As a professional charter captain, I am frequently asked the following question. What is the best time of year to go fishing? For me, this question has two possible answers. The first answer is fairly obvious, go fishing when ever you can. The second answer would be during one of my two favorite months of the year, May and October. During the month of May, conditions will be favorable for a near perfect day of catching fish along Florida's Space Coast. Light winds, warm weather, and abundant sunshine should allow many anglers the opportunity to catch fish. As temperatures begin to warm up, it will be important for anglers to get an early start.
To begin with, I can not think of a better way to start the day than to target trout along the flats throughout Mosquito lagoon, and both the Indian and Banana Rivers. This is especially true around schools of bait fish. When deciding what to fish with, a top water lure will be the bait of choice. Even though there are a wide variety of baits to choose from, one of my favorites is Storm's Rattlin Chug Bug. A perfect scenario for catching these fish, which are known for their impressive eyesight and hunting abilities, is to use this lure in two to three feet of water. Particularly in low light conditions, which are an hour or so from first light in the morning and then the last hour in the evening. With this in mind, get ready to hold on tight. The largest trout caught in our region has tipped the scale at just over twelve pounds.
As the day progresses and the water along the flats warms up, redfish will then become the targeted species. A combination of light winds and a wide variety of scented jerk baits, crank baits, live bait or even a chunk of crab or fresh dead mullet will be enough to entice these fish into biting. When sight casting, many experienced anglers will tell you how important lure placement will be when targeting them along the flats. Once you have hooked up, a game of tug of war has begun with one of the best tasting fish in Florida. Although many of the fish caught will measure within the legal slot limit of eighteen to twenty seven inches, don't be surprised if you hook into a giant "Bull" red. These awesome fish are known to measure up to sixty plus inches and could guarantee to be fish of a life time.
For those fishermen who want to beat the heat, night fishing should be electrifying. Cool night air, top water lures and a full moon (on May 27th) will make a great combination for some quality fish to bite. Large gator trout, snook, lady fish, and redfish will aggressively strike at surface lures throughout the night with surprising results.
Please feel free to contact me at www.mixinworkwithplay.com or 321-212-8484 for charter information.