Surf Fishing Report | May 2018

John Detmer

Happy angler with a nice almost four foot bonnethead shark.
Happy angler with a nice almost four foot bonnethead shark.

April saw better than average catches of sharks, bluefish and sheepshead on the Space Coast Beaches. Fresh clams and shrimp were the baits that worked well and are the recommendation for surf fishing in May.

May is also one of the transitional months leading into summer and the start of the Annual Sea Turtle Nesting Season (1 May to October 31st) on our Brevard County Beaches. This is the time of the year when surf anglers and families can see nature at its best. Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback Sea Turtles come ashore and lay their eggs where we fish and play. Here is a great idea if your interested in learning more about the Sea Turtles that visit our beaches. Check out the Barrier Island Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach (321-723-3556) for informational programs and their Guided Sea Turtle Walks.

Suggestion:

Wherever you fish, sea grasses and dirty water are a plague on the surf angler. On the other hand, fishing beaches with clean water on a raising tide seems to produce better catches. Therefore, I tend to fish Brevards Southern Beaches looking for clean water and the right tides for me. Now don’t jump the gun. Anglers are catching fish up and down our coastline and in the Counties to the North and South of us day in and out. All I am suggesting is that there are anglers that are doing a bit better because they are paying attention to the tides and conditions/clarity of the water their fishing.

May to September welcome back the walkers, sun bathers, runners, treasure hunters, families and visitors that will return in mass to our beaches. Surf anglers will need to make a few concessions and will have to share the beach once again. So in general I would say fish as early as one can and leave the beach before being overtaken by humanity..

See You On The Beach.

John Detmer
Owner/Operator of J&H Surf Fishing the Space Coast
321-777-5554 or email
jandhsurffishing1@att.net
www.jandhsurffishing.com