The Space Coast surf has been the most productive water this week. Clean early-morning conditions and strong post-full-moon tides have redfish and whiting working the troughs, while the Ponce Inlet jetty is holding snook and tarpon on the moving water.
What’s Hitting
Redfish are the standout in the surf, with slot fish and some oversized bulls in the first and second troughs at daybreak. Whiting are thick and steady all day on sand fleas and shrimp. Pompano numbers are lighter than spring but a few are still around on the bars. At the inlet, snook are stacked on the jetty rocks — catch-and-release through August — and tarpon are rolling on the outgoing. Inside the Halifax and Mosquito Lagoon, trout and reds are on the early flats bite.
Where to Find Them
Work the surf between Ponce Inlet and Flagler Beach, focusing on any cut or trough you can see at low water. The Ponce Inlet north and south jetties are holding snook, tarpon, and jacks on the tide change. Inside, the Halifax River docks around Daytona are producing snapper and sheepshead, and the north end of Mosquito Lagoon has trout on the grass at first light before the water gets too warm.
Tides & Conditions
Strong tides off the July 29 full moon are running through midweek and moderating by the weekend. Surf temps are near 82, lagoon water in the upper 80s. Southeast wind has kept a light chop and some green water in the surf, which the reds like. Afternoon storms build inland and roll east daily.
Tackle & Tactics
In the surf, a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas or fresh shrimp handles whiting and pompano; for reds, step up to a fish-finder rig with a 4/0 circle and a chunk of mullet or blue crab. At the jetty, flair hawk jigs and live croakers work for snook, and a live mullet on 80-pound leader for tarpon. In the lagoon, a soft plastic on a light jighead or a topwater at first light is all you need.
Local Intel This Week
Ponce Inlet’s Down the Hatch area ramp, the Beville Road ramp on the Halifax, and the Haulover Canal ramp for Mosquito Lagoon are the main public launches. Fish are concentrating in the surf troughs and at the inlet this week rather than the open lagoon. Snook season is closed on this coast and redfish rules vary by zone — check current FWC regulations and seasons before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
Walk the beach at dead low tide before you fish it. The cuts and troughs you map at low water are exactly where the reds will be feeding two hours into the flood, and it takes ten minutes to save yourself a wasted morning.