Captain Greg's Fishing Report for February 2016
Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando
January's Action
January provided us with plenty of wind and rough seas, but it also provided great fishing on the handful of calm days we could go offshore. Much to our surprise, we had fairly clean water between 90 and 120 ft along with good water temperature on every trip. Great action from king mackerel, with a lot of shots at sail fish and blackfin tuna. Nearshore fishing was not favorable at all with cold & dirty water. The pompano bite started about the middle of the month along with the sheep head, black drum and very few triple tail sighted.
Click here to see our January Fishing Charter Catch Statistics
February's Near Shore Fishing Forecast
I think we have a great shot at some good things happening in Port Canaveral mid to the latter part of this month. If the water temperature stays within the high 60’s to low 70’s without plummeting we should have good numbers of triple tail and a few bonus cobia within 10 miles. Lets also hope the pompano bite just gets better along the beach with a mixed bag of sheep head, whiting, and black drum. Sand fleas and fresh dead shrimp will be your go to bait. I really get excited about the big sharks that show up this time of year and everything I see makes me think it will happen again this year. Don’t expect a lot of sharks if you try it, but expect a shot or two at some big ones. Sand tigers and big lemon sharks will roam the waters between 10 & 30 ft. Set up with big line, big wire, big hooks and big bait. Kick back relax and wait for the rod to bend. Why you ask? Because there is not many things cooler to catch than a great big sand tiger shark that’s why!
February's Offshore Fishing Forecast
February is a tricky month in Florida because the fishing is really at the mercy of the cold fronts and what direction the wind blows. I think/hope we will luck out and the water temp will stay just in range to give us great king fishing but drop just enough to give us a few more opportunities at cobia. Let’s just hope we don’t get to much W, NW wind to ruin the water clarity. For those looking for instant action, the fishing for all bottom species should be very good. Unfortunately with all the new size limits & closures you won’t be able keep very much of your catch. Live bait will be hard to come by so be prepared to use artificial and strip bait combos. That being said, keep an eye on the water temperature and your bottom machine. If you see that 68 degree mark and gannet birds diving you will find balls of white baits such as threadfins and greenies. This is also where you may find yourself being one of the first anglers on the 2016 cobia run. We will still have a few bonus sail fish and blackfin tuna around like last month and I have to admit it does seem like both species, especially the sail fish, have been more abundant in these winter months than I remember in prior years. In my opinion you will want to focus all your effort between 12 & 25 miles out unless the water clarity is trashed and then you will be hoping to find a hard color change deeper with a few stray mahi, wayward sail fish or random wahoo at best.
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.
Congratulations for the positive website its a breath of fresh air we recreational anglers are not a enemy. Hope you have a great season.
Thank you, I hope you find the information useful!