Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Be sure to thank your mother for all she does and do something special for her on May 9th.
May is one of my favorite months to fish because there is so much to do. First of all, grouper season is open again after a four month closure. They should be stacked on the artificial reefs and wrecks in 80 to 250 feet of water. Check out Capt. Ryan Palmer’s article for some tips and tricks that will help you get tight with a hard fighting grouper.
Snapper fishing has been red hot, especially at night. Find a spot in 50 to 80 feet of water that has good current. Drop the hook and start chumming to get the yellowtail snapper fired up behind the boat. Drift live shrimp, silversides or fresh cut bonito or ballyhoo on a 1/0 to 2/0 circle hook or yellowtail jig. Keep the chum flowing and you’ll get your limit in short order.
Dolphin fishing has been good the last month or so with some slammer size fish hitting the docks. Look for birds that are working weed patches and you’ll find the dolphin. Troll a spread of ballyhoo, bonito strips or squid rigged on 6/0 to 7/0 J hooks. Keep a small bucket of chunked baits ready to go when you find the schoolies. It’s also a good idea to keep a naked ballyhoo pitch bait or spoon to fire at a big fish cruising a weedline.
Keep reelin,
GENE DYER
Editor & Publisher
Coastal Angler Fort Lauderdale
fortlauderdale@coastalanglermagazine.com
(954) 680-3900