“Pompano, Cobia, Drum & More”
By Terry Lacoss
The problem with fishing during the month of May is there are simply too many fishing opportunities! Without saying the month of May is by far one of the very best months to wet a fishing line in N.E. Florida fresh, or saltwater's! Here a great game plan is simply be prepared to catch a lot of fish and with a wide variety of fishing tactics.
Trophy largemouth bass are still spawning in the many local tidal rivers Including the St. Mary's River, Boggy Creek, Thomas' Creek, Plumber's Creek, Mill's Creek and Lofton Creek. Best fishing tactic includes barbing a pumpkin seed “Trick Work” right in the middle with a 5/0 worm hook. Cast the unweighted plastic worm close to shoreline cover and twitch slowly out into deep water. During overcast days surface plugs work best including a #11 gold Rapala, or a frog colored “Devils Horse”.
Public boat ramps are located at many of these bass filled rivers for easy access to some of Florida's best freshwater fishing. A county map is free at the Nassau County Court House that shows all the boat ramps, or go on line and Google Nassau County public boat ramps.
If you are boat-less, or just wish to fish for a few hours, the pompano bite is red hot along the pristine beaches of Amelia Island. Some of the best areas of the beach to catch pompano include the “Old Pipe Line” located middle way on the beach where a public access is also located. A hard bottom located at “American Beach”, the southern portion of Amelia Island and where the beach greets the foot of the St. Mary's South jetty rocks. Best baits for pompano include sand fleas, conch and small pieces of blue crab. The whiting bite is going on in the surf as well. If you are a non Florida resident, be sure to purchase a saltwater fishing license. Visit www.myfwc.com to purchase your fishing license on line.
