Summer surf fishing is in full swing on the beaches of the Space Coast. August and September are the traditional months for providing an opportunity to hook into the fish of a lifetime from the beach. Use live bait including croakers, mullet and pinfish to target snook in the surf. Free-line or slightly weighted rigs with 40-60 lb. fluorocarbon leader matched with a 3/0-5/0 hook will be the setup. Always match the size of the bait to the hook.
Giant snook are out of season in August, so make sure to have a healthy landing and clean release. Do not take them out of the water for too long and always support their belly with your other hand. Also, be careful of the gill plate on the side of the head which can function as a serrated blade and cause deep lacerations if improperly handled. Read the water conditions for swell and current, and use split shots when needed to attain the correct presentation.
Tarpon can sometimes be seen rolling in the first or second trough, within casting range of shore anglers. Use large-sized suspending Rapala lures or big swim baits for targeting tarpon in the surf on artificial. Live baits for snook and chunked bait like ladyfish and mullet will maintain a presentation suitable for either species.
Blacktip sharks may surprise your goal of tarpon and snook when they take hold of your live or chunked bait. Be sure to use circle hooks for a better hook set in the corner of the mouth. There is nothing quite like hooking into a spiraling blacktip. Each acrobatic, contortion and peeling drag is like music to the ears. Our guided shark fishing charters thrill our clients with blacktip sharks, sandbar sharks and nurse sharks.
For residential pompano and whiting, use live sandfleas, live shrimp, and fresh clams, with chartreuse and white pompano floats. Match the bait with Fishbites in the clam and crab flavor for your pompano rigs. Recommended gear for the current climate of surf fishing has two different approaches, in my view. Firstly, using the dead stick method. I suggest setting up a multitude of surf fishing equipment. Vary the setup between standard pompano rigs with the above-mentioned baits, while using heavier setups for live baits or chunked baits for shark, tarpon and snook.
Secondly, 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, while the other 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, hang on and have fun!
Capt. Lukas Brickweg
Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters
cocoabeachsurffishingcharters.com
(321) 205-4672