Grouper, mahi, and swords, oh my! May is finally here, and Itâs definitely one of my favorite months to fish the waters of the Treasure Coast. The first of May kicks off the opening of grouper season, so itâll be nice to be able to keep those bottom bruisers that weâve been catching intermittently throughout the year. Focus along the reefs in 60 and 135 feet of water. Cut bait, live bait and even jigs work well. Big bait, big fish. When you hook up, be sure you really put the heat on them at first to keep them out of the rocks. Then, keep it on them the whole way up to prevent the sharks from getting them. Over the last five years, I have noticed a huge increase in shark attacks and how aggressive they have become around here. Please donât feed the sharks!
Traditionally speaking, May has always been one of the best months for dolphin, If you were going to catch a 30-pounder or bigger, May is the month to do it. I can only hope the tradition continues this year. Typically fishing from 135 to 350 feet, but sometimes out to 1500, itâs no secret that mahi-mahi like weed lines, float, and food. Bigger baits will usually yield bigger fish when youâre talking about dolphin, but elephants do eat peanuts. Some fish, a few smaller baits too. As the water warms this month it is an especially good time to fish a bait down deep. I use my Canon 10TS downrigger on cycle mode to trigger lazy fish into biting. I normally fish it 40 -to-50 feet down.
May is also one of my favorite months to target swordfish. Not only have we caught some of our largest fish in May, but by being out there it gives you a great chance to run into something holding a good school of dolphin. We also sometimes see blackfin and yellowfin tuna, and the occasional marlin while out on the sword grounds. You never really know what youâre going to end up with. These trips have really won me over and I canât get enough of them.
Please give me a call if youâd like to get out there and take advantage of some of the âOff The Chainâ fishing the Treasure Coast offers during this time of year. Hope to hear from you soon.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Scott Fawcett
Off the Chain Fishing Charters
Phone: (772) 285-1055
Email: fishscottyf@bellsouth.net
www.offthechainfishing.com
