The bite has been a little challenging this past week with the full moon phase. Between the influx of rain over the past couple of weeks and the stronger tide swings from the full moon we have had a lot of water throughout the New Smyrna Beach backwaters and Mosquito Lagoon. The fish are still there and ready to eat but just takes a little more effort to locate them as they have new areas to explore with higher water. Search baits like plugs and spoons have been working well when targeting the large pods of bait that are scattered across the flats. Live bait has also been doing the trick to keep a consistent bite as well. As we get through this full moon phase the water levels should start to get back to normal and the bite will only get better.

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!!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.