We are seeing good catches of Pompano once again as they move north in search of cooler water with the warm weather as of lately. It’s been a busy week but we had a chance to go fishing and we were able to get 5 nice whiting and 5 pompano in a 3 hour trip. All of the fish were caught using the East Side tackle rigs available at Man Overboard bait and tackle and Cocoa Beach Fishing Center. All of the fish were caught in the last 2 hours of Incoming tide and the first of the outgoing tide with a solid 9/10 greenish blue water quality. Baits of choice were live sand fleas tipped with FishGum. Get out there and catch them up!

The fishing picked up well in the middle of last week when the water temperatures rose, and it was great to have good weather added into the equation. People were bringing in whiting, black drum and a few keeper pompano. They were still accompanied by baby sharks and bluefish, but it was nice to add a little variety to the bags.

The upcoming weather this week looks like it will be a bit breezy, but the waves should stay relatively calm, averaging around three feet.

I kid you not—almost every color and style of pompano rig was catching fish, but each day, a different color seemed to work best. One day it was orange, the next day pink, and the day after that, white. Each person who walked through the shop doors swore by the color they bought—haha!

The surf was calm enough to get by using 3-4 ounce pyramid leads, so there wasn’t a need to buy those expensive Sputniks. But hey, I get it—some people like what they like. The bait of choice, by far, was a piece of frozen or fresh dead shrimp paired with a little Fishbite on top. MAKE THAT SANDWICH—haha!

It’s important to make sure your shrimp piece is peeled and about the size of your thumbnail—maybe a tad bigger. The fish this time of year are a little slower and prefer fine dining, so try to make it as easy as possible for them to pick up and eat.

Next week, on Monday, February 17th, at 6 PM, I’ll be at Pineapple’s Bar in Melbourne for Salt Strong’s chapter meeting, giving a rundown on surf fishing gear maintenance and announcing a special fisherman’s challenge for the month of March!

As always, tight lines, and see you next week!

Quick report! Got out for one day last week and we had some good strikes but not as many as expected. Water conditions were a solid 8/10 that deteriorated as the tide started to go out, we fished Live sand fleas on almost every hook with FishGum Fleasicle on the rest. It seemed that the whiting preferred the hooks baited up with a live flea and FishGum combo. We caught a barely keeper sheepshead, big whiting, big palometa and a double-up of pompano in a 3 hour trip. The conditions look like they’re setting up for a bit of a weather change which always brings good fishing if you can fish those good weather windows.

Tight lines everyone and catch ’em up!

Hope everyone got out and fished this past week—the weather was beautiful! The fishing was still a bit slow for most, but it was definitely better than it has been.

The Cape Canaveral area is once again dealing with sand renourishment, causing the water to be murky brown on some days, though other days have been crystal clear. Cocoa Beach has produced small pompano, sharks and whiting. The water is still cold but has warmed up slightly compared to last week.

The hot spots for keeper pompano and nice-sized whiting have been Indialantic and Melbourne beaches, where the water is a bit warmer. This week is expected to continue the warming trend, with calmer beach swells and a light southeast wind.

The most popular colors on pompano rigs have been chartreuse, orange and pink. In terms of weight, anglers have been getting by with 3–4 ounce pyramid leads and smaller sputniks. Live sand fleas, shrimp pieces and clam strips have been the go-to baits, often paired with Fishbites.

Something to look forward to in the coming weeks is a surf fishing challenge featuring all the most popular surf fishing rigs. The winner will receive a custom-built rod from our store! Stay tuned, and tight lines!

Hey SpaceFish and East Side family, welcome back. In this week’s report I will be focusing mainly on the tides and temperature. We have a pretty solid tide table this week with low tides beginning around 6am and high tides at noon which leaves a lot of time for good fishing!

With the temperatures warming up quickly and the tides lining up for solid morning and evening bites, look to target pompano during the sunrise and sunset hours mainly. Most importantly, clean water and live sand fleas prevail when seeking these fish. There has been a lot of whiting and croakers in the surf lately with a good amount of bluefish as well so there’s a lot to catch, you just have to go out. Baits of choice will be shrimp, sand fleas and clams. Utilizing simple bead and float rigs will help your catch ratio go up when the water is dirty.

Our clients Fred and Fred had a blast learning the ins and outs of surf fishing during a charter this weekend. We fought through some okay conditions and came out victorious with a nice 13” pompano to join the rest of the fish in the cooler. Nice work gents!

Is the weather finally warming up a little this week? It’s been COLD the past couple of weeks, and neither the fish nor the fishermen have been enjoying it! Fishing on the beach has been slow, with the fish acting lethargic due to the chilly water temperatures. Some beaches have reported water temps as low as 55°F—crazy! That’s far from the ideal pompano range of 68-72°F. The winds look to stay down as well. Hopefully, this week’s weather will warm the water up just enough to spark a better bite.

We’re also moving into a new moon phase on the 29th, which usually means heavier fish activity during the morning hours and around the changing tides throughout the day.

That said, the beach fishing reports from the Cape Canaveral area down to Patrick Space Force Base haven’t been great. Rough surf and cold weather have made it tough for most anglers. The catches have mainly consisted of small seasonal sharks, bluefish, black drum, and margates. It’s been a grind, but there have been a few impressive catches, including some big redfish.

