WEEKLY FORECAST
9.10.2024 – 9.16.2024
CENTRAL FLORIDA’S BEST FISHING REPORT
Capt. Jonathan Moss, owner of Go Castaway Fishing Charters and star of the show "The Captain's Log" will be the featured speaker at today's (Sept 10) FSFA Club Meeting.
Don’t miss this week’s FSFA Club meeting on Tuesday (Sept 10 @ 6:30 – Front Street Civic Center in Melbourne), which will be featuring Capt. Jonathan Moss, who stars in TV on “The Captain’s Log.” Meanwhile, fishing had been rock solid lately, as the mullet run continues to push through our waters and the snook are smashing to start the season. In this week’s forecast, don’t miss Knox Robinson’s breakdown of his top kayak fishing locations, by species; plus, we’ve got another cooler winner to announce — and also a new giveaway courtesy of Strike-Zone Fishing!
WEATHER & CONDITIONS
BITE OPPORTUNITY INDEX
OFFSHORE
INSHORE
SURF
FRESHWATER
Weather Overview
The wind should cooperate this week overall however, it’s showing a similar pattern as last week and we ended up with a few windy days so you will need to watch it daily. The rain might make it challenging too. Pretty much every day this week is showing about a 50% chance of scattered thunderstorms due to a stalled front so you just have to be careful navigating these storms. Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday the wind is projected to be out of the ENE. Thursday afternoon it should switch out of the ESE and remain that way through Friday. Saturday and Sunday the wind should switch again out of the NE.
Resources
GIVEAWAYS
Weekly Strike-Zone Giveaway
Each week, we’ll randomly draw a name from our email subscriber list to award a $20 Strike-Zone Fishing Gift Card. To enter, all you need to do is subscribe to our weekly forecast email (once subscribed, you’re eligible to win EVERY week).
Congrats to this week's winner, Jaimee Scholl, Palm Bay
NOTICE: If you are announced as a winner, you must EMAIL US within 5 days to claim your prize (please include your phone number and mailing address), or your prize will be forfeited and added back into the giveaway pool for future winners.
LATEST Reports
Kayak Fishing: Gifford Cut (Vero)
Gifford Cut Kayak Fishing
Happy Monday Spacefish!
Today I am going to talk about a new spot; and it was one of the one’s I mentioned last week on my report about top places to go kayak fishing in Central Florida. This report is about one of those spots listed in Vero Beach. Let’s dive in!
Launch Spot
For this trip, I launched from the kayak/canoe launch at the end of 45th street, which according to Google Maps, changes its name to Gifford Dock Road; I can’t hyperlink an address to the launch spot, but here is a link you can copy and paste – https://maps.app.goo.gl/aYYJDqw4rN1HDL7J8 – I will also include a screenshot below.
Launch Spot
I launched a few minutes before the sun came up. I went straight across to Gifford point and started working my way down; and I came across some baitfish activity in the open flats just west of the cut between the Lost Tree islands; I was able to catch a few Redfish early in the morning on these flats. There was plenty of bait, and there was healthy seagrass growth, which I have seen in the last year or so, that when there is grass, or Oyster beds present that there will be bait, and there will be predator fish present near the bait. Once the sun started to rise higher in the sky, I went into Gifford Cut, where the taller trees and shorelines provided shade and ambush points as well as deeper, cooler water. That is where I found the Snook on this trip.
Redfish Report
I started throwing topwater early in the day; I had a couple of fish come up and hit; but no full commitments, so I threw a bit I have had in my bag for a while; but don’t use every trip – the Fish or Die Warbird.
FoD Warbird
I threw the Swampfox color pattern and had it rigged on a 4/0, ⅛ oz twistlock hook. I fished this bait with a “walk the dog” cadence very similar to how I would a topwater; but because it was weedless I could actually move it through the grass and I was getting bit by Redfish that were not committing to the top water plug.
