Port Canaveral Deep Sea Fishing Report - 29 May 2016

Mike and his buds arrived to find the boat they expected to be aboard was double booked so Captain JC scrambled into action and got them offshore Cocoa Beach on the Get Down. Things were a little hectic this day so I didn't get an accurate report before memories failed us. If you guys happen to stumble across this report, please contact me and let me know how your day went. I'm guessing it was okay due to the nice tip you delivered to Capt JC. Thanks for your patronage. Hope to hear from you some day soon.

--Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Port Canaveral Offshore Fishing - 27 May 16

The John Hyle family was hoping for a full day Cape Canaveral offshore adventure on May 27th, 2016. The ocean was a bit unsettled though and many in the party quickly fell prey to Mal De Mer (sea sickness). Capt JC quickly made the decision to return to port at no cost to the Hyle's. No harm, no foul. Sometimes when necessary, we'll eat a little fuel expense to ensure the comfort of our customers. We'll get em next time folks!

Cocoa Beach Offshore Fishing - 24 May 16

Alex and his buds jumped aboard for a full day Port Canaveral fishing charter on May 24th, 2016. Fishing was tough but the guys stuck with it and managed to box 1 King Mackerel and added several ARS, triggerfish and Sea Bass releases. The highlight of the day was getting several good jumps out of a Sailfish before it tossed the hook. Way to make the most of it folks!

--Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Orlando Area Deep Sea Fishing Charter - 23 May 16

Most people fail to realize that Port Canaveral is the closest port offering deep sea, offshore fishing charters to the Orlando, Disney and Universal Studios area attractions. Just 45 minutes to 1 hour away, lies the sleepy (well, not as sleepy as it used to be!) town of Cocoa Beach and nearby Cape Canaveral. Port Canaveral is closer to Orlando than Daytona, New Smyrna and even Tampa / St. Petersburg on the West Coast. Lari Kippen knows this all too well and I was happy to host him aboard for yet another deep sea fishing adventure out of Canaveral. Lari and his buds have been fishing with me for years and it was good to re-connect with a familiar face. Options were a bit limited on this day but we found great action with catch and release Red Snapper, Seabass, Jack Crevalle and Triggerfish. Not a lot for the box but tons of fun to be had. The surprise fish of the day was a 24 lb Dolphin (aka - Dorado) that fell for the high speed lure on the ride back to port. It was Lari's first Dolphin and I was glad to be there to share in his moment. Great fish and great to see you again Lari!

--Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Port Canaveral Deep Sea Fishing - 15 May 2016

Chris Cellelo and family joined me for a half day Cocoa Beach Deep Sea Fishing adventure on May 15th, 2016. After procuring live bait near the Cocoa Beach pier, we made our way offshore Port Canaveral to a local reef in 90 feet of water and set lines in. It wasn't long before we scored our first King Mackerel. While the action wasn't red hot, it was consistent. The gang finished with 5 king mackerel to 10 lbs, 1 Amberjack to 30 lbs and a nice "Cadillac" Red Snapper release. Enjoyed the time spent with an awesome group of folks!

Port Canaveral / Cocoa Beach Shark Fishing Forecast

If recent action is any indication, evening shark fishing along the waters adjacent to Cocoa Beach, Port Canaveral and Cape Canaveral should really begin to heat up as we move into the Summer season. Large numbers of Blacknose sharks are already being reported along with decent numbers of Blacktips and an occasional Lemon, Bonnet head, Sandbar and Nurse shark. While the hours around dark and slightly after produce the best numbers, many are being taken in the early afternoon hours as well. On several recent day trips, we've saved an hour or two to take advantage and have not been disappointed - often catching 5 or 6 nice ones in an hour or so. Best baits are chunks of Bonito and Barracuda. King Mackerel works equally as well if you're willing to give up some tasty grilling material. I prefer spots in 12-30 ft of water where an abundance of bait is present. You need not go far. Often, we find ourselves within 10-15 minutes of the mouth of Port Canaveral. Last July and August were red hot for shark action and all indications are for more of the same this year so get out there and have some fun while it's available.

-- Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Cocoa Beach Area Offshore Fishing Charter - 14 May 16

The Justin Gaspar party joined me for a half day Port Canaveral deep sea fishing excursion on May 14th, 2016. Fishing was a bit tough but the gang stuck with it and managed to bag a handful of Rudder Jacks and a nice King Mackerel. One triggerfish didn't quite make the minimum size and was released. #portcanaveral #cocoabeach #getdownfishing

Port Canaveral Fishing - 13 May 16

Jeremy Collins and his buds joined us again for a full day on May 13th, 2016. Captain JC had to cover a lot of water but managed to put the guys on some decent action with Rudder Jacks, a few Red Snapper  releases, some Amberjacks and a small grouper release. Nice having you aboard again guys! #portcanaveral #cocoabeach #getdownfishing

Central Florida Offshore Fishing Report - 9 May 16

Dolphin action is slowing but Captain JC stuck with it and led the Zayed Pabbarra party to two nice gaffer Dolphin and a King Mackerel on a half day Port Canaveral fishing excursion on 9 May 16. Nice job folks! #portcanaveral #cocoabeach #getdownfishing

Orlando Area Deep Sea Fishing Report

Deep Sea Fishing in Orlando? Well, not exactly but just an hour away from Orlando, Disney, Universal Studios and Orlando area attractions lies the closest option. Port Canaveral, Florida is only about an hour away making it closer than deep sea fishing trips from Daytona Beach & New Smyrna on the east coast. It is also closer than any of the fishing charters located in the Tampa & St. Petersburg area. Jack Mountford and his buddy Steve joined me for a full day Port Canaveral bottom fishing charter on May 8th, 2016. The duo enjoyed steady action throughout the day finishing with 2 Gag Grouper to 20 lbs, a 15 lb Cobia, a 20 lb Amberjack and a big black Sea Bass or two. The guys also managed several American Red Snapper releases with many in the 20+ lb range. Enjoyed having you guys back onboard again. Always a pleasure!

Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Port Canaveral "No Fishing" Report

We strive hard to maintain a fully functional, well-oiled charter fishing vessel for our clients and this is one of the reasons we employ multiple captains on a single boat. But occasionally, no matter how hard we try, we do still encounter mechanical issues from time to time. Tammy Ortiz and her family had a full day trip set up for May 7th. By the time they arrived for their 7am departure from the Get Down's slip at Sunrise Marina, we had discovered that the boat had two dead batteries and a bad alternator. The gang was patient and I was lucky enough to locate an alternator and replace it quickly. We left the dock around 10 am to angry seas and poor fishing reports on the radio. After running out 5 or 6 miles, we made the decision to return to dock to try another day. In this instance, the mechanical issues turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We'll get them next month folks!

Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Port Canaveral Bottom Fishing and Slow Trolling Report

Capt JC hosted the Gaileen Lemon party on an AM half day port canaveral fishing excursion on 4 May 2016. Fishing was tough but the gang stuck it out and managed a handful of King Mackerel bites. Only one made it into the box before the group had to return to port.

The fishing improved a bit on the afternoon half day charter with Captain JC leading the Paul Konbar party to 3 King Mackerel, 1 Triggerfish and a few Black Sea Bass and Red Snapper Releases.

Port Canaveral, Florida fishing trips aren't always super productive but often the fishing improves even during the same day. This was a perfect example. Slow morning bite with an improved afternoon bite.

Nicely done folks. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Capt Tim
www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com

Cocoa Beach Shark Fishing Charter

Michael Caruso and family joined me for an evening Cocoa Beach Shark Fishing Charter on 30 April 2016. I decided to take them to an old haunt I hadn't fished since last Summer. The action had been absent in this area for a few months but I had a hunch it was due to pick up. Our evening started off a bit slow but as darkness approached, the sharks started to get active. We finished the night with a few nice Blacknose sharks and 2 heroes that bit through the wire. Missed a handful of other bites as well. The action should steadily improve as we move into a more normal Summer pattern.

