East Central Florida Forecast
July 28, 2023
By Capt. Jim Ross
Capt. Jim Ross discusses fishing from Tomoka Basin to Sebastian Inlet, including Daytona Beach, Titusville, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa and Melbourne
July 28 - 30
Editors Note: Signatures Needed! The "Right to Clean and Healthy Waters" petition needs 900,000 signatures by November 30 to get on the 2024 ballot. Learn more here: http://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/
MINI SEASON WAS A SUCCESS FOR DIVERS CHASING BUGS THIS PAST WEEK.
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PONCE INLET OFFSHORE: The bottom bite has been where all of the action is this week. Captain John Kyp put together a nice box of lanes and triggerfish on his trip on Wednesday. The boys on the Tails Up charter boat crushed the mangroves that same day. Captain Dave on the Strippin Lips filled the box with gags, AJs, and red grouper out on the 180 to 200-foot structures. Trolling action has been really slow except for some sailfish in the 130 to 200-foot depths.
INSHORE: Captain Mike Mann has the trout dialed in south of Bissett Bay right now. Live pigfish and small croakers are the top live bait choices to use. Saltwater Assassin sea shad tails or the new Little P&V dart bait have also been a strong producer for the slot-sized fish. Houdini, watermelon/red flake, watermelon slice, and Canada craw colors are getting the best response right now. Tarpon and snook are striking live croakers and pilchards around the inlet jetties and along the beaches.
PORT CANAVERAL INSHORE OFFSHORE: Big mangroves are the talk of the dock this week. Jumbo-sized mangs to 10 pounds are eating small live baitfish, or chunks of pogie, ballyhoo, or grunts on either a knocker rig or standard bottom rig. Chunking and chumming will usually get them into a feeding mood. The 70- to 130-foot structures are holding the best numbers of these fish right now. Gag grouper and a few amberjacks to 30 pounds are striking larger chunks and live baits, plus slow-pitch jigs on the reefs and wrecks in 160 to 250 feet of water. Closer to shore the king mackerel bite is pretty good from the beaches out to the 80-foot reefs. Spoon and planer combos are best for the smaller fish, and larger smoker kings are taking slow-trolled live baits on a wire stinger rig.
INSHORE: Baby tarpon are feeding on live shrimp or glass minnows in the residential canals throughout the Merritt Island, Rockledge and Cocoa Beach areas. Larger tarpon can be found around the I.C.W. channel throughout the region. Good places to start your search are near the powerline south of the Melbourne Causeway, near the dredge holes around the Pineda Causeway and between the Railroad bridge and the Haulover Canal entrance-especially near the bend in the channel. Large live mullet will usually get these fish to strike.
SEBASTIAN INLET INSHORE OFFSHORE: Mangrove and mutton snapper can be found on the 40- to 90-foot reefs this week. Grunt plugs or large chunks of ballyhoo on a long leader will get the muttons to bite. A knocker rig or standard sliding sinker rig seems to be better for the mangroves. Sailfish have been fair again this week in the 90- to 130-foot depths. Naked ballyhoo trolled at 4-to 5 knots can be very effective to find out where these fish are concentrated. Once you start getting some action live bait either slow trolled or fished under a kite should get better results.
INSHORE: Snook are feeding at both jetties and back near the t-dock on most nights. Saltwater Assassin Artemis shad has been a solid lure choice for these fish. R&R Flairhawks are working when the water is a little dirty. Tarpon can be found shadowing baitfish schools along the beaches. Live pilchards, croaker or greenies are generally the most productive baits to use for these larger fish.
For additional fishing information, don't forget to check out the weekly audio podcast from Florida Sportsman.
Until next week... catch a memory!!
Capt. Jim Ross www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