For bait this time of year, I recommend live sand fleas, frozen shrimp pieces and clam strips. Pair them with Fishbites to help keep your bait from flying off the hooks. Make sure to use a pompano rig in pink, orange, or sand flea colors. Look for washouts in the surf (as usual), and avoid fishing on sandbars—your bait will likely be ignored there. Since it’s colder this time of year, the latter part of the day typically produces the most bites.

That’s it for this week’s report! I hope everyone can get out there and enjoy the nice weather break we’re getting. Tight lines, everyone!

What’s up East Side Family, we just went through the most arctic conditions for Florida didn’t we? I’m happy to say good riddance and bring on the heat and sunshine.

We got out and wet some lines in the Canaveral area on January 24th after dropping off some beautiful Custom fishing rigs at Cocoa Beach Fishing Center. The conditions weren’t exactly what we had expected. 3 Foot waves coupled with a hard North to South current and a headwind made fishing pretty challenging on top of the cold. The water must’ve been hovering around mid 50’s from what I felt. The fish definitely weren’t there when we fished, we struck out, but with this upcoming week of warm weather that may change, QUICK.

Update: It did change quick! Hit the sand today. (1/27) in search of the yellow-bellied swimmers and I was fortunate enough to luck into one after missing a really nice fish. Caught a few whiting to join him in the box which will make a nice meal later tonight. The name of the game this week and from now on will be finding that cleaner water, even better if you find bait in those clean water areas as well. Pompano was caught on a special Secret Weapon rig only available at Man Overboard Bait and Tackle in Indian Harbour Beach. They also carry the rigs that caught the Whiting in the photos.

Look to target Pompano during the early morning sunrise bites and especially after the mid-day warm up on the evening bites, look for a good tide to coincide with the sunrise and sunset and you’re off to the races.

That’s all that we have for now so Tight Lines and Catch ’em up East Side Family!

What’s going on East Side Family! Man oh man am I happy that I got to go fishing. We started off our weekend by doing some gigging in the river, we didn’t spot any flounder but we found us some nice sheepshead that make for delicious table fare. The following morning I hit the beach with the Ninja Tackle 12 foot Dagger and 13’3 Bombers and went to work. That’s sort of what it felt like out there- work. We gave it our best shot and we caught 2 nice keeper Pompano and 3 good Whiting. I fished the following day with the Anglers For Conservation crew and we decided on fishing the north beach at Sebastian Inlet. We caught 2 Pompano that were too short to keep 3 Black Drum, 1 Whiting, & a Catfish believe it or not. We put a fresh bait out for a Shark but there were no takers. Oh well, that’s fishing 😃! This upcoming week looks a little windy, cold and rough- which tells me the fish will be on the move. Get out there and wet a line you never know what you might catch! If you need bait or fishing rigs or tackle here are my shop recommendations.

North Brevard – Cocoa Beach Fishing Center

Middle Brevard – Man Overboard Bait & Tackle

South Brevard – Black Dog Bait & Tackle.

The big shoutout of the week goes to StrikeZone for sponsoring us this season! Thank you guys! They are a full service tackle shop, they carry frozen bait but they specialize in outfitting anglers with everything they need from start to finish from the clothes on your back to the rod and reels in your hands. Check them out and let them know you’re a part of the East Side family 🤙🏽

Be well fam!

We got our on the beach a few days over the last week and we had our ups and downs but the fishing is definitely looking more UP than Down this coming week. Look to target Pompano during the morning and evening rides on the tide switches to optimize your chances of hooking up. We are seeing schools of migratory Black Drum and Pompano with big Whiting mixed in but we do not know for sure how long they will stick around so get it while the getting is good.

If you’re in the Cocoa Beach area stop in at Cocoa Beach Fishing center and see them for the surf fishing report, they will get you pointed in the right direction! Right now we are seeing Shrimp increase our catches but the prized bait still remains as the highly regarded Sand Flea. Your local shops carrying these baits will be Cocoa Beach Fishing Center, Man Overboard Bait and Tackle in Indian Harbour Beach, and Black Dog bait and Tackle in Melbourne beach. All of these shops hold a wealth of knowledge and it pays to ask questions when shopping. Looking ahead we have some windy rainy and cold conditions but that hasn’t thrown off the fish much. Watching the wind switch on Saturday will prove a new weather window and pattern to key into.

Go out there and get them, Tight lines everybody!

Hope everyone has stayed warm this past week because it’s been pretty chilly some mornings. The fish have been feeling it too, as they’ve been biting off and on over the past week. This time of year, it’s always hit or miss. We’ve seen lots of baby sharks, bluefish, and whiting, with the occasional pompano joining the party if they decide to show up.

The surf has been relatively calm with no seaweed in sight. Those north winds have been keeping it at bay. The week ahead looks to warm up a bit, and the winds will stay somewhat calm, with a couple of days of stronger winds. It does look like Wednesday and Thursday will bring bigger waves, but things should calm down for the weekend. The fish are out there for everyone; it’s just been about picking the right location lately—finding the semi-clean waters and the right washouts and troughs. If you’re looking to catch a lot of fish, it’s better to move along the coast, following pressure lines daily and weather patterns. It takes some work to get that great shot showing a limit of pompano and whiting!

To wrap up this week’s report, chartreuse, orange and pink floats have been flying off our shelves lately, along with 3-5 oz pyramid leads and sputniks. Frozen shrimp pieces, fresh sand fleas, and clams are your go-to baits. We have live sand fleas daily, and plenty of frozen shrimp and clams for you. Have a great week, stay warm, and tight lines, as always!