Weekend Fishing Forecast

This weekend fishing forecast is dedicated to anglers in East Central Florida.

Today, as a new cold front pushes into the Gulf, NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center expects the winds to freshen out of the southeast.

This will result in winds up to 15 mph and seas of 4 to 6 feet.  Not too bad for offshore fishing, especially since the head boats out of Port Canaveral have been reporting nice catches of mangrove snapper, triggerfish, grouper, king mackerel and blackfin tuna up to 20 pounds.

Close to Port Canaveral, nearshore fishermen using live shrimp around the buoys are catching tripletail.

The 40-foot depths around Port Canaveral right now are where you should target redfish.  Some large schools of bull reds have been reported in these depths this past week just outside the Port.

Surf fishermen along the Space Coast using small clams for bait will be catching whiting, pompano, sheepshead and black drum.

Right now the pompano are scattered but roaming the troughs in small schools.  Don't stay in one spot too long.  If you don't start catching fish in a half hour or so move on to the next spot.  Pompano will be in one area one day and move on the next.

According to the guides, the Mosquito Lagoon has been hot during the morning hours between 9:00 and 11:00 am.

Redfish, seatrout and black drum have been cruising the eastern shorlines of the lagoon south of Oak Hill.  Sight casting and drift fishing with weedless lures or live shrimp has been the most productive tactic.

The Indian River Lagoon has been clearing up enough from the summer algae bloom for fishermen to take advantage of the sheepshead fishing around the docks and bridges.  Wade or drift fish with fiddler craps or small shrimp to catch these tasty fish. 

If you're a freshwater fisherman, black crappie fishing on the St. Johns river north of Puzzle Lake is your best bet this weekend.

The most productive method for catching these fish is to slow troll small curly tail grubs on a jighead. Chratreuse, white and yellow are good colors to try first.

A few shad are being caught, but not in great numbers.

I'm heading out to Playalinda to check out the surf.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.