by Capt. Rachel Cato
This year is scrambled up so far…March in February, February was in March and April feels like May. What will May bring?? Roll the dice and your guess is as good as mine. I’ve got to put in the word “typically” as a disclaimer but here goes my forecast. May is generally a bit on the rainy side but lower winds. Bait can be found on most flats as opposed to the fishing piers. With bait on the flats so comes the fish.
Snook are just about everywhere there is a point, current and mangrove shoreline. If you find one there are sure to be more, some snook spawn early while some are delayed. As always, please treat every linesider with care because he is the future!
Redfish are going to school in higher numbers or push through a flat more consistently and reliably. I’m not running around looking for fish with my eyes but actually fishing an entrance or exit to a flat. Yes, if you run around looking for fish then circle back and throw baits you may get lucky. But more often than not those fish were run over and caught on before you circled back. Spotted Sea Trout are still a strong species all through May. Due to the abundance of bait on the flats these fish have moved in for the season. Trout can’t resist a pretty grass edge along a sandy hard bottom flowing with current. Once you move around and find the right size you can typically stay on a decent bite as long as the tide flows. Bait presentation is always key, try a couple ways until you figure out what works. I generally avoid floats or bobbers when there’s a lot of floating algae or grass. As always find the bait and there’s sure to be fish nearby!
