I am heading down to Melbourne Beach March 31 – April 7th. My family and I are staying at a house walking distance to the beach. I am bring down a 9’ rod with a 6000D baitrunner 30lb PP. I am from the Northeast and stripers are our target fish. I would rather catch larger species. I am looking for help on what I should bring for tackle and what Is in season.
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I just read my post!!! “Strippers” haha F@$&ing auto spell check. Stripers.
strippers/stripers , doesnt matter , they are both fun. lol Melbourne Beach area is a hot spot. You should get a couple of pompano rigs with floats and a couple of 3 oz. pyramid or sputnik type weights.Buy or make a sand spike so you dont have to hold your rod all day. Also , I always use fishbites as well as shrimp/sandfleas. If you are lucky , you will catch Pompano, whiting ,black drum – maybe even a bluefish or a catfish ( my favorite haha). Good luck, let us know how you did.
What bait should I use to target black drum and other sport fish? Pompano don’t get my blood flowing. A black drum I fight for 15 min will. If I land it great!! If I don’t, I have a fishing store to tell around the campfire. Catch and release guy. I have never eaten a striper I have caught. I will only eat a fish I am willing to hang on the wall.
Unfortunately you will probably be a little early in the season for the bigger game beach fishing of snook and tarpon, which gets hot in the summer months. For black drum and redfish, I tend to catch them at a much higher clip around the reef and rocks further to the north around Satellite Beach. But if it’s just the fight you’re after, you can always target sharks.
If you are going to target sharks ,even locals need a shark permit to fish with heavier gear ( obviously shark target gear ). Cant believe you dont eat Stripers, I used to go to Delaware Bay and drift croakers past the channel marker .Stripers are very good .( they look pretty good on the wall too – at least I think so.)
I have a few questions today. I have been watching videos on YouTube and people will catch their bait with the pompano rig and use their catch as cut bait. Are there regs against what you can use and what bait fish should I use for drum, red fish other sport fish?
Has anyone used the quantum Cabo 80? I am looking at this reel because I am getting it for $150. $230 down to $150. I am a Shimano guy so the Socorrow is in the picture. Can’t spend over $150. I am using it on a 12’ Tiralejo for canal jigging. Cabo has nice low gears. Looked at the 6500 BG but the gears are high.