PORT CANAVERAL OFFSHORE FORECAST

May turned out to be a great month, considering the wind was nonstop. The bunker have finally been showing up with better consistency. Just look where the fleet is in the morning and you can’t miss them. Please buy the correct size nets. You truly get what you pay for.

From the beach to reefs, tarpon, jack crevale, bonita, spanish mackeral and kingfish have been from the beach 20 feet to about 40 feet. We have been having a lot of fun on light tackle with all these power-hitting fish. Use live bunker hooked through the nostrils on 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader with an 8/0 circle hook. If you start getting cut off a lot, then time to put the wired stinger rigs on for those toothy kings. And keep a jig ready for the cobia; this is the time when you see them in the bunker pods.

The nearshore reefs, such as Pelican Flats and 8A, have been great for the early morning king bite. Use your stinger rigs and live bunker for the best catch. In the last few weeks there has been wahoo, blackfin tuna, mahi mahi and a handful of cobia all caught on king rigs in the same area.

Day Time Height

1TH 12:39 AM 0.33 L

6:57 AM 2.15 H

12:53 PM -0.14 L

7:43 PM 2.43 H

2F 1:25 AM 0.24 L

7:45 AM 2.23 H

1:37 PM -0.28 L

8:31 PM 2.55 H

3SA 2:10 AM 0.17 L

8:33 AM 2.3 H

2:23 PM -0.4 L

9:19 PM 2.64 H

4SU 2:56 AM 0.11 L

9:21 AM 2.37 H

3:11 PM -0.47 L

10:08 PM 2.69 H

5M 3:44 AM 0.08 L

10:11 AM 2.41 H

4:00 PM -0.49 L

10:57 PM 2.69 H

6TU 4:34 AM 0.07 L

11:03 AM 2.43 H

4:52 PM -0.45 L

11:48 PM 2.66 H

7W 5:27 AM 0.06 L

11:57 AM 2.42 H

5:48 PM -0.35 L

8TH 12:40 AM 2.6 H

6:25 AM 0.06 L

12:54 PM 2.38 H

6:47 PM -0.22 L

9F 1:33 AM 2.52 H

7:25 AM 0.03 L

1:55 PM 2.35 H

7:49 PM -0.09 L

10SA 2:28 AM 2.45 H

8:28 AM -0.02 L

2:59 PM 2.33 H

From the reefs to offshore has been good as well. There was a solid few days of great catches of mahi and we should still see a few weeks of it. Many fish have been caught in the 140- to 180-foot range, and some days past 500 feet. It’s just a day-to-day thing and up to the winds and weather as usual. The basic ballyhoo rigs and skirts have been the key. Smaller skirts the better. Pink seems to be the key.

Bottom fishing has also been awesome. Pinfish and croakers are a great bait for that. Fish the offshore reefs such as 21 and 27, and if you’re near any of the wrecks, that’s a good start too. Don’t forget about the amberjacks. They’ve been great and should continue as well.

Good luck and have a great June!

