With April in the books and some good cobia catches to report, things are only going to get better on the water. There should be plenty of cobia cruising up and down the beach for the rest of the month at least. As usual, the best live bait is an eel, but most live baits work well. If you are partial to artificials, there are some terrific hand tied jigs for sale atMiss Kelly Jordanthe local tackle shops. Stop by Howell Tackle if you’re in town or Half-hitch tackle on the beach. They will have all the tackle and info you need for a productive day on the water. If cobia isn’t your thing don’t worry, there are plenty of other fish to be chasing. The sheepshead are still piled up on the inshore wrecks, jetties, and deeper structure in the bays and passes, and are eating shrimp well. The redfish and Speckled trout are on the flats taking top water lures early and late, as well as soft plastics and spoons during the warmer parts of the day. Live shrimp will do great if you can keep the pinfish away, but a live mullet, greenback, or bull minnow will help pick up the action. The bays and beaches are full of Spanish mackerel right now and will take just about anything. You can troll a Christmas tree rig, or any spoon or gotcha jig if you want to cast for them. Use some chum or cut bait to get them in the mood to eat. On the beach, King mackerel are ripping up tackle whether you are flat lining a live bait or trolling. Try the Whistle Buoy strait out of the pass, or any of the near shore wrecks for those big kings. One of my favorites this time of year is to go catch a box full of pompano. The best bet is early in the morning. Set up to fish on the outside edge where the waves begin to break. It can be done from the beach or the boat. Use a pompano jig tipped with a piece of shrimp. Cast beyond the zone and bump it along the bottom. If you can’t see fish and the bite is slow, move down the beach a little and try again. When you find one you will find more.
Offshore
All the usual culprits are biting. Scamp, amberjack, snapper, grouper, trigger fish, bee liners, etc. The red snapper season is in limbo right now waiting on the talking heads to get off their……well, that discussion is for a different article. Be sure to check your local regulations because they are ever changing. Capt. Bobo Hobbs, aboard the Florida Queen is a good bet as well as the Capt. Hank. Anglers are also reporting some big cobia on the offshore wrecks as well as some really good grouper. Be sure to bring the heavy tackle.
The great thing about May is that the spring break crowds are gone and the summer crowd isn’t here yet. It’s a great time to get out on the water with family and friends. The water is still cool and the weather is great, so go make some memories and fill the freezer! If you need a fishing guide while visiting Panama City or Panama City Beach, give me a call.
