Space Coast Fishing Forecasts'

June CAM 2011

2011-06-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

JUNE CAM

As June settles into the Space Coast it should bring calm winds and the humidity-laden days that lead to afternoon thunderstorms. Late seasonal fronts will have stopped, and eyes are starting to look for the first signs of tropical weather. June is also one of the last months that lagoon waters are cool enough for Redfish and Sea Trout to feed all day. Bait pods are within striking distance from all of Brevard’s beach launches. Many Cobia, Tarpon, Kingfish, and large Jacks have recently been caught just outside the surf line. The bait and amounts of predators will only increase as the beach waters warm with summer. Some snook have started showing on the beaches and jetty’s around Port Canaveral or Sebastian Inlet. Numbers of these pre-spawn fish will only increase too! A summer high tide bite also occurs on the worm rock reefs off South Brevard’s beaches. Cast large top-water plugs for vicious strikes from heavy snook laying in the cracks and crevices.

LAGOONS The summer sea grasses are growing thick and tall in the Space Coast lagoons. Redfish, Sea Trout, and Snook will lay in the holes and on the edges of the matted grass that stretch to the surface in 1 ½ foot or less of water. Bass fishing inspired weed-less soft plastic rigs, like Saltwater Assassin jerk baits and paddle tails rigged on Mission Fishin weed-less hooks, will allow kayak anglers to effectively pursue game fish in this weedy labyrinth. A kayak is the best type of craft to hunt these fish from, and it will allow you to stalk the finning, tailing, and laid-up fish. Game fish in this scenario will lie in a hole and blast finger mullet as they swim by. So investigate any blast thoroughly. The fish that has just eaten won’t venture far. Work your weed-less soft plastics through the weeds paying special to holes and edges of the surface mats.

NO-MOTOR-ZONE (NMZ) The outside bars and drop offs of the NMZ have greeted my clients with several over-slot Redfish per trip; with some topping 40 inches. Though not the most exciting way, but the most effective way to catch these bruisers is to soak large cut baits. Large mullet, Ladyfish, and half a blue crab are all great choices for cut bait. Just remember to use a large piece; small cut baits will have you fighting catfish instead of big Reds.

Areas with shallow grass flats next to deep sandy drop-offs will act as highways for large, cruising Reds. Place several baits in your location, and give each spot about 30 minutes before moving. Again, I stress large cut baits that catfish cannot swallow. Check your baits periodically (especially crab) to be sure that Pinfish have not picked you clean. I prefer medium tackle in the 15-20 pound class with a 3 foot section of 40 pound mono, and a 5-6/O circle hook for the business end. These are big fish, and you don’t take a BB gun to shoot a Rhino!

Tight lines and wet paddles!

Forecasts by: Capt. Alex Gorichky

LocalLinesChartes.com

Full-Time Space Coast fishing guide

And Malibu Kayaks Pro-Staff paddler

Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255

CAM featured clients and friends of http://locallinescharters.com/

MAY Kayak fishing forecast

2011-05-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is in full swing, and summer will be right around the corner. The seatrout will still be prevalent throughout Brevard’s inshore flats. Redfish are chasing the ever increasing schools of finger mullet. And pods of pogies have flooded the beach, with Cobia, Tarpon, Kingfish and sharks in tow. With all these Space Coast kayak fishing opportunities abound, your honey-do list my get neglected this month. One date to hold on your calendar would be May 7^th. Come down to Boaters Exchange for the Coastal Angler Magazine Boaters Expo. I will be speaking about kayak fishing at 2:00 pm, and we will have a Local Lines Guide Service booth. So stop on by and say hi! Also, go check out the official Local Lines Facebook page for up to date information on the Space Coast bite: facebook/LocalLinesGuideservice.

