By Capt. Jamie Thrappas, Yellow Dawg Fishing
April is a totally awesome month for fishing around Ponce Inlet, probably in my top 2 favorite months of the year to fish! Everything is moving around and eating, the water is heating up, promoting activity, and the days are warmer but not that mid to late summer heat that wears you out!
My favorite thing to do in the spring is run the beach for cobia. In recent years this type of fishing has gotten a ton of hype making the success rate go down simply due to the pressure. However if you can sneak out on a weekday with the right conditions you can certainly have a day you will always remember.
To get cobia running the beach you need to have a sharp eye to spot the manta rays they like to travel with, however I’ve caught my fair share of free swimming fish so having a good pair of polarized sunglasses is absolutely essential. I suggest 6000-8000 series reels rigged with 40-60 lb braid and 40-50 lb fluorocarbon leader. A friendly tip: tie line to line no swivels! I like using eel looking baits like Hogy or even the 8″ dark colored NLBN paddle tails, however a buck tail 4-6 oz with a twister tail soft plastic is a staple lure for cobia.
A little trick I’ve learned is tipping the hook with a small piece of squid to entice those fish leery of eating the artificial or simply just nosing the bait vs committing. April also means big jacks on the beach, I’ve ran into schools of hundreds of 30 plus pound fish in April, and I’ll tell you what this is some of the most popular fishing customers have encountered. These guys rip drag and fight all the way to the boat. They will eat artificials as well as live bait so keep your eyes open and have some fun if you run into them!
In April after running the beach I always make it a point to stop and scan the inlet as I find big schools of slot fish hanging on both the north side and the inside of the Ponce jetty. Live shrimp, pinfish, and mullet do the trick usually and if you see fish on your side scan hugging the rocks those are usually snook so lose the weight and free line some live bait and you will be rewarded eventually! It’s warming up so get out there and if you see us on the water say hello! If you want to get out there and see what it’s all about give me a shout to set up a trip!
