MAY RECAP
The first four days of grouper opening were really good and the tuna fishing was awesome on the few days that were calm enough to make that run. Other than that, there’s not much to say about May except it was a grind. The sea conditions just didn’t want to play nice for any period of time to let anything get consistent. Back up plans were key — and you better have had some time to work because it seemed as every fishable day we had to charge at it blind and be ready to capitalize on the few opportunities that we were given.
NEARSHORE
We are so overdue for a stretch of calm seas that, statistically, it has to happen, so I am going to bank on it. Calm sea conditions equal big time fishing opportunity up and down Cocoa Beach, along Port Canaveral channel and North of the Canaveral shoal. Bait fish such as threadfins, scaly minnows and hopefully pogies show up and are easy to spot on calm days. Calm seas also allow the water clarity to get right. Clean water and bait equals fantastic live bait trolling for smoker king mackerel, big tarpon, bonito, barracuda, jack crevalle, sharks and the occasional cobia. This is easy summertime fishing so start your day early and go home happy by the heat of the day. Goliath grouper fishing is really good along the channel, close wrecks, terminals and channel markers so get the biggest bait you can find dead or alive and let it soak.
OFFSHORE
It is time for a change! It has to happen and it has to be June. My wife always tells me that being positive puts out good vibes and in return positivity happens with anything you do. Everyone has been getting beat down for months and we have been tired of hearing the same message everywhere we go. I know I personally am about to snap if I ever here, “remember we are all in this together,” “social distancing,” “the new normal,” “We have to cancel due to the ongoing corona virus crisis,” and the list goes on and on. I know you are wondering what this has to do with offshore fishing. The answer is absolutely nothing other than when you get far enough out into the ocean you get to unplug and media can no longer bombard you with nonsense. It is so much easier to be positive out on the water because you are free. Can you leave the negativity at the dock? I have seen a lot of positivity from charters lately. We had brutally tough fishing last month and most people were happy to just be free and it was their positivity that made the day great. As stupid as this sounds, I wonder as captains and anglers if we can change the circumstances and outcome of the fishing day by remaining in a positive mind set. After all as offshore captains and avid offshore anglers we truly get the opportunity to be free more than most people.
June live bait trolling is what you want to be doing. Short days on the reef with nonstop action and a good variety of species. King mackerel are dominant but mahi, cobia, sailfish, barracuda, bonito, black fin tuna, and wahoo are all possible. Bottom fishing should improve and with any luck the thermocline was early, mild and gone. 100ft for mangrove and mutton snapper is where I suggest concentrating your bottom fishing efforts. Yellowfin tuna trips should remain really good but we will have to start go out even furthers as the water temperatures continue to rise. The best way to catch all these best bet species this month is very simple. Apply what you know and be positive!
I expect to see a fantastic June and all our positive vibes will deliver it.
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