Unfortunately the title of this report is just a bit deceiving as it is the temperature that is heating up and not the fishing. Water temperatures have risen a few degrees and are now reading in the lower 80s. The weekend is forecast to bring us our first taste of real summer-like weather and will more than likely increase those water numbers just a tad more, meaning a change of tactics will probably be needed for the coming weeks, namely fishing early and late in the day. The good news is the fishing, both offshore and inshore, remains fairly strong. Depending on what you are fishing for you may only need to make slight modifications to your fishing plans in order to bring some fish home to the dinner table.
Near shore, the Spanish mackerel fishing has been hit or miss, with a lot of small fish inundating the local waters. In addition to having to weed out the undersized fish, extremely clear waters are also making it difficult for anglers to get the fish to bite. Trolling Clark Spoons early and late in the day is a good way to cover a lot of area and find the fish but the trouble is that with the water clarity, any unnecessary terminal tackle will only inhibit your ability to fool them as Spanish mackerel have good eyesight and anything out of the ordinary will cause them to pass on the offering. One sure-fire trick is to use fluorocarbon leaders of around 15Â pound test for your lures and trolling set-ups. If using planers, fishing between 20-25 feet of leader between the spoon and the planer is an excellent tactic. Unfortunately, fluorocarbon leader is not cheap so buying the larger bulk spools rather than the smaller spools will help your cost.
Anglers trolling live and dead baits are finding some king mackerel and cobia from just outside the inlets out to around 10 miles. For those not willing to spend time looking for menhaden schools to throw the net on, jigging up cigar minnows or shad around the nearshore wrecks will also work and if catching your own bait is not an option, a frozen box of cigar minnows or Spanish sardines should provide you with enough bait for a day of fishing.
Pier anglers are finding some action from bluefish and Spanish mackerel on Got-Cha Plugs early and late in the day. Those fishing with fresh shrimp are reporting some Virginia mullet, a few pompano and small spots while those dragging live minnows or soft artificial baits along the shadows of the pier are having some success with flounder. Sheepshead are also starting to bite in good numbers and can be targeted with live crabs and barnacles.
Inshore the flounder fishing is picking up with a lot of fish coming from the inlets and deeper creeks. Offshore, the dolphin bite continues to be very strong in and near the Gulf Stream although some smaller and fewer fish have been reported as close as 10 miles off the beach. Bottom fishing for grouper, black sea bass and triggerfish has been decent in water depths over 100 feet.
