Sebastian Area Offshore Fishing Report and Forecast: May 2016

Destiny Maynard with her first black fin tuna and a dolphin. PHOTO CREDIT: Rogue Wave Fishing Charters.
Destiny Maynard with her first black fin tuna and a dolphin. PHOTO CREDIT: Rogue Wave Fishing Charters.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]ime to dust off the trolling rods, get your outriggers tuned up and break out all your best lures! April proved to be a fantastic month for not only dolphin, but kingfish and blackfin tuna as well.

The kingfish have been schooling in relatively shallow water. Depths between 50 to 100 feet. Visit one of the SISA reefs and catch a live well full of blue runners for live bait. Hook them to a stinger rig and cast them out. Troll the live baits at only two knots for best results. If you have a hard time going so slow, drag a silver spoon with a pogey strip at around five to six knots and you should clean up. On calmer days, the commercial guys are catching their limit of 75 fish by 1 p.m.

The dolphin bite has been great and should continue well into the summer. As I was writing this report I got a picture from my friend (Corryn) sporting a 43-pound cow she caught. Reports of great fish like that are a daily occurrence. Look for the fish around temperature changes. The cleaner water around the edge of the Gulf Stream have been the ticket. Always watch for birds and those great weed lines that stack up when we have east winds.

Don’t be surprised if a blackfin tuna shows up in your spread. They have been showing up and hitting the same baits the dolphin are hitting.