Cocoa Beach Surf

82 — GO

Cocoa Beach

The mobile, trough-reading play for pompano, whiting, and drum. Five miles of fishable beach between 5th Street and Patrick AFB — walk until the water tells you to stop.

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. incoming tide lines up with this spot.

Best window around high tide Sun 1:01 AM

Location

Tides & Moon

Between phases — focus on tide timing over lunar influence

Major feeding5:04 AM – 7:04 AM5:04 PM – 7:04 PM

Minor feeding11:04 PM – 12:04 AM11:04 AM – 12:04 PM

Live Conditions

Water81.5°F

Wave2.3 ft

WindE 10 mph

Tideincoming

Air78°F

Rain0%

Conditions Match

Conditions check

How it matches right now

Tide: incoming / high; incoming
Wind dir: W, WSW, SW, S, SSW; E
Wind speed: ≤10 mph ideal; 10 mph
Wave height: 1.5–3 ft; 2.3 ft
Water temp: 63–78°F; 81.5°F
Light: Daytime; Daytime

✓ ideal ~ close ✗ outside range

Personal logbook

Log this trip with conditions auto-captured from the live feed.

Current Read

Why it scores 82 right now

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.
incoming tide lines up with this spot.
E wind usually hurts this setup.
Light breeze keeps the presentation manageable.
Water temperature is workable, but not ideal for this program.
Wave height is in the range this spot wants.
This is a cleaner daylight read than a pure low-light play.

Tactics

Hooks, baits, and lanes for Cocoa Beach Surf

Pompano — double drop rig

Two No. 2 short-shank hooks on dropper loops, 18 inches apart, with a 2–3 oz pyramid sinker on the bottom. Bait with sand fleas (hook through the horn), fresh-peeled shrimp, or Fishbites in orange or pink. Cast to the first trough on incoming tide. Don't reel — let the current move the bait. If no bite in 10 minutes, move 50 yards.

Whiting — light bottom rig

Single No. 4 hook on a 12-inch fluorocarbon leader with a 1 oz pyramid sinker. Small pieces of shrimp, cut sandworm, or Fishbites. Cast into the inside edge of the first trough. Whiting hit fast and hard — you'll feel a sharp double-tap. Set immediately.

Black drum — Carolina rig

3/0 circle hook on 25 lb fluorocarbon, 2 oz egg sinker running on the main line above a barrel swivel. Half a blue crab, large shrimp, or cut clam. Cast past the second bar and let it sit. They'll hit slow — wait for the rod tip to load before you lift.

Surf snook — mullet run

September through November when mullet are running the beach. Throw a 4-inch white paddletail on a 3/8 oz jighead with 30 lb fluoro leader on 15 lb braid. Parallel the beach at first light. The hit feels like you snagged a log that starts moving.

Reading the troughs

Walk the beach at low tide first. Look for darker green water between the sandbars — that's the trough. Look for cuts in the outer bar where water flows through — that's where fish enter and exit. Sand fleas digging in wet sand = pompano territory.

Target Species

Florida Pompano

Keep casts in the troughs first; only bomb it long if the first cut is dead.

FWC recreational rule set: 11" fork minimum, 6 per harvester, open year-round.

Whiting

Move with the clean-water pocket and stay close to the first or second trough.

Check current local limits before harvest; use this card as a trip cue, not your final legal source.

Black Drum

Work slower water right off structure or on the calmer side of the surf cut.

Use live FWC regulations for current harvest limits before keeping fish.

Snook

Fish edges, current seams, and low-light bait movement instead of blind fan casting.

East coast harvest is seasonal and permit-based; on April 17, 2026 the east coast harvest window is open.

Redfish

Treat the channel edges as ambush lanes and fish moving current, not dead water.

Indian River Lagoon redfish are catch-and-release only, so this is a confidence signal more than a cooler plan.

Access

Florida saltwater fishing license required for shoreline fishing.
Public beach access at multiple street-end parks. Best parking at Lori Wilson Park, Shepard Park, or the metered lots along A1A.
No vehicle beach driving — this is a walk-and-scout fishery.
Tackle carts strongly recommended. You'll move 3–5 times until you find the right trough.
Dawn is prime time. Beach crowds thin out the fishing options by 10 AM on weekends.

Hazards

Rip current risk is real — never wade deeper than waist without knowing the break pattern. Check NWS surf forecast.
A dirty, blown-out surf line after a NE blow will kill the pompano plan. If the water is chocolate brown, drive to the inlet instead.
Stingrays hold in the troughs. Shuffle your feet, every single step.
Portuguese man-of-war wash up periodically in winter — check the sand before you set up.
School shark traffic increases when mullet are running. Watch for bowed rods and move if sharks are eating everything.

Highlights

Best surf pompano water on the Space Coast — fish the color break between green and brown water.
Whiting are the most reliable producer in any conditions. If nothing else bites, whiting will.
First trough in 2–3 ft of water is the money zone. The second bar is bonus territory.
Black drum stack up in the deeper holes during February-March cold snaps.
Snook cruise the beach during September mullet run — topwater blowups on calm mornings.
Excellent water-reading lab — learn to read cuts, color changes, and trough depth here and it translates everywhere.