ORLANDO, COCOA BEACH including PORT CANAVERAL
November around port Canaveral can be one magical month if we get good weather conditions. When the seas are less than three feet offshore of Cocoa Beach anglers can get out into the “Bight” by boat and find Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, Shark, Redfish and Snook working schools of baitfish that are migrating southward along the Cocoa Beach area toward their wintering grounds in south Florida. Most of these species will hit live baitfish on a ¼ to ½ ounce HookUp brand jig head or a sliding sinker rig. Rapala X-Rap minnows in the size 8, 10, or 12 model sizes are also very popular lures to troll or cast along this area of shoreline. Flounder may also be a possibility along the near shore waters east of Orlando on some days, but more than likely anglers will find better numbers of flounder inside of the Port Canaveral ship turning basins at this time of the year. For Tripletail anglers usually fish along the ships channel buoys or look for color changes and floating debris and weeds in the 20 to 40-foot depths. Toss a live shrimp to fish hanging around these floating objects and you should get a positive response. I like to use a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook attached to a piece of 30 pound test Sufix Fluorocarbon for this type of fishing. I generally do not use a weight on this rig to let the shrimp swim more naturally around the weeds or other floating structure that the tripletail may be hanging around. Pompano and whiting are normally abundant along the surf zones from the tip of the cape southward to Patrick Air Force Base and these tough little fish hit goofy jigs or small 1/8 and ¼ ounce HookUp jigs tipped with s piece of shrimp or whole sand flee.
ORLANDO, COCOA BEACH including the MOSQUITO AND BANANA RIVER LAGOONS
Trout, black drum, and redfish are the “big three” that anglers will be targeting this month in the waters east of Orlando and south of Daytona Beach. The Speckled Trout and Redfish will normally strike top-water plugs or sub-surface plugs near mangrove covered shorelines or other structures like docks or rocky ridges near the western side of the Banan River Lagoon. Look for areas where schools of baitfish are milling around to hold the best numbers of these two species. Live (or fresh dead) shrimp, fingering mullet or pilchards can all be effective when rigged on a jig head or 3/0 to 5/0 sized VMC circle hook with a small split shot for weight. Black drum and Pompano can be found in residential canals and around islands in the Coca Beach area east of Orlando where baitfish are holding. These fish usually like cut clam, oyster, or shrimp best but have been known to hit a jig once in a while. In the Mosquito Lagoon south of Daytona Beach and east of Orlando anglers should look for fish holding along channel edges if we get a cold front or two because the water here will have a more stable temperature than areas out on the open flats.
Until next time….Catch a memory!!!
Captain Jim Ross
Fineline Fishing Charters
