East Central Florida Forecast
March 29, 2024
By Capt. Jim Ross
Capt. Jim Ross discusses fishing from Tomoka Basin to Sebastian Inlet, including Daytona Beach, Titusville, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa and Melbourne. Contact Info: Capt. Jim Ross, Fineline Fishing Charters; www.FinelineFishingCharters.com ; (321) 636-3728; captjimross@cfl.rr.com
Action Spotter Podcast
March 29 Report REGIONAL OFFSHORE Unfortunately the winds have been brutal lately. As a result, I have no current reports from offshore this week. Once the seas subside, anglers should be able to find trolling species like dolphin, wahoo and sailfish starting around the clean bluewater edge.
PONCE INLET INSHORE Snook action at the south causeway bridge has been very good for anglers using live mullet, croakers or pinfish. The best bite has been at night, but a few are coming from the pilings during the daytime period. Sheepshead and black drum are eating fiddler crabs or sand fleas at the jetty rocks. Redfish and speckled trout are striking live fingerling mullet or Saltwater Assassin 4-inch sea shad in the opening night, houdini or silver phantom colors.
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PORT CANAVERAL INSHORE The main river has been pretty much blown out on most days this past week due to the high winds out of the north. Residential canals and spoil islands that provide protection fromn this battering are the places where trout, snook and redfish are holding. Live shrimp or sea shad tails like the ones mentioned above are working well on these fish. Shrimp are also accounting for whiting, sheepshead and black drum in some of these locations.
SEBASTIAN INLET INSHORE Dirty water that had been plaguing the areas from Hog Point to the inlet seems to be clearing up somewhat this week. Snook, pompano, jack, ladyfish, bluefish and others can be found in these cleaner areas now. Fingerling mullet, pinfish, croakers or shrimp are top live bait choices anglers can use during daytime hours. Topwater plugs, 4- to 5-inch soft plastic jerk baits, or suspending lures like the Rapala Subwalk or Twichin' Mullet are excellent choices to use during dawn and dusk periods. Baby tarpon are showing up in the Sebastian River. Small live baits, jigs or flies that imitate baitfish are top choices to use for these juvenile fish.
Until next time … catch a memory!
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Capt. Jim Ross www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
March 22 Report REGIONAL OFFSHORE The word is out and the manta rays are wearing new jewelry. Anglers looking for cobia are finding them on Mantas in the 25- to 50-foot depths throughout the region. Slicks, color changes and temperature breaks are good places to find these critters. Large cobia jigs, swim baits and lipped diving plugs, as well as live baits like croakers and menhaden (a.k.a. pogies) will get these fish to strike.
Cobia should also possible on many of the offshore reefs-especially those that have large bull or sandbar sharks holding on them. Remember that the new cobia minimum length is 36 inches at the fork of the tail, so please do not gaff these fish. Instead use a large net to land them because most of the fish caught to date are not legal size yet.
Lane, mangrove and mutton snapper are possible on most of the reefs and artificial wrecks in 70 to 130 feet of water. Use small live baitfish or larger cut baits to get them to strike.
Trolling action hasn't been all that great lately, but there are a few sailfish, wahoo and dolphin possible if you cover enough water (or should I say- burn enough fuel out of your boat.) Naked or skirted ballyhoo are your best bet for getting these fish to bite.
PONCE INLET INSHORE Sheepshead, black drum and redfish are striking crabs, sand fleas and shrimp at the inlet jetties. A few pompano and whiting are moving along the beaches as well. Big bluefish are also possible in the surf area. Large jigs, spoons or Rapala plugs will get these bruisers to bite. A little farther offshore, manta rays are holding cobia within about two to five miles of the beaches. In the backwaters, anglers are finding a few snook, mangrove snapper and redfish near structures like docks and piers. Live shrimp will work best on most days, but Saltwater Assassin 4-inch sea shad will get them to strike on warmer days too. The best colors are opening night, northern minnow, and silver mullet right now.
