MAY 2020 Fishing Report and JUNE Forecast

MAY 2020 Fishing Report and JUNE Forecast

Capt. Rick Davidson, Editor (grassflats2@yahoo.com)

Sea Hag MAY Report

It’s been great to get outdoors, and May was a great month to do it. With amberjack season open, kingfish and Spanish mackerel migrating through with lots of cobia, May is always one of the best spring months for a lot of diversity….offshore, inshore, nearshore or the flats, you can pick from a bunch of options. Offshore lots of big AJ’s and cobia to see, and lots of gag grouper released before the June 1 season opening for federal waters. People also had to release a bunch of big red snapper, which we’ll talk about in the forecast. Here are some of the great catches from this month.

Greg Hause with a monster overslot unspotted redfish.

Jackson Arnold with a fine pair of trout caught near Keaton Beach.

Ellie and Emma Chupp from Greensboro, Ga needed help holding this kingfish.
Claudia Green released this gag grouper caught in federal waters. This month she can keep it.

Caroline Buchanon with a tasty cobia.

Joe Harris released this 32 inch redfish.

Madi Norwood with a giant amberjack.
Katy Garrett found this really fine kingfish.

Jeff Bennett had to release this fine red snapper…until next month.

Jamie Driggers with a beautiful 27 inch redfish.

Anna Swisher with a perfect keeper trout.

Check out Reef with an unusual catch, a fine snook.

Madison with one of many Spanish mackerel.
It took all of the Rountree brothers to carry this cobia.

Rick Speir with a gator trout.
Sea Hag deckhand Zach Bunkley with a huge amberjack.
Vanessa Nguyen-Phu, Mia Hunter, and a nearshore redfish.
Travis Meeks with a 25 inch trout.

Brady Hurst took this trout home for dinner.
Abby McRae caught her first redfish.
Scott Rose came over from Jacksonville and caught one of the biggest kingfish we’ve seen this month.

Chase Norwood took out Connor and Eli and came back with some giant amberjack and cobia.

JUNE Fishing Forecast

Well, it’s here, and everybody’s excited…..scallop season starts June 15th and ends September 7th in our area of the Big Bend (for other areas, you can go to this link:  https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops/

Scalloping is a great family activity, and Steinhatchee is one of the best places in the world to enjoy recreational scalloping. The Sea Hag Marina is scallop central; you can get everything you need for this adventure, from accommodations, rental boats, scalloping nets, masks and snorkels, fishing licenses (needed for scalloping) and guides that can find the scallops for you. It will be a very busy season this year as people have been patiently waiting for outdoor opportunities. Make your reservations now if you’re planning a trip because accommodations will be hard to find. There’s nothing like scallop season in Steinhatchee, so get ready.

Fishing will still be good this month. Amberjack were opened for the month of May, and will now be closed until September 1. Gag grouper have been legal in some state waters, but in our area most grouper are found in federal waters, and the federal season opens June 1. Red snapper season for recreational vessels opens June 11 and runs through July 25. Charter captains may take red snapper from June 1 through August 1, so if you can’t wait until the 11th, find one of our offshore captains. As the water heats up, trout move to somewhat deeper water. Larger solitary trout are still best found at daybreak in shallow water in areas with lots of baitfish and mullet; larger limits of keeper trout are also being taken in deeper water, from 5 to 10 feet over grassy bottoms. Nine Mile Bank and Little Bank and the areas around them have been productive, and you can find sand trout there as well. Redfish will be near shore, and areas behind Pepperfish Keys and around Drum Point have been go-to places, along with Sink Creek for early morning trout and redfish.

The Optimist Club Fishing Tournament will take place on June 13th, so don’t miss that. Finally, when you return to the Sea Hag, you’ll notice we’re missing one of our regulars. Shallow, the wonderful yellow lab that has been greeting people for 13 years, passed away this month. I know I will miss her; she was always fun to step over on the stairs, and she loved to stand between my legs while I scratched her. She is missed every day.   



Capt. Kyle Skipper Marker One Flats Charters 352-317-1654 www.m1fishing.com

As water temperatures rise into the 80s and the fish start to push out deeper, Marker One is prepping for scallop season. We will be running scallop charters and have plenty of availability left.

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