Port Canaveral Offshore – November 2026

Kingfish season is right around the corner!

This is the time of year when we’re all anxiously waiting for the kingfish run—and everything else that comes along with it. Thanksgiving is usually the time frame when the big kings show up and the fishing really starts to take off. Typically, it happens sometime during the week around Thanksgiving, give or take a few days.

With that in mind, commercial season also gets underway. So, let’s give the guys running their “circles” a little room out there. I know how it can be, but these guys are out there putting food on the table. A little respect goes a long way!

Bait has been sketchy, to say the least. One day, you can fill the well with a single throw of the net, and the next day you’ll be ready to give up on it altogether. If you can’t find any bunker, try a box of minnows and troll them instead. Adding skirts in a few different colors can help dress up the baits and make them more appealing. Just be sure to use a good swivel when trolling minnows. Those spinning baits can twist your line up pretty badly, and a swivel will help keep things straight.

If you’d rather stick close to the beach, there have been acres of glass minnows around, and where you find them, you’ll find Spanish mackerel, jacks, blues, redfish, and snook. The key here is to match the hatch. If the fish are feeding on mullet, use live mullet. If they’re feeding on glass minnows, try small Clark spoons, tiny bucktails, or those thin, shiny Tsunami lures. I like to use light braid in the 15- to 20-pound class for this kind of fishing.

Farther offshore, things should be starting to pick up as well. Mahi should be showing up more frequently, and the 140- to 160-foot depths have been producing decent action lately. There have also been some good weed lines out there, and if you can find that “yellow brick road,” you should do just fine.

For mahi, I like using small Islander lures and small chuggers. You can tip them with strip baits such as bonito, or go with the trusty old ballyhoo. Either way, you can’t go wrong. I’ve noticed that downsizing your baits has helped increase hookups, so don’t be afraid to go a little smaller.

Wahoo should also start making their appearance around this time of year, and they tend to bite best early in the morning. I don’t specifically target them, but I always send my shotgun line way back on wire with a larger black or red Islander. It’s a simple setup that works just fine!

Good luck out there, be respectful of one another, and tight lines!

–Capt. Chris Cameron