Captain Greg's Fishing Report for May 2016
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
Last Month's Action
All I can say is Maui Waui and don’t get too excited because I am talking about the mahi mahi (aka dolphin fish). I feel like I finally hit the ball out of the park with last month’s report by making a educated guess that we will have a “strong early run of dolphin fish.” This was some of the best dolphin fish fishing I have ever seen. We also caught several sail fish, a few black fin tuna, and the occasional wahoo while targeting the dolphin fish. The bottom fishing for amberjack was great. For those wanting to have fun on snapper and grouper, it was also very productive. The king mackerel fishing was also great, except for the slight lull in the middle of the month, but the dolphin fish fishing more than made up for it.
Near shore the shark fishing was a little slower than I had hoped. We had a little better than a 50% success rate, but usually April is better. We still caught a handful of big red drum, but unfortunately, I didn’t see any early signs of tarpon. The triple tail fishing looked to be halfway decent but we didn’t get in on it at all. The snook fishing around the pilings and rock was excellent along with some good sheep head fishing. Overall April 2016 was a epic success.
May's Near Shore Fishing Forecast
The bait is still here and with any luck, we are completely done with the strong wind and rough seas. If we can get a solid 2 weeks of calm seas, we will see some great live bait action along the beach. We should have king mackerel, jack crevalle, sharks and the very occasional cobia being caught within a half mile of the beach. I am also almost positive we will see a few tarpon start showing up by the end of the month. Triple tail fishing will be good and the snook fishing will also be good for those willing to work at it. Sheep head and mangrove snapper fishing will be good along the pilings and jettys.
May's Offshore Fishing Forecast
Everyone will be geared up and gunning for grouper the first part of May. The bottom fishing will be good. The groupers will be giving everyone a chance or two but it is up to your muscle if you can get one turned. If you get 10 grouper bites in a day consider it good, but how many you actually land will be up to the anglers skill. Amberjack and red snapper should be really good. All this bottom fishing hype will give a great opportunity for those who are just as happy slow trolling or mahi trolling to have a little relief from the crowd. The main mahi run is probably over, but we will still have fish around. Happen upon that magical color change or weed line all to yourself and it will be a great time plus a lot easier than trying to catch a grouper. Slow trolling will be hands down the best way to ensure a great day of fishing. The king mackerel fishing will be very good and we will get a variety of other species in the mix such as dolphin fish, cobia, barracuda, bonito, sharks, and the occasional wahoo or sailfish. Stick with this fishing and everyday will end with great results.
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.