Cocoa Beach Offshore Fishing Report

Cirillo Rico and his buds had heard about the great Dolphin bite we'd been experiencing off Florida's Space Coast. Athough the Dorado action had slowed dramatically from a few weeks earlier, so had many of the other species such as King Mackerel and Amberjack so we made the decision to give it our all. And give it our all we did. The search was LONG and uneventful for several hours but we finally received a tip from a nearby friend that had located an edge in 700 ft of water that was holding a few fish so we pulled up our lines, pushed further offshore and got to work. The guys finished with 3 nice gaffer Dolphin to 20 lbs or so and missed a few others before the edge broke up and the fish scattered. When the melee ended, we had 39 nautical miles to reach the port. We had to run a long ways and burn a lot of fuel but the payoff was worth it. Way to hang in there guys!

Port Canaveral Deep Sea Fishing Report - 4/26/16

The Chris Stelly party wanted Dolphin in late April. The big run had pretty much petered out but we gave it all we had on a full day fishing charter offshore Cocoa Beach. We finished the day with 2 nice Dolphin to 20 lbs and a small Sailfish release. Slow action but we found what we were after. Nice job guys!

The 2016 dolphin run is shaping up to be the best we've seen in many years. While the action does seem to be slowing over what we've typically seen in the last two weeks, there are still a few boats coming in with some good numbers.

Port Canaveral Dolphin Fishing

Brian Gadway party with some nice dolphin on a 3/4 day Port Canaveral fishing charter - 4/24/16 ‪#‎portcanaveral‬ ‪#‎cocoabeach‬  ‪#‎deepseafishing‬‪#‎fdolphinfishing‬ ‪#‎getdownfishing‬

Port Canaveral Deep Sea Fishing Charter Forecast - Get Down Charters

Deep sea fishing in Port Canaveral has really been heating up over the last month or so. King Mackerel fishing has been very productive on the 80-100 ft reefs off Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral as well as the 50-60 ft reefs north of the port and south offshore Melbourne Beach when the conditions are right. Spring break brought 3 weeks of mostly fair weather, calm seas and good fishing for those looking for a break from the Orlando area tourist attractions such as Disney, Universal Studios, Epcot and Sea World. Rough seas really only ruined the day a handful of times. Live Pogies were the bait of choice and were easy to score with a cast net along the area beaches on all but a few days. Most days we found them from just North of the North Jetty all the way down to the Cocoa Beach Pier. 

Further offshore Port Canaveral, Amberjack were cooperative on most days with the best action occurring on natural reefs and wrecks in 180-270 feet of water. Live croakers, spots, pinfish and tomtates (grunts) worked very well as did deep jigs. Dolphin (Dorado / Mahi Mahi) fishing really began to heat up late last week. Most of the action occurred in 120 ft or so and naked Ballyhoo were the bait of choice. Small skirts such as sea witches and Billy Bates spiced the Ballyhoo rigs up as well. Many of the Port Canaveral Fishing Charters scored 30+ fish on a few of the better days. Strong winds blew through the weekend and into the early part of the week but a handful of boats snuck out on yesterday and picked right up where they'd left off last week. This is arguably the best Dolphin run we've seen out of Port Canaveral in many, many years so get out there when the weather allows and enjoy some great fishing.

Looking forward, expect the Dolphin fishing to continue for at least another week or two (and I'm hopeful it will last even longer - I just don't want to jinx the bite!). May 1st brings the opening of Grouper season and the bottom bumpers are chomping at the bit. We've caught quite a few gags while fishing for Amberjacks over the last few months so expect a good opening to the season. Red Snapper remain closed but it's very likely you'll catch quite a few in your quest for big Gags. Remember to handle them carefully and vent those in need to ensure a successful release. When in deep water, it helps to slow your retrieve a little so they can adjust to pressure changes slowly as you bring them up. The most critical point is from 33 ft to the surface. The pressure on their bodies is cut in half during this phase of ascent which means the air in their bodies will DOUBLE in size. Slow the roll, vent properly and release quickly. Hopefully, the feds will grant us another season sometime this Summer.

Tight lines and good fishing.

Capt Tim

www.capecanaveralfishingcharters.com