November 2016 Port Canaveral Florida Fishing Report

Last month was the worst month I have ever seen for sea conditions. Hurricane Mathew brought the wind and it never left. We only got offshore 4 days for the entire month but that didn’t stop us from making some phenomenal trips happen. The near shore sea conditions were still choppy, but not all that bad most days. The Sea Leveler Crew worked hard to dial in on the big bull reds that spawn just off Cocoa Beach this time of year. I can truly say that our customers had a absolute blast with the abundance of bull red drum and sharks. We are very proud of our captains ability to work through these less than favorable offshore sea conditions to make our customers, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor parties and other occasions a huge success. It truly is all about the wonderful memories made and we are blessed to be a part of that.

Water clarity will most likely remain poor but we will continue to have fantastic fishing for the big bull reds and small to medium sharks up and down Cocoa Beach. In addition there will be a few, make that very few, nice cobia caught while targeting these reds. We also have some pretty nice size spanish mackerel around, but they will prove to be difficult to catch unless the water clarity improves. Tripletail are out there now, and we are seeing them, but the choppy conditions and poor clarity has made them difficult to catch. I think as soon as we get a couple of calm days it will be game on. Pompano, black drum and sheepshead are starting to show up also. Snook fishing inside Port Canaveral will remain solid, especially if you have a chance to dial in the bite on the tide changes. I am very excited about our near shore opportunities this month and I look forward to taking advantage of the great fishing opportunity along the Space Coast & Treasure Coast that we are so lucky to call our back yard.

I am most excited about the trolling opportunities for this month. I don’t think we will see many days with a lot of quantity on the troll, but I do get excited about the sail fish bite for those willing to put in the time and can handle the boredom at times. I think it is very possible to have several chances at sail fish on any given day from now through February. We should still have a few mahi, wahoo and black fin tuna around also, nothing fast and furious but if you set yourself up for success I think some very good days can happen on the troll. I think we also may be surprised with the cobia opportunities we have out on the reefs this month. Be ready for packs of cobia to follow up your sea bass and trigger fish while working the reefs for stringer fish. If the water clarity manages to get to a clean green, and historically for the last 10 years or more with the exception of 2013, it has, we will find good numbers of king mackerel inside 100ft along with a few blackfin tuna, sailfish and big sandbar sharks. Target these fish by live bait or slow trolling and this will truly increase your chances at the cobia that will be around. I think it will be more toward the middle of the month that the conditions will get primed for slow trolling inside of 100ft because the water will need a little time to clean up.

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.