Cocoa Beach Saltwater Flats Fishing Charters Banana River

Cocoa Beach has plenty to offer for the light tackle saltwater fishing enthusiast. Located on Florida's Space Coast, one hour east of Orlando, it is a prime tourist destination, especially during the winter months. Just south of Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach offers lots of hotels and shoppingand is still close to some great flats fishing.

The closest inshore fishing to Cocoa Beach is the Banana River Lagoon. Just ten minutes away, this saltwater estuary offers year round fishing for redfish, spotted seatrout, and black drum. Seasonal catches may include tarpon and snook. The northern most portion of the Banana River is a no motor zone and manatee sanctuary. This section is known for its giant black drum and redfish.. Just a few minutes farther and you can be in the Indian River Lagoon. A 30 minute drive will take anglers to the flats of the Mosquito Lagoon. With these three options available to Cocoa Beach visitors, there is always somewhere to fish and something to catch during any time of the year.

Watch this video of Fishing for redfish near Cocoa Beach

Other Fishing Near Cocoa Beach

The Atlantic coast beaches along Cocoa Beach produce great near shore fishing from May-October. When seas allow, small boats can make the trip out of Port Canaveral and fish within a mile of shore, often within several hundred feet of the beach. Tarpon, sharks, kingfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, cobia, and tripletail are popular targets. In the fall, schools of mullet migrate south along the beaches. The predator fish follow these schools and this can make for some of the easiest fishing there is.

Unlike the flats fishing for redfish, this fishing usually involves slow trolling live baits such as Atlantic menhaden behind the boat. Tarpon, however, can be sight fished using lures or fly.

Surf fishing is available for those without boats. Standing on the beach or the Cocoa Beach pier, anglers catch, bluefish, pompano, whiting, mackerel, drum, redfish, sharks, and more.

Large sport fishing boats make their way out of Port Canaveral every day. They target dolphin, kingfish, cobia, snapper, grouper, sailfish, and more. The gulfstream is a 20 mile ride. Farther out, some boats fish for yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and other pelagic species.