Space Coast Fall Fishing Seminar

*****Fall Fishing Seminar from Local Lines Charters*****

Hey folks thanks for checking out Local Lines Fall "Bloginar".  This is an on-line seminar series I am publishing quarterly (winter, spring, summer, and fall) that will cover fishing on the Lagoons and Near-Coastal waters of Brevard County, Fl (Space Coast).  As if a dozen or so (in person) seminars, monthly articles in Coastal Angler Mag. Brevard and Orlando, and continuous articles in Merritt Island Now mag every year isn’t enough; we’re gonna bring you this too! 

                                Beautiful Lagoon Bull red and Capt Alex G. from a clients view.

It’s fall on the Space Coast and if you’re not amp'd on getting some fish, well then you’re not paying attention.  The annual “Fall” mullet run is kicking off nice with this front\tropical rain event we have been experiencing for several days.  As this weather event moves out of our area the winds are predicted to stay from the north.  With every cold/cool front driven north blow we get, more waves of mullet will come.   Much like a train that’s hard to slow.  As the mullet run increases momentum it’s hard to slow until they all pass through.  On the Beaches and Near-Coastal waters a steady stream of south bound mullet will get the attention on every predator in town.  Obviously with this much bait in the water it’s hard to get that artificial bite sometimes.  Having a cast-net and method of live bait retention (bait bucket) is really paramount to success.  In current or surf that you will encounter while fishing from the Inlets and beaches a “fishfinder rig” works great with a live mullet, pinfish, croaker, or white bait.  Be sure to match the egg sinker size to the conditions.  You want to get the bait down, but not stifle its movement.  Fishing the jettys, beaches, and inlets in this manner will score you snook, reds, mangrove, Snapper, jacks, tarpon, and sharks.  Slow trolling large mullet 9-14inchs long from just outside the breakers, all the way to 50ft depths will get you shots at big kingfish, tarpon, cobia, and sharks.  20-30lb class conventional rods with light tips work well in this live bait trolling situation.  Rig with a “kingfishlive bait rig” and sub out wire leader to the lead hook with 60-80lb mono/flouro, but keep the wire to stinger hook.  Find the concentrations of bait to find the fish by foot, boat, or kayak.  It can truly be a sight to behold if you catch the right day at the right time, so keep an eye to the beaches for some fun fishing. 

Top method Artificial:  Plugging the beaches with “bomber style” lipped plugs by foot.  This can be done with heavy river tackle 10-20lb class spinning setups.  Fish the troughs and washouts from the sand to breakers.  Many times the main target (snook) is in the first trough and even running bait onto the sand on higher tides.  40lb leader and braid from 10-20lb works well, I typically like braid in this situation for the lack of stretch and smaller line diameter in churning waves.  Be sure to cast horizontally not just straight out.  You won’t tend to have much in the way of snags so have some fun with these fish.

Top method Natural Bait:  Live bait trolling like described above.  Mullet are hardy baits so load up that livewell.  When you find a fishy area or the bite gets a bit slow, just toss out a few free ones.  They will likely hang with the boat or the baits your trolling. Fish always love freebies!

The lagoon waters will also burst at the seams as the months dwindle into the new year.  Some bait will stay through winter, but much of the mullet (most prevalent Space Coast Lagoon bait) will head south to warmer winter waters.  Get those shots at your tarpon (juvi) and snook in the lagoons now, because after a good cold snap or two they will become increasingly tough to find.  The trout and reds know a change is coming also, so they will feed heavy in fall to pack on the pounds for winter.  Look for search baits like the Slayer Inc. SST rigged weedless on a keeper hook to produce fish at all hours of the day.  Favorite colors are Bounty Hunter, Gumbo, pearl, and molting for this time of year, or just about any time of the year for that matter.  When conditions allow; a topwater plug can produce explosive strikes at any time of the day or night.  I say when “conditions allow” due to the amount of floating grass typically encountered this time of year.  Just like your law stops growing in the fall and winter.  The lagoon grasses will do the same, along with breaking loose, and making it generally sucky to work anything but weedless.  Focus on areas the make bait change their movements.  Things like dock lines, points, and drop-offs or edges will interrupt the south bound mullet and create ambush points.  These ambush points will become fish staging areas and consistently produce until the lagoon run slows with winters chill.   Not that you won’t find tailing reds chomping on shrimps and such, but most fish will be hunting mullet.  As with the beach mullet run, the lagoon one can become so heavy with bait that an artificial bite is very tough.   Grab the net and freeline some mullet, it works wonders on your catching.  The redfish spawn is in full swing so please be respectful of these fish, one-and-done (don’t pound the school), and use heavy tackle to limit fight times.  We have a very unique group of bull reds on the space coast, and it’s our responsibility to care for them.

