May fishing takes off

on” shot, followed by a quartering shot. A perpendicular shot may work if it’s timed perfectly, although casting too far beyond their line of travel will usu ally spook them. I use a push pole if I need to adjust my position to make a cast. Give other anglers at least several hundred yards of space and keep in mind that fish can be moving either north or south so setting up too close to another angler may affect their flow of fish.

Regulations have returned to normal for reds and snook in Sarasota. Spotted Seatrout have changed in southwest Florida to a three-fish-per-person bag limit and a six-fish-per-boat limit. Trout must be from 15”-19” with one allowed per vessel over 19”. In my opinion, it’s important to protect larger trout, which are usually female breeders. Full regulations and details for all species can be viewed at https://myfwc.com/.

Snook will be spawning this month, so use tackle heavy enough to catch and release them in a timely manner and handle them gently. Larger snook will mostly be females and should always be supported horizontally rather than hung vertically by the jaw. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, work well at night. One of the most fun ways to target snook is to walk the beach and sight cast flies to them in the surf.

There should be good fly fishing action in the coastal Gulf of Mexico this month. Mark Nielsen, of Seaford, Delaware, with a false albacore caught and released while fly fishing the coastal Gulf in a previous May with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Higher tides this month will mean that reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats. Look for them along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars when the tide is high and in potholes or along sandbars when the tide is low. When fishing shallow water for reds, be as quiet as possible. I prefer to use a push pole or wade. Reds are one of the most challenging species to catch on a fly. Since they can be very spooky, I often wade for them when fly fishing to keep a lower profile. I like a 12’ or longer leader on a floating fly line. Wide profile baitfish patterns work well this time of year since many reds are feeding on larger baitfish. Lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound are both good areas for reds this month.