Fishing Report Pier and Surf

By: Noel Kuhn

Thismonth may be the best of 2023! The water warmed up in late March. April was on fire when the wind and surf would lay down. Now this month all we need is some clean water with winds 15mph or less. The Pompano have returned in mass! They are spread out from Fernandina down to Canaveral. In April they almost exclusively wanted clams but I would take my flea rake. Use a double hook rig with flea on the top and a clam on the bottom. A 2/0 L197 Eagle Claw is my favorite hook to use. With this bait combo you will also have a great chance of catching whiting, redfish, and black drum. Remember, do not leave home without your Fishbites! This time of year crab is my favorite scent.

Check out the Pompano in the picture! He ate BOTH pieces of Fishbites on my double dropper rig!!

On our local piers, be sure to take your float rigs and some live shrimp. This is the month for spotted sea trout! The larger bluefish also make their return in May. Action will heat up with Spanish mackerel so do not forget your Gotcha plugs! For both of these species you can’t go wrong with live finger mullet and some light wire leader.

Whether you are in the surf or on the pier, the boys in the grey suits will be in full force this month. To get your string stretched, just soak a whiting head in a deep trough along the beach. The Blacktip sharks will be actively feeding on them and the pompano. I like using one foot of 480lb cable tipped with a 10/0 L2022 by Eagle Claw. Above that, six feet of 300lb mono to avoid being tail whipped. This fish will run 70 to 160 pounds. So make sure you have enough line to soak up the first run. Blacktips are a blast because in shallow water they almost always go airborne when hooked up.

I am pleased to announce that the Florida Surf Casters Club will be holding their 19th Annual Surf Fishing Tournament on Saturday May 13th. This tourney is for pompano and whiting only. The weigh in will be hosted by the Strike Zone in Jacksonville Florida. For more information, go to www.surfishingflorida.com

As a founding member of the club, I want to thank Dave Workman and his team at Strike Zone for making this tourney an ongoing success!

Noel Kuhn

Surf fishing guide and long distance casting coach. 904-945-0660 www.TheSurfAngler.com