October 2020 Port Canaveral Florida Fishing Report

The first week or so was really good as Summer carried on with king mackerel and the mix of cobia, maxi, sailfish and all the variety that comes with summertime fishing. Yellowfin Tuna fishing was unreal so we will keep that in mind for next year as the season closes. Near shore was very good for sharks and goliath grouper.

Dependable is the very best word to describe the near shore fishing this month. The big bull reds will provide anyone who wants a fight and a great picture with a fishing trip to remember. The pogies should be plentiful this month so we will see the occasional cobia being caught while fishing the bait pods for the red drum and sharks that are always near the bait. Snook fishing has only gotten better every year so we will have very good action for them. Fishing live shrimp for smaller species such as sheep head, slot size red drum, flounder and pompino will even get better as the water temperature continues to cool down. This is a great month to stay close and have a absolute blast fishing for a wide variety of species.

Normally I tip toe into October trying to be optimistic but knowing down deep that this is a dark month full of challenges when it comes to getting offshore and catching fish. September is probably the worst month of the year, so trying to come out of that funk can be a challenge. My report this month is a few days late so I have had a little extra time to get out and observe a few things. The forecast ahead and what I have seen with my own eyes leads me to believe that the waters offshore of Port Canaveral are primed and getting ready to pop. Bait and blue water is not far and top to bottom the water column is lively. Stringer fishing for trigger fish, vermilions and lane snappers is going to be the keys to success that will open up opportunities to other species such as cobia, amberjack, mangrove snapper & grouper.  When you focus on stringer fish fishing or chicken rig fishing you excite the water column. The amount of bait entering the water and the action of constantly reeling anything and everything to the surface attracts a lot of attention. Move around enough with this game plan in mind and you will find some incredible cobia opportunities, just make sure you are ready. October can also be very good for mahi & wahoo so pick up the speed and cover some ground. You won’t see big number of fish but you might just find a few quality ones. Watch the sea conditions and pick your days wisely but you can expect some awesome fishing when you do decide to adventure out.

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.