Playalinda Beach In March

Fishing Playalinda Beach in March can be rewarding when the weather conditions permit.  The problem is that when conditions are stellar for surf fishing, the beaches get crowded, fast.

Saturday afternoon I decided to make a quick run to Playalinda Beach to get a fishing report from the gatekeepers and see how many surf fishermen were taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

I left the house after noon and drove up to the Playalinda Beach entrance shortly after.   

The refuge ranger I spoke with said that the surf fishermen were making good catches of whiting, bluefish and pompano at lots #8 and #10 so I headed to the beach to check it out.

I stopped briefly at Eddy Creek and found that the fishing pier that was damaged during the last hurricane was totally rebuilt and some fishermen were taking advantage of it.  

Lot #10 had several vehicles in the parking area and when I got to the top of the boardwalk, all of them seemed to be sunbathers.  Nobody was fishing the surf so I moved down to lot #8.

Lot #8 had about the same number of people on the beach but again, nobody was fishing so I couldn't get a first hand fishing report.  

I stopped at three other lots on the way out of the Canaveral National Seashore and found many more sunbathers but no fishermen.  

The tide was going out so either the fishermen left the beach after fishing the incoming tide, they departed when the beach became crowded, or the fishing reports were so bad that nobody bothered wetting a line today.  I can't believe the latter.

On the way out of Playalinda Beach, I stopped at a couple of the scenic Vistas to toss a Chug Bug smeared with some Pro-Cure around the clear flats.  

At Vista 6, I spotted several fish busting the surface and although I had a couple of followups, I had no aggressive hits on my bait.

When I finally left the beach, I drove up to Haulover to check out the fishing there.   Bairs Cove boat launch was slammed.  Trailers overflowed to the entrance leaving little room for the bank fishermen to pull over and fish, but they managed.

There were fishermen on the banks of both sides of the canal dunking a variety of baits, mostly shrimp, and a couple of the guys I spoke with said they were catching redfish, black drum, stingrays, and lots of catfish.  

I tossed a gold Johnson Sprite into the canal in a couple of areas but never got a hit, so I took a few pics of the scenery and headed back home to get something to eat.

Probably get out this week to give it a try when not so many people are around.

Till next time,

Tight Lines