Weather in May may be the perfect time to fish

May is a great time to fish. The weather is warm, but not hot. Baitfish and shrimp are abundant.  At the right tide, predators like trout, flounder, and redfish are pretty easy to catch.

 

This was the case when fishing with my nephew, Conrad Edler. We launched the skiff late in the afternoon at dead low tide.

 

The moon phase was new, so the tide was about a foot lower than usual. Extra-low tides concentrate baitfish, shrimp, and predators in deeper areas of our creeks. Conrad and I planned to literally fish in a barrel.

 

After a short run to a creek that has a lot of oyster bars that create pools on extra-low tides, I deployed the trolling motor and trimmed up the outboard engine.

 

In order to access the pools, we needed to traverse several shallow areas that were about a foot deep. We used the trolling motor to work our way slowly and quietly into the creek. All the while looking for signs of feeding fish.

 

In the first pool, which was about three feet deep, Conrad and I cast Z-Man Finesse TRD lures on 1/6-ounce NedLockZ jigs into the pool and used a slow hop and pause retrieve cadence.

 

It took a few casts, but we soon caught and released a couple of trout each. In the pool, we could clearly see several redfish. However, they wanted nothing to do with our lures. So, we moved on.

 

The next pool was a little deeper and had a small creek that was draining water into it. The pool was loaded with mud minnows and small shrimp. Conrad cast his lure into the creek drain and hooked a flounder.

 

I cast to the same area and hooked a small redfish. We were both one fish away from our inshore slams. Conrad needed a redfish, and I needed a flounder.

 

On the way to the next pool, the skiff got stuck. While waiting for the incoming tide to refloat the skiff, I cast into an area that barely had any water. A flounder ate the lure, and my inshore slam was complete. 

 

While still stuck, Conrad spotted a couple of small redfish swimming along the opposite bank. He cast a few feet ahead of them. One of the redfish shot forward and crushed the lure. Our inshore slams were complete. 

 

So, we quit fishing and enjoyed a cold beer while we waited for the incoming tide to float the skiff. Conrad took a sip of his beer and said fishing in May is great! I laughed and replied, it certainly is.

 

Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call (843) 224-0099.