Why Cocoa Beach, Port Canaveral is the best port to visit
and especially charter fish
Port Canaveral is the inlet that all the cruise boats, fishing
boats, casino boats and military submarines use on the Central
East Coast of Florida. World famous Cocoa Beach is the beach to
the south of the inlet and the Cape Canaveral National Seashore,
Kennedy Space Center is to the North of the inlet. The 100s of
wrecks and endless miles of reef make the waters off-shore Port
Canaveral the best saltwater fishing location on the East Coast of
Florida. Port Canaveral is also the closest place to go deep sea
fishing or shark fishing if you are visiting Orlando, Kissimmee, Titusville,
Cocoa Beach, Melbourne area. If you are visiting Daytona,
Daytona Beach, New Smyrna, Palm Bay or Sebastian it is
about a 45 to 60 minute drive.
We are worth the drive because of
the great fishing but also for the additional bonuses you
get when fishing with us out of Port Canaveral. The first
bonus is that Port Canaveral has a lock system. This makes Port
Canaveral the safest port on the East Coast because we don't
have strong currents and shallow sandbars to deal with. The lock
system also attracts manatees, dolphins and sea turtles. Seeing
these magnificent animals just adds to the experience of the
day.
Second bonus is that most days on the way out or coming
back in you get a very up close look at the awesome cruise ships
that call Port Canaveral home. It is especially memorable when
we go past the Disney ships and here them blast the Disney theme
music from the ships horns. You also get to see some of the
Disney characters in funny scenes on the back of the ships.
Third bonus, on some days we get to see and wave to our military
coming in on the Trident submarines. It is awesome to see the
submarines and it is even more awesome to greet the men and women
that protect us so we can enjoy things like fishing.
Fourth
bonus is Kennedy Space Center. On the way out you get to observe
the unspoiled coast of the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. It
lets you glimpse what the Florida coast looked like before all
the hotel and condos. You also get to see the launch pads,
Vehicle Assembly Building (V.A.B. is where the shuttles are
stored for maintenance) and on some occasions you can see a
rocket or shuttle on the launch pads. If you time it just right
you even get the best view there is for a shuttle or rocket
launch.
The fifth bonus is that if everyone in your group is not
interested in fishing, Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Kennedy
Space Center provides them with endless entertainment after they
drop the rest of the group off for the fishing trip. They can
visit Kennedy Space Center, go to Cocoa Beach and Jetty Park.
They can shop at Ron Jon's and other boutiques on Cocoa Beach or
shop at the mall. They can eat at the endless number of
restaurants we have to choose from. Or you can call me and I
will tell you what the locals like to do.
Port Canaveral is the
closet place to deep sea fish when you are visiting Central East
Florida. If we are not the closest the extra 20 or 30 minute
drive is well worth it just for all the extras you get not to
mention the awesome fishing.
Capt. Greg Rapp
Port Canaveral Slang
This is to inform you on Port Canaveral slang. We catch several
different species of fish on any given day and just about every
fish is called something other than its real name. Here is the
down low on the slang.
Red grouper slang name is a trash can. Warsaw grouper slang name
is a toad. When a grey or gag grouper gets over 30lbs it usually
gets a black coloring on its belly and we call it a black belly
(If you here us say black belly you caught yourself a giant) Red
snapper get slang names by their size. Red snapper under 10lbs
is a chicken, under 20lbs is a cadillac and over 20lbs is called
a sow. King mackerel slang name is slimer and if its over 25lbs
its called a smoker. Sailfish is called a spindle beak. Amber
Jack is called a reef donkey. Black sea bass are called
biscuits. Dolphin, mahi mahi, and dorado are all the same fish
and sometimes we call them a false porpi. Remora slang name is
sneaker head. Cobia slang is brown fish or brownie. Wahoo is a
striped critter. Bonito slang name is bone head. Tarpon are
called shiners. Scamp grouper is called a broom tail or emerald
eye. Sharks are called toothy critters. Vermillion snapper are
called B-Liners. Jack Crevalle slang name are called yellow
submarine. Black groupers are called carbaretas.
Now your in the know so lets go catch some sows, black belly's,
smokers, false porpi and a spindle beak to round it out.
Capt. Greg Rapp
The Almost
World Famous Sea Leveler Wednesday Crew
If your not familiar with or never heard of the Wednesday crew,
this will give you some insight into this crazy drinking team
with a fishing problem. The Wednesday crew charter's the Sea
Leveler with their fearless leader Capt. Stan Mickle at the helm
every Wednesday of the year (hence the name Wednesday crew).
