Bussen Report: December ’09 | The Beachside Resident

By: Capt. Scott Bussen

Article Category: Canaveral Fishing Report 2 Comments

They say the mind is the first thing to go as one gets older, and I’m starting to believe it’s true. I know it’s been nearly 20 years since I raised a puppy, but did I really forget that much? Was it really this difficult the last time? Did my last puppy really cause me this much grief? I guess we only tend to remember the good stuff, repressing all those memories of the not-so-good times. I think I should have named him “Taz,” because he’s like a little tornado rolling through the house, the boat or wherever else he may be. The process of raising him has been a test of wills and my patience. Am I ready to give up? Depends on what day you ask me… The one thing that I can tell you for sure is that Scott needs to build a flip-flop that can withstand puppy teeth! Oh well. I won’t be needing them for a while anyway…

I know this because, as I write this, the Cocoa Beach Block Party is kicking off. This means that the first big cold front of the year has set in just like clockwork. The weather may be less than ideal for the party, but it means good things for the fishing. The wintry weather should be the spark that lights the fuse to some dynamite fishing.

The weather in November was a bit suspect at the beginning, but the latter part of the month was fairly fishable. On the days it was fishable, the bite was pretty good. The snapper and amberjack were consistent with a few grouper here and there. The dolphin were scattered but reliable, and a sail or wahoo made a few appearances. Toward the end of the month, the kingfish started to come on strong.

For December, expect the bottom fishing to remain good and get better as time goes by. The snapper should be the most consistent, followed by the amberjack. The grouper fishing should pick up later in the month. With the arrival of the cooler weather, the snapper and grouper should start to move into shallower water. Start fishing in as shallow as 70′ and work out until you locate some action. The amberjack should be found from the 27-fathom ridge on out to the cones. The snapper should readily feed on frozen sardines, squid, cut bait and smaller live baits. The grouper and amberjack should fall victim to the larger live baits, but more than a few grouper will be caught on the dead stuff.

If it’s kingfish you want, then December is your month. The fish are migrating south and should be found in significant numbers. Generally, they should be found on the reefs or wrecks from 60′ to 100′ of water. Troll spoons, plugs or sea witches with strip baits until the fish are found. Once located, it shouldn’t be a problem to catch a quick limit on slow-trolled Spanish sardines. Also mixed in with the kings will be an occasional wahoo, blackfin tuna or cobia.

As far as trolling goes, December should be much the same as November. There should be a few dolphin mixed in with a possible sail, wahoo or blackfin tuna. Troll ballyhoo on mono rigs in tight to the teasers for the dolphin and sails. For the wahoo, try a ballyhoo/lure combo on the shotgun or downrigger.

Off to the block party to freeze my a@# off!

See ya on the pond!