This Week in Local Lines Catching and Fishing Forecast **March 30, April 06 2015**

3/30 to 4-06

What fun but challenging week at  Local Lines Charters.com Book Now!!   Lots of trout, black drum, redfish and a few missed opportunities on some stud snook.  The end of last week brought us our first full moon of the spring and signaled the start of our seatrout spawn.  Coming of the cold snap from the previous weekend and right into the full moon had fish moving and not wanting to settle.  Not to mention the north winds from that cool front slap dumped the water out of the lagoons.  Just about everywhere I’ve been that was completely grassless over winter (not normal; however new normal) has been showing good signs of growth.  Let’s hope for a good summer growing season to give those fish something they like (health seagrass). 

This week’s forecast:   

In-shore

Trout, Trout, and more TROUT…lol   But for real; we are on the back (waning) side of the full moon and those mama trout should be very hungry.  Please release all you trout over 24 inches!  Trout of that size or bigger are virtually all female and our breeding stock.  Topwwater plugs early and late, or a http://slayerinc.com/  (Slayer Inc.) SST.   Massive amounts of bait are on the flats and these fish are looking for a meal.  If you’re not as confident in your lure skills the just put out a few live mullet and let her rip.  Hardy and plentiful its (mullet) the easiest of our baits to use!  Tail hook with a 3/0 circle hook when your fishing stationary or “posted up”.  When poling or moving to your next spot lip hook one and drag it behind you.  That next big smash you hear at your 6 o’clock might be your bait!!

Near-Shore

With South East winds predicted of the rest of our week and coming off that full moon (spawning event) the tripletail of Canaveral and the adjacent beaches should be hungry.  Buoy fish will be present, but debris (my favorite) trips will be a good bet.  Look to the bight, as it acts like a giant catcher’s mitt for that debris.  The funky Cobia season might get a little kick with these winds also, so don’t be afraid to look.  Bait (pogies) has been increasing with some solid mixed bag fishing and the tarpon aren’t far off.  Summer will be on us quick.  For my blue water friends, that wind should mean some amazing Mahi fishing also!!

Open Dates this week:  none, few for next week so stayed tuned and get fishing

Book Now to get in on the action!!  321.480.3255

THIS WEEKS CATCHES!

Special thanks:  http://kayaksbybo.com/ , http://slayerinc.com/ , http://www.kbboutfitters.com/ for all the help over the years.

3/23-3/30

Thanks for checking out this weekly blog brought to you by http://www.locallinescharters.com/ ..  Clients, Tourneys, wind, and weather!   What a crazy week it was.  The late week front put a hurting on the fish, and that’s typically what a late front will do to the space coast.  Heavy north winds dropped water levels quick.  Though the water temps didn’t get much cooler the fishes attitudes sure did.  All will be back to normal though!  Local Lines entertained a great group of Kayak anglers with the help of a few great guides (Alan Ryland and Pepi Vidal); fish were caught and fun was had.  Got a large group? We do personal tourneys, and can accommodate your needs.  Logan and I fished the IFA tourney on Sunday, and boy it was some tough going!  But as I always say; you must learn every time you touch the water.  We left (smallish) fish to find bigger.  The kicker was!  We didn’t take the time to get a few.  Come to find out.  We could have walked with checks; no question.  As a guide you never leave fish to find fish until you have a few.  In a catch photo release (CPR) tourney you should do the same.  The contingency prize of a day with Logan on the water, raffle won reel (sweet), and a great snook made it a fun tourney for sure.  Never forget “stick, stay, and make it pay”…..

This week’s forecast:   

In-shore

Top water time is now!!  The bait has become so thick and fish are getting aggressive.  Get those plugs out in the mornings and evenings for some explosive strikes.  Some of my favorite fishing on the lagoons for sure!   The drop offs and deeper edges will be holding solid numbers of school sized trout with ladyfish and jacks mixed in..  weather looks great for sight fishing and some areas are super clear(banana river, and areas of the north lagoon,)…  don’t forget some shrimp for those present but dwindling black drum schools..

Near-Shore

Loads of bait and some nice tripletail should be present all week.  Free swimmers and buoy fish are both showing well.  The water temps dipped back down and it’s looking right for cobia from the shoals south.  We saw tons of rays today, but few fish.  Look for the wrecks and reefs to start producing cobia also.  Signs of the super fun Bonita summer fishery are showing and I can’t wait for that light tackle madness!

Open Dates this week:  4/3, 4/4

Book Now to get in on the action!!  321.480.3255

:LAST WEEKS CATCHES

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This week in Local Lines catching, and Forecast!

Thanks for checking out the new(ish) way http://www.locallinescharters.com/ brings you the most up-to-date fishing info on Florida’s beautiful Space Coast.  What a great week of fishing our clients have had.  We are seeing spring come in at an amazing pace!  Flats have filled with bait of all sizes, and we even have some large schools of open water glass minnows.  Those glass minnows shouldn't be as thick as they are for a while, but we’ll take it.  These minnow schools are a blast for fast fishing, and can be a great way to introduce kids into your fishy ways. 

