by Capt. Mo ShaverInshore Fishing Report
The past week proved to be a good one for anglers throughout the area. With the Mullet Toss taking place over the weekend, the waterways and streets of Orange Beach were packed. Strong tides and decent weather offered fishermen a variety of choices to pursue while on the water. Tides will begin to neap by the end of this week, possibly making the fishing a little tougher over the weekend. With slower tides, concentrate your efforts in areas were water will move well.
May is directly around the corner and typically continues to improve the fishery just as the month of April has done. Flounder begin migrating inland through our passes during the upcoming month. Reports of nice flounder poured in over the weekend from the beach area. Double digit catches of these tasty flat fish were proof that the flounder have began to move! Berkley Gulp 3" Swimming Mullet in pink and smoke were the two most effective baits for anglers. As tides slow towards the end of the week, fish Perdido Pass and nearby structure for flounder. Neaping tides will allow you fish areas that normally have to swift of current to fish for flounder. A 3/8 ounce jig head rigged with Gulp is a great combo for fishing the pass.
The inland areas of Orange Beach proved to be getting better and better day by day. Bayou St. John and the north side of Ono are both showing signs of improvement. Night fishing these areas has proven to be worth the effort. Nice trout and redfish are being caught throughout the night on a variety of baits. The Intracoastal Waterway in both Alabama and Florida has proven to be quite fishy at times over the past few weeks during daylight hours! Slip cork fishing and free lining live shrimp have been the ticket for angler's trout fishing these areas. Please stop by and see us for any rigging suggestions or advice on artificial baits.
Cobias are still migrating through our area and some nice fish are being seen and caught. Multiple fish were caught last week that weighed in at over 70 pounds! Live eels are still available. Look for the rigs to the West to begin holding fish over the next few weeks! The weather should get right for cobia fishing on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Another front is expected to pass through the area on Friday and Saturday. Bring your BIG boat for Thursday and Friday as winds are expected to reach 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Offshore Fishing Report
More and more anglers are blasting offshore week by week. Red Snapper season is open in Florida state waters and many are taking advantage of this. Be sure to check all rules and regulations before you venture into Florida water!
As mentioned above, snapper fishing is pretty hot! Reefs within 20 to 30 miles offshore are stacked with Red Snapper. Amberjack are beginning to show in shallower water! The rigs are still holding jacks as well! Natural bottom to the southeast has been responsible for some nice catches of scamp. The Trysler Grounds are still producing vermilion snapper, white snapper, the occasional scamp, and triggerfish! It may take venturing off into deeper water to avoid getting eaten up by red snapper!
The blue water fishing is steadily improving around the big rigs offshore! Two Wahoo were weighed in last week over 90 pounds! Get your high-speed trolling gear ready! Tuna fishing is still good around the deep offshore rigs. Diamond jigging at night has been producing big numbers of blackfins and the occasional yellowfin. Look for the rigs to heat up over the next few weeks leading into the tournament season!
Captain Marty Starling of Mo Fishin Guide Service with Tammy Guess and her daughter, Macayla. The women had a blast catching slot sized redfish on a 4 hour charter! For more information on chartering with Captain Marty, please email us at info@mofishin.biz.