Redfish on Warbird
Redfish in Gifford Cut
Snook Report
Once I entered the cut, I started focusing my attention on Snook – I lost a good one early in the trip; but ended up catching around 10 total from dinks to medium sized ones. I caught 2 with the Fish or Die Warbird; but ended up switching over to a Saltwater Assassin SW Shad fished on the same twistlock hook I used with the Warbird.They have a colorway that I really like called “Fried Chicken” which is a bone color with silver flake and a chartreuse tail, which always seems to help generate bites when skipping into deep, shady mangrove pockets.
Snook on Saltwater Assassin
In addition to using the soft plastic jerk baits to skip into, and fish around structure, I was able to pick off a few smaller dinks using the Clarity Chunk on on jighead; I casted this to the edges of schools of fingerling mullet, and bouncing it off the bottom was able to catch a few small Snook, as well as a few small Trout.
Little Snooklet on Clarity Chunk
Conclusion
I know this spot is a little out of the way; but as the time of sunrise creeps back a little each week, and the weather starts to cool, this is a great time of the year to go check out new spots, you never know what you might find! For me, I had a great 1st trip here – I didn’t get a trophy fish on this trip – but I was able to get an inshore slam, and it was another day of fishing with lots of actions and tight lines – which at the end of the day is all I can really ask for.
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Thanks for taking the time to read this week’s report. Until next time!
Chasing Fish in the Lagoons
The beaches are full of fish this week, but the high surf is making it a little difficult to get out there and enjoy catching them. So we are chasing fish around the lagoons this week. Captain Justin has been focusing on fishing for tarpon on most days. These fish are ranging from the little 2-5 pound canal and creek fish all the way up to full grown adults that are running over 100 pounds. Yes believe it or not if you know where to go and what to look for you can catch 100 plus pound silver kings right here in our lagoons between Palm Bay and Titusville. Natural baits are working best but a few of these tarpon will strike artificial lures and flies. Big jacks, bull sharks and plenty of large sailcats can be expected when fishing for the tarpon.
Redfish are another species that are showing up in good numbers these days. They range from shoreline crawlers in the 18 to 24-inch range to big bulls measuring over 40-inches. On days when the water is calm we are finding schools of bull redfish and big jacks that are chasing mullet throughout the Indian and Banana Rivers. Yep, you know it’s the time of year to break out the top water plugs and go to work. There is no need to go to the gym and do “arm day” after an outing pulling on a few of these fish.
Hopefully you all are ready to get out and have some fun with us while the fishing is this good. You can do so by calling us at 321-505-8217 or booking your trip right on our up to the minute reservation page on our FinelineFishingCharters.com website. Let’s go catch your next memory!!
Indian River Fishing Report
This week’s focus was on exploring both dock structures and mangrove shorelines/flats. While the docks were relatively quiet, the mangroves and flats proved to be hotspots.
Redfish Success
Early in the week, I targeted redfish using cut mullet on a 7/0 Octopus hook with a 40lb leader and 20lb braid. Casting close to mangrove shorelines and letting the bait sit until something picked it up, which yielded an impressive catch. A previous encounter with a school of reds in the area helped identify the prime location.
Snook Action
On Sunday evening, I shifted focus to snook, using finger mullet hooked through the upper lip with a 4/0 circle hook and a 30lb monofilament leader. Slowly moving along mangrove shorelines until finding areas with loud bait activity, and approaching quietly, led to multiple snook catches.
Outlook
With the current conditions and bait activity, I’m optimistic about the week ahead. Mangrove shorelines and flats are expected to remain productive, making them priority targets.
Key Takeaways:
– Mangrove shorelines and flats are producing quality catches
– Cut mullet effective for redfish
– Finger mullet successful for snook, jacks and trout
– Quiet approach essential for snook in shallow waters
Tight lines for the week ahead!
Fish are Firing Ahead of the Full Moon
Let me start by saying the beach fishing in the Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach areas has been electric when those mullet schools swing by. Yes, it has been rough on a few days, but the snook, black drum and pompano have been firing most days. All the customers have been running in circles for bait and lures.
All right, let’s calm it down now. We haven’t been tortured or cut short of a mullet run this year by any named storms, allowing these baits to swim naturally for a change. It’s nice to see the schools moving by in the foaming, clean green waves crashing hard along the shore, with mist spraying off the tips as you watch the tarpon and sharks pop them off in the distance. It’s always cool to see, and it’s even more electric to hook onto them, even for a brief second before they jump and launch your lure or bait 10 yards into the distance. It’s every fisherman’s drug—it’s what keeps us fishing more.
