Capt, Rick Davidson, Editor (greasflats2@yahoo.com)
April 2024 Fishing Report
April is always one of our best months and that worked out again this year. Great inshore and offshore fishing, a massive sheepshead bite, and the beginnings of the spring pelagic migration started up this month. Two tournaments, the Big Bend Redfish event and the Shands Fishing for Kids tournament, were hugely successful.
Here are just a few pics of this month’s catches.
Fishing Forecast for May 2024
May is always a great month. The migration of pelagics (Spanish mackerel, kingfish, bluefish and cobia) has already started, with some great Spanish and bluefish catches. This will increase this month, with large schools of whitebait nearshore and out to 25 feet in depth. For some non-stop action, anchor near one of the offshore banks (Little Bank or 9 Mile Bank) or any offshore shallower areas and throw over a chum block. You’ll have lots of baitfish, blue runners, Spanish mackerel, and even cobia and kingfish checking you out within thirty minutes or so. Make sure you use a short length of wire leader. When the fish are thick, just about any lure will do, but the easiest is either a simple bucktail jig or a jig tipped with a Gulp shrimp. Remember that the bag limit for Spanish mackerel is 15 per person and kingfish 3 per person, and they must be over 24 inches fork length. In spite of the great redfish bite last month, the pinfish are just now starting to move onto the flats, and that will mean the trout will be showing up in better numbers. Popping corks over mixed areas of grass and sand with live or Gulp shrimp should get you some keeper seatrout. Cast to the sand holes from a distance to have the best shot at some nice fish.
Meanwhile, one of the most important times of the year is on the horizon. Scallop season opens in our area on June 15 and runs through Labor Day. We’ve already seen some nice scallops in shallow water. If you’re thinking about going scalloping this year, it’s time to make your reservations with our guides and accommodations, because everything will fill up quickly. And we’re especially excited for the opening of our new store space; if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s absolutely spectacular. You can get any tackle you might need, live and dead bait, and tons of lures to choose from. Come see us, it’s going to be great month at Sea Hag Marina.
Some big tournaments coming up in May:
The Optimist Tournament on May 4, information here: https://www.facebook.com/OptimistClubOfPerry/
The Fishing for Vision Tournament on May 18th
The Reeling for Kids Tournament (May 24-25)
