fun surf fishing

Florida surf fishing along the central east coast has been touch and go this past week. While the rainy weather snubbed out a lot of days, when the chances have presented themselves rewarding opportunities can be found. Rain and easterly wind created dirty water for surf fishing Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet.

With that being said, anglers have been doing well to catch species that don’t rely on optimal water clarity. Beach fishing charters and individual anglers are coming up with sheepshead, margate, whiting and snook. The beauty of fishing from the shore is you never know what’s going to grab ahold and bend a rod. Be ready for anything and have a mixed bag of baits and presentations.

surf fishing report - whiting

The majority of “dead stick” fisherman with rods in pole holders have been consistently catching margate and sheepshead on the rocky beaches of central Brevard County. Baits of choice are fiddler crabs, sand fleas and peeled shrimp. Dedicate time to observe the structure off the beach before casting surf fishing equipment. The majority of concentrated catches will come from the areas where large rock ledges drop off on the west side of the shelf. Casting accuracy plays a vital role in your rate of success for catching or snagging rocks and losing surf fishing rigs. Properly positioned pompano rigs with extra small hooks combined with the baits mentioned above will ensure the probability is good that you can overcome the dirtier water and find success with these delicious species.

Snook fishing Florida this time of year heats up at a feverish pace. If you’ve always wanted to land a beast snook in the surf, now is the time to gear up. Surf fishing anglers are reporting catches from the north end of the county near Cocoa Beach south to Sebastian Inlet. While fishing near Melbourne Beach has provided some hot snook reports, catching a snook this time of year will depend on how much time you dedicate and the snook fishing rigs you utilize.

snook in the surf

Highly successful anglers are employing snook fishing rigs that combine live bait with mobility. This approach allows you to present a live croaker, mullet or pinfish naturally while covering larger areas of the shoreline. Recommended surf fishing equipment and snook fishing rigs for this task would be to combine a 7.5’ to 8’ medium, to medium heavy action rod, a 4000-6000 series reel, 20-40lb braided line tied to a 2-3 foot 30-50lb fluorocarbon leader, followed with a 2/0-5/0 live bait hook or circle hook depending on bait size. Use this snook rig to walk up and down the beach deploying your live bait into the first few yards from the shore. Focus on fishing the trough and current run outs for maximum effectiveness. These ambush predators use these areas to lay and wait for opportunity. Fishing Florida beaches with this snook fishing tackle will create a possibility for hooking into a trophy fish.