This week’s forecast:   

In-shore

    Look for the seatrout bite to increase as the moon fills back out.  This coming full moon will have our areas gator trout feeling frisky for what should be their first spawn of the year.  The black drum we have all enjoyed in such great numbers will start to leave the flats to deeper water..  get them while you can, and we’re see good numbers of solid fish in the NMZ still.  Your smaller “eating” size fish are also still abundant, and will stay up shallow longer than the big ones..  Always carry live/fresh dead shrimp and be ready.  Calm mornings will have their tails flying high.  Some winds are expected towards the middle of the week, and again on Saturday.  So you might want to work around them..  Also the expected rain tomorrow (Monday) might get those poons that have started to show happy.  And we all love some Juvi poons.  Our redfish have enjoyed the influx of bait and are chasing schools of mullet all over the flats.  Its time for that topwater bite , so brush up on your dog walking. 

Near-Shore

    Cobia are being found but in small numbers on rays outside of Port Canaveral.  Plenty of manta rays, but not a ton of fish!  The water temps are right on the entire Brevard coast.  Its certainly worth a try!  Lots of floating grass and debris is out there, so have your Tripletial rod ready.  Reports of tarpon just a few miles south of our section have me amp'd for the slightly warmer waters and silver kings. 

Open Dates this week:  3/26,3/27

Book Now to get in on the action!!  321.480.3255

THIS WEEKS CATCHES!

Special thanks to:

http://slayerinc.com/

http://kayaksbybo.com/

Fall Mullet Run on Cocoa Beach

The Banana River's No-Motor-Zone

              The concept of a bucket list is a grand idea even at a young age.  With just a bit of self-reflection and a piece of paper!  Some of your most amazing Ideas can start to take shape.  Just the thought of all those far off lands send my brain swimming with silvery Tarpon, majestic leaping sailfish, grander Marlin within sight of land, or even Monster redfish in  the Shadows of Americas space program.  You see I have a unique birth place and share it with a piece of our nation’s history.  Merritt Island doesn’t just come into focus in those cool (look back at earth) pictures from launching rockets.  It also comes into focus in many publications, T.V. shows, and bar stool hero stories of monster redfish.  “It was the size of my boat”, they say!  That very well may be true in my home town. 

           Many years ago NASA started collecting land in a sparsely populated and Mosquito infested marshland now known as Cape Canaveral/Merritt Island. The subsequent secure areas that closed large sections of the North Banana River had an unintended consequence.  In the closing of those areas our local schools of redfish were able to flourish with little to no human pressure, and the lack of development created optimum breading grounds.  A little space coast fact; lagoons/rivers around the space coast play host to special redfish that spawn inshore, and that is not commonly found in their range.  This amazing “closed” area is affectionately called Jurassic park by those who have seen the reds that lurk these waters year round. 

              In the early days boats and anglers were able ply the waters in search of fish and stopping only at the Banana Rivers “secure area” boundary (NASA Cswy/405).  But an early-90’s call for Manatee protection and increased security gave birth to an extension of limited access water called the Banana River No-Motor-Zone (NMZ).  The access to this Manatee area was limited only by one’s ability to paddle, push, or sail.  The pristine waters that line NASA’s secure zone were now free of motors and boy did the fish respond.  Many types of common and not so common vessels have been poled (pushed), paddled, and sailed into the farthest reaches of the NMZ.  You may see a paddle boat with so many rods it appears to be a floating porcupine or come across four big guys in one little Johnboat, and the obvious combo package of a canoe with a sail has certainly been spotted. 

                  I cut my teeth in the NMZ with my trusty canoe!  My father would drop my fishing buddies and me at KARS Park on his way to work.  He worked on the Space programs my entire life; not to mention everyone else in my family including me (about 200 years of combined service).  So this gave us access to the NMZ front park that only NASA employees could use called “KARS Park”.  KARS as it’s commonly called; not only has camping and a marina.  It also serves as the best NMZ launch on its western shore with monster redfish caught right off the camp site docks frequently.  These playful fishing missions for hours with my fish minded school friends were only the beginning of my lifelong love for the NMZ’s huge resident redfish. 

                Several years back I retired that trusty old canoe.   These days my Fleet of fully rigged fishing kayaks get us around the NMZ with a bit more efficiency and style.  But the launch spot has remained the same KARS Park.  The stunning backdrop of tree lined shores and towering launch pads have witnessed broom sized redfish tails appearing from the mist of a foggy central Florida mornings for many years.  And countless times I can recall the hart stopping crush of a three foot redfish eating a topwater plug on still predawn mornings with the flash of Cape Canaveral’s famous lighthouse not yet drowned out by a stunning burst of sunrise color.  Or the huge American flag and NASA logo on the side of the massive VAB building adorning the horizon while you are towed off by a redfish the size of your leg that ate a mullet chunk the size of you fist.  With just a bit of research you could paint yourself into one of these scenes, and KARS helped you in achieving this attainable goal by starting to allow anyone to launch in the NMZ for a $5 a boat fee.  So come enjoy a guided trip or set out on your own, but this unique Florida destination should top your bucket list.

  Captain Alex Gorichky is a full-time Kayak and skiff guide on Florida’s space coast specializing in saltwater light tackle angling.  Born and raised on the space coast his knowledge of its finned residents is vast.  Contact Capt. Alex at www.localLinesCharters.com to book your NMZ bucket list trip!

Its time for big redfish on the space coast!

June CAM 2011

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/