8:54 PM 0.03 L

Miami Beach, Government Cut

11SU 3:25 AM 2.38 H

9:29 AM -0.09 L

4:04 PM 2.34 H

9:57 PM 0.12 L

12M 4:22 AM 2.32 H

10:27 AM -0.17 L

5:08 PM 2.37 H

10:57 PM 0.17 L

13TU 5:19 AM 2.29 H

11:22 AM -0.24 L

6:08 PM 2.42 H

11:53 PM 0.19 L

14W 6:14 AM 2.27 H

12:13 PM -0.29 L

7:03 PM 2.46 H

15TH 12:45 AM 0.19 L

7:06 AM 2.26 H

1:02 PM -0.31 L

7:53 PM 2.49 H

16F 1:33 AM 0.19 L

7:55 AM 2.25 H

1:48 PM -0.31 L

8:39 PM 2.48 H

17SA 2:19 AM 0.2 L

8:40 AM 2.24 H

2:33 PM -0.28 L

9:23 PM 2.46 H

18SU 3:03 AM 0.21 L

9:23 AM 2.22 H

3:16 PM -0.23 L

10:04 PM 2.41 H

19M 3:45 AM 0.24 L

10:04 AM 2.19 H

3:58 PM -0.16 L

10:44 PM 2.36 H

20TU 4:27 AM 0.28 L

10:45 AM 2.14 H

4:39 PM -0.07 L

11:23 PM 2.3 H

21W 5:09 AM 0.31 L

11:26 AM 2.08 H

5:20 PM 0.03 L

22TH 12:01 AM 2.23 H

5:51 AM 0.34 L

12:08 PM 2.02 H

6:01 PM 0.14 L

23F 12:40 AM 2.17 H

6:34 AM 0.36 L

12:52 PM 1.97 H

6:43 PM 0.25 L

24SA 1:19 AM 2.1 H

7:19 AM 0.36 L

1:39 PM 1.93 H

7:29 PM 0.35 L

25SU 2:00 AM 2.04 H

8:05 AM 0.33 L

2:29 PM 1.92 H

8:20 PM 0.43 L

26M 2:44 AM 1.99 H

8:53 AM 0.28 L

3:23 PM 1.94 H

9:15 PM 0.48 L

27TU 3:32 AM 1.96 H

9:44 AM 0.19 L

4:20 PM 2 H

10:11 PM 0.48 L

28W 4:23 AM 1.96 H

10:35 AM 0.08 L

5:19 PM 2.1 H

11:07 PM 0.44 L

29TH 5:19 AM 2 H

11:27 AM -0.06 L

6:17 PM 2.23 H

30F 12:01 AM 0.37 L

6:16 AM 2.08 H

12:18 PM -0.21 L

7:14 PM 2.36 H

I’m sure by now everyone is tired of the fronts and winds we’ve had from March thru May, and the hot weather should be here to stay. The beach fishing should get as hot as the weather if we get an abundance of bait on the beaches from Melbourne south to Sebastian and Vero. The sharks, kingfish, tarpon, jacks and snook will be feeding on the baits all month and we should have a great summer. It will take some time to find the bait, but once you do, you will find the fish. I like to fish live greenies, pogies or sardines around the bait pods for the species that are following the bait. I’ll also throw Rapala X-Rap Long Cast in size 14 hard baits, with D.O.A. Bait Busters, jerk baits and paddle tails and Hogy Eels for soft baits. Fish the Hogys deep and the X-Raps for the fish staying close to the surface. Snook will be in the trough close to the beaches hanging on the bait pods as well, and the X-Rap 10 will work well from the beach or in the boat.

The bite in the early morning and late evenings along the mangrove shorelines, spoil islands and the flats from Melbourne to Wabasso should be good for big trout, reds and snook, as well as big jacks. Topwater action will be solid as the sun comes up; switch to suspending baits or live baits later in the morning. Live pinfish, pilchards, mullet and pigfish are the baits of choice to entice the fish throughout the day. The tarpon will also move into the Indian River Lagoon from Sebastian to Melbourne and can be found around bait pods in the ICW as well as deeper areas that typically hold bait. Early morning and late evening are the best times to target the tarpon.

The summer rains will turn on the creeks from Melbourne to Sebastian for anglers looking to target snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks this month—as long as the rains aren’t too heavy and the dams open and create a heavy fresh water influx into the creeks. The Sebastian River, Turkey Creek, Crane Creek and the Eau Gallie River will be good early in the mornings for anglers using artificial baits. Rapala Skitter Walks fished early morning and evenings are great topwater baits, and D.O.A. TerrorEyz are great deep water baits. Bait fishermen targeting snook and tarpon can find success using live finger mullet or pilchards rigged on a 5/0 circle hook rigged with 30-50 lb. leader depending on the size of the tarpon.

