Capt. Matt Fueyo
When life gives you lemons… make lemonade! We are all dealing with some difficult times right now. Boat ramps and state parks are closed, and unless you own property on the water, you’re pretty much watching your favorite fishermen and fisherwomen on TV. The good news is that our local government has decided to keep a few boat ramps open and allowed marinas to remain operational. This has allowed us to continue to make a few folks smile. We have found that since most ramps and marinas are closed in the surrounding counties, the pollution is far less and the fishing has been on fire!! Big snook have been caught, as well as tarpon and kingfish! The April showers have started to push the micro-baits out of the bays and onto the beaches, bringing big fish in closer to shore. Don’t be surprised if you see a school of 30” snook cruising the beach! Don’t be shocked when you see huge Jack crevalle pushing baits on the beach and a frenzy of birds enjoying the fish flopping on the sand. It’s May!! The spring break sickness kept the beaches clean and has allowed Mother Nature a chance to spread her water wings and replenish. Offshore, we have seen kingfish and tuna crashing on large bait balls along with large sharks and dolphins picking off the bigger game as they’re engaged in feeding. Whale sharks have been observed with their platoons of cobia maintaining safe distancing. May is a very special time of year and after a full year and a half of no red tide, our waters are starting to get back to “normal.”
May also means one thing to the local fishermen and fisherwomen…. Tarpon time! The silver king will be roaming the beaches searching for crabs floating in and out of the passes. Look for the Megalops Atlanticus (scientific name) in schools from 2-3 fish to upwards of 100 fish. I remember in the 90’s seeing schools of 500-1000 fish on a regular basis. Scientists have done geo-satellite tagging and have had amazing results with tracking migratory patterns and breeding behaviors. We hope that continued efforts to keep our oceans clean will help bring this majestic species of fish back to their thriving numbers of old. We look forward to seeing everybody on the water. Practice safe boating and check your safety equipment. Tight lines from Reel Tight Fishing Charters!