Lures of choice have been Live Target silver mullets, along with NLBN 5-inch paddle tails and the good old trusty Bomber hard baits for snook and tarpon. All the other fish have been biting heavily on frozen shrimp pieces and clam rigged on a pompano rig. Lead size is determined by the wave height and current push, so it’s best to have a variety of leads to choose from.
If you have been putting off your fishing trip due to weather forecasts, I highly recommend just going because the fish are there waiting for you. You’re not going to melt in the rain.
Rough Two Weeks!
It’s been a rough two weeks for me lately. It started out the morning I met up with my friend John at Headwaters as our usual outing together. After prepping the boat loading my gear into it, I hopped back into my truck to move to a parking spot when I noticed my check engine light was on. The bite was still so-so and the main lure once again was the Bubble Gum trick worm. We managed 15 fish and were off the water by 11.
I then headed home and parked the truck until my appointment at the dealership to see what my problem was. After a few days there I received my truck back and my wallet was much lighter, to say the least. The next morning having plans to get ready for the days ahead I woke up with Vertigo. I am still feeling some effects as I’m writing this report, but at least I’m not holding my hallway walls to walk around the house.
I did manage to fish with my friend John this past Friday at Headwaters and at least feel some wind in my face. We managed 13 bass in a hot 88 degree water temperature by the end of the day. I’m ready for some cooler temperatures but not too cold. It’s getting closer as my Crepe Myrtle trees are starting to drop some leaves. With all the rain we have been getting, it’s setting up, I believe, to be a great spawning time on our lakes with lots of shallow areas to bed in.
North Winds to Pump the Bait Run
Fun day with Capt Bouncer Smith and Capt Mike Arnoldy inshore
Inshore fishing has been pretty good, but most of the small schools of mullet have moved on. Whether they have migrated south or just moved out due to all of the rain, they have thinned out but we still have plenty moving south to get in the lagoon and run off the beach. Should be a good few weeks in the upcoming weeks with some north winds and a front above us. The inshore snook bite has been good with plenty of snook and trout but the redfish have moved on with the mullet. As previously mentioned, the mullet run is still in the early stages and we haven’t seen any real big schools as of yet and the redfish will get more prolific in the lagoon in our area as we get more mullet. Along with the snook and trout, we have seen some flounder as well along with some bluefish and plenty of jacks inshore.
Nearshore the tarpon are there along with plenty of jacks, some mackerel and some sharks. It’s also a great time to catch some snook in the trough along the beaches in Brevard and Indian River County.
Influx of Stormwater Runoff @ Inlet
Arden hows off the 30″ snook he caught on Sunday with live mullet
The intense snook action from a week ago has cooled down quite a bit from what it was. I spent the last three days there and didn’t see a whole lot being caught with the snook. They were there, but just didn’t want to play. I’m believing that all the rain runoff water coming from the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in the Indian River Lagoon was the main culprit: an excess of tannic acid-stained freshwater from the ICW. Snook prefer clean, salty ocean water, unless they are from the ICW, and they can tolerate the difference. On the other hand, the fishing at the inlet remained rather good on the high tide periods — lots of baitfish still around too. So here we go with the action spots.
North jetty
Most of the action has been on the early and late evening incoming tides. After the water clarity improves, a strong NE swell continues to mess things up. There are a decent amount of mullet on this side, along with the greenies, so bait is plentiful. The hot action has been the Spanish mackerel for the last three days! Many have been caught on free-lined greenies and the smaller of the finger mullet. Some were caught on the small white crappie jigs, but the hot bait were the greenies. Most everyone was catching them on the beach side of the jetty, with many anglers reaching their limits of 15 per person! Most of the fish were in the 14 to 15-inch size, but I saw several fish pushing the 3 to 4-pound range. As I stated earlier, the snook bite on live shrimp has slowed, with most of the fish caught on live mullet at the surf area at the beginning of the jetty.
