By: Capt. Chris Johnson
It has been an extremely warm winter in the Keys, which has sped up the normal progression of fishing opportunities. With some minor adjustments, you should still find the best fishing of the year during May. Three main areas of focus this time of year are offshore for dolphin, reef and wreck areas for snappers and groupers and the Middle Keys bridges for tarpon.
Offshore, the dolphin (mahi mahi) bite kicks into gear steadily at this point. You can expect larger fish this month, with the smaller schoolies arriving in June. Now is the time for the gaffers and slammers.
Look for weed lines or birds, especially frigates, working the water surface to indicate the presence of the dolphin. The usual assortment of lures and rigged ballyhoo do the trick. However, in order to fool the biggest dolphin, you will need to have live baits on hand just in case a pitched ballyhoo doesn’t work. These live baits include pinfish and small bluerunners.
While you’re fishing around floating hard objects, be on the lookout for wahoo. Run a high-speed plug around those objects to catch the attention of any lurking wahoo. On the reef areas, the yellowtail have already been spawning, and the mangroves are beginning to move in among the yellowtails to prepare for their spawn.
This is the best time of year to get your biggest flag yellowtail, with fish upward of six pounds and more hitting the docks on a regular basis. The deeper areas in 60 to 100 feet are most consistent for the flags. You may also find mangrove snapper mixed in. These are forming their annual congregation on the reef, and most are large, mature fish in the four- to seven-pound category.
The main event on the reef is the opening of grouper season. Before you set out in search of the groupers, check the regulations as they may have changed.
Black grouper is typically the primary target for anglers on the reef. They’re found in the same areas we fish for yellowtail snapper, which are beginning their spawn. Of the three primary grouper varieties, blacks are probably the toughest, so heavy tackle is necessary to land them. The grouper are big so, naturally, the baits are big. Grunts, bluerunners with their tails trimmed and legal-size snappers, preferably 12- to 14-inch yellowtails. These baits usually don’t last long when dropped to the bottom in 50 to 70 feet of water.
The Atlantic wrecks also hold large black grouper plus gags at 20-plus pounds and good size reds going 10 to 15 pounds. Use the same setup and baits here as you would on the reef.
Also on the wrecks, mixed in with the groupers, are lots of mutton snapper, amberjack, African pompano and, as mentioned above, grouper. Pinfish, pilchards or live ballyhoo are the preferred baits for all but the grouper. And, we’re still catching permit up to 30 pounds on the artificial reefs. Use small crabs on a jighead.
Last but not least is the king of spring, the tarpon. The tarpon run has been fast-paced since the end of March, and it will only improve until it peaks during May. On an average four-hour outing, you’ll see a couple hundred tarpon rolling, and the chances of landing the fish of a lifetime are very good.
In the Marathon area, we have the Long Key Bridge, the Seven Mile Bridge and Bahia Honda Bridge. The preferred baits vary bridge-to-bridge, with mullet and pinfish the choice at Long Key and Seven Mile, while Bahia Honda is all about crabs. Talk to your local tackle shop to see what the tarpon are biting best and what rigs to use.
— Capt. Chris Johnson | SeaSquaredCharters.com
305-393-2929 | Facebook.com/MarathonFishing
Marathon Florida Keys