May is my favorite month of the year to fish out of Charleston; and I know most of you feel the same way! This is the month the majority of our Dolphin will be migrating north past the waters off of Charleston, following the Dolphin are the Marlin!
May is the the time of year to push off the ledge and find the edge of the gulf stream
May is the the time of year to push off the ledge and find the edge of the gulf stream. Temperature charts, temperature charts, temperature charts!!! Study them, evaluate what the gulf stream is doing and where it is moving.
I like to find where the more drastic changes in temperatures are, one or two degree temperature breaks are great. Typically this is where I find my harder more defined edges.
Most of the time this is where the weed line will also be, however sometimes I’ll find the weed line just slightly offshore of the temperature break.
These edges and weed lines are where I find most of my and Dolphin. I find some billfish on the edge but I find more slightly offshore of it. Billfish will stage off the edge waiting to ambush its prey.
I like to run between six and seven rods in my spread depending of weather conditions
I like to run between six and seven rods in my spread depending of weather conditions. I run two flat lines, two short riggers, two long riggers, a mouse trap (down the middle about the same length as the short riggers), and a shotgun (down the middle normally a little farther then my long riggers).
Running either naked baits or small bullet heads on my flat lines is what I like to do and placing my flat lines just behind the end of my teasers, I change out my short riggers quiet often.
I love running big lures in this position; mostly either a cupped or slanted head lure. I also like running a smaller chugger head with a larger ballyhoo.
One of my old favorites is an Islander rigged with a mullet! On my long riggers I run either a seawitch or a small bullet head rigged with a small or medium ballyhoo.
My mouse trap is almost always a small naked bait. My shot gun will normally have a medium sized flat head marlin lure.
Every boat is different and there is only one way to figure out what works best for your boat and crew. Remember that adjusting your speed, even a very small amount, can drastically change how your spread will swim and the fish will react. Go make some memories!
Capt. Adam Limbach / Therapy Fishing Charters
therapyfishing.com
843.872.8020
You may also enjoy reading Charleston Offshore Fishing Forecast – April
