May started just like April ended with morning winds pushing 20 knots. Bay boats are great in a chop but when winds reach 20 knots Captain Steven seeks areas protected from winds or cancels the trip.
Bait again was work taking an hour of chumming and tossing the net. The low incoming tide is perfect for trout. Targeting sandy portholes and lush turtle grass we tossed White baits fly lined and under popping corks scored spotted sea trout averaging 17-19". The water was stained from recent winds but the trout which can be temperamental in muddied waters were aggressive.
With the tide rising we headed to a Mangrove Island for redfish. Cut baits soaked on the bottom in mullet schools quickly paid off with numerous reds 10-24". Looking for larger redfish we moved to another area this time we ran smack into a school of giant redfish before we got to my spot. The school was good size 50-75 reds. First baits in were hammered. These giants were all pushing 40" and bigger! 20 minutes later we were still fighting these giants. Then one broke off while the other hook just gave way.
Ending the day we ran into a school of big jacks 10-15 pounds! it's the first big Jacks I have seen since the freeze of 2009.
Captain Steven Markovich