Going Coastal Charters www.goingcoastalcharters.com (321) 863-8085

Summer, my favorite time of year, is here, and it’s hot out there, so this month I would like to share with you some tips on how to do get the most out of the ice in your cooler.

Rotational molded coolers, better kmown as roto-molded coolers, such as my Icon Cooler 50 (pictured), contain up to 3 inches of polyurethane foam insulation, which allows them to stay cold and keep ice for up to 7 days. So how do we keep the ice from melting?

1. Pre-Ice the Cooler. Generally, coolers are kept in the boat, outside, tied down in the back of the truck or on a shelf in the garage. All of these areas can get pretty hot during the summer. Pre-icing a cooler the night before it is needed brings the core temperature of you cooler down below room temp and will prepare your cooler to have items placed in it. I pre-ice my cooler by adding a 10 pound bag of ice inside the cooler before closing and latching the lid. The following morning, drain any melted ice, replace the ice, and your cooler is cold and ready for food and drinks.

2. Pre-Chill Cooler Contents. According to Rubbermaid.com, “Two six packs of soda or one gallon of liquid will melt approximately 2.5 lbs of ice just to cool from room temperature.” To eliminate ice melt, simply pre-chill your food and drinks in the refrigerator overnight while your cooler is pre-icing. Adding cold items to a cold cooler will aide in making your ice last longer.

3.Don’t Drain the Water. The common misconception is to drain the melted ice water inside your cooler. But the water plays a vital roll in keeping your cooler cold and the remaining ice to last. Each time you open the cooler lid to get an ice-cold soda, warm air enters the cooler. The melted ice water fills the empty space in you cooler, keeping the warmer air out. When the water is drained, there is more space for the warm air to enter between ice cubes, increasing the speed at which the ice melt. The only time to drain the water is when you are replacing or replenishing ice.

4.Keep Your Cooler in the Shade. Of course, keeping your cooler in the shade is common sense, but it may require physically moving your cooler several times throughout the day to ensure it isn’t sitting in direct sunlight. If it has to be in direct sunlight, placing a wet towel on top of your cooler will help keep it protected.

Is there a specific fishing topic you would like me to discuss? Feel free to email me your questions at jonthan@gocastaway.com.

Tight lines,

CAPT. JONATHAN MOSS www.thecaptainslogtv.com

Let’s grow with Florida together.

Confessions of a Fishaholic, by Thatch Maguire, is a hilarious and irreverent look at one man’s quest to catch fish in spite of life’s annoying interferences. You’ll travel with this awkward adventurer as he risks home and health to pursue his passion for fishing...regardless of the consequences. Anglers of all expertise levels will immediately identify with why his addiction is incurable. This book defines the blurred line between passion and obsession.

20 Sacks Weighed Heavier than 30 Pounds at One Tourney

Catch a 30-pound ve- sh sack of bass, and you’re pretty much a lock to win whatever tournament you’re shing, right?

Imagine that glorious moment when you’ve been culling 5-pounders and pull into the docks to unload your livewell. With a grin on your face, you haul that huge bag of sh up to the scales…only to nd out your 30-pound sack barely put you in the top 20! at was the reality at a May 6 Roland Martin Marine Center Bass Series event on Lake Okeechobee. e shing was so good that anglers weighed 20 ve-bass limits that were heavier than 30 pounds. It took 36.82 pounds to win. We’re not sure who keeps track of such things, but that’s more 30-pound sacks in one tournament than we’ve ever heard of.

A father-son team of Preston and 11-year-old Tavyn Heisler won the 177-team tournament and a $6,500 big check.

“It was an amazing day,” Preston told a RMMCBS reporter a er the tournament. “I’m still shaking and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Tavyn said he was the net man early in the tournament, but he caught his own 8-pounder late in the day. His favorite lure was a black and blue charterbait.

To read a full report on the event, visit: rolandmartinmarinecenterseries.com.