Top method Artificial:   topwater plugs on outside edges of flats or drop-offs.  It doesn’t always happen, but if you find big schools of bait pushing on a 2ft + drop-offs or deeper flats. Pay them some serious attention with a large topwater plug.  A true mixed bag lagoon session can be had with trout, big redfish, tarpon, jacks, ladyfish, and a few other visitors.  Great fun and it can happen at any time of the day.

Top method Natural Bait:  Bullet mullet (3-5 inches) freelined tight to the mangroves.  I look for deeper, open flat shorelines with some adjacent canals.  Tail-hook the small (bullet) mullet just under his second fin on top of its back.  Keep tension and the bait won’t wonder around, but sit in the same spot (preferably next to or under the mangroves) and just wiggle.  Snook, Tarpon, trout, and reds will pop this bait from underneath.  It is quite visible and fun to watch.

 Be sure to check NoFill No Kill for any updates on the proposed rail line over the lagoon. Some great things are happening on that front, so get involved.  I was doing the weekly report, but a survey of the people said they like to see my charter pics daily.  So back to that we go!  Make sure to “Like” and “Share” Local LinesCharters or my personal FB page for the most up-to-date charter fish pics, and info.  I will still post Blog reports and forecasts, maybe monthly, and Of course these quarterly Blog seminars (Bloginar’s).  Hope you enjoyed and Please feel free to book a charter for these exciting fishing adventures.  The New boat is coming along great too!

Tight Lines

Capt. Alex Gorichky 

Here's some pic's of our catches over the past few weeks.  We have open dates the 26th and 29th of Sept., so be sure to grab a day if your looking to close the month out right.  Plenty of openings in October too!

Weekly fishing Forecast for Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, and Port Canaveral near coastal/lagoon waters by Local Lines charters for July 1, 2015.  If you have not been on the water please be cautious; the lagoons are extremely low.  This time of year the water has typically come up substantially more than it is right now.  Due to the drop and morning periods of low oxygen on the shorelines we have been focusing on drop-offs and deeper flats.  Areas of floating grass have also produced well.  Lures like the Slayer Inc. SST rigged weedless have been producing Snook, Tarpon, Trout, Redfish, and Black Drum.  Once the sun comes up a bit!  You can’t go wrong with live and cut baits.  Mullet are very prevalent in the shallows and should be fairly easy to catch.  I personally like the large (black) mullet for soaking, and ones from 5-8 inches are best for live baiting.  If you’re stationary; tail hook your live bait.  If your moving or casting; nose hook.  30lb leader and no lead needed.  4/0 to 6/0 hooks work great. It’s been a spectacular week.  And many fish were caught using these methods.  You will notice a bunch of kids with great fish in the pic's.  It's summertime take a kid fishing!

This week’s forecast:   Please be careful on the water this holiday weekend.

In-shore    I will be looking for that deeper edges pattern to hold for a while.  Also look for the tarpon(juvi) to get more and more active.  Early mornings and late evenings are beast for them and don’t overlook “post” thunderstorm/rain for them to light up!  As the weeks of July progress the Bull Redfish will make themselves known on the shallow flats.  They use the edges to group up for the late summer spawn. Make sure to be skipping those mangroves, the snook are thick this year, and seeing some monster ones.

Near-Shore   The tarpon bit has been spotty and hard to pin down.  If you end up in the pogies off the beach!  You can bet they are not far behind.  Live baits produce best.  Look for the beaches from Patrick AirForce Base to Sabastian Inlet to fill with breeder snook.  They stay tight to the beach and are willing to hit many types of bait live or artificial.  They are staging for their late summer spawn and some real big ones will be caught.  These are a great target on boat, kayak, and foot!

Tight Lines! 

Open Dates this week:  Sunday (morn), Several open for the coming weeks of July.

Book Now to get in on the action!!  321.480.3255

THIS WEEKS PIC’s!

Space Coast Summer Fishing Seminar

Space Coast Summer Fishing Seminar by Local Lines

      Summer is here and the fishing is hot!  Seasons don’t really change much on the Space Coast.  It kind of just goes from warm in the fall, winter, and spring.  To super-hot in the summer!  The air gets increasingly heavy with tropical moisture and afternoon showers become an everyday occurrence.  Hurricane season brings the threat of nasty weather and big surf, but also the potential for some outstanding “outflow/culvert” fishing.  The beauty of our Space Coast fishery is easy to see this time of year.  One of the things that make our lagoons so fishy; is our geographic location!  Nestled on the convergence of tropical and sub-tropical climate zones with ocean influence, and over 100 miles of lagoon for fish to travel this watery wonderland; we get many visitors.  Our year round resident fish have many summer friends to share the flats, mangroves, beaches, and Inlets with.  Some never leave, but only move to different locations in the winter.  Only to come from their hiding spots and join their brethren who “migrate” up when the days get long.  I’m going to cover some info, tips, and tactics for three of my favorite summer targets.

