[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he May fishing forecast for the Forgotten Coast is always AWESOME! May is the month that produces warm weather and hungry fish. So far this season the weather has been…… not so friendly. But May produces chamber of commerce blue sky days and allows more fishing days than any other month of the year.
As limited days as April allowed for calm fishing, the reports coming from the bay to the barrier islands has been great. From Dog Island to St. George to St Vincent, the shallow flats and coves have produced a solid trout and redfish bite. The grass flats are growing again, and the pinfish have returned to the shallows. That means topwater action in May will be hot! Throwing Mirrolures, Skitterwalks, and SuperSpooks will produce big fish!
Look for a heavy dose of Spanish mackerel in the passes and on the beach. The beach will see the return of bait schools, and that will attract all sorts of hungry predators. Find the pods of bait and cast silver spoons and jigs for some fast action. Cast and retrieve as fast as your reel allows.
A hot spot for near-shore action is Dog Island Reef. The reef is more like a giant sandbar than hard structure, but is a huge attraction for bait, and hungry fish. Troll or drift the reef area and you will catch fish this month.
With all the rain in April, Ochlocknee Bay has been a hard place to catch fish, but there is plenty of fish in the bay. Look for Bald Point to produce plenty of trout, flounder, and redfish this month. This area is the best shot at producing the inshore slam this month. Concentrate on the oyster bars at the mouth of the bay. Bouncing jigs or soaking cut mullet will be a sure thing.
Offshore, this month is the second month of the 4 county, State water mini-gag season, and Franklin County is one of those counties. April was a tough month to get offshore due to the wind and weather, but this month we will see calmer seas. This is a huge deal for these 4 counties, so take full advantage of this Gag grouper opportunity. All of the public reefs will hold gags, and the area north of K-Tower has plenty of hard bottom in State waters. Do not by surprised if there are a few monster cobia on the reefs. This is the month to start carrying that heavy spinning rod with a jig or pinfish ready to throw a passing cobe.
May is the month for sunshine and hungry fish. I hope everyone gets a heavy dose of both this month. Remember, if you need a day on the water, and help getting hooked up, give me a call/text/email. ENJOY!