OffshORE FORECAST

Spring fishing is here and almost gone. Summer is right around the corner and it seems the Mahi run has been far from good. The usual big push of fish from late March into April has not been very productive. But May into early June, we could get some bigger fish showing up. With that being said, being prepared for the right conditions and being able to get out there is key. One of the biggest keys to success is being prepared so there is no wasted time of lines not being in the water. That starts with prepping baits the night before or waking up hours early to make sure you have 30 or 40 baits rigged and ready to go. It’s hours of prep work that nobody sees that creates successful days on the water.

Mahi fishing is one of the most sought after fishing we have here on the east coast of Central Florida. Not everyone has the time nor the electronics to really dial in the fishing like some big boats or charter captains. So, let’s talk about what to look for when targeting Mahi. First things first, here on the East Coast we have the gulf stream that runs all the way up the coast pushing from the South to the North. Usually, this is where you get your big temperature changes. This is a big factor when Mahi fishing so always be looking at your temps when running out. The next thing to look for is big rips when you start approaching the gulf stream. Usually, you’ll see a slick and then heavy current moving east. Also, when you get a nice east or south east wind you can get very good weed lines along those rips. All these things have one thing in common that attract these fish. BAIT! That brings us to another thing to look for while fishing for almost any pelagic species. Bait is huge. I’ve been on many weedlines and rips where you think there’s no way we don’t catch fish on this. But if there’s no bait, sometimes the fish just are not there no matter how it looks. With bait comes birds, always be on the lookout for birds. Usually, they go hand and hand. If you have a radar, that’s always a very helpful tool to find birds.

One last thing, always be scanning the horizon for something floating. Some of the biggest fish I’ve ever caught were off something as small as a bucket floating in the water. Never give up as sometimes the end of the day produces all you need to win a tournament or for your wife to let you go fishing next week as well!

The Halifax Sport Fishing Club’s June 15th seminar will feature guest speaker Chad Macfie. Chad is a marine biologist and Ponce Inlet’s Marine Science Center Manager. Chad grew up in the area and loved fishing. He grew up in the area and loved fishing. Chad worked on several commercial fishing boats and shark fishing. He realized Ponce Inlet had a rich fishing history starting with the Timucaun Indians to the first settlers of Ponce Inlet. Chad’s presentation is going to be about the past 100 years of fishing in Ponce Inlet.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, a brief business meeting at 7:00 PM, and the seminar at 7:30 PM at 3431 S. Ridgewood Avenue, Port Orange. All seminars are free and open to the public. For more information on go to the H.S.F.C. web site, Facebook or contact Wil Evans, Programs Director at (386) 566-0601 or online at programs@hsfc.com.

Coastal Angler Article, May 2023: Over the past 2 years, a group of passionate anglers, guides, and scientists have been working hard behind the scenes to bring some real change to our lagoon. We are so happy to introduce you to our newly formed non-profit organization, the Lagoon Watermen Alliance. Speaking here is Ashley Weber- angler, artist and conservation leader. Myself, Captain Billy Rotne, Dr. Hannah Herrero, and Captain Benny Blanco are cofounders and the executive board members for LWA. Working amongst us on our board and advisory committee is a group of other local community leaders that are invested in taking the time to do whatever they can to start the healing process for our estuary. Our organization is unlike any other of its kind locally, because we are comprised of avid watermen. All of us spend copious amounts of time on this body of water, and experience first-hand what has happened and what needs to change. We care. We aren’t doing this for salaries, we aren’t doing this because we have grant funding, we are doing this solely because we want the right thing to finally be done. We are building an army of people that are sick of seeing our water be mismanaged and are ready to finally fight for it. No one cares about the lagoon as much as we do, no one knows the lagoon as well as we do, and no one is going to fight for our lagoon as hard as we will. The mission of Lagoon Watermen Alliance is to protect the entire Indian River Lagoon system by advocating for science-based solutions that will lead to improved water quality, protection of imperiled habitats, and safeguarding of gamefish populations. Our main focus is to stop nutrient loading, run off and pollution from entering the IRL system. We believe that before restoration efforts can be impactful and successful, and we need to unite and focus on directing funding to the source of the problem. A number of overlapping issues, including poor water management practices, inadequate sewage and storm-water treatment, excess fertilizer runoff and diminished circulation have created a cycle of algae blooms, oxygen deprivation and seagrass die-offs that have threatened the very existence of this special ecosystem. If you would like to get involved and join us in this fight, please check out our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We will be hosting our first introductory event and stakeholder workshop open to the public in July, and we would love for you to attend. We will announce the date of this soon on our socials, so stay tuned for more information by following along with us. At this event, we will register members and collect data from other watermen to use for scientific research being done by our director of Science, Dr. Hannah Herrero. We can’t wait to meet you all. www.Lagoonwatermen.org

Instagram: @lagoonwatermenalliance

Facebook: Lagoon Watermen Alliance

Donate directly to X4CF toward $4,000 minimum fundraising goal: Corporate Sponsorship Inquiry:

You can see their journey by following Fetch Watersports & Safety on Instagram at @fetch_fla

On June 24th, A.J. Miller and Derick Brown (Team Fetch), who have a combined 35 years as ocean rescue lifeguards, will leave the island of Bimini, Bahamas in the dead of night (approximately 11pm) and embark on a prone paddle journey with their safety boat 8o miles back to Florida, arriving sometime on the afternoon of June 25th. They will complete this paddle along with up to 200 paddlers total, in a challenge known as The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis.

The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis is a long-distance endurance paddle challenge and international championship race that takes paddlers across the gul f Stream from Bimini in the Bahamas back to the Florida mainland. The event was inspired because of the incredible health benefits of the ocean for those living with cystic fibrosis, a terminal lung disease. Travis Suit’s (founder) daughter Piper was diagnosed with CF when she was four years old.

The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis’s goal is to spread awareness, fundraising, inspiration, improved quality of life, and social innovation in the cystic fibrosis community. Through the Piper’s Angels Foundation and other programs, they are able to make a lifelong impact on the patients and families facing the challenges of this heart-breaking terminal disease.

A.J., guarding in Volusia County, and Derick, guarding in Martin County, began racing against one another 12 years ago in local and regional surf lifesaving races. They are now looking forward to the opportunity to race TOgETHER, and for an amazing cause.

Each paddler must raise at least $2,000 each that goes directly to Piper’s Angels Foundation. In addition to their $4,000 minimum fundraising goal, they are seeking corporate sponsorships to assist with the cost of travel, fuel, on course nutrition and equipment. Yellow Dawg Fishing Charters, Knot Racing Charters and Limitless Fishing Charters have joined Fetch Watersports & Safety (owned by paddler A.J.) to help make this challenge a reality.

If you are interested in supporting this challenge and cause, you can assist in any of the 3 ways below:

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.