If you haven’t been fishing yet, I hope that you have a very good excuse. The fishing season has officially begun and you should be ready to put some fish on the deck.
The redfish that are here now are the same fish that have been here all winter long plus others that have migrated from the south. This changes everything about their habits including aggressiveness, location, diet, and school size. Small schools will be cruising around docks and structure in the ICW and yacht basin. Soft plastics with paddle tails fished on a ¼ ounce jighead will definitely get you hooked up. While fishing the flats, be extremely quiet as you float or pole along without the use of your motor. Look for multiple V’s and puffs of mud, as you will spook the reds out of sunbathing. Even if you do spook an entire school throw a soft plastic on a jig head in front of the school and you are bound to hookup on these panicked, but ALWAYS hungry reds. Work areas with marsh grass with live or artificial shrimp on a popping cork to target the reds and the speckled trout alike. Hard plastic, mullet imitating plugs are going to work as well for both.
Spanish mackerel fishing is still going to be productive around the inlets and nearshore reefs. Look for diving birds and surface bait as sure signs that there are Spanish around. Trolling 0 & 00 spoons at 5 knots will catch these guys. 20 feet of 20-25 pound fluorocarbon leaders tied directly to your spoons will DEFINITELY increase your catch quantities. A small 5’’ pink or blue bird in front of a shorter leader (8-10 feet) and spoon is also a producer. If you haven’t tried a mackerel tree rig with 4 hooks and a spoon, you are missing fish as well. Use a #1 or #2 planer to sink 2 spoons below the surface and then use a mixture of plain, bird, and tree rigs on the surface. Some days the fish like gold. Some days the fish like gold. Some days they like a silver spoon with green or pink flash. If you’re not getting bites on a specific rig, change it out, and adapt to what colors they’re biting. King mackerel are also going to be found very close to shore as well. Troll live menhaden on rigs made with #5 straight wire or 40-60lb 7-strand wire with #4 or #6 4X treble hooks to fool these guys. Bigger Spanish mackerel will also devour these baits.
The inlet and nearshore artificial reefs are going to be very productive as the flounder continue their journey to inland waters. Snow’s Cut and the river are going to hold bigger fish as the summer goes on. Target docks and man-made structure in the ICW and yacht basin for a sure bite. Use your depth recorder to find bottom structure in the inlet and reefs. Aside from your normal Carolina rig with live bait, try a bucktail jig with a scented shrimp and bounce it along the bottom. This works especially well at the nearshore reefs.
Capt. Wes Barbour
Island Tackle & Hardware/Island Tackle Charters
910-458-3049 or 828-719-6000