Redfish and May go hand-in-hand. This month is a favorite for casting artificial lures to them. Reds really start to settle down in their summer spots by May. Casting Berkley Gulp Shrimp in a three-inch size on light jig heads is one of my “go- to” baits for catching May redfish. My favorite colors are Sugar Spice Glow, New Penny, Root- beer Gold/Chart Tail and Natural. Another fun way to catch redfish is by casting topwater plugs like MirrOlure’s Top Pup and Sebile’s Slim Stick. Cast these plugs along mash grass lines and oyster flats. You can also catch the redfish if you cast popping or rattling corks with a three-inch Berkley Gulp in these shallow areas. If you would rather go the natural bait route, try some fresh cut mullet or menhaden on a light Carolina rig. Try fishing fresh cut bait around docks in the ICW or along creek mouths.
As the weather stabilizes in May we see a lot more days where we can get out in the ocean and look for those high speed, and good eating, bonita in the earlier part of the month and Spanish all month long. These fish are a lot of fun to see busting the surface of the water and even more fun to
see on the end of your line!
Casting small spoons or using fly gear in six to eight weights can make for a great challenge on this light tackle. Look for these fish to be hanging around nearshore artificial reefs and ledges. Trolling Clark spoons and small deep diver lures can be the key to suc- cess some days for the bonita. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the Pink Flash spoon in sizes #00, #0 and #1; the Pink Flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. You might come across a few false albacore and bluefish mixed in with the bonita and Spanish from time to time.
May is a great month for gator (bigger) speckled trout…some of my personal larg- est specks have come in May! Most of the bigger trout I see in May come off topwater plugs. My favorites are the MirrOlure Top Dog, She Dog and Sebile Slim Stick; these noisy baits really make the trout come right out of the water after them! Another great bait for bigger trout is the Berkley Gulp six-inch Jerkshad in colors Pearl and New Penny, rigging them on light swimbait hooks. Live shrimp, small mullets and menha- den on float rigs or very light Carolina rigs will also catch those gators!
By mid-to-late May the cobia start to show up around Wrightsville…I’m glad be- cause they are one of my favorites! I look for cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look, too. With the water being so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, but go “bright!” When I’m not sight-casting for them, I will be fishing around inlets, shoals and nearshore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, blues and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks will come, and they will come in numbers!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle & Conflict Spinning reels in 2500, 3000 and 4000 sizes. For rods: PENN Legion rods 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/light action. Line is Spiderwire Ultra-cast in 10- to 15-pound test.
Thanks for reading Coastal Angler Magazine!