May begins with lots of rainy days and some super fishing on the Treasure Coast. Mornings have been nice most days, but by noon you can look for rain and thunderstorms to be building around the area. Plan your trips safely and keep an eye on the sky. Water temperatures are in the mid 70's. The fish have been hungry and we have found some big fish around the Indian River in Fort Pierce this past week. Winds have tapered down somewhat most days lately as we continue the transition into the summer weather patterns. The main channel between the bridges in Fort Pierce is now open to the 30 mph speed limit.
Sea trout have been our best bite this week. Not a lot of small trout on our catch list, but some big trout. Most have been over 20 inches with some at 30 - 31 inches. Tim Freeman was back down this year with Paul to enjoy a couple days on the river. He topped his best trout from last years 29 incher with a fat 31 inch trout. He caught this years in the exact place that he landed last years trout. Mark Amorello and I enjoyed a morning on the water and he boated a 31" trout to top off his day. Don Foreman boated two slab-o-trout on his adventure that measured 29 and 30 inches. Captain Joe Ward and I managed to sneak away for an afternoon trip and boated three trout well over 20 inches. All the biggest trout were released to continue to populate the fishery. Look for sand bars or flats that have plenty of sand holes scattered across the area. The big trout will sit in those spots waiting for a meal. Top water or DOA Airheads in early morning works great this time of year and switch to DOA shrimp, Deadly Combos or live baits in two to five feet of water. It's a great time of year!
We continue to find some redfish under the mangroves. Most have been in the upper slot sizes. Try a gold spoon, DOA shrimp or live bait along the mangroves in two to four feet of water. May is always a good redfish month so keep fishing the flats as they become more active in shallow water. Our snook fishing has been best around docks and mangroves. We continue to get broke off by some slobs, but that's part of fishing those areas. You will continue to find more activity around these areas now that the water has warmed up in the river. Snook season will close at the end of May, so you have plenty of time to catch that slot fish.
Bridges and docks have held sheepshead, snapper and some black drum. The inlet has been holding bluefish, jacks and mackerel around the jetties. Beaches are yielding whiting, bluefish and jacks. Grouper season opened May 1st and you will see many anglers trolling along channel edges for a chance at a keeper fish. Ladyfish, jacks and bluefish have been plentiful around the river. It's a fantastic month to enjoy some fishing so plan a trip out soon!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!
Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
http://www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852