May is a great month to catch your gator seatrout. Of course the preferred method to catch the largest trout before they spawn out and spread across the flats is noisy, top-water lures in low light conditions. Walk-the-dog types will work best, but in-line prop baits like the Jonny Rattler get many strikes, as well. These in-line top waters are much more effective than incorrectly worked walk-the-dog style baits. It takes years of experimentation to perfect the zigzagging walk-the-dag presentation, but the reward is some fierce strikes from big fish. I have posted a YouTube video to help my readers master the walk-the-dog presentation. This can be found by typing YouTube/LocalLinesTV411/walkthedognow into any internet search engine. Most of the Space Coast flats with mullet activity will hold numerous seatrout, but the Banana River’s no-motor-zone (NMZ) is tops on my list for true gator seatrout. Throw in a healthy Redfish population with Snook, Black drum, and Tarpon making seasonal appearances, and it’s easy to see why a paddle-only zone, adjacent to the closed waters of Kennedy Space Center fills my kayaking dreams! A ton of information can be found on the NMZ on-line. Kayaks and canoes can be launched on both the east and west sides; however, I prefer the safety and security that the $5.00 a boat fee at KARS Park in Merritt Island offers. The east side is great, but the anglers are forced to park along the causeway behind Port Canaveral’s cruise terminals. Many vehicles have been burglarized on this stretch; so beware. Aerial photos and time on the water will help locate productive NMZ areas, but the most common mistake I see is people paddling past the fish. It’s not how far you go, it’s how many fish you see. Go slow, and you might find all you need right by the launch site. One often over looked fact about the NMZ is that it falls within the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge boundaries, and all anglers must possess a current refuge permit. This is free, and you can download it from the refuge’s web site. If you are hiring a guide to fish this unique area, please select one with the correct permits. Or just book with me for hassle-free NMZ fishing.

The water temperatures on Brevard’s coastal beaches are reaching summer highs. With this influx of warm ocean water come mass amounts of bait fish; most notably, large schools of Atlantic Menhaden (aka pogies). They are large, oily, filter-feeding bait fish that are the staple of many ocean-bound predators. Huge Tarpon, Kingfish, Cobia and sharks will join other predators to gorge on these dense bait schools within yards of the surf zone. Kayakers can simply drive on A1A stopping at various beach accesses in search of diving birds that give up the location of the massive pogie schools. Pogies can be cast netted or snatch-hooked and slow trolled around the bait pods. 15-20 lb. conventional or heavy spin tackle will make for some fun fights. Be safe; kayak in the ocean with a buddy, and bring a VHF radio. I will have much more to come on the fishing as it heats up in the summer.

Tight Lines & Wet Paddles

Forecasts by: Capt. Alex Gorichky

LocalLinesChartes.com

Full-Time Space Coast fishing guide

And Malibu Kayaks Pro-Staff paddler

Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255

April CAM 2011 Kayaking in Brevard forecast

2011-04-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived with calmer winds and numerous kayak fishing opportunities in tow. The Sea Trout bite will be red hot in the entire region. The most productive kayakers will cast large top water lures on mullet-covered flats. Be on the water at first light or at dusk, and be extremely quiet. Lagoon Sea Trout don’t reach gator size by investigating odd noises. Wading may be necessary if winds don’t allow for a silent approach that is needed to catch the trophy trout. Just about any top water plug from walk-the-dog types to poppers will get you strikes. Best colors for these lures are chartreuse, sea trout, red head with a white body, and natural. On the conservation tip, please release all big Sea Trout; they make more! Plus, there are plenty of 18-20 inchers if you are looking for dinner.

For the adventurous paddlers, Cobia and Tripletail should be available off the beaches of our region. As I write this (mid-March), the main body of Cobia-friendly water (68°-72°) is hanging from Patrick Air Force Base, south. Through April, the Cobia and the Manta Rays they follow will move north. By the time this publication hits the stands, I would expect kayak anglers may find Cobia from the Cocoa Beach Pier, north to Playalinda Beach. Canaveral National Seashore (Playalinda) beach access can be tricky to navigate with kayaks due to their “ziggy-zaggy” nature, but the deep water and structure will wipe that from your memory. Medium/heavy tackle from 12-20 lbs., with leaders in the 40-60 lb. class, will subdue even monster Cobia. I personally prefer 10 lb. river tackle on the average sized (15-20 lbs.) Cobia most encountered. Though any live bait will peak the cobias interest there is no need for the hassle. Large bright jigs of which Handler tackle supply in Port Canaveral has many of will work well.