There were very few out at the rock pile where they were before. I saw several catch-and-release redfish caught though; enough to keep anglers interested. Big jack crevalle also were out there in the mix on the live mullet. The cubera snapper bite has also dropped off, I didn’t see, or hear of any all weekend. The mangrove snapper bite has abated as well, with only a handful caught that were big enough to go home. I also did see a couple of small black drum caught on the incoming tide — live shrimp. The outgoing tide has been a mess due to the aforementioned tannic freshwater. The boaters off the tip in the cleaner water weren’t even catching fish.
South jetty
Over here it is the same deal: Incoming tide, if you can find cleaner water, there may be snook and redfish around. Live mullet, pigs and croakers. The mangrove snapper are still around, but you have to hunt for them with the dirty water. Outgoing at the tip, the nasty tannic acid-stained fresh water has brought the action to standstill. Just a few catfish and puffers.
T-Dock Area
Back here, same thing: river runoff has killed the fishing. It looks as dark as the Swannee River. Even on the incoming high tide it doesn’t have a chance to clean up enough, so there hasn’t been very many folks back here fishing, there’s baitfish around, just no fish willing to play.
Surf Area, both sides
The north side surf on the rising and falling high tide periods — early morning late evening — has been fairly good. Look for mullet schools coming down the beach and fish them. There have been a lot of snook being caught, along with redfish and big tarpon. If you find mullet, cast net or fish them, or you can use 3 to 5-inch swim baits to attract a bite. Most of the snook have been too big to keep, but there have been slots mixed in with them. I also heard about blacktip and spinner sharks. It is that time of year for them to arrive with the influx of all the mullet coming down the beach. For those fishing shrimp, there have been pompano, black drum and whiting at the jetty. They should be a possibility along the beach as well. The south side surf has been a total washout with the big swell and all the fresh water coming out and flowing down the beach southward. There are mullet running southward along the beach, so big tarpon and quite possibly the sharks will be present, but not much else.
That’s all I have for this week’s installment of the inlet happenings. Like I mentioned, the fishing is good, but has dropped off a bit from what it was. It will pick up when the water cleans up. Have a great week, everyone.
Tarpon Bite Still Firing
The tarpon bite this week with the full moon has been on fire! With the calm winds we’ve experienced, the fishing along the beach for tarpon has gone off. In the lagoon, the trout and redfish bite is very good using both pigfish or artificial bait. With high water and sunny skies, this creates great site fishing conditions for redfish using soft plastics or shrimp.
I have dates available this month if you want to get that tarpon off your bucket list give me a call at 386-295-5991.
ALL of the Snappers!
The Ocean Obsession out of Sunrise Marina at Port Canaveral has been on the fish! Mangrove snapper, mutton snapper and lane snapper are all being caught. If you are interested in getting in on their next Full Moon trip, give them a call ASAP to schedule your spot!
A Very Productive Week
This week’s fishing report is an exciting one! We kicked off the week with a bang, scoring multiple productive trips with a variety of species. Snook, trout, redfish, flounder, and jack crevalle all made an appearance, keeping our rods bent and our adrenaline pumping.
I targeted a range of habitats, including docks, seawalls, mangrove shorelines, and spoil islands, and was pleased to find that all spots were producing well on most trips. My go-to lures for the week were topwater lures (Spook Jr), 4″ paddle tails, and the trusty MirrOlure Lil John.
The recent rain brought a change to the water conditions, making the fishing a bit more challenging due to the murkier water. However, the payoff was well worth it – the topwater bite was absolutely electric! While the murky water added some difficulty, it sure did make for an exciting topwater bite that I suspect will continue in the coming days.
Overall, it’s been an incredible week on the water, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this week brings!
COBIA and KINGS
What a great week we had, it was solid fishing every day. Kings and Cobia is what’s for dinner! Bait is located every day up in the corner, both bunker and mullet. Take all that bait straight to the reef and throw them out naked! Only issue this week was the shark population and then mother nature. Try to be back by 2 and you’re golden. Definitely bring your frozen bait just in case you can’t get on that live bait. Frozen cigars from the Cocoa Beach Fishing Center are on point, just ask for Nicky. He’s more than eager to assist you. Shark fishing has also been on point. Fresh king and bonita work just fine and will get you hooked up. Capt Joe has been doing the daily crushings.
