Captain Greg's Fishing Report for March 2018
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
Last Month's Action
Somehow February managed to work itself out extremely well considering the exit that January made. Near shore we mostly concentrated our efforts on shark fishing. It was unpredictable but when it was good it was really good. The sheep head, pompano and whiting fishing near shore was really good also and there were a couple days the cobia fishing was stellar. Offshore was fantastic, king mackerel, cobia, black fin tuna, sail fish and sharks. Snappers, groupers and amberjacks were also biting well even though we couldn’t keep them.
March Near Shore Fishing Forecast
Unfortunately as I am writing this report the forecast shows that we have a huge swell coming the beginning of the month. That is not good for anything. It won’t take long to recover after the swell passes but the first week is shot. After things settle be on the lookout for cobia. The cold water pushed these fish well South of us so with any luck our area will see a cobia run that we haven’t seen in years. As the pogys congregate closer in after the big swell we will see the shark fishing improve, tripletail, red drum and cobias.
March Offshore Fishing Forecast
Just like inshore, this huge swell coming will not help fishing at all. Sometimes you need a big storm or swell to shake things up but this is not the case on this go around. We will be looking to push 25 to 50 miles out in pursuit of clean water. We have a very good chance at dolphin fish, sailfish and wahoos for those willing to put in the time and burn the fuel. Bottom fishing for amberjack should be very good on large structure if you can physically reel them past the sharks quick enough. If you charter or go out on your own boat you will need to commit to a full day to have a chance at success. The swell will bring hard color changes typically found around 50ft of water. The change will be brown, dirty green to a clean looking green. This is where you will want to concentrate on looking for manta rays and free swimming cobia. Don’t go chasing yesterdays fish. This is the biggest common mistake made when searching for cobia. These fish are on the move so just because a area was good the day before doesn’t mean they will be there the next day. You really just need to pick a day, a direction and live with the results. Yes temperature and bait play a part but when it comes to cobia fishing you really need luck or you need a boat with 37 engines to cover the entire Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Key West for your 2 fish. Once the water cleans up we will get back to fantastic live bait trolling for a mixed bag of king mackerel, cobia, black fin tuna, mahi, barracuda, bonito and sharks. unfortunately the forecast and history from Sea Leveler stats show we are in for a rough beginning to March when conditions start this month in this way.
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.