Remember to size the jig for your tackle not the fish; all will have heavy enough hooks. One of my little tricks is to bring a dozen or two jumbo shrimp and some ¼ to ½ oz. jig heads not only do cobia love them, but they are a sure bet if a tripletail is spotted. When searching for cobia look for floating debris, dense bait pods, turtles, manta rays, and free swimming fish. Be sure to have a good pair of polarized sunglasses to see the brown shark looking fish. Please use common sense when dealing with large fish in open water. VHF radios, visibility flags, and the buddy system are safety precautions that should be taken. A fish-bag works great to ice down your days catch of cobia and tripletail, and be sure to check your regulations. If all that sounds like a little too much work, but you still want a kayak cobia. Give me a shout and book a Mothership kayak fishing adventure, huge fish none of the hassle. For some awesome pictures of the space costs most prized game fish visit and “like” Facebook/Local Lines Guide Service the official space coast fishing page.

Tight Lines & Wet Paddles

Forecasts by: Capt. Alex Gorichky

LocalLinesChartes.com

Full-Time Space Coast fishing guide

And Malibu Kayaks Pro-Staff paddler

Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255

Triple-tail are a common catch on Mother-ship kayak adventures into the Atlantic from Port Canaveral, Florida. Kayak fishing the Coastal waters of Cocoa Beach for huge and interesting fish with motorized support.

Recent Catches from the Space Coast

2011-04-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the hard fighting good to eat Tripletail.

Port Canaveral, Fl has some of the biggest in the world.

Capt. Alex of http://locallinescharters.com/ can put you on them.

How about some redfish inshore from my Malibu Kayaks.

Kayak fishing is a blast and I have all the equipment for a great trip.

This Redfish was caught from Cocoa Beach, Fl in the Banana River Lagoon.

Spring Time fishing is hot! Book Now!

http://locallinescharters.com/

Don't forget the heavy Cobia that swim in the surf line of Cocoa Beach, Fl.

A short run from Port Canaveral's adjacent to Grills Seafood & Tiki Bar a popular location.

Have them cook your catch while you sip a few cold drinks.

Book Now!

321.480.3255

April Space Coast Fishing

2011-04-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

April in my mind is ripe with angling opportunities. Of course our homebody trout, reds will be available, but we also will get shots at cobia and tripletail for the more adventuresome paddlers. The trout spawn will jump off this month, but please let’s give them a break until the impact of the freezes on breeders is known.

Indian and Banana River Lagoon’s:

Many nice reds will fall for search baits such as Saltwater Assassin paddle tails weedless or on a jig head and mirro-lure suspending lures in natural colors on the vast flats of the both Lagoons. Clean water and baits of all sizes should be present-if not find a new flat. For trout (catch, photo, release), break out those topwater plugs like the Mirror-lure line of baits, Badonk-a-donk, Skitter-Walk, and Zara-Spook. Hit the water at dawn or dusk.

Banana River No-Motor-Zone (NMZ):

This month could be your last to target blackdrum in the NMZ. Schools of these drum will be in tightening as they move off the flats. Hit the outer bars, and sight fish while standing on a stable kayak like the Malibu Kayaks Stealth 14, while they rest, and if the tails are waving you can’t miss them. The best baits are a quartered blue crab, or Gulp shrimp and crabs fished still on 3/0-5/0 circle hooks.

Mosquito Lagoon:

For reds try the flats in 1-2ft. with many pot-holes. Use a Saltwater Assassin paddle tail weedless, or Mirro-lure suspending lure to locate reds holding in these sand spots. Then slow way down and put multiple cut mullet or ladyfish in each of these “holes”. Let them sit for five to ten minutes then drift to the farthest pot-hole you hit, and repeat the process.

Near-shore/Beaches including Port Canaveral:

As the water on the beaches hits the 68 degree mark cobia will become available. The Cobia can be reached utilizing the many public beaches of Brevard County. Do your dock work and seek out info on fish close to the beach, then grab a buddy and go! Look for wing tips of Manta Rays, debris, birds and bait. Some bright bucktail jigs from Handler Fishing Supply, a medium/heavy spinning rod, a drift sock, and you’re in business.

Tight Lines and Wet Paddles!

Forecast by Capt. Alex Gorichky

LocalLinesCharters.com

Kayak Fishing guide on the space coast.

Malibu Kayaks Pro-Staff

Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255