Stay safe out there and God Bless y’all.
Best Kayak Fishing Spots in East Central Florida
Top Kayak Fishing Spots in East Central Florida
Happy Monday Spacefish!
We are into the month of September now, fall is just around the corner, and with it brings some cooler weather and one of planet Earth’s most fascinating migrations – the Mullet run. Anglers of all types get excited for fall fishing along the East Central Florida region. I thought this would be a good time to write a compilation piece of my personal favorite kayak fishing spots in our area of the state. I am going to break the list down by species, and list 3 places for the 5 major sport fish targetted by kayak anglers. Let’s dive in!
Top Snook Spots
Starting off with Snook, which is my personal favorite game fish. The line sider can be found in inshore waters along Florida’s east coast from the keys all the way up to the first coast, but the further north you go, the less dense their numbers become. Here in Brevard county that is even the case, or at least it has been for me anyway. So for this species my top 3 spots are all going to be south of Melbourne, stretching down to the Treasure Coast. Snook are a tropical species, so they do not like cold water. Spring, Summer and Fall are the better times of the year to target them, but they will get really active during warms spells in the winter.
Snook Spot #1 – The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge: I picked this spot because it has always been a great place to catch them in high volume. I have caught a few in the slot range here, but I go here for the chance to catch them in bunches. There are 3 places you can access this refuge via kayak; Riverview Park, Kayak, and Wabasso Causeway Park.
Snook Spot #2 – Sebastian Inlet State Park: So I know that any one who knows anything about fishing in the state of Florida, knows that Sebastian Inlet is one of the most iconic Snook fisheries in the history of sportfishing. While a kayak is not the best way to fish in the actual inlet, kayak fishing the mangrove islands and shorelines north of the inlet is a great way to get on a good Snook bite. I have caught them in good size, and numbers in this area. The launch spot is Sebastian Inlet State Rec Area on the south side of the inlet.
Snook Spot #3 – Mangrove Islands (Indian River County): This past summer I made two trips to fish the mangrove jungles in between Sebastian and Vero Beach. What I love about this area of the state is that it is relatively under developed compared to the stretch between Sebastian and Titusville. The water here is clean, there is sea grass growth, bait is in abundance as well as a high number of predatory sportfish, such as Snook. I fished here twice this summer and had two great days catching Snook. The two places I launched from were 69th Street Kayak Launch and 45th Street Kayak Launch, which for some reason I cannot hyperlink. So I will drop a pin, and here is the link – https://maps.app.goo.gl/F3mqBJJvNdnC4d5u7.
Snook
Top Tarpon Spots
Snook are my favorite, but if there was a fish that could make me reconsider it, it would be the Megalops Atlanticus. The Tarpon bite here is seasonal, if it were year round it would definitely be my number 1 targetted species. They can be found in backwater areas, and in the Space Coast true rivers (the IRL is not a real river). The key for me when catching Tarpon has been to downsize to smaller baits, and fish really slow. Target casting to rolling fish significantly increases the chances of getting bit!
Tarpon Spot #1 – St. Sebastian River: This is a huge river, with two forks. This is better if you have a pedal drive, and/or trolling motor. The key to success here is to cover ground (or water), and make sure you are giving yourself the best chance by finding the Tarpon and casting to them. Dale Wimbrow Park Boat Ramp is on the south fork, and offers a convenient launch spot; the access the mouth of the river it is best to park at 14510 US-1 and launch from the shoreline of the Indian River Lagoon, just south of the river mouth. Word of caution if you do plan on using this launch spot, you will have to transport your vessel up and down a pretty decent sized hill, it is not the easiest way to get on the water.
Tarpon Spot #2 – Turkey Creek: A close second to the St. Sebastian, would be Turkey Creek in Palm Bay. This tributary is loaded with Tarpon of various sizes. You can spend all day tagetting them within a mile on each side of US Highway 1, or you can go upcreek all the way back to the sanctuary and find smaller Juvies in one of the most beautiful areas in Central Florida to fish or paddle. My preferred launch spot for Turkey Creek is Castaway Point Park.
