Inshore: Captain Patrick Kelly (843-962-3503) reports that as temperatures rise and even more bait starts to return in May the redfish should feed more regularly. The tailing activity at high tide should pick up as reds devour consistently available fiddler crabs, and fish should also eat better around the tide table in the creeks. If you can get live shrimp they are hard to beat, but finger mullet, small menhaden, mud minnows, and more will also catch redfish. Trout fishing should also pick up in the creeks and rivers, and both jigs and shrimp will catch fish – as well as finfish baits. Big roe trout will be in the main rivers to spawn. But the most exciting development in May is usually that the cobia return in numbers to the Broad River. Some were already caught in late April, and people will catch them both sight-fishing and anchoring baits on the bottom. Tripletail, bluefish, ladyfish, and other migratory species will also be around in ever-greater numbers during May, and the bigger flounder should continue to show up after starting to trickle back inshore during April. Finally, don’t overlook the sheepshead bite on fiddler crabs – especially before it gets very hot and patterns change.