PORT CANAVERAL INSHORE Tripletail can be found around buoys and floating debris in the Canaveral Bight area. Some of these fish are running into the double-digit range. Big bluefish and giant black drum schools are roaming the near-shore waters outside of the inlet as well. These fish will hit large jigs on most days. In the lagoons and rivers, the bite has been hot one day and cold the next. There really seems to be no predictable pattern to their schedule right now. If you do find some fish that want to bite, stick with them. They should get better as the waters warm in to the lower 70-degree range and stay there in the next few weeks.
SEBASTIAN INLET INSHORE Snook action has been pretty good for anglers fishing from the jetties this week. For the boaters it has been a bit of a struggle. That's because the more experienced pier anglers have been fishing directly below their feet (where the fish are) and not casting their live baits out away from the jetty (where the snook aren't). Spanish mackerel and bluefish anglers are making long cast away from the jetties. Most are using gotcha plugs, jigs, spoons and lipped diving lures like the Rapala X-Rap series to catch these two species of pelagic fish. In the river, the bite has not been very good on most days. There have been quite a few small bluefish, ladyfish and spanish mackerel running along the I.C.W. channel but other than that the mangrove trees and docks are not producing a lot of fish right now. This should change soon as we start to keep the water temperature in the 70-degree range though.
Until next week.....Catch a memory!!!
Capt. Jim Ross www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS February 27 REGIONAL OFFSHORE Scattered dolphin, blackfin tuna and wahoo can be expected along the rips and temperature breaks associate with the western edge of the Gulf Stream. The wahoo prefer dark-colored high-speed lures pulled at 10 to 15 knots. The black fin and dolphin are striking naked chin-weighted ballyhoo, or small- to medium-sized ballyhoo with a small skirt over them. Any form of flotsam that you come across should be investigated for fish that may be holding beneath it. Bottom fishing for mangrove, lane, and mutton snapper remains pretty good on the reefs and wrecks that have clean water and decent bait marks on them. Small chunk baits are generally best for these fish.
PONCE INLET INSHORE Weakfish action in some of the deeper holes inside the inlet remains good for anglers using live shrimp or small fingerling mullet on bottom rigs. Sheepshead are another species that anglers can target this week. These fish are holding near structures like the jetty rocks at the inlet, or near pier pilings along the I.C.W. from the inlet southward to Edgewater. Live or frozen sand fleas and fiddler crabs are the best bait to use on these fish. Mangrove snapper and snook can also be found in these same areas if you are using live shrimp for bait. Father south in the lagoon redfish, black drum and a few scattered trout are possible. Saltwater Assassin 4-inch sea shad tails rigged on a 1/8-ounce spring lock jig head are a great way to cover water. Once you locate an area with fish, slow down and try live shrimp free-lined to the area that the fish are holding in. Afternoon catches are better than morning catches right now.
PORT CANAVERAL INSHORE Black drum can be found around many of the bridge pilings in the Indian and Banana rivers right now. Cut crab or large shrimp are good baits to use for these fish. Redfish and slot-sized trout are cruising the shorelines. Since there is very little vegetation right now, you will normally find them holding very close to mullet schools, or areas with overhanging mangrove branches that they can hide in. Outside of Port Canaveral there are plenty of sharks in the near-coastal waters. Cut baits like ladyfish, bluefish, pilchards, or bonito rigged on a wire leader are a good way to get them to strike.
SEBASTIAN INLET INSHORE Trout, snook, jack and ladyfish are possible on the flats and near spoil islands right now. The inlet and waters just outside of the inlet are good places to try for those last two species as well. Snook are best at night for anglers casting R&R flair hawk jigs, Rapala lipped diving lures, and Saltwater Assassin Artemis shad on a 3/4 to 1.5-ounce jig head.
Until next time … catch a memory!
Capt. Jim Ross www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
