May brings with it bountiful opportunities for the surf fishing anglers here in Brevard. Pompano, which hold a special place in my heart and mind, taper off and the countless hours dedicated to chasing them up and down the coast screeches to a halt. With the cooler months finally giving way to a full blown spring/ summer pattern, now’s the time to change gears and focus efforts on what’s prowling the surf during this seasonal shift.
Water temperatures have already increased drastically after the warm periods in March and April from this unusually hot year to date. With that being said, fish will react accordingly, pushing up and down the beaches following baitfish migrations from the shore out past the surf a few hundred yards. There’s multiple ways to target this new wave of energy along our coastal beaches, however, I always recommend taking a live bait or lure approach. This will increase the likelihood of any of the target species, including snook, redfish, tarpon and flounder, to latch on.
Pay special attention to the activity in the water when approaching your surf fishing location. Bait will tend to be concentrated in one of three areas. First, the inside trough which is the deeper water directly off the shore holds tremendous potential. Predatory fish use these main highways to ambush bait as it becomes disorientated while washing around in the surging surf as it reaches the shore. I always recommend having at least one live bait—a live mullet, pogie, or shrimp—in this area weighted to the bottom with a 1-to-4 oz. lead depending on conditions. This rig can vary, but I prefer to use the fish finder rig, which is a sliding sinker attached to a swivel rigged with 1 to 2 feet of 30-40 fluorocarbon leader and a 2/0-5/0 live bait hook depending on the size of your bait. This rig keeps your live bait slowed down considerably to the untethered school and in the strike zone where you can rest it in a pole spike and work effectively. Second area you want to pay specific attention to is the deeper water located just inside the sandbar or rock ledge which is typically anywhere from 50 to 100 yards from shore depending on your location and tide. If it’s a lower tide or dropping tide this area will tend to concentrate more of the baitfish moving parallel to the beach. The third area is out past the bar or rock ledge and can be reached with professional surf fishing equipment or a kayak. The same methods can be employed on the outside edge, but if you have access to a kayak I recommend also trolling live bait behind the kayak for tarpon, kingfish, bonita, and cobia. Once you hook up you will understand why I refer to it as the Florida sleigh ride!
Now get tight on a trophy by employing these techniques.
Capt. Lukas Brickweg
Cocoa Beach Surf Fishing Charters
cocoabeachsurffishingcharters@gmail.com
www.cocoabeachsurffishingcharters.com
(321) 205-4672