Captain Greg's Fishing Report for July 2017
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
Last Month's Action
June’s summer time fishing was on point. It was everything we love about summertime fishing with very little of what we don’t like. Catching live bait was easy and finding fish to eat them was not a problem. We only experienced a few days where we get that afternoon shut down that can happen in the summer, making afternoon half days difficult. We caught a nice variety of fish live bait trolling. Kings, cobia, dolphin fish, sail fish, barracudas, bonitos, sharks and red snapper were all cooperative on the live bait gear. Yes red snapper are so abundant I have officially added them to the list of commonly caught trolling species. Near shore fishing was fantastic. Actually it was better than that. We caught so many fish within 10 miles that the saying was “if you go past 100t you lose”. I bet we caught over 20 dolphin fish inside of 50 ft of water this past month. The shark fishing was really good, a few tarpon and a few goliath groupers were also ready to play. The stage is set for one heck of a good July.
July Near Shore Fishing Forecast
Happy Independence Day and a BIG THANK YOU to all of those that serve and protect this great country so we can have the fun and freedom to go fishing. Near shore is on fire right now and no I’m not talking about the heat. Seriously you need to go get in your boat right now, book a charter, go surf fishing, do something because it is game on. Kings, cobia, dolphin fish, sail fish, tarpons, sharks, barracudas, jack revile, bonito, goliaths, sheep head, and mangrove snappers. All of it is inside of 10 miles. You will find a few dolphin fish and sail fish on the outside edge of that 10 mile range and the tarpon, sheep head, mangroves right on the beach or inside the harbor for the mangroves. Everything else I mentioned will be everywhere in-between.
July Offshore Fishing Forecast
Summertime fishing some would say is a one trick pony. Live bait troll, live bait troll, live bait troll. The best route to a very fun day will be jumping around between 20 ft of water to 100 ft and drifting or trolling live baits. If you go outside of a 100 ft you lose. This all holds true but this July could be a little different. Our thermocline this year was mild and I think the water on the bottom is starting to warm back up. We may actually have some decent grouper fishing and stringer fish fishing along with a good mangrove snapper bite. All that being said you still have to figure out how to get past the red snappers to catch these other species and it is a total gamble on any given day. Some great alternatives to switch up a day of live bait trolling is to chicken rig fish any of the shallow reefs and wrecks, shark fish in the mackerel schools or along the beach. Tarpon fish the beach by sight fishing or throwing live baits into the bait schools where you see rolling fish.
July 4th is the kick off to the AWA SHARK TAGGING DERBY! I am very excited about this opportunity but I am really excited about the extended level of fun and excitement it will add for our customers. Our customers will all have a very good chance of winning some very cool prizes. This event will run for 1 year and to be a part of it is simple. Purchase a tagging kit for $50. You can purchase the tagging kit ahead of time or on the spot. The kit includes 3 tags, tagging cards, certificates of achievement and a information booklet jammed pack with not only great local info but guides and discounts from all the sponsors making this event happen. This Shark Tagging Derby has so much excitement and support that several prizes will be given away monthly in addition to grand prizes at the end. Concept is simple, you tag 3 sharks per kit and each tag number gets put into the appropriate category by shark type. Every month there is a live drawing for each category and you win if you number is drawn. Your numbers remain in the drawing all year. There will also be bonus ways to win with your involvement. Such as the best named shark, photo contest for best picture of your tagged shark, you can dedicate a shark, prizes for recaptured sharks, and other ways to keep the fun going for a entire year. If you can’t make it to tag your own shark. No problem because you can adopt a shark as a gift, dedication, in a business name and it will put you in a special category or directly into the derby so the person you adopted the shark for can have a chance at winning. Sponsors are joining daily so the prize pool is already huge but continuing to grow and this gives everyone a very good shot at winning. Sponsors include Bacardi, BD Outdoors, Local Knowledge TV, and AFTCO. We have an incredible amount of local sponsor participation. Sunrise Marina, Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar, Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill, Fishlips Jetty Park, Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, Handler Fishing Supply , 9 Mile Media, Browns Taxidermy, Castaway Customs, D. REDWINE ART, BoldWater, Sea Leveler, and Time and Tide Tours.
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.