Fishing Report: Report 5-23-2010

So with everyone talking about oil, I had to stop watching the news and go fishing. As of May 23rd, the oil has not reached our shores; so far we’ve been very lucky. Please do not let the media scare you away from the Emerald Coast. If you are thinking of booking a fishing trip, all I can say is book the trip and if the oil does make it to our waters, and you have to cancel, your deposit will be refunded without any problem.

So let’s talk about the great fishing that’s been going on in Santa Rosa Sound. I went out to do some fun fishing and do some scouting, and the trout bite has been excellent the past week, and it’s only going to get better. I’ve been hooking up most of the trout on hard body baits like MirrOlure’s 17MR. This suspending twitch bait has to be one of the best trout baits around. Another great trout bait is Berkley’s freshwater 4” Shaky Shad rigged with an 1/8oz jig head. My color of choice is chartreuse and green back pearl; these two colors are deadly on the flats for big trout. This freshwater bait has proven to work great in saltwater and definitely triggers some great trout strikes, providing some fun light-tackle fishing.

The redfish bite has also started to pick up on the flats and on a few of my favorite docks that I fished last year. If you’re targeting reds on the flats, work your baits and the boat slowly and have patience. Look for sandy potholes mixed with grass, and you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Most of the fish are in small schools of 5 fish or less, however, I have stumbled upon a few large schools of fish with 40 plus fish. I’ve not been out in the gulf fishing the past few weeks due to the rough surf. In the middle of the bay I’ve found some big schools of Spanish mackerel with some bluefish and ladyfish mixed in. Slow-trolling jigs or spoons through and around these schools will absolutely make the drag scream.

Lastly, I want to say if you’re wanting to come to Pensacola and do some great inshore fishing, give me a ring. Now is the time to come down and enjoy our awesome fishery.

Tight Lines.
Capt. John