These guys will fish for whatever is biting but they love to
bottom fish. They are as good as it gets at catching grouper,
snapper and amber jack. If it bites the hook it is a 95% chance
it will be taking a one way trip on the ice train meaning the
fish box. These guy's prepare by catching live bait the day
before or 2 days before and usually have at least 100 live baits
to start the day with.
Now let me introduce the crew. Mark Rowe
a.k.a. Herowe, It is safe to say nobody on this planet can catch
a gag grouper on rod and reel better than this man. He has also
been know to say the most crazy random nonsense saying that you
have never heard of. The next on the list is Mark Marlow a.k.a.
Bag Man. The bag man has the the unreal capability of making the
fish bite. It can be the slowest most uncooperative day of
fishing and if the bag man bag's the place the fish start to
bite. Steve Knowles is the 3rd member. This guy is a fishing
machine. If it bites his line, no matter what species, it comes
to the boat. The 4th man is Tony Bellflower a.k.a. Holmes.
Holmes can hold his own at the rail catching groupers and
snappers but his main job is to clear the beer out of the fish
box to make room for the fish. These guys have been fishing with
us every Wednesday for 6 years now and we definitely appreciate
them as customers and very good friends.
If you are ever around Port Canaveral at about 4:00pm on a
Wednesday come and say hi to the crew and see what they have
caught. The catch is usually very impressive.
Capt. Greg Rapp
Picking the right
Fishing charter for you
your family/friends
Written by Capt. Scott Goodwin / Text in
red added by Capt. Greg Rapp
Chartering a boat is a
great way to learn techniques from experienced crews who chase
fish for a living. It also is nice to have all of the fun and
none of the work.
Chartering a boat is also a great
way to make the most of your
vacation. We realize that most
people don't get the opportunity to
experience deep sea fishing on a
regular basis. A charter from a full
time captain/crew gives you the best
chance at landing a trophy and
having a great day. Remember a good
crew will find a way for you to have
a great time even if the fishing is
slow.
Chartering a boat should be a great
experience. There are many ways it
can go wrong. If you are local, ask
around at the docks or watch the
boats come in and unload. Remember
everyone has a bad day now and
again. If you are “out of town" the web is the best bet. Look and
the boat, equipment and
overall feel of the site. Are the
pictures all from the same trip,
like they’ve only had one good day?
The quality of your trip and
enjoyment should not be solely
determined by the size of your pile
of fish.
Make sure
when you e-mail or call the captain
you discuss your priorities for your
trip. Is our goal to entertain your
kids and family or is your goal to
catch a specific species. Get a feel
for the captain. You can tell allot
by a person just by talking with
him. Make sure you call and ask
questions. If the captain doesn't
answer or if he has someone
answering for him. Make sure you
have him call you back. Make
sure that you ask plenty of
questions about what to expect from
weather and seas, but trust the
captain’s judgment. Give the captain
a feel for the abilities of your
party. Discuss what fish is biting
and target that. If you desire a
specific species, inquire as to the
possibilities of success. Don’t ask”
how many pounds of fish will we
catch?” I’ve heard that one more
than once. No one can predict what
the ocean will give up. Your crew
should put forth a good effort with
a positive attitude. If you feel
they have, a tip is customary of 10
to 15%.
If sea sickness is remotely
possible or you don’t know, take
preventive measures. Don’t head
offshore with plans to get drunk,
save money and stay on land for
that. Take sunscreen, but not the
spray or aerosol kind (Overspray on
certain parts of the boat can cause
damage). Dress in layers and take
some raingear. Polarized sunglasses
are essential to protect your eyes
and to cut the glare and increase
visibility into the water. Wear boat
friendly footwear. No black soles as
they can leave black marks that
barely come off with lots of elbow
grease. Barefoot is not the answer!
Don’t forget a hat.
Does the boat have coolers for
food, a head (toilet) for the
ladies, cabin or open, ac or not.
Ask about fish cleaning. Some
include it others do not, but there
will be some system for getting them
cleaned.
Almost all private charter boats
can only take a maximum of six
passengers. Kids and non-fishermen
do count. Inspected vessels are
certified to take more than six, and
the number depends on the boat. This
would include the “party” or “head”
boats. This can be an affordable
option for smaller parties or
individuals as the cost is much
less. Remember though, its every man
for himself. Try to avoid the
weekends if possible. Most charters
offer full and half day trips. The
captain can advise as to which is
better to pursue your desired
species. Generally the full day
gives more opportunity to make it
happen and insure a good day. On a
half day, the fish have to be closer
and the first guess has to be right.
More fishing time is always better
to me!
Good Luck and Have Fun!!
Capt Scott
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