This is the time of year when the big dolphin are migrating north through our area. I’ve heard of several big dolphin caught so far during the month of March. This is also the windiest time of the year, so when the wind lies down, get out their and catch that trophy. You’ll find dolphin in depths from 75 feet out as far as 400 feet. Once you find where they are biting, troll along that depth plus or minus 20 feet, with your favorite baits and lures.
April also kick-starts our tournament season on the Treasure Coast for dolphin, wahoo and king mackerel. King mackerel tournaments are my favorite. Right now the bulk of the larger kingfish are down around Jupiter. But, they will be migrating north as well, as the water temperatures warm up. I like to fish live bait for kings. I slow troll: pilchards, threadfin herring, blue runners, ribbonfish (on the downrigger), and mullet and Spanish mackerel. You can troll a drone spoon on a down planer and ballyhoo on the surface too.
If you’ve never fished a tournament before, grab some buddies and pitch in together and fish. The tournaments always have a charity involved. The captains meetings are informative, the raffle prizes are great, the weigh-ins are fun to watch, and you might even win some cash.
Also, May 1, 2014, is when the shallow water grouper season opens up again. Make sure you check the rules and regulations as they are changing all the time.