Inshore Fishing Report
The inshore fishery has showed some good signs of improvement over the past week. More reports of good fishing have been coming in from a much broader area. The tides neaped last weekend; causing the bite to be a little tougher to pin point compared to the remainder of last week. Fear not, with strong tides this week and the new moon fishing should be great!
Heavy winds last week kept anglers out of the pass and forced them to fish the interior bays of Orange Beach. This resulted in some nice speckled trout being caught throughout the area! Bayou St. John and the Intracoastal Waterway both proved to be holding specs and the occasional redfish! Live shrimp, Berkley Gulps, and an assortment of MirrOlures all put fish in the boat this past week! Free lining live shrimp or fishing slip corks proved to be the best methods for catching Orange Beach's picky speckled trout! As May rolls on, start looking for pogies at day break around Cotton Bayou for an additional source of live bait. Having a variety of bait this time of the year can make or break you when it comes to fishing for trout and reds!
Perdido Pass has once again accounted for some good fishing over the last week. Anglers reported catching a big variety of fish! Live shrimp produced nice catches of redfish, black drum, pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and more! Flounders were caught on Gulps as well as bull minnows! Look for the flounder bite to pick up the pace over the next few weeks. Concentrate your flounder fishing efforts around high tide when the current isn't super swift! Slowly dragging or bouncing a Berkley Gulp rigged on a ¼ to 3/8 ounce jig head is a deadly combo around the rock jetties and surrounding areas!
Also look for the night fishing to be strong during the next few weeks! The dark moon is in and should have the fish eating heavy on the lights. Use a stealth-like approach to the light you are fishing and bring a variety of baits to help entice picky speckled trout. The lights are typically teaming with small glass minnows and a variety of extremely small bait fish. Be sure to have baits on board that match the size of the baits seen under the lights. Fin-S 2.5" soft plastics and Yo-Zuri's Pins Minnows are a local favorite for night fishing! Just remember, "Match the hatch"!
Offshore Fishing Report
The offshore report is always getting better this time of the year. More boats are blasting offshore each and every day. Local tournaments are producing some big fish in a number of categories. The weather has still been a little unpredictable, but should continue to improve as the month moves by. Paying close attention to the area's weather and extended forecast can play a vital role in a successful offshore trip! Local weather for Orange Beach can be viewed on line by clicking HERE.
The near shore bite is still doing well for anglers in smaller center consoles. Light tackle snapper fishing in Florida water has been producing some quality limits of fish. The Spanish and King mackerel are still moving through the area. Trolling spoons or slow-trolling live and dead baits are great for targeting mackerel. Cobias are being caught on their annual migration as well as to the west around rigs and platforms. Live eels are still readily available. Look for the cobia fishing to last a few more weeks and the mackerel fishing to get better and better from here on out!
Offshore bottom fishing has been improving as well. Snapper are abundant almost everywhere you go! The offshore public pyramids are holding quality snappers for those looking to do some serious catch and release fishing! Deeper natural bottom to the southeast has been producing some nice catches of scamp as well as beeliners and amberjack. Offshore amberjack fishing on rigs and natural bottom has been HOT! Deep dropping produced snowy and yellow-edge grouper last week as well. For more information on deep drop fishing, please contact us at info@mofishin.biz.
The Mars rig provided three blue marlin shots last week from what we hear. That's pretty typical considering what time of the year it is. The blue water fishing has been steadily improving as May presses on! More reports of Yellowfins on the big rigs are coming in. Blackfins apparently are stacked up on these rigs too! Wahoo fishing hasn't picked up too much but should in the next few weeks. Tournaments start at the end of the month, so get ready to head offshore and have some fun!
Thanks and Good Fishin,
Captain Mo Shaver
Mo Fishin Bait & Tackle, Inc.
www.MoFishin.biz
