What’s On Your Wish List?

What do you want to catch? May brings the best opportunity to target a large variety of species. Would you like Mahi, Tuna, Wahoo, a Billfish, or Grouper, Amberjack, Mutton Snapper or a host of other reef fish species.  This year,  thanks to Governor De Santis, the Red Snapper opening will hopefully be May 22^nd.

May is probably the best month for Gulfstream fishing. Mahi show up in large numbers, Tuna are still around, Wahoo, and Billfish hang around as well. The water is still cool inshore so pelagic fish are bunched up on the Gulfstream Highway. This is the trolling game and we typically pull a mixture of monofilament and wire rigs with normal spreads of 8 lines - 2 from the bridge, 4 from the outriggers, a flatline and 1 down deep. Teasers on each side increase your odds tremendously. Medium ballyhoo is our bait of choice. Look for temperature breaks, weed lines or bait, and you will find the fish. If you find all 3 combined, you should be in the meat.

If trolling isn’t your thing or you don’t want to make the 50-mile run to the Gulfstream, bottom fishing will be good from 100ft on out. All grouper species open May 1^st, and the Mangrove and Mutton Snapper will be chewing as well. Grouper require heavy tackle and is a man against beast battle. One hundred# leader is suggested. I always tell people act like there’s a million dollars on the end of your line. The first 10 to 15 feet is critical because they will do everything in their power to get back into the structure. Mangrove and Mutton Snapper require a little more finesse with lighter, longer leaders required for bites. I like 60-to-80-pound monofilament but may go as light as 30 pounds. Ten to 15 ft is normal length. I match the hook size to the bait I’m using and just enough weight to get to the bottom.

Hopefully Red Snapper will open on May 22^nd. I encourage everyone to let the Governor know that we fully support state management of Red Snapper and his efforts to reopen the fishery.

Tight Lines

“Let’s go Fishing”

Captain Robert Johnson