Mangrove Snapper (other names; gray snapper, black snapper, Mango’s):                                                                      

       The Mangrove Snapper (Mango’s) are a species that basically disappear in the cooler months.  Some can still be found, but not anything to really speak about.  Summer time warm waters are what make them happy, and we have tons of places for them to “squat” until it cools again.  The Mango’s will move up the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), but will also enter the lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean via Sabastian Inlet, Port Canaveral, and Ponce Inlet.  Most will range from 1-3lbs. and make excellent dinner guests.  In fact Mango’s are one of only three fish I specifically target for meat in the lagoons (Black drum, and sheepshead round-out that list).   These aggressive schooling fish are predominantly found on structure, pilings, and as their name suggests Mangrove shorelines.  Most mango’s are typically caught with live baits like shrimp, mud minnows, mullet, pilchards, or pogies that are 2-4inches in length.  A main line of 10-20lb. braid with a three foot leader of 20-30lb (mono or Fluorocarbon) will cover most situations, but you may get smoked by a real big one.  Fish close to the “structure” that has the mango’s on it, and live chumming can be very effective if you have the bait capacity to do so.  A “live bait” J-hook in sizes from 1/0-(size) 2 depending on bait size is what I like for this fast hitting fish.  Add a split shot or small lead sinker to get it down a bit, but don’t use too much lead and kill the baits action.  Jig heads can also achieve this, but can get costly after a few breakoffs.  With a 5 per angler/a day limit, and the size needed being 12inches or larger; Mango’s are a spectacular way to fill your cooler on the space coast.  For those of you that venture offshore;   lighten that grouper gear up a bit and get a shot at the monster double digit Mango’s on our reefs and wrecks.          

Snook (line-siders):                                                                           

                                                                                                                               

       Snook are an amazing fish that fight hard and will even toss in a few jumps on occasion.  Its large mouth, excellent eyesight, and well-tuned lateral line make the Snook a top predator of the lagoons and near coastal beaches.  Snook cannot survive well in water lower than 45 deg. and will die of cold shock at those temps.  The more years pass after a hard/cold winter.  The better snook fishing is!  With the mild winters we’ve experienced over the past several years; look for snook to be readily available and larger sized also.  Just about every mangrove shoreline will have a few hidden why under the tangle of roots and branches.  Ditches, canals, and culverts that drain swamp areas are all great places to look for the lagoon snook that average 3-9lbs.  These lagoon snook will fall for topwater plugs, Slayer Inc. plastics, and hard baits.  They are also suckers for a nice live mullet, pinfish, or live shrimp.  Due to fishing in close proximity to the structure; I will rig with 20lb braid main line, and a 3ft 40lb leader (fluoro or mono).  These are powerful fish that will run you right into structure and break you off.  Not to mention the sandpaper lips and razor sharp gill plates!  These guys have all the ammo for a heartbreaking fish story.  Look for lagoon snook to also hold on flats adjacent to the outflows as storms push water from the backcountry after a heavy rain.   The late summer snook spawn will have our heavyweight line-siders looking to get frisky.  For a successful spawn; snook need some water movement, and not much productive spawning happens north of Sabastian Inlet.  Though our snook won’t spawn much at Port Canaveral they still know what time it is!  Snook will flood the beaches and inlets in ever increasing numbers.  Be ready and step that gear up a bit, because these bruisers range from 10-25lbs. Large lipped plugs, topwaters, bucktail jigs, and live baits keep my clients hooked up. 

Tarpon (silver king, poon, Juvi-less than 35lb.):      

                                                                                                                                       

