May 5, 2016
April is usually the best month for Sailfish and for the second year in a row, it was a disappointing month. We never got the “conditions”, aka strong east current, that help make April a great month for sails. Granted, the strong east current also makes for big waves if we have an east wind, but I’ve always said, it would take the big “bumps” if it meant catching the fish, (My back doesn’t always agree at the end of the day). Not that we won’t catch any Sailfish in May, it’s just that they’re more spread out and less frequent.
The good thing is May is Dolphin season and we are starting to see some moving through. We want that same strong east current for the dolphin and yes, it means a bumpy ride many days, but big fish are worth it. So far, the east current is pretty far offshore, too far for a half day and possible too far for a 6 hr trip. Hopefully, it will move in soon, (yes, the Gulfstream fluctuates), and we’ll be able to fish for dolphin on half days too.
Until then, we’ll probably have to fish for Grouper and Snapper inshore. May 1 is the start of Grouper season, so we don’t have to release any legal size fish. It’s not like there are tons around but at least we can keep the ones we catch.