Disclaimer: I apologize for my negativity, but I’d rather be honest so you don’t spend time fishing where it’s unproductive when you could be elsewhere and doing things now for if and when it gets better later.

The inshore fishing within north Brevard has not been productive lately probably due to algal blooms. I honestly can’t remember it being this bad in all of my life other than freezes and extreme weather. With 2 inches of clarity and manatees accessing the shallows, you can say goodbye to the little manatee grass that recovered from the slight improvements this lost (spelling deliberate) summer. Yes, it’s rained over 18 inches in the past two weeks, but shouldn’t that get the bait and tarpon going despite dirty hyposaline water? I usually crush the snook and slot reds in high water too.

Well, the tarpon are here, but 95% of them are under 5lbs. However, if you didn’t have a live (in order of preference) pogy, mullet, or pilchard smaller than 3 inches rigged and placed perfecly right in their face, they wouldn’t bite. The bait catching has been a giant dump so expect to spend hours unless you get very lucky. Using this technique after getting lucky on bait, I caught a 12 inch tarpon and jumped two slightly less small and of course 4 catfish within 90 minutes.

Their is one very small area producing nice fish (anything besides a catfish is nice right now) but expect to be fishing others, some reel guys, some don’t be this guys, and some in between. I suggest against targeting all reds right now through the first major cold front so they can spawn in peace for the future generation with our ongoing water crisis. If you want big reds, chunk the edge of the Port channel outside the mouth or drop pogies over mud spots just north of there. The fish are far bigger and easier to catch their than in the poop lagoon.

I look forward to getting my share of fish in the ocean sometime soon. I hear it’s happening out there. We need a real mullet run with no red tide or hurricanes like 2014 to compensate for this year’s lost summer and tougher than usual Spring.