When people ask me what time of year is best to fish here, there is really no right answer. However, one of my favorite months is May. It’s not exactly the easiest month to fish, but there are a lot of options and some really cool things happen.
This May has been no different. It’s been a lot of fun, with some tough days and some phenomenal days mixed throughout.
At the beginning of May the Tripletail fishing was very strong. There were a lot of big fish around, but as the month went on there were more and more small fish. This isn’t really a bad thing since the small fish are a lot more willing to eat and they help pass the time between opportunities for bigger fish.
In June we can expect the Tripletail fishing to continue near the beach, but we will start to fish inshore around the channel markers more and more during slack tide. This is where you really catch some monster Tripletail but you have short windows of time, making accurate casts is still key, and, like sight fishing for them, it’s not for everyone. If you want to catch large quantities of fish, it’s probably a good idea to skip Tripletail fishing altogether. It requires a time commitment and sometimes you only get one or two shots.
The Cobia fishing, at the time of this writing in late May, is off the charts! One of my good customers, Jeff, went out with me on May 27. We planned to at least do some Cobia and Tripletail fishing and if time permitted, some Trout fishing.
We baited up on our way out with about 100 Pogies and proceeded to check a few buoys for Cobia. We saw another boat working the buoys so we didn’t invest a lot of time in that just in case he had beat us to the punch.
On our first spot we had a pack of Cobia swim up to the boat and they ate everything we dropped… but we only hooked one and he broke off immediately! It was a total disaster! I felt physically sick after we broke that fish off because the rest of the fish just disappeared.
We went on the check a few more spots with no success and eventually made our way back to spot one. Immediate Cobia punishing ensued. We hooked fish after fish, breaking some off but getting 3 to the boat. We even broke out the fly rod and got one to eat a Puglisi Minnow.
Our 3rd fish fought hard and by the time we got him in the boat we had stopped seeing anymore fish. I suggested that we go do some Tripletail fishing, but Jeff wanted to make a blind drop to the bottom to see what else might be down there. Of course that was fine with and it took all of 10 seconds for Jeff to hook up with our 4th and biggest Cobia. This one brought a few friends with him to the boat, but Jeff and I were both out of breath and decided to leave them alone!
So, what else is happening in late May and early June? I’m glad you asked!
Trout fishing is off the chain on Cumberland beach on the days when the weather is fair and the water is clean. This is one of the first options we’ll take when conditions are right. The good thing about fishing the beach is that, usually, you catch a ton of fish and the rod stays bent for most of the trip. Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle are sure to show you some love in between Trout.
Some people view Ladyfish and Jacks as “trash fish”. In a way, they’re right. They have no table value whatsoever. They DO put up a great fight though and they are a lot of fun to catch. If you are a meat hunter that is just looking to stuff a cooler I’m not the right guide for you anyway. So I say, bring on the Jacks and the acrobatic Ladyfish!
Shark fishing usually kicks off in May and this May was no different. There have been a few days of struggle, which is typical for any type of fishing, but overall it has been quite good. In June it will be quite consistent and offer you a chance for some big fish and hard fights. Of course, I could be wrong, but if this June is like any other June since… my entire life thus far, it will be on!
These aren’t the only options on the table, and this isn’t a comprehensive report to fishing in Georgia, but I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you are looking to book a fishing guide this summer, give me a call to get the scoop. My wife Katie will be answering the phone this June until our newest baby boy Ethan arrives on July 1st!
If you have questions that Katie can’t answer, just let her know that you would like me to give you a call when I get back from fishing and I will be sure to do that.
Thanks, and tight lines!
Capt. TJ Cheek