The fall mullet run has been fantastic so far this year and hopefully this month we will continue to have great fishing. Large schools of finger and full sized mullet should HOPEFULLY stay along the surf break between the Shuttle launch pads and Melbourne beach for the first week or two of November. Following these tasty silver morsels is a plethora of predatory species. Spanish Mackerel, Redfish, flounder, Bluefish, tarpon, snook, tripletail, shark and more will be feeding on the ample supplies of baitfish located here. Once the mullet leave, these same predators will begin to feed on the schools of pilchards and greenies that generally follow a week or two behind the mullet and also travel down the coast. These smaller baitfish are heading towards south Florida’s wintering grounds where they can remain in their preferred water temperature range. Live or fresh dead baitfish are the best choice to use this month, but during the low light periods at dawn and dusk, many anglers like myself find that they can catch just as many fish on artificial lures. Suspending or diving plugs like the Rapala X-Rap in sizes 10 through 14, or the Rapala Subwalk make an ideal mullet imitation that will create strikes with minimal angler input. Good choices are the olive green flash (silver sides and belly) and moss back shiner color patterns. Tripletail and flounder are the two exceptions here. The really do prefer live shrimp to any other type of bait anglers may care to use. Cobia are another type of fantastic fighting (and eating) fish that will begin showing up offshore of Cocoa Beach. Most of the time you will want to fish the first or second color change off the surf break for the cobia. That is where these fish are generally found especially if there are floating weeds or debris in one of those two color changes. Sometimes though anglers will find them holding in the 30 to 60-foot depths. Mangrove snapper and snook action will be best near the rock jetties and docks inside of Port Canaveral. Be sure to work areas in these basins where baitfish are schooled up especially near dock pilings and seawalls. Live mullet, pinfish, and croaker should be good offerings for the snook. The snapper like mud minnows, shrimp, and very small mullet rigged on a sliding sinker rig.
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