It’s a fishing day

Cape Canaveral Beach fishing conditions · Florida

Sit it outno red drum window clears the bar in 36 hours

Water is 75°, close to the 75° red drum like best. Wind builds to 25 mph out of the northeast by today at 4:00 am.

High Surf Advisory until Thursday 2 amCoastal Flood Warning until Thursday 2 amRip Current Statement until Thursday 2 amWind Advisory until Monday 8 pm
Log a trip here
Right now: 40 for red drum, sit it outTap or drag along the water to move through the next 36 hours

Red drum, hour by hour

Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.

  1. 403 am
  2. 20
  3. 40
  4. 206 am
  5. 40
  6. 44
  7. 209 am
  8. 20
  9. 20
  10. 2012 pm
  11. 21
  12. 21
  13. 173 pm
  14. 20
  15. 17
  16. 206 pm
  17. 41
  18. 40
  19. 409 pm
  20. 40
  21. 40
  22. 40Tue
  23. 44
  24. 44
  25. 403 am
  26. 40
  27. 40
  28. 406 am
  29. 40
  30. 40
  31. 449 am
  32. 40
  33. 40
  34. 4012 pm
  35. 40
  36. 44
Go, 85+Worth the trip, 70+Marginal, 55+Sit it out

Right now

Water
75°F

Red drum range 65–85°

Wind
20 mph

From the northeast · rough for small boats

Light
Dark

Sunrise 7:29 am

Sky
Partly Cloudy

14% chance of rain

Air
73°F

NWS hourly forecast

Moon
100% lit

Full

What’s biting

Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Florida regulations for these waters.

Red Drum

Red drum

Sciaenops ocellatus

44Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
55°65–85° · ideal 75°95°

Why

Right in red drum's ideal range. Red drum prefers incoming tide. Strong wind — chop and difficult casting. Holds 3–20 ft down.

Keep

18" minimum · 27" maximum · 1 a day

Catch and release only today. 18–27" slot, 1 per person a day; vessel limit 4 in the Northeast Region and 2 in the Southeast Region. Harvest is prohibited in federal waters.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Year-round, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on red drum

Spotted Seatrout

Spotted seatrout

Cynoscion nebulosus

44Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
50°60–85° · ideal 72°95°

Why

Right in spotted seatrout's ideal range. Spotted seatrout prefers incoming tide. Strong wind — chop and difficult casting. Holds 3–15 ft down.

Keep

15" minimum · 19" maximum · 3 a day

Open. Keep fish within the limits. Northeast Region: 15–19" slot; no fish over 19" may be kept. 3 per person a day, open year-round.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Year-round, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on spotted seatrout

Tarpon

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

40Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
64°74–90° · ideal 80°100°

Why

Tarpon prefers incoming tide. Tarpon feeds aggressively under full moon. Inside tarpon's active range. Holds 3–30 ft down.

Keep

no harvest

Catch and release only today. Catch-and-release only. Tarpon over 40" must stay in the water unless you hold a tarpon tag (one per person a year), bought before fishing, in pursuit of a Florida state or world record.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Apr–Sep. More on tarpon

Bluefish

Bluefish

Pomatomus saltatrix

32Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
50°60–80° · ideal 70°90°

Why

Bluefish prefers incoming tide. Inside bluefish's active range. Strong wind — chop and difficult casting. Holds 5–50 ft down.

Keep

12" minimum · 3 a day

Open. Keep fish within the limits. 12" fork-length minimum, 3 per person a day in Atlantic state waters.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Year-round, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on bluefish

Common Snook

Common snook

Centropomus undecimalis

24Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
58°68–88° · ideal 78°98°

Why

Right in common snook's ideal range. Strong wind — chop and difficult casting. Building seas — uncomfortable and hard to hold position. Holds 2–20 ft down.

Keep

28" minimum · 32" maximum · 1 a day

Open. Keep fish within the limits. Atlantic: 28–32" slot, 1/day, snook permit required. Harvest open Feb 1–May 31 and Sep 1–Dec 14; catch-and-release the rest of the year.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Mar–Nov. Likes an outgoing tide. More on common snook

Sheepshead

Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

24Sit it outNo window clears the bar

Water

75°
50°60–82° · ideal 72°92°

Why

Right in sheepshead's ideal range. Strong wind — chop and difficult casting. Building seas — uncomfortable and hard to hold position. Holds 5–40 ft down.

Keep

12" minimum · 8 a day

Open. Keep fish within the limits. 12" minimum, 8 per person a day; vessel limit 50 per trip in March and April.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Year-round, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. Likes slack water. More on sheepshead

Southern Flounder

Southern flounder

Paralichthys lethostigma

–Not scoredOut of season

Out of seasonOut of season here today. Check the agency before fishing.

Water

75°
48°58–82° · ideal 70°92°

Why

Inside southern flounder's active range. Dangerous wind — boats unsafe, casting impossible. Building seas — uncomfortable and hard to hold position. Holds 1–20 ft down.

Keep

14" minimum · 5 a day

Out of season here today. Check the agency before fishing. Florida flounder: 14" minimum, 5 per person a day. Closed Oct 15–Nov 30.

Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Florida

Season here: Mar–Nov. Likes an outgoing tide. More on southern flounder

The water

  • Water temperature75°F
  • Seas5.2 ft at the nearest buoy
  • Barometer30.03 inHg

Sun, moon & solunar

  • Sunrise today7:29 am
  • Sunset today6:42 pm
  • MoonFull, 100% lit
  • Minor solunarToday 7:30 am–8:30 am
  • Major solunarToday 12:20 pm–2:20 pm
  • Minor solunarTonight 6:20 pm–7:20 pm

Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works

Fishing report

No current report covers these waters.

We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. Florida FWC has the state’s fishing pages.

Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisory

About this spot

Surf beach south of the Port Canaveral jetties. FWC's Brevard County calendar has snook in winter, early spring and late fall, tarpon in winter, early spring and fall, black drum and southern flounder (closed Oct 15–Nov 30) from winter into spring, seatrout from winter into early summer, and sheepshead year-round; bluefish reach this coast in winter. This is FWC's Indian River Lagoon Region, so redfish are catch-and-release only.

Nearby

Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.

Questions people ask

Do I need a fishing license to fish at Cape Canaveral Beach?

Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Cape Canaveral Beach you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website

What fish are commonly targeted at Cape Canaveral Beach?

Cape Canaveral Beach is listed on this site for 7 commonly-targeted species: Common Snook, Tarpon, Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, and 3 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.

When is the best time to fish at Cape Canaveral Beach?

It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Cape Canaveral Beach against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.

What kind of access does Cape Canaveral Beach have?

Cape Canaveral Beach has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.

Which state's fishing regulations apply at Cape Canaveral Beach?

state agency regulations apply at Cape Canaveral Beach. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.

Is Cape Canaveral Beach tidal water?

Yes. Cape Canaveral Beach sits on tidal water with a NOAA tide station nearby. Today's high/low timing is in the tide chart on this page.