[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ccording to Capt. Travis Kelly, Gusto Charters and Guide Service in Marsh Harbour, May will bring a steady offshore mahi bite, billfish action will heat up and if the winds are blowing from the east, move the fishing inshore for yellowtails, mutton snapper and grouper.
“For billfish, troll in the 500-foot to 1500-foot range and deploy squid teasers to bring them into the spread. Naked baits and artificial lures that create lots of action will their attention of billfish. For dolphin, trolling rigged ballyhoo with smoker heads and chuggers will produce the bites. And, don’t forget to watch for schools of yellowfin and blackfin.
Grand Bahama Offshore
Now that the weather is subsiding, Capt. Billy Black, of Duchess Sportfishing, said to “Break out your 50- and 80-pound tackle, sharpen your hooks and prepare for explosions as the the annual spring bite of large dolphin, wahoo, blackfin and yellow fin tuna, and blue and white marlins launches in May. If you see the big bluefins busting the water, bring your 50s in the boat to avoid being stripped. I prefer lure fishing this time of year at seven- or eight-knots to catch the slow moving larger blue marlin. My favorite spring lure color is pink, yellow, and green, as the combo resembles a bleeding dolphin. Anglers should expect a fairly consistent bite around Grand Bahama as long as the water temperature stays in the 76- to 80-degree range.”
South Eleuthera
Capt. Calvin Jolly out of Davis Harbour in Cape Eleuthera reports, “Southeasterly breezes have been bringing warmer water temperatures to South Eleuthera with an abundance of game fish being reported. The underwater zebras (wahoo) are still hanging around and are ranging from 30- to 75-pounds. The most productive lures have both black and purple colors. Mahi are grabbing anything that is pulled behind the boat with consistent reports of 25- to 48-pound fish being landed. Daily reports of blues, whites and sailfish releases are being reported and the billfish bite should stay strong through May. Reports of 50-pound tunas being caught on the Atlantic side are common. Larger catches will increase as we approach the early summer months.”
Long Island
Capt. Luke Maillis tells us that May is the best month to catch yellowfin tuna off Long Island. “We typically find schools of yellowfin in the 40-to-60-pound range congregating around certain areas such as Simms Bar, Diana Bank and Rum Cay. Live chumming is the best method of catching these prize fish. When the bait is available, we take 100 gallons or more worth to insure a successful day. A simple but proven rig we use consists of a 30-foot-long section of 60-pound fluorocarbon leader with a 130-pound SPRO Power Swivel tied to one end and a 9/0 Mustad 39960D circle hook tied to the other end with a ‘non-slip Luke’s knot’ (a custom variation of a non-slip loop knot). We use a range of rod and reel combos from a 50w reels spooled with 50-to-80-pound test to #16 and #20 size reels spooled with 50-pound braid and a monofilament top shot. If live bait is not available, chunking with regular sized whole squid works great as well.”
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