Fishing has been good along Florida's Space Coast reports Captain Keith Mixon (www.mixinworkwithplay.com). Inside Port Canaveral, flounder measuring up to twenty inches have been caught on sandy bottoms near pilings, docks, and other structure on both live and artificial bait. If using live bait, mud minnows and fresh dead juvenile mullet have worked well for my clients near the "west basin" inside the port. When fishing with artificial lures, bright scented jerk baits hooked weedless as well as Bass Assassin's "Limetreuse Mac Daddy In Line Spinner Combo" has worked well when fished slowly off sandy bottoms.
Snook fishing at night has also been good near the North jetty at Port Canaveral. Live pinfish and mullet has been the ticket when enticing these fish to bite. When rigging these baits, circle hooks attached to twenty pound test mono leader and thirty pound test Power Pro Hi-Viz Yellow (www.powerpro.com) have allowed my clients to win the tug of war battle with snook measuring up to thirty inches.
According to the web site of the Port Canaveral Authority, the following are the current security restrictions when fishing inside port.
1. Boating and fishing is not allowed in any secured area of Port Canaveral with the exception that crewmembers of visiting ships may fish from their vessel. Secured areas are fenced in on both the north and south ends of the Port and require a Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) badge for entry.
2. No boating or fishing is allowed in the WestBasin on days when cruise ships are present. Boating and fishing in the Trident Basin and within 200 feet of the Navy Pier in the Middle Basin is prohibited and under the jurisdiction of the United States Navy.
3. Boating and fishing is allowed in all port waters not designated above, provided the boat is 25 feet from any CPA-owned and operated pier, wharf or dock, and 100 feet from any vessel moored to any CPA-owned and operated pier, wharf or dock. Fishing also is allowed from all unsecured areas of the port such as JettyPark, Freddie Patrick Park and PortsEndPark.
Inshore, early morning trout fishing has remained very good along the eastern shoreline of the Indian River south of the 405 bridge. Top water lures worked near schools of bait fish has helped to bring these fish to the boat. The average weight of these trout was three pounds with an occasional larger fish.