Fishing this past week was as good as it gets along the panhandle of Florida.

I’ve been catching a fair amount of specks on a lot of my morning trips. We have even seen some big schools of Redfish working menhaden in the bay. King and Spanish mackerel are here, and the bite has been very good. Most of the Kings are still being caught just offshore, but it won’t be long till they are in the pass and in the middle of the bay feeding on small cigar minnows and threadfin herring bait schools. Spanish mackerel are everywhere along the coast and in the bay, and respond well to small jigs and spoons.

The pompano bite has been off the charts this season. Shore-bound anglers and those in boats are getting their limits in just a few hours. While casting for Pompano from a boat, keep a close eye out for large schools of Jacks cruising down the beach. Just a few days back, I spotted the biggest school of Jacks I had ever seen; well over 200 fish. I had two 30lb class rods rigged with large top-dogs ready to entice a hungry jack. We followed the school, and hooked 11 and landed 8. At one time, we had 4 jacks on at once and landed all four for a great photo.

As you can see, the fishing in mid-May is very good, and it’s only going to get better in June. The bait is arriving more and more every day, and along with the bait comes the fish, so grab your favorite rod and reel and go catch that fish of a lifetime.

I had a day off a few days back and went out and hooked my first every Wahoo, topping the scales at 45lbs – 50lbs, and measuring well over 60” long.

Till next time, bent rods and screaming drags.

Capt. John