May should have the Spanish mackerel on the beaches along with bluefish, sharks and king mackerel. Troll #1 and #2 planers from five to seven knots with Clark Spoons now to catch your Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Rig up some heavy tackle with wire leaders and use fresh fish for bait for the sharks. Live menhaden slow-trolled or drifted is a deadly technique to get the king mackerel.
Moving on offshore, as always, the bottom fish such as black bass, triggerfish, grou- per, grunts, B-liners and others, as well as amberjacks, king mackerel, cobia, and just about anything else, can show up in May and it just gets better as things progress into summer. For the bottom fish, squid is tough to beat and if you really want to drive the bottom fish into a feeding frenzy, then just coat your squid pieces with Pro-Cure’s Squid Gell…the scent dispersion drives them nuts! Rig up with a double-drop rig with a 10/0 Mustad 39960-D circle hook. This rig will catch them all and is small enough for the mouths on triggerfish, yet large and strong enough for the huge sharks you just might encounter on the offshore grounds.
For the king mackerel, a local favorite is to pull frozen cigar minnows rigged up on Pirate Plugs. This will keep the baits pulling straight and will even allow you to troll at a faster speed than by rigging plain.
May is my favorite month in the Gulf Stream. The wahoo, blackfin tuna, and mahi- mahi will be the main menu in May. I will brine my ballyhoo in Pro-Cure Brine ‘N Bite with Bait Brite added, then rig them up on Laceration Lure hair trolling lures. If you don’t get bit on this combo, you might as well go to the house!!
Hope you have the time to go fishing in May and if you do, be safe on the water, respect your fellow fishermen, and most important, I hope God blesses you, as he has me!