Tarpon Spot #3 – Eau Gallie River: I caught my first ever Tarpon on the Eau Gallie River in the summer of 2020, not long after my family and I moved here. This is the place I cut my teeth and learned how to catch them. But nostalgia aside, this is a great Tarpon fishery. Launching out of Ballard Park you can head west all the way back to the spill way, or you can head south and fish Elbow Creek. Like Turkey Creek, this is a place where you can target a good number without having to cover a lot of water, but these Tarpon here are probably the most pressured, as there is ton of boater traffic and angling pressure put on these fish each summer.
Top Largemouth Bass Spots
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about America’s most popular gamefish when living on Florida’s Space Coast. Our proximity to the Atlantic, and the Indian River Lagoon may draw a lot of the attention of anglers, and those that cover fishing, but let us not forget that Florida is considered by many to be the number 1 state for Bass fishing too!
Bass Spot #1 – Headwaters Lake: This lake has earned a lot of notoriety and praise for being Florida’s newest “Bass factory” and for kayak anglers this place jumped out a few years ago when it opened as a kayak only lake. Since the boat ramp opened, some of the shine of this place has worn off, but it is still a great place to go kayak bassin’. With a variety of fish habitat and an abundance of Largemouth in the lake, this place continues to be a top Bass spot for me. With an abundance of aquatic vegetation, it’s not the best place for a pedal drive, or trolling motor, but the good news is, you don’t have to go far from the launch spot to catch fish. You don’t need to make a full time investment in Bass tackle to have success here; a weedless & weightless fluke, a Florida rigged Speedworm, and a topwater Frog can put lot’s of fish in the boat. The kayak launch is in the NW corner of the lake, you can park at Fish Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area.
Bass Spot #2 – Fox Lake: This body of water, located just west of Titusville is an overlooked treasure. I have never gone here to fish and drove away disappointed. In my experience, it is more of a numbers lake, but I did catch a solid 5ish pound Bass back in the spring here. Compared to a lot of other Florida lakes, this fishery does not have hydrilla. It is a dark, tannic body of water, and my best fishing has been done by throwing dark colored worms in the lily pads. The kayak launch is right there beside the boat ramp at Fox Lake Park.
Bass Spot #3 – Lake Toho: This place fishes much more like Headwaters than Fox Lake. It is an absolutely gigantic lake, with several places to launch from. My personal favorite is Whaleys Landing Public Boat Ramp. There is a ton of vegetation in this lake, and the best type of cover to fish is the Kissimmee Grass. Watermelon Seed, Watermelon Red, and some combo of a Watermelon Red with Gold flake works really well in soft plastics. Flukes, Speedworms, and Swimbaits have been my big 3 fish catchers here.
Largemouth Bass
Top Sea Trout Spots
Trout Spot #1 – Thousand Islands Conservation Area: Before I started writing weekly Spacefish reports, I used to fish this area quite a bit. This, along with the Eau Gallie River hold special places in my heart. I have caught more Redfish, and Trout here than any other place in Brevard County. With that said, I have not done super well in terms of large fish, but having days where I catch large numbers of them go a long way in the enjoyment category. This is a great place to fish, paddle, or ideally – both! To access this area in the Banana River Lagoon, you can launch from Ramp Road Park.
Trout Spot #2 – Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: I have had success catching good numbers of Trout and Redfish by launching from Haulover Canal Kayak Launch or Bairs Cove Boat Ramp and heading eastward towards the Mosquito Lagoon. These areas have seen a remergence of sea grass, and the fishery is in a good place. I have been here twice in the last 6 months and both times I have caught good numbers of Trout and Redfish.
Trout Spot #3 – Mullet Creek Islands: If I would have added a #4 spot to the Snook list this would have been number 4. In addition to being a place with an abundance of Snook, this area holds a ton of Trout. These islands can be accessed by launching from Honest John’s Fish Camp beachside, or from Fisherman’s Landing Park on the mainland side. I like using Mullet Creek as a starting point and fishing all of the points and intersections, as Trout like to stack up around the corners especially on windy days where wind is pushing water and bait around these corners.
