[SurfRider]

Will be heading to Melbourne, Fla (Cape Canaveral area) for a week to visit my wife's family and relax. Taking the center console, so I'll have access to salt and freshwater options... depending on how much "Get away and fish" time I have.

I know absolutely ZERO about this area, other than what I have learned from Google Maps, and from poking around on the net. Atlantic is on the East, and Florida is on my West. The headwaters of the St. John's River are in that area, and I may try to hit Winder or Poinsette Lakes on that chain, but I suspect we'll be spending some time salt-side with the family for the most part.

I know it's a long shot, but if anyone happens to have knowledge of the area... anything at all... I would be very happy to have some starter pointers, even general knowledge. I plan to poke around and ask at some tackle shops, but since NCAngler has always been such a good resource that I both learn from and try to contribute to, thought I'd see if maybe anyone had anything from that area as well... far from home as it may be!

Thanks guys!

[email protected] is my email.

 

[msgtdave]

Funny, I have a sister in law that lives in Melbourne also. Can't help you though, they don't fish. Good luck.

 

[olsaltydog]

My family is just south of Melbourne in Sebastian and Vero Beach. If you want to head out your best bet will be the Sebastian Inlet. Its a very good inlet with jetties other then that I think the next one is north of you Port Canaveral.

Using a CC you can do some fishing inshore but obviously not much flats fishing unless you draft shallow. So inshore you will easily find sail cats, grouper (very limited), mangrove snapper, and other common inshore fish.

If you get out of the inlet with fresh live bait you can easily fish the day hitting up buoy's within a mile of the beach and pick up plenty of fish or even trolling near the beaches.

Really you can't go wrong. Will call my brothers later and see what has been happening lately.

 

[SurfRider]

Thanks for the input. We pulled in this evening, doing some family stuff, but going to look around some ASAP.

 

[olsaltydog]

Let me know what you guys find, talked to one brother said the lakes and bass are on fire right now, he has been prepping for a few tournaments and the other brother said everything is migrating in the ocean so plenty of action all over.

 

[NCTribute]

Google Mosquito Lagoon for one of your better inshore locations

 

[SurfRider]

Thanks for the tips. Wind has been blowing 20mph+ from the East all week till today, and family stuff has limited fishing time. I did get out on Lake Washington on Monday, hugging the East shoreline all day and struggling with the wind and my lack of knowledge about central Florida bass fishing, but managed to finally decipher a pattern and get 12 bass over a 10 hour day; one really good fish at 7lb 1oz in the last 30 minutes. Tried again today for a couple hours on Lake Poinsett but got skunked on a short trip (except one 19-inch gar). Pond behind the house where we are staying offered me a chance to get my 2 and 1/2 year old son a little fish-time, though!

Going to see if I can take what I have learned into the better weather of tomorrow and see if I can get back on the bite at Washington. Decided not to try to figure out the salt stuff this week, just not enough time to try to figure it out, so I'm sticking with what I at least have some background with ... largemouth.

 

[SurfRider]

Update: Went back to Washington all day yesterday from dawn to dusk, worked hard on a post-front hard bluebird sky with some N and NW wind to get 12 bites over 14 hours; put 9 of those to the boat, two unseen and one about 2lb unbuttoned halfway in after a couple jumps. No big fish, just a scattered hard to find bite, but was a nice day anyway. Oh and two big bowfin that mangled the @#$! out of my spinnerbait.

Packing tonight, heading home tomorrow.