mahi-canaveral-offshore

I went offshore out of Port Canaveral Friday Morning. For the first 20 miles it was fairly smooth. After a very red sunrise, we hit 15mph east winds and 3ft chop. We tried amberjack fishing in 230ft. We marked them real good, but couldn’t get a bite. As we were getting ready to troll, scattered weeds drifted by.

I saw a mahi-mahi, and quickly pitched a 1.25oz Hogy Protail on a medium spinning rod. The fish ate as soon as it hit the water. While fighting this fish, another came out of nowhere, aggressively hit, and spooked.

We trolled for 90 minutes without a bite in deteriorating weather. The east built in bigger chop, it started to rain, and there were whitecaps everywhere. Even with PLBs, life jackets, VHF, experience, and all the safety gear needed, we turned our 20ft center console west due to safety concerns.

10 miles further west was a different deal. Sunny, no wind, a few rollers, but 64° dirty water. We tried bottom fishing with a few tiny red snapper, and way too many fishermen.

We probably should have fished nearshore for spanish mackerel, pompano, shark, or sheepshead. That will be the best bet at catching fish. If you don’t have a boat, most these fish can be caught from shore.

5-10lb redfish are being caught in 0-2ft of water in the lagoon. The water is still dirty, so bait will do better than lures. Dead mullet works well because of its strong scent and shiny flash. However, you will have to deal with a few hardhead catfish. I’m sure live finger mullet, shrimp, or mud minnows would also do the trick on the reds.

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