By: Fineline Fishing Charters-Captain Jim Ross
EAST ORLANDO-COCOA BEACH-PORT CANAVERAL-The colder water temps we usually experience this month bring good “action fishing” to the waters just outside of the Port due east of Cocoa Beach and Orlando. Bluefish should be the main species anglers are likely to encounter. The will hit buck tailed or plastic tailed jigs, Krocodile or gator style spoons, lipped diving plugs like the X-Rap or BX minnow and of course live shrimp. Other species that will take live shrimp this month along the surf zone near Cocoa Beach are whiting, pompano, black drum and weakfish. Look for the whiting and Pompano along the surf break and the weakfish and black drum on the ships channel buoys, or near shore wrecks like the Mohican just north of the ships channel. There should also be a good sheepshead bite around the jetty rocks and dock pilings within the confines of the Port itself. Small crabs, shrimp or sand fleas usually get them to respond.
DAYTONA BEACH-EAST ORLANDO AREA-MOSQUITO, INDIAN AND BANANA RIVER LAGOONS- Deeper canals and dredge holes in the Mosquito Lagoon south of Daytona Beach and north of Cocoa Beach are good places to start your search for redfish, speckled trout, and black drum on most mornings this month. The cold overnight temperatures usually bring these fish species into the deeper more stable waters located here. Live shrimp are the number one choice for bait danglers fishing here. There can also be very good action when using lures like a white, chartreuse, brown, or black colored HookUp buck tailed jigs. The buck-tail flows and moves well in the colder water, and when combined with Bang! or Pro-Cure scent products, can even out produce live shrimp on some days. Whiting, silver trout, sand trout, and weakfish, plus sheepshead are other species that anglers are likely to catch this month while fishing these deeper areas. If we get a few days of warm weather between fronts redfish may push out onto the shallow flats of the Indian, Banana, and Mosquito Lagoons to sun themselves and forage for shrimps, crabs, and small bait fish along many of the shorelines. The Banana River Lagoon east of Orlando near Cocoa Beach is one area that can become very good when this happens.
Until next time….Catch a memory!!!!!
Captain Jim Ross
