By Andy Pickett
One thing I really enjoy about our site is watching the seasons change, along with the reports of different types of fish caught throughout the year. I’ve learned a great deal about some different species of fish and the best time to catch them over the years, but there is not a more exciting time for offshore fishing reports on our site than the month of May. The offshore reports begin to gain steam during April; but by May they are coming fast and furious, and if you do not read them every day, it is difficult to keep up with them. Many anglers will catch that fish of a lifetime during this month, and having them share the experience in word and picture or video allows all of us to share in the experience.
Offshore, the fishing will be wide open with dolphin showing up in full force in May. Blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish catches will also begin to ramp up this month. Black fin tuna and wahoo will be steady, and we will all wait and see if this is the year the yellow fin tuna come back closer to our shores. There will be some great bottom fishing offshore during the month as well.
Nearshore, spadefish will be showing up on the artificial reefs along with cobia, while there will still be plenty of black sea bass around. King mackerel will begin to show up in numbers as soon as the menhaden become plentiful. Live menhaden fished over areas of live bottom and structure should produce some nice kings. There are also plenty of amberjacks around the reefs 60 feet and beyond if you are looking for a tough fighting fish.
The inshore fishing is also very good this time of year. So far, it looks like we may have another good year of trout fishing. There are already some big ones being caught so far this spring. Just remember the larger trout are generally females and they will be spawning, so you may think about putting them back to help the population stay healthy. Redfish will be breaking up from their larger schools into smaller pods of fish. Both of these species will hit a variety of lures and live bait. They are fun to catch on topwater early in the morning, but they will readily hit soft plastics as well as live shrimp and finger mullet. Sheepshead fishing will be very good around inshore structure and around the jetties, while flounder fishing will begin to pick up and can be found around creek mouths and inlets. Bonnet head sharks will begin to move into inshore waters and feed aggressively. To our south, the cobia run should be in full swing down in Beaufort.
For many anglers, this may be the first month you take your boat out this season. Please make sure you check all of your safety equipment and make sure it is all up to date and in good working order. Also make sure your boat is in good working order and you have treated your fuel if the boat has not run in some time. We appreciate everyone that contributes and participates in the site. We just celebrated 14 years of CharlestonFishing.com in April and are looking forward to the next 14 years.
Andy Pickett
CharlestonFishing.com
