PORT CANAVERAL: The waters outside of the Port should continue to hold decent numbers of bonito, tarpon, shark and jack crevalle, plus anglers should see an increase in the number of king mackerel this month. The kingfish won’t totally abandon the offshore reefs that they have been holding on for the past few months, but we will see a significant increase in the numbers of fish that will start moving into the 20- to 40- foot depths to join these other species that have been here for a while. Anglers will need to start thinking about running wire stinger rigs for the king mackerel. There will be a few fish caught on mono or fluorocarbon “tarpon” style rigs, but the number of cut offs from the mackerels’ teeth will usually have anglers switching to wire rigs to avoid this from happening. The good news about “beach mackerel” is that these fish are usually larger than the average kingfish that you will find on the 70- to 90-foot reefs. There can be some real (or reel) “smokers” that will weigh into the 40-pound range.
BANANA RIVER LAGOON: If the water clarity remains as good as it was last month, anglers should continue to see an increase in the numbers of trout and redfish that take up residence in the Banana River Lagoon this month. Clean, clear water is what allows the sea grass beds to flourish and, in turn, the grass is what holds the shrimp, clams, crabs and small bait fish that larger predators feed upon. Redfish should be found near docks, rocky areas and mangrove-covered shorelines. Fish near glass minnow or fingerling mullet bait pods when possible. Topwater lures like the Rapala Skitter Walk usually work at first light and again at dusk. Through the middle of the day Saltwater Assassin soft plastic jerk baits rigged on a weedless hook or a sea shad tail rigged on a jig head or weedless swim bait hook are often effective for these fish. Live shrimp or live fingerling mullet are good choices if you are not proficient with using these types of artificial lures. To give these lures a little extra attracting power, try spreading some Pro-Cure “mullet” or “inshore” flavored scent on them and hang on!
Capt. Jim Ross
Fineline Fishing Charters
www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
(321) 636-3728