Captain Greg's Fishing Report for July 2016
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
Last Month's Action
June went just as expected/predicted… sorta kinda I guess ???
Offshore we had the fun summertime slow-troll/live bait action that we love! A lot of action from king mackerel, barracuda, bonito, and sharks. We did have a few days where the live bait trolling was very slow, but this is where the Sea Leveler Captains dug their heels in and made some great things happen bottom fishing. I have to admit the grouper fishing was better than I expected and could have been downright phenomenal if the sandbar sharks weren’t out of control and eating half our groupers.
The near shore fishing unfortunately just didn’t happen. Every time it was primed, ready and about to be game on, the wind would blow and water clarity would get less than ideal. This was about the same for our shark fishing also. We did catch a good handful of sharks and a couple tarpon but other than targeting sharks we didn’t do much near shore.
July's Near Shore Fishing Forecast
It is going to happen in July! The beach is primed, ready and we have a very calm extended forecast. I have seen big king mackerel skying out on bait about everyday very tight to the beach. And I have seen several very large schools of tarpon rolling in addition to packs of bonito blasting glass minnows off the sargassum seaweed. The shark fishing should be good, and if the water cools off from the thermocline, it will greatly improve our shark fishing and bring in larger sharks with it. I’m expecting good things near shore this month.
July's Offshore Fishing Forecast
The king mackerel fishing should be really good with the abundance of bait offshore. We will have a mix of small kings and some big smokers along with a lot of barracuda, sharks, and bonito. The best thing about slow trolling this time of year is you never know when something cool like a big African pompano or wahoo will give you a shot. I hear whispers of thermocline conditions south of us, so I am sure it will be on us before the month is out. Thermocline will shut down the bottom bite but some species such a amberjack and mangrove snapper will suspend above wrecks and big natural structure. The amberjack fishing should remain very good but the groupers will be harder to come by. Once the cold water hits, we will have a few days where the cobia should pile into the shallow wrecks and bottom, but I don’t believe it will last long so be ready when it happens.
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.