West Central Fishing Forecast: May/June |
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| Written by Capt. Marc E. Noe | |
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AS SEEN IN THE MAY/JUNE 2008 ISSUE May/June West Central Fishing Forecast:By: Captain Marc Noe - Florida Fishing Charters Welcome to spring. It’s that time of year when the fishing scene along West Central Florida is busting at the seams with hot action to be had both inshore and off. We have the best of both worlds throughout the months of May and June here in our region with tarpon, snook, redfish and other inshore regulars to grouper, snapper, permit and tuna roaming our bountiful offshore playground. In the shallows, trout, cobia, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, jack, and sharks are more of the species that are ready and willing to test your angling skills. Light tackle and fly-fishing enthusiasts are sure to have a blast chasing these gamsters during the coming weeks. All one needs to do is look for the bait schools and it will only be a matter of time before they draw a crowd of surface-busting predators. Spoons, plugs, jigs, soft-plastics and live whitebait will surely entice the savage strikes you are looking for. Snook anglers will get their fix as big linesider will be stacking up around Gulf passes and beaches as they prepare for their annual spawn. Further up in the bays along mangrove edges and points of ambush, expect to find snook ready to jump all over a properly presented live scaled-sardine during stages with quality tidal flow. Remember, snook season is closed from May through August so CPR (catch, photograph, release) is all that is permitted. Redfish will be found along mangrove cuts and shorelines, hovering over oyster bars and laying in potholes on open grass flats. Focus your efforts in areas where you see mullet activity and more often than not, cooperative redfish will not be too far away.
As spring turns into summer, tarpon will be in the spotlight around Gulf beaches and passes, over deeper grass flats in the bays as well as around area bridges. Live, dead and artificial offerings will produce fish when targeting the venues mentioned above. Sight-casting to pods of tarpon along the Gulf beaches can be mind-blowing at times with 80 to 200-pound fish blasting your offerings. Once a fish is hooked up, it’s off to the races with an all out aerial show to boot. If you’re fortunate enough to win the excruciating battle, be sure to take the necessary time to revive the mighty silver king for a healthy release. For anglers itching to wet some lead, target mangrove snapper over rock-piles, reefs and wrecks under the cover of darkness during new and full moon tidal phases. Grouper and other bottom fish can also be taken on the same structures. When hitting the bottom, be sure to deploy a flat-line with a lively threadfin or blue-runner on a stinger rig in case a pack of smokers decide to invade the party. Large sharks may be on the prowl as well, especially around schools of feeding mackerel and bonito. Barracuda are another hard fighter and can show up at any time on wrecks and reefs with higher relief. These fish provide awesome drag-screaming fights, just watch out for those teeth! Add tug-of-war matches with hefty goliath grouper to the mix and spring provides the makings for extraordinary fishing. Further out in the Gulf, past the 100-foot mark and beyond, anglers will find consistent catches of grouper, amberjack, red snapper, lane snapper and yellowtail as well as the occasional blue-water pelagic like dolphin, tuna and late season kings. With fuel prices continuing to rise, long trips out to the deep may be limited but definitely well worth it. As you can see, the West Central region has a lot to offer over the next two months so come join us and take part in all of the exciting action. If you have not yet made plans, spending a fun day on the water with your family is a hard gift to beat for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Be safe, have fun, and take a kid fishing!
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