Redfish, snook and sea trout can all be found in the Haulover Canal. For the big redfish, I typically use ½ or whole live blue crabs with a 5/0 circle hook and 40 lb. fluorocarbon leader with 30 lb. braid. Depending on the speed of the current, use a ½- to 2-ounce sinker with a swivel and when freelining throw up current of the school of redfish. For best results use your electronics with side imaging. You can also anchor in Haulover and wait with a ½ or whole crab. Pitching large live croakers works very well too; try around the fenders and trees for big redfish. For snook and seatrout use live shrimp, finger mullet and croakers on a 3/0 J hook with 30 lb. fluorocarbon leader tied to 10-30 lb. braid. You will still lose a few snook on the 30 lb. leader, but when you step up to 40 lb. you will not get as many bites. Try skipping a white paddle tail under the mangroves in Haulover Canal; a bit of current helps to have better results.
May is also a great time of the year for catching redfish, sea trout and black drum on the flats. The grass is getting higher, so pitch into the sand holes using paddle tails, live shrimp or gold spoons with 20 lb. leader tied to 6-10 lb. braid. For black drum, if I can see them, I will throw live shrimp or a piece of shrimp on a jig head and let it sit. May also brings more consistent weather and less wind.
In the ocean and nearshore, you may have a chance at a tripletail on the buoys, and free swimmers if we have strong southeast winds. Tarpon will also show up on the beach in late May and June. Usually, once the large schools of bait like pogies show up so do the tarpon. Sharks will be thick this time of the year around the schools of bait fish with large jacks and big redfish mixed in.
Troy’s Tip of the Month: when fishing Haulover in May, the winds may be calm, so make sure you wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, or have lots of bug spray because no-see-ums and mosquitoes will be fierce in the morning.
Capt. Troy Perez
Troy Perez Fishing
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