With the cold weather this winter, let’s hope the winds lay down in March so the cobia anglers can get off the beach from Sebastian to Melbourne and look for the migrating rays which should be holding cobia on them. When targeting cobia, look for the rays and use Rapala XRap 14, Hogy Pro Tail Eels, D.O.A. Swimming Mullet and live threadfins. However, if we get some more cold fronts through the month, the nearshore water will be too cold, rough and dirty for small boat anglers to get out and search for the cobia.
With the rough seas we have had in January and February, we haven’t been able to get outside much to see how the action is. But as the warmer weather comes, it will push the threadfin herring and other schools of bait inside along the beaches and the tarpon and big jack crevalle will be right with them. There should also plenty of sharks, bluefish and mackerel on the beaches if the weather allows you to get out and fish the ocean. Fish big topwater plugs for the jacks and sharks, and scale down the plugs for the bluefish. For the tarpon as well as big jacks, fish the Rapala Long Cast 14, Hogy Pro Tail Eels or the D.O.A. Bait Buster for good success. Live threadfin will work for all of the species.
If the winds stay down and the weather warms up, the snook and redfish bite in the inlet will be very good. Live bait is the key in the daytime with shrimp and threadfins being the bait of choice, however pinfish, pigfish and croakers will also work some of the time. At night, most artificials will work well. Rapala XRap 14 and the Long Cast 14 are great plugs to fish from the jettys as well as from the rocks along the west side of the bridge.
Inshore fishing has been extremely slow this winter but should pick up as our spring mullet run heats up. When the schools of mullet fill inside the lagoon and the creeks from Sebastian to Palm Bay and Melbourne, snook, jacks and trout will be hot on their heels. I like to fish a Rapala Skitterwalk V early in the morning around the bait pods and go deeper with the Storm GT360 or D.O.A. paddletails as the sun comes up. Live bait will also work well fishing the bait pods as the predatory fish are normally below the bait pods.
Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters
www.goingcoastalcharters.com
321-863-8085