this should be some of the best tarpon fishing of the season. I have days available between now and Thanksgiving so if you want to give me a call at 386-295-5991 or go to my website fatfishguide.com

by Capt. Mike Mann
Fat Fish Guide Service | (386) 295-5991

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Mullet Bonanza
October 21, 2024

Mullet Bonanza

snook nearshore

With the way the winds have been howling this last week you’d think Halloween had already come. This week will bring some calmer conditions to the Space Coast so we can get back out on the water to continue catching fish. The mullet run had kicked back into high gear early last week and the near-coastal fishing was incredible.

Snook catches routinely hit double digits each day. Redfish, jack, ladyfish and trout catches added another 20 to 30-fish to our totals on top of the snook numbers. You couldn’t have asked for much better fishing than we saw after hurricane Milton and before the cold front and full moon affected the fish’s mood. This week the fishing will be more challenging due to the way the solunar tables (major and minor periods of fish activity) will fall in relation to the rise and set of the sun. We expect the best action toward the end of this week and through the weekend. If you’re done with your hurricane yard cleaning and ready to go catch some fish, give us a call at 321-505-8217 to get out there and catch your next memory!!

by Capt. Jim Ross
Fine Line Fishing Charters | (321) 636-3728

Fergusons Trailer Supply

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Latest from Headwaters
October 19, 2024

Latest from Headwaters

big headwaters bass

The water temp is 72 degrees when we started this morning and 74 when we finished this morning. Water level is up 13.6″. Top baits this week for me were the Bass Assassin RSB worms, Rat L Traps and the Mike Bucca 6″ Bull Gill in Bone color.

I’m fishing the Bass Assassin RSB worms with an 3/8oz weight and fishing it along hydrilla edges in deeper water (10′-14′). The only colors I used this week were Gooseberry and JB Blue. I’m using a 5/0 VMC Redline EWG hook. I like letting these sink to the bottom and pull it along the bottom fairly slow. After Hurricane Milton went through, it pushed these fish out to the first deep drop off and some fish in really tight to cover. I picked up a few fish punching these areas as well.

My Rat L Trap fish are coming off grass edges in 5′ of water and openings into deep water areas (cut throughs) that have current moving through them. Gold and Black back 3/4oz was my most productive color and size.

The 6″ Mike Bucca Bull Gill in Bone color is my go to swimbait this week. I’m fishing these along thick grass edges near deep sharp drops or cuts near main canals. It is a fish catcher and it will work all over Headwaters. Swim these just under the surface for best results. Get on the Bullshad email mailing list so you can get the bait drop info.

If you want to catch a bunch of fish pick up some shiners and free line them in deep water areas.

I only have a few dates available in October (Oct 23,26)

Tight lines!

by Kenny Hass
Catchin' Bass Guide Service | (772) 494-7400

Grills Seafood - Lakeside, Port Canaveral, Melbourne

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR
Strange October Weather
October 19, 2024

Strange October Weather

redfish

We have definitely had some strange weather this first part of October. Central Florida gets hammered by Hurricane Milton causing a major inconvenience with flooding, trees down and power outages across the state. Then immediately after Milton the first cold front of the season dipped into Central Florida as well. Fortunately we were only down for a couple of days here at Spot N Tail Charters.

We hit the water where we left off before the storm with fish in a little different pattern but did not take long to get back on them. The bait is plentiful through out New Smyrna Beach and Mosquito Lagoon. look for the pods of bait holding on the grass and bars and the fish will not be far. Live bait and artificials have both been working well these past few days. The weather looks to be stable for the upcoming week making for a good time on the water.

by Capt. Patrick Rood
Spot N Tail Charters | (386) 566-1394

DC Roofing of Brevard

Fish Lake,  again
October 19, 2024

Fish Lake, again

fish lake bass

Went back out again to Fish Lake, only had a couple hours to fish and it’s not that big of a lake. Started out in the back cove and got 3, one dink and the others over 2lbs including the biggest at 2.54lbs, pictured. Got the first 2 as I came into the cove before I passed the second dock on the left. I got them on a Gambler burner worm in Gold Rush color and both were caught near wood, the key for today. All bites and fish caught were either up under docks or right next to trees and docks. Lost the burner worm and switched over to a Strike king ocho in watermelon with red flake. Got no other bites until I got all the way to the back of the cove and threw up under the wooden docks along the back of the cove. Had plenty of bites but only put one more in the boat before moving over to the other cove where I caught 2 more on the Strike king ocho and again wood was the key. 5 fish caught, 3 of 2lbs or better and 2 dinks.

Weekend Report
October 19, 2024

Weekend Report

Get the latest word on the bite with Damon from Spacefish on the Mark Moses Show. We talk local fishing every Friday on the air at 4pm.

by Damon

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Strike-Zone Fishing, Melbourne FL

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Check out what’s been caught on camera while fishing in around the Space Coast this week.

Caroll Distributing - Anheuser-Busch

LOCAL EVENTS

FSFA North Chapter Meeting

July 12

FSFA The FSFA North Chapter Meeting is at Veterans Memorial Center 400 S. Sykes Creek Parkway, Merritt Island (behind Merritt Square Mall). Andrew Berube and Bobby Minotti will be talking about beach fishing for sharks. Social time starts at 6:30. Meeting starts at 7:00. Food and drink available for a donation.

Sunrise Marina Smoker Kings Fishing Tournament

Month of July

LAST WEEK TO REGISTER!
sunrise marina
$25 Entry
FIRST PLACE: $1000 CASH & OAKLEY PRIZE PACK
SECOND PLACE: $250 CASH
THIRD PLACE: $100 CASH
JUNIOR (Free to enter): Sunrise Marina Gift Basket
ANY KINGFISH WEIGHED OVER 40 POUNDS BY REGISTERED BOAT WILL RECEIVE A $40 GRILLS GIFT CERTIFICATE

FSFA South Chapter Meeting

July 26

FSFA The FSFA South Chapter meeting is BACK! Front Street Civic Center, Melbourne (2205 Front Street, in Melbourne, next to the Front Street boat ramps, across from Harry Goode’s). Social time starts at 6:30. Meeting starts at 7:00. Glyn Austin of Going Coastal Charters, talking about fishing the Indian River Lagoon and near coastal waters. Food and drink available for a donation.

BEAT THE FLEET

beat the fleet
SQUARE OFF HEAD-TO-HEAD IN A YEAR-LONG CONTEST WITH PORT CANAVERAL’S CHARTER FLEET CAPTAINS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PRIZES FROM OUR SPONSORS AND OF COURSE, BRAGGING RIGHTS. ENTRY IS FREE AND THE RULES ARE SIMPLE:

  • Catch a Target Species
  • Get it weighed in at Sunrise Marina
  • Have it hold out until the end of the year
  • Beat the Charter Fleet’s weight and win a BIGGER prize!

PALM COAST SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL 2022

THANKS FOR READING!

Thanks for reading another weekly fishing report from Spacefish. Don’t forget to listen to Spacefish ON THE RADIO every Friday at 4pm as we talk fishing with Mark Moses on SPORTS RADIO 1560 THE FAN.

Spacefish on the Radio!

DC Roofing of Brevard