IT’S ALL HAPPENING… STARTING IN APRIL Just to start with the obvious species, one of my favorite things to do is catch the nearshore Bonitos. They’re very fun to catch, plentiful and they’re delicious to eat. Not only are they more fun to catch casting to them rather than trolling, if you get in them, you stand a chance of catching multiple fish without ever moving. If you troll through them you will drive them down off the surface, but if you use the wind to drift down onto them, casting jigs they will stay up on the surface longer. If they do go down, they’re still right there so just let your jigs sink deeper in the water column.
This can actually be pretty fun fishing as a run and gun style. If you see them busting on the surface run over to get up wind and kill it and drift down to the school casting. The best results come from a jig that’s got an erratic side to side action. The old school Gotch plug work really well but it’s got treble hooks on it and I’m done with trouble hooks. I’ve got a jig in mind that works the same way but I’m not gonna mention it …wink wink.
In addition to the Bonito inshore, the Wahoo, Dolphin, and Tuna are showing up on the break. This is also a good way to drift and jig to the Blackfins if you see them busting. Every time you stop to cast to a blackfin it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put over a chum bag for a drift, this will attract a lot of pelagics to the Boat. Don’t be surprised to see a Sailfish swim by. Try and keep quiet, remain calm and keep a pitch bait ready on flourocarbon.
If you can find a good mark of fish on structure, chances are some of these marks may be African Pompano, they’ll be there for a good chunk of the month of April. That same technique of dropping a jig into the bottom and working it up for African Pompano may get a Wahoo bite. Also keep the light line out with the live bait if you can, but someone will have to be designated or the entire crew will have to keep a watch on the light line to make sure you don’t get fouled. I like to catch fish from an anchored or drifting boat versus trolling. Keep an eye out in the water column, looking down on the scope or you may visually see one on the surface. If you do see Wahoo come by the boat start cutting chunks of bait, not too big maybe 1-1ó square chunks, and start throwing them over. Let them start eating the chunks of bait and then let one out with a hook in it on a short piece of wire. If you’re out that far it’s also a good time of year to load up on the Trigger fish and B-liners. Pay close attention to the CREEL limits as some regulations have changed.
Whatever you’re in the mood for, or have the weather for, it’s all available starting in April. Next month we get to start grouper fishing and hopefully get access to some of those endangered American Red Snapper too. All the best fishing,
