May and June are two of the best months of the year to fish. Tarpon are still in some of the backcountry bays and have also started their migration off the beaches. I love sight fishing the silver kings. In some places in southwest Florida they can be found in 3-12′ of water schooling and swimming north along the sandy shoals and beaches. Fly and spinning tackle both work. It’s challenging fishing but unbelievably rewarding when a 90lb tarpon sees your bait and eats it, the moment of definition, of the whole process.
Snook are moving into the passes getting ready for the spring spawn. This is the time of year when we catch some of the biggest fish of the year. The hard falling tides in the late afternoon around the full and new moons can be great. They also frequent the beaches, cruising in inches of water. Keewaydin Island is one of my favorite places to do this. Keewaydin is a seven mile long undeveloped barrier island between Naples and Marco Island. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Shark fishing is also happening this time of year. Bull sharks up to 8′ are in the backcountry and black tips, tigers, bulls and hammerheads are around some of the near shore wrecks.
Give me a call if you’d like to talk about fishing, best tides etc. A great time of year to take a son, daughter or grand child fishing. A great graduation present.
Below are some recent catches.
Capt. Mark Ward – 239-450-9230
