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Fishing Report for Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island & Port Canaveral
Capt. Ron Presley
May 23, 2006
Cocoa Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
COCOA BEACH, MERRITT ISLAND FISHING REPORT
HOT TROUT BITE CONTINUES
Ed traveled all the way from Canada to do a little Banana River Fishing. An excellent angler such as Ed expects to catch fish and that’s the way it should be. Always think positive and make the casts and you usually catch fish. On this trip Ed caught sea trout, bluefish, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper.
Ed limited out on trout up to 20 inches as he culled them along the way. But when we got to the dock at the end of the day he culled them again to only three by returning the biggest ones after a photo op and just keeping enough to eat while he was here visiting. We could all take a lesson from this conservation minded angler. Most of his trout came on the RipTide 4 inch mullet in electric chicken. All sizes of trout were willing to eat the RipTide today. There were more than twenty trout fooled by the RipTide’s today.
Early in the morning Ed had a nice snook slam a Captain Mikes top water lure. After a couple of jumps and right at the side of the boat the snook gave us a final aerial demonstration and shook the plug loose. A nice 3 pound bluefish also fell prey to Captain Mike’s top water. Later in the day we switch to live shrimp for a while and caught more trout, a couple of jacks and numerous mangrove snapper.
If you read my last report I had mentioned the new Blast Shrimp Flavored Fish Attractant that RipTide came out with. Today I tried it by spraying it on a 3 inch mullet and casting it out on the bottom. It was no time until a nice little trout picked it up and ran off with it. That’s right, just laying there on the bottom. Don’t take my word for it, try it.
All the while the weather was threatening as black clouds crossed overhead. We got sprinkled on a little, but nothing serious. We manage to get a half day in before the rains came a little heavier. Too me it seems like a long way to Canada, but Ed is already talking about coming back.
Weather Changes Everything
The next day, after a great trout bite with Ed, a cold front came through and changed everything. I had another excellent angler on board with lots of saltwater experience. We left the dock early, around 6:00 in the cool air created by the front. The anticipation of another banner day of fishing was soon quelled as nothing seemed to work to produce a fish. The bite was off and George and I had to return to the dock without even having a photo opportunity. Sometimes I hate the phrase, but it is true. “That’s why they call it fishing not catching”.
A couple days later I was joined by Bill and Carol. They had fished with me a couple of times before and Carol wanted to catch a nice redfish. Since the last trip in the Banana River did not produce any good fish, I decided to take Bill and Carol on the Indian River. Turned out it wasn’t much better. We caught a lot of fish, but not the varieties we were looking for. By the end of the day we had logged catfish, mangrove snapper, whiting, pinfish, and spotted sea trout. Bill had a really nice 18 inch trout and lost one at the boat that was even bigger. Both trout came on a 3 inch Rip Tide mullet in the chartreuse color. The plastic bait was sprayed with the new shrimp flavored Blast fish attractant made by Rip Tide.
Final Notes
The Coastal Angler Fishing and Boating Expo in Melbourne was a great success. Thanks to those of you who came by the Florida Guides Association booth to say hi and talk about fishing. One visitor mentioned that he was looking for the silver mullet color that I have been having good luck with this spring and he could not find it. We checked a catalog and sure enough it wasn’t there. Turns out to be a new color and was not in the catalog yet. However, if you go online at www.culpritstore.com you will find it listed. If you don’t have a dealer in your area, this online store is designed for you. Give it a visit and give the silver mullet color a try.
Rule Changes
Don’t forget, starting on July 1st you have to use the pinched tail method of measuring fish. Your fish will have to be measured with the mouth closed and the tail pinched together. The measurement is then from the snout to the end of the pinched tail. You also have to have your tape flat on a surface, you can’t follow the contour of the fish. Fish and Wildlife refer to this a “total length” measurement. For more information, you can visit www.myfwc.com
As always, you can visit my website at www.inshorefishingadventures.com to view pictures of the fish we catch. That’s what it’s all about. Good fishin’.
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