Captain Greg's Fishing Report for August 2017
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
Last Month's Action
July continued to produce great summertime fishing. Looking back through the last 10 years of catch statistics this has been one of the most productive summers ever. The live bait trolling has been fantastic. King mackerel have been everywhere from the surf line (yes the surf line) to 140 ft and they have been cooperating at all times of day. We have had a decent mix of sailfish, dolphin fish, black fin tuna and cobia while live bait trolling (AKA King Fishing). We had a few days of great sight fishing specifically for cobia but it didn’t last long, which is a good thing because they are more spread out giving us more time to catch them. The same time we had the couple days of good cobia fishing we also had some good mangrove fishing but that was short lived and the bottom fishing has pretty well shut down now for the most part in 160 ft or less. In the deep water the amberjack and grouper fishing was okay at best. We have had lots of sharks around everywhere so for those that want a fight there is nothing better. For any customers with upcoming trips be sure to check out the All Water Shark Tagging Derby. First round of prizes will be given away August 4th and prizes will be given all year and into next year with the Grand Prizes being given away on July 3rd 2018. Near shore has been fantastic! King mackerel, sharks, jack crevalle, cobia, tarpon, bonito, snook & small keeper mangrove snappers.
August Near Shore Fishing Forecast
I am a little uncertain about this prediction but if what I have seen the last few days is any indicator, then the near shore fishing for August could possibly be better than any of us have ever seen. The only wham factor is if we get too many days of strong storms with heavy West wind, then it will quickly ruin it. I said it last month, near shore is on fire and it is that way again right now providing last night’s storm didn’t ruin it while I am writing this report. Seriously we have king mackerel, sharks, bonitos, jack crevalle and tarpon everywhere. The tarpon have been a little on the difficult side to get to bite but we can dang sure see plenty of them. I think we are just missing their feeding window. Snook, sheephead and small but keeper mangrove snapper are stacking up on all structure along the beach and inside the port. For our customers that have upcoming trips I truly encourage you to check out the All Water Shark Tagging Derby. I have helped design this one of a kind Shark Tagging Derby to be a super fun and exciting way to add another level of excitement to an already great fishing trip. Plus it helps with research and there is a very very good chance to win prizes for anyone who enters but especially for those who enter early.
August Offshore Fishing Forecast
I really want to encourage all anglers for August to really try to focus on fishing for fun. If you are chartering, taking your own boat or invited by friends just have fun, the table fare will come along with it. The way I see things lining up for August is that water clarity, water temp and abundance of bait has us set up for everything to be successful. Here is where the fun part is important and is the best advice I can give for a successful day of fishing. Live bait trolling is fun! I know I sound like a broken record and not everyone likes catching king after king after king but live bait or slow trolling is the way to go. Just keep a couple kings to eat and release the rest but have fun because the 10th bite will be a nice cobia with another cobia following him. The 15th bite will be a keeper dolphin fish and the 20th bite will be a fat black fin tuna. I suggest fishing big structure on the bottom that heavily holds red snapper. Have fun fighting one giant red snapper after another because the 20th one will be a nice grouper and the 30th one will be a cobia. If big sharks are eating your king fish or snappers then have fun catching the sharks. If you are on a charter have a lot of fun by tagging the sharks. Catch several sharks and have fun catching that sandbar shark because the 3rd one you catch will have cobias swimming with him. I don’t think trolling to specifically target dolphin fish, wahoo and sailfish will be good so I don’t suggest that. When we focus on the fun of fishing the day almost always adds up nicely. At the end of the day if you have sore arms and good stories because you released 15 king mackerel, 30 red snapper and 4 big sharks but you kept 4 king mackerel, 2 cobia, 1 grey grouper, 1 dolphin fish and a amberjack for the dinner table you had a fantastic day of fishing by keeping your focus on the fun.
About Captain Greg's Reports and Forecast
Captain Greg has been fishing the waters of Port Canaveral and the Atlantic for over 30 years. He has the largest and most highly rated private charter business in Port Canaveral, Sea Leveler Sport Fishing Charters. Greg and his team of full time captains fish well over 200 days each per year. We have kept detailed catch history for every trip ran since 2010. You can access this history at www.sealeveler.com/reports. His engineer wife, Amber, has analyzed the catch history along with other historical data such as water temperature and weather patterns. Greg uses his fishing experience and knowledge along with his wife’s statistical analysis to bring you the best fishing report available for Port Canaveral. Greg will give you the honest truth on how the fishing has been along with his best prediction of what to expect by using all of this information.