Multi-Spot Redfish
Top Redfish Spots
Redfish Spot #1 – Thousand Islands Conservation Area: Before I started writing weekly Spacefish reports, I used to fish this area quite a bit. This, along with the Eau Gallie River hold special places in my heart. I have caught more Redfish, and Trout here than any other place in Brevard County. With that said, I have not done super well in terms of large fish, but having days where I catch large numbers of them go a long way in the enjoyment category. This is a great place to fish, paddle, or ideally – both! To access this area in the Banana River Lagoon, you can launch from Ramp Road Park.
Redfish Spot #2 – Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: I have had success catching good numbers of Trout and Redfish by launching from Haulover Canal Kayak Launch or Bairs Cove Boat Ramp and heading eastward towards the Mosquito Lagoon. These areas have seen a remergence of sea grass, and the fishery is in a good place. I have been here twice in the last 6 months and both times I have caught good numbers of Trout and Redfish.
Redfish Spot #3 – Banana River/Merritt Island: I toyed with making this number one on the list; however I haven’t fished it enough. But the one time I did, it was a great day catching Redfish, Trout, and Black Drum. I ended up with a decent number of fish caught with some good sized Reds and Black Drum in the mix. On this trip, I launched from Kelly Park East and went south. I explored a little backwater creek into the mangroves, and also had success in residential canals.
Redfish
Utility Category
So there is one place I’d be remiss to not mention, and that is Sam’s Creek. I had a hard time fitting it in, because I have been there 3 times, and each time it was a little different, but all 3 times, the fishing was really good for me. The first time, was in the spring of 2022, and I caught a ton of Trout. The second time was in October 2022, and I caught more Tarpon in one trip, than I’ve ever caught before. I went back there this past spring, and had an awesome day catching tons of Trout, and a few Snook with an upper slot sized Snook being in the mix. This area is a really cool place to fish, and is usually quiet, wind protected, and unpressured. You can access this area by launching from several different potential launchspots in the Pine Island Conservation Area located in between 528 and the Kennedy Space Center.
Kayak Anglers I Admire & Learn From
As I mentioned above, I have not lived in this area for long, so a huge part of becoming a competent angler in this area has been learning from others. These are people I watch on You Tube and follow on instagram and they are all phenomenal anglers! I am going to list a number of people that I admire and learn from, as well as list a link to their YouTube Channels. Please consider going to their pages and subscribing!
Inshore Fishing; South Brevard/Snook: John Page – https://www.youtube.com/@JohnPageFishing
Inshore Fishing; North Space Coast/Redfish: Matt Robinson – https://www.youtube.com/@mattrobfishing
Bass Fishing: Chris Mitchell – https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisMitchellFishing
Positive Perspective on Life and Fishing: Russel aka “Thumpr Fishing” – https://www.youtube.com/@ThumprFishing
Conclusion
As we enter an exciting time of the year for fishing along Florida’s Space Coast, I wanted to take this opportunity to write out a full in depth list of my personal favorite spots in hopes that someone new to the sport will have some places to start; or a seasoned vet that is looking to switch things up may have a new place to check out.
Is there any places I missed? Please comment below with your favorite places if I left off a good spot!
Fish Skinz Apparel
Thanks for taking the time to read this report, and thanks to Kayaks By Bo, who partner with us for our weekly kayak fishing content. While I am on the subject, did you know Kayaks By Bo sells Fish Skinz Apparel? If you don’t have a Fish Skinz shirt you are missing out! They have some truly awesome apparel, they have a full lineup of men’s, women’s and youth shirts in a variety of designs. Along with Kayaks By Bo’s hot end of summer kayak sale, this is another reason to drop in to Brevard County’s #1 Kayak shop in Cocoa!
Until next time!
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
CATCH A BIG SMILE WITH JASIN YOUMANS DMD!
LOCAL EVENTS
The FSFA South Chapter meeting is at 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. Capt. Jonathan Moss, owner of Go Castaway Fishing Charters and star of the show “The Captain’s Log” will be the featured speaker at the event, which is open to the public and free to attend.
SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY!
Don’t forget, if you’ve been fishing, we’d love to hear from you!
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