The FishermanTraveling

by Capt. Bouncer Smith

My shing opportunities were pretty lean over the last months. In midMarch I did have a good day learning to sh rubber worms for bass in Central Florida. Mike Arnoldy is a master at catching bass and a great teacher. Early April was a treat for me. One ursday I had my rst ever chance to sh with long-time friend Chip Sheehan. His charter boat, Chips Ahoy, sails out of Two Georges Marina in Boynton Beach Florida. With a crew of Captains, Nick Cardella and Fast Eddie and charter guests Ari and Danny we headed out to kite sh. By morning’s end Ari, Danny and even I had caught sail sh and added a king sh for dinner.

e next day I joined Captain Abie Raymond and his clients, my old friends Ben and Dominic. We had a taxing day. Our rst sh was a king sh eaten by a porpoise. Our next sh was a barracuda bit in half by a shark.

Finally, we caught a couple black n tuna and a bonita. e bad luck came back with missing a 100 pound class yellow n tuna and a sail sh.

We found a little luck at the end scoring a couple 8 pound mahi under a frigate bird. My April shing isn’t over yet. you will have to sit on the edge of your seat to nd out if I had good luck or bad. Fishing is always great! e catching isn’t always as good.

May is without a doubt my favorite month to sh. Sail sh are crowding into southern waters to school up for spawning reasons. is means lots of sh and some real big females included. I weighed and released a 97 pounder for a junior angler years ago and over the years we caught and released several bigger sail sh in May. Look for these sh on the very edge of the North-bound current, and if it’s too strong don’t be surprised to nd the sail sh just into the green water. ese sail sh don’t want to ght all that current.

Black n tuna reach their peak in May as well. Chum and they will come. It is great if you can ll your live wells with live pilchards, but if that’s not an option, then chum with chunks of pilchards, herring or sardines. Bait as many kite lines as you can handle with any live bait. Mullet are o en available migrating north and they are deadly kite baits.

We have preached for years that once daylight savings time arrived that you can catch more sh from 5-9PM than you can catch from 9-5 all day.

Anchor or spot lock near a wreck in 90 to 150 feet of water and hang on. A perfect spread is two kites with a couple baits suspended from each, a couple atlines, a mid-bait and one or two bottom baits. e expected species include sail sh, tuna, king sh, a late season cobia, mutton snapper, grouper, big jack crevalle, amberjack and unfortunately too many hammerhead sharks a er your kite baits. Be sure to bring a live well full of pilchards or similar sized baits or a 25 at of sardines to chop in chunks to chum. It’s not how much chum, but how consistent you chum that brings the sh. If everybody forgets chunking to ght sh the chum line gets broken, and you lose the best e ect of chunking.

Yes! Grouper season and hog sh seasons have opened. Shrimp on the bottom can catch the hogs from 15 to 200 feet of water. Black and gag groupers prefer live baits or big dead baits up current from wrecks. Cmor charts will show the undercut areas of wreck and sharp outlines. at’s where the groupers live. Mutton snappers will be gathered to spawn on locations along the reefs and around wrecks. Fresh or live ballyhoo are a great bait as well as a variety of other live baits. Sword sh action should be very good and there is a good chance of nding mahi while you are o shore or on the edge.

Inshore tarpon will be thick and good-sized shrimp, crabs and tarpon will be the preferred baits. Sunset, moonrise, and early and late stages of the tide are the best times. Snook will start gathering in and around inlets and beachfront structure. Incoming tides early or late in the day are great for working lures along the ledge that forms along the beaches. Don’t cast out but cast parallel to the beach ledge with swimming plugs, so plastics, or ies.

If you are shing only a few times a year, make all your days fall in May. It’s the BEST!!!

Capt Bouncer Smith 305-439-2475