STEINHATCHEE May Poles
Spring is in full swing in May. It is supposed to be that way in April, but sometimes, March lingers, and brings unwanted chilly fronts that spice up the waters. Fronts bring wind and rain. Inshore, that means run-off from the estuaries and coffee-stained waters. Not only can’t the fish see the bait, but the particulates in the water irritate their gills, making them less likely to pursue food. Call it a smokers cough for a track and field athlete. Offshore, water does get cloudy causing similar fish conditions; however, normally less stringent. Strong wind or full moon tides can move water at a brisk pace, forcing fish to hunker down for self-preservation. In a nutshell, cold fronts have dropped on Steinhatchee now til mid-April. During times of abatement, fishing has been off-the-chain, both inshore and offshore. Nonetheless, May trumps the cold front assaults and great fishing is guaranteed. What to expect in May? The negative influence of cold fronts will be gone. All inshore fish will be available. The presence of pinfish will be that insurance plan. The bite will include trout, redfish, Spanish, bluefish, ladyfish to provide great action. A flats pro tip: be prepared with a larger combo to take on a cobia drifting the flats. Most people have a flats encounter with a large cobia and are under-gunned. Trout gear usually won’t bring back anything but a story. Heavier spinning gear rigged with a live pinfish, jig or jerk bait brings home the fish. Boy Scout rule still applies: Be Prepared!–to make a memory not another fish tale. In May you can toss any confidence bait you want. After all, the best bait in the world is confidence! Larger trout are in the shallows <2 feet. Action trout will be in the 3 to 5 foot range, perhaps sightly deeper. Always work with the tide. State water gag grouper fishing is open in waters out of Taylor County! State waters are out nine nautical miles. There is no demarcation line in the water showing state verses federal waters. If you have a chartering GPS, the line is normally marked on the chart. Do not catch gags in state waters, then travel into federal water, as that is a violation. Plan the fishing day according. If you want seabass and Florida snapper in federal waters, get them first, then come back in for gags. An excellent technique to find shallow water gags, is trolling shallow diving plugs such as CD 18 & 22 Rapalas, deep diving Mirr-o-lures, or Stretch 25 Mann’s, or weighted spoons work well if rigged properly. Always check the saltwater fishing regulation prior to going fishing. Because, the political and pseudo-scientific know-it-alls that don’t have clue what is going on in reality; that work in offices far from the coast; whose faulty litigations squish money out of a multi-billion dollar sport; and economically strap folks from ice venders, restaurants, lodging folks and charter folks—like me and my wife– in small coastal towns; change regulations like a chameleon changes colors with no regard to their asinine bondages imposed on those working folks not receiving a steady government check. Their slack data in regards to regulatory measures is years out dated and fails real time situations. Have they looked at the explosion of red snapper or amberjack? I think not! Amberjack are open in state waters, pending Federal regulation changes…who knows…. Yea, I’m pissed; like many. But fishing is great. Come to Steinhatchee and enjoy it!