May Fishing in Crystal River
Light Tackle:
As the water warms up, many of the well-known Florida inshore species begin to move out to seek cooler water. Redfish push out to the outer mangrove islands and rocky points. Find the schools of mullet and you'll find the redfish. Good sized sea trout are becoming popular targets as they move to the open grass flats & rocky points as well. A small live pinfsh on a knocker rig has been a great combo lately.
Snook- The snook lurking in the shallow flats and mangroves have begun to move. We are seeing large snook begin to move into deeper water with the warming of the water. Through the summer, our big breeder snook will begin to stage in 20-30 feet around rock piles & ledges to spawn. These big breeders are usually around the 40" mark. They're a blast to target. While artificials can be used, a shoulder-hooked pinfish or pigfish is our typical go-to. Since these big females are needed to keep the populations healthy, we make sure to revive these fish as thoroughly as possible.
Mangrove Snapper- Bigger snappers are moving into deeper waters meaning the smaller guys are showing up inshore over your favorite rock piles in 6-12'. In May, we had to pick through some juveniles to get to the keeper-sized fish, but hard work paid off. Live shrimp on a jighead has been a great way to target them. Anglers can Expect to catch a variety of other species while targeting mangrove snapper on the rock piles gag grouper, porgies, and spanish mackerel were all welcome bycatch.
Offshore:
With Amberjack and Gag grouper seasons closed, the species we have been targeting for the table have been Cobia and mangrove Snapper. While we can still spend a day fighting grouper and big reef donkeys on the boat, a cooler full of fish is a nice reward for sore muscles. That is the best part of fishing offshore; you never know what is going to hit a bait.
Cobia- The fishing started off slower than usual. We had a decent Push of keeper fish the past couple of weeks, making the eye strain of looking for these surface cruisers worth it. We only have about a month or so left to "target" them. Catching cobia is still possible beyond June, but they are primarily bycatch from then on.
Kingfish- Mats of threadfin herring and sardines have shown up offshore in force. A little later than we’d like, but welcomed nonetheless. Big schools of high-calorie bait attract big predators, and we are talking about kingfish. This month we have seen some big kings come in at the dock, so we are sure to keep a flat line out when we’re bottom fishing.
Mangrove Snapper- Like we had alluded to in the light tackle report, Bigger guys are located farther offshore in 30-90'. Live shrimp or live pinfish on a 1/16th or 1/8th ounce jig head has been the ticket. One lesson we try to impart to our anglers is to let the bait freeline down to the bottom as naturally as possible. No jigging! Mangroves are very intelligent fish; the biggest ones didn't get that size by striking everything that bounced in front of their faces.
Looking Ahead: Fishing in June
Red Snapper- Red Snapper opens June 1st for federally permitted for-hire vessels! We have been doing some scouting, and it's looking like it'll be a great season. The spots around 60-80 miles offshore look to be the most promising. We will run 10-hour trips for these guys, and anglers can expect to catch a plethora of other species along the way.
Mangrove Snapper- We are beyond lucky in Crystal River to have the opportunity for both our inshore and offshore trips to provide anglers a shot and mangrove snapper. It's expected that both inshore & offshore should hold steady; I have no doubt a number of good “Mangs" will be added to the red snapper-filled coolers.
Snook- we can expect that as the summer heats up, fishing on the rock piles located in 20-30 feet of water should improve as more and more fish push out and stage for the spawn. If you are looking to top your personal best and land a 40+ inch snook, this is the time to do it.
Scallops- the July Scallop Season is about a month away. This top-notch table fare is nearly at your fingertips. Snorkeling the grass flats of Crystal River for your own scallops is a trip you don’t want to miss. The first week & weekend slots in July are just about booked up, so if you're considering going, booking early is a good idea.
Questions? SEND US A MESSAGE
Contact Us
Offering Inshore, Flats, Light Tackle, Offshore, Deep Sea Scalloping, and Grouper fishing charters we have all your fishing needs covered here at High Octane Fishing Charters.