Summer surf fishing is in full swing on the beaches of the Space Coast. Warmer waters have led to a full blown changing of the guards on local area beaches with catches of pompano, bluefish and mackerel retreating to collet water temperatures to the north. While residential pompano will still be cruising the shorelines, it’s time to accept the fact that you’ll rarely reach a daily limit on this species. The pompano that are around are larger and will inhale the surf fishing rigs tipped with Fishbites and sandfleas, but understand you’re going to have to weed through heaps of croakers, catfish and whiting.
Croakers would mainly be the species to single out in terms of soaking time on each pompano rig. As soon as it hits the water, no quicker will you have a double croaker bite leaving little time for other species to discover the baits. If that isn’t enough, keep in mind multiple rigs will be lost to sharks attacking your squirming catch in the trough and beyond. Needless to say, it’s been a battle to attain a consistent dinner-satisfying catch with the current state of affairs.
When the standard methods aren’t providing the thrills one may be in pursuit of, its time to switch gears. Blacktip sharks, sandbar sharks and nurse sharks offer rod-bending, drag-screaming action this month. There is nothing quite like hooking into a spiraling blacktip, with each acrobatic contortion peeling drag like music to the ears.
For the dead stick method, I suggest varying the set-up between standard pompano rigs with the above mentioned baits, while using heavier setups for live baits or chunked baits for shark, tarpon and snook. A second option is to skip the setup and cast swim baits, diving plugs and jigs to work the shorelines for snook, tarpon, and the occasional flounder. One method keeps you mobile with the advantage of covering ground and skipping the heavy hauling of a total gear setup; the other method encourages a prolonged time period on the beach fishing to acquire the variety of specimens that each rig has the potential to attain.
Get out early, have fun and get ’em!
Capt. Lukas Brickweg
Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters
cocoabeachsurffishingcharters.com
(321) 205-4672
