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| Saltwater Reports |
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| Saltwater May 2012 Fishing Report |
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| By AON Staff |
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Originally published in the May 2012 issue of AON
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Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Dan Kolenich reports, “May is usually the best fishing for specks and reds on Mobile Bay until the fall fishing in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. This year is shaping up to be one of the best. April has shown schools of reds in North Pass and Turtle Ditch. Specks are scattered out from Point Clear to North Pass. May is upon us with water in the 70s, and lots of clear salty water. Shrimp are showing up off Fairhope. So, work the docks along the north half of the bay. Specks and reds will be looking for a meal. For the live-bait fishermen, try a shrimp under a popping cork. Artificial guys can work a soft plastic on a jig head, topwater plug or a MirrOlure suspending bait like a Catch Jr. or a Catch 2000. Away from the docks, look for birds working, and you’ll find specks. The action is fast, so approach the working fish from upwind and drift down casting soft plastics on jig heads. My favorite colors are root beer/chartreuse, natural shrimp, white/chartreuse and chartreuse/red on a 1/4- or 3/8-oz. jig head. Flounder will start showing up this month. Look around sandy points that face into the current. Another good place will be in the pilings of the docks along the bay. A bull minnow on a Carolina rig is the best bet. A soft plastic on a jig head is a good bet for the artificial fisherman. Get out and get it while the water is in the 70- to 80-degree range. In June, it will start to get warm and the fishing will slow down for the summer.”
Nearshore: Capt. Don McPherson, of Getaway Charters, reports, “April was a great month for fishing off the Alabama Gulf Coast. Very nice Spanish mackerel in the 4- to 5-lb. range were caught. We had one Spanish mackerel that weighed 6 pounds. King mackerel have also appeared nearshore. An Alabama state record king mackerel was caught off the charter boat Fish Trap (see page 11). With the warmer Gulf water from a mild winter, we could see some really big fish caught in 2012.”
Offshore: Good. “Offshore fishing is producing some big amberjack,” Capt. Don said. “Any type of live bait or jig will give you a good chance at an amberjack. You will find red snapper almost anywhere you go. You will have to release these snapper until June 1. Scamp grouper and red grouper may be kept now. Gag grouper season is still closed. Vermillion snapper and triggerfish are being caught 18 miles offshore and beyond. The tuna bite is good offshore with some yellowfin over 100 pounds being caught. The blackfin tuna bite is also good. You will find these fish on the oil rigs beyond 70 miles offshore. May should be a great month for fishing as the water temps continue to rise. Everything should be biting. Just remember to check the seasons. Red snapper season will open June 1, and amberjack season will be closed during June and July.”
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