A good variety of species have been in the mix on the beach this week!
Surf fishing on Brevard’s beaches continues to thrill during the last few weeks, and with no end in sight! The entire Florida Central East Coast region has had reason to celebrate. The current conditions have provided the opportunity for any number of species to grab a bait. Properly displayed baits have continued to be irresistible.
Pompano fishing remains consistent from southern Cocoa Beach, down through Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. Snook, sheepshead, whiting, and croakers are also among the usual suspects this week. With that being said, the end of this last week’s deteriorating water clarity conditions caused the catfish catches to increase. Areas were still holding fish, but the effort it took to shake through the catfish was only for a dedicated few. Tide changes and cleaner water are the key to success under these circumstances.
Pompano fishing will always ebb and flow, with the water clarity being a main ingredient to successfully tap into this fishery. Pompano feed with their sight due to their huge eyeballs, which gives them a distinct advantage in hunting out food. When the southerly winds blow hard enough over a sustained period of time, this increases the likelihood for dirty water. Combine this with any kind of swell and the ocean water can seem less attractive than the day or weeks before.
Pay close attention to color shades when observing the surf. Greens and blues for water color creates higher probability of success, especially when targeting pompano. Brown water equals catfish mania. In conjunction, I always recommend a network to obtain information. Don’t stop at reading the latest surf fishing report on Spacefish — call Black Dog Bait and Tackle for a recent report for the southern end of the county or Man OverBoard Bait and Tackle for the central county report. Shut Up and Fish can provide detailed surf fishing information for the Cocoa Beach area, too. Knowledge is power, just like anywhere else, and the more intel you have, the better prepared you will be to catch some fish. I also recommend checking online surf cams to get a real-time perspective of current conditions. Do your homework before loading your surf fishing equipment for success!
Fun for the whole family on the beach!
Surf fishing can be super rewarding under the challenges of dirty water, but it takes persistence for it to pay. Don’t hesitate to make a hard charge at it. Yes, some days you’re going to catch a lot of catfish — like we did, this week — but we also produced a number of nice, big pompanos along with sheepshead, whiting, and snook. So don’t be discouraged when the ratio is not proportional. Lying in the midst of the catfish are the delicacies you desire!
Fish on!
Thank you for the detailed review on the surf. I thought maybe it was just me that was being haunted by catfish.
Nope, it was everybody! The have such a keen sense of smell. Dirty water = lots of catfish and patience. With that being said we landed a lot of nice fish last week on our surf fishing charters. Including snook and pompano. So don’t get flustered. Power through them and keep going.