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Fishing Report for Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island & Port Canaveral
Capt. Ron Presley
December 18, 2005
Cocoa Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
Merry Christmas
I just want to start off by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. This is a great time of the year, one I always enjoy. Sharing with family and friends in the spirit of the season is pretty hard to beat.
Christmas Shopping
If you have not found the right Christmas gift for that important person on you list, why not a gift certificate for a fishing trip? Just contact me and I can have you a gift certificate in no time flat! The good part is, the fishing trip is for two – so you can go too.
This Weeks Fishing
I am extremely happy to report that the water is beginning to clear and the fishing is picking up. Two trips this past week produced numerous spotted sea trout, a few reds, and even a snook.
I took my grandson out one day hoping to get him on some fish since we had not been out for awhile. Luck was with us and we found a spot that produced a bunch of fish on soft plastic lures. It was one of those days, even though the weather has been cold, that anything seemed to work. Robert was using a CAL series paddle tail on a ¼ ounce head. He would cast out, let it fall to the bottom, and then begin a very slow retrieve with an occasion twitch. The trout were willing to bite on various colors, but electric chicken was all you really needed. In fact, Robert caught 30 trout, to 16 inches, on the same CAL electric chicken paddle tail. Not bad, did not have to change tails once.
Before we decided to call it a day, Robert had beaten me by four fish. I managed 26 of the schoolie trout. I caught them on root beer, electric chicken, avocado, and white. They did not seem to be that particular.
On another trip this past week I fished with Lenore, from Texas, and Tom from Maryland. It started off like another cold blustery day but the winds subsided some later in the morning and it proved to be a decent weather day. After the first hour of the day passed without a single fish being caught it was looking rather bleak. But then Lenore got the day started with a nice sea trout.
We moved on to another area where Lenore scored again and Tom followed pretty quickly with a sea trout of his own. To this point all the fish had come on live shrimp even though we had also thrown a lot of plastics. This spot and one more a little further south produced 5 or 6 trout and one lonely whiting that happened along.
Another move took us to an area with several docks and on the second one Lenore landed her first ever redfish. It was a little short at 16 inches, but nonetheless she was excited to get it. She caught several more as we put the Power Poll down and fished this hole pretty heavily. We were staying with the shrimp, simply because the plastics had not produced any fish. However, after a couple of reds and several trout came out of this area I suggested to Tom that he try a plastic bait. He willingly obliged and immediately caught a nice sea trout on the electric chicken. A little later he hooked up on a nice little red and finally, even caught a 20 inch snook to make it a slam! Once the bite began, and it was not until later in the day, it continued for about an hour and a half before slowing.
We moved on and fished several other areas on our way back to the dock, but the best was over. Tom and Lenore left the dock headed for Grills and a seafood lunch; I headed for the house and the job of cleaning up the boat for the next trip. The lesson of the week, during this time of the year you just do not have to get out there too early. We did not leave the ramp until 9:00 this morning and did not have a good bite until at least 10:30. That will vary from day to day, but sleep in a little and get a later start. It might just put you on more fish a little quicker.
That’s what it’s all about. Good Fishin’’.
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