      This summertime interloper is one I’m most fond of.  The young years of my life were spent chasing the Juvi Tarpon on Pine Island Rd., and all of North Merritt Island’s (MI) ditches in the summer.  Those days of living on Pine Island Rd. have past, and diversions in flow have changed the way tarpon use north MI in general.  However; a love for these fish continues, and they are plentiful over the entire Space Coast.  Last year was (IMO) one of the best years for Juvi Tarpon I’ve seen in a long time (they like dirty water so that might not be a good thing).  I would hope this year holds the same tune, and from what I see it is.  Fishing small lures is fun and productive on juvi poon’s, but the most excitement can be had with a fly rod.  My brother and I perfected the side arm cast needed to send our 2-3 inch white “minnow” fly’s under the mangrove canopy to waiting tarpon.  Many miles were biked in search of the tell tail roll that gives away the tarpon’s presence from birth to death.  That roll and gulp of air are what give the tarpon such an advantage in the stale low oxygen backwaters.  As part of their life cycle they spend those early years feasting on minnows of all shapes in mangrove lined swamps, canals, and ditches.   So it stands to reason these fish readily fall for small offerings.  Hard plastic lipped plugs, topwater plugs, Slayer Inc. SST’s, Mirr-O-Dine’s, and fly’s that are less than 4 inches in length will be clobbered by these 5-35lb poon’s.  White is always a productive color, and stands out well in the typically dark stained waters.  If conditions line up you can also find large groups of these smaller tarpon on open flats.  This early bite of “open water” Juvi tarpon will not stay in open water as the sun rises, so be on the water predawn.  Do the Giant Tarpon from 80-150lbs come in the lagoon?   Yes; every year we have big poons push up the IRL, but they are tough to find and target for the most part.  We do get a massive migration of these beastly tarpon in our near-coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  The waters off Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, KennedySpace Center, and Port Canaveral fill with pods of bait and the tarpon enjoy a great feast.  These fish must be tackled with gear in the 20-40lb range to even stand a chance.  Leader from 60-80lb and 6/0-8/0 circle hooks should be used for the battle ahead.  Ocean Tarpon roll just like their baby brothers in the ditch, so you’ll know if you’re in productive water.  Trolling live baits like mullet, pogies, croakers, and pinfish of the large variety will get you the most solid hook-ups.  You can hook and land them on a large assortment of “big” lures, but they tend to shake the hooks with these.  Remember to always bow-to-the-king; silver king that is!  It’s the best way to keep them hooked when they decide to take off jumping.  A little lean forward when he goes flying is the way to do it!

       I hope you’ve enjoyed this “written seminar” highlighting our summer fishing.  Stay tuned to this Blog for weekly forecasts, updates on the bite, and a written seminar for summer (this one), fall, winter, and spring.  Contact Local Lines for all you charter fishing needs, and any questions or comments.

Tight Lines

Capt. Alex Gorichky  

Weekly fishing Forecast by LocalLinesCharters.com for May 18th, 2015

    Weekly fishing Forecast by Local Lines charters for May 18th, 2015..  Covering Merritt Island Refuge, The Lagoons, Cocoa Beach, Port Canaveral, and the Space Coast's offshore waters. Well; first I apologize!  I got so wrapped up in NoFill NoKill, my B-day, and non-stop charters.  That I neglected the Local Lines forecast last week.  For those that did hit the water; it was windy as you know.  The bite has been steady and solid fish are frequent visitors on my daily trips.  The topwater bite has been spectacular, and that’s always a good time.  Lots of stuff rolling on the conservation front; Interview’s, Articles, “Meetings” with port managers, and prepping for a rally/protest!  Please be aware of the port’s plan and find ways to help at this link No Fill No Kill.

This week’s forecast:   

In-shore   Get out those topwater plugs folks..  Fish them early and later when the sun is low.  Walking-the-dog is the way to go.  Sure chug bugs and other inline plugs work, but to really call them in you need to get that side-to-side.  Tons of plugs do it!  Some easier than others!  Lighter winds and an uptick in moisture as we head into the weekend could get those tarpon poppin, so check your favorite backwater “flow” area.  A bit of wind is forecasted over the holiday weekend, but don’t shy away from those windy shores.  The turbulent water can put fish on the bite for sure.  

Near-Shore  Well the winds have made it tough, but a few days of reprieve are upon us.  The wind and seas are looking good with an uptick in both for Sunday and Memorial Day.  Friday has the potential to be epic Near-Shore kayak conditions (hint: I’m open) with grass floating in.  Tripletail and tarpon should be good bets; along with mixed bag fishing in the bait pods.  If you haven’t had a chance to get on the Mahi fishing then this weekend should be good.  Go for the far run to get away from the crowds. North will typically get less pressure than south.  It’s going to be busy at the ramps with the “official” start of summer so be prepared and just go with it.  Everyone’s there for the same reason; some just get to do it more often.  Offer help, but don’t impose if needed.  It can be done tactfully! 

Everyone have a fun and safe Memorial weekend.  Be sure to get your summer trip booked.

Tight Lines! 

Open Dates this week:  5-22(Fri.), 5-23(Sat.) Plus have plenty of evening openings, and that bite has been spectacular.

Book Now to get in on the action!!  321.480.3255

THIS WEEKS PIC’s!

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