Surf & Pier – May Fishing Report

Wow, this month may be the best all year for surf fishing, especially if you like pompano and whiting. April started off really slow, due to cool water temperatures, but that changed for the better. Now it is GO time. My favorite baits are clams and sand fleas.  Put them on a double dropper rig with 2/0 circle hooks, and use enough lead to keep your bait where you cast it.

When you head to the pier, be sure to take along some live shrimp. Use them under a slip cork to hook up with trout, jacks, and blues. The Spanish mackerel will also be showing up, so keep a Gotcha plug handy.

May is the month for getting your string stretched! Bonnethead sharks move in to feast on the calico crabs. Half of a blue crab makes for excellent bait. They’ll run 10 to 25 lbs., with very sharp teeth. Gear up heavily, with 100 lb. mono leader, attached to a 4/0 to 8/0 circle hook. Since their main diet is crabs, they make for great table fare.

Whether you are in the surf or on the pier, the boys in the grey suits will be in full force this month. To get your string stretched, just soak a whiting head in a deep trough along the beach. The blacktip sharks will be actively feeding on whiting and pompano. I like using a foot of 480 lb. cable, tipped with a 10/0 L2022 by Eagle Claw. Above that, six feet of 300 lb. mono. to avoid being tail whipped. This fish will run 70 to 160 pounds. So, make sure you have enough line to soak up the first run. Blacktips are a blast, because in shallow water, they almost always go airborne when hooked. Since they jump so much, I have nicked named them Surf Marlin!

Be sure to check out the new shark fishing regulations that go into effect July 1, 2019. For complete info, please visit MYFWC.COM

Remember to set your drags loose. This is the month for a big shark to grab your just hooked fish while your rod is still in the holder. See you on the beach.