RED SNAPPER, RED SNAPPER - Everybody has been waiting on June 1st since last July and now it’s going to happen. Red Snapper season will open June 1st and will run for 79 days in federal waters in the Gulf, Big Ben area. All current indications are that there is an abundance of large red snapper just waiting for your bait. Along with red snappers you can also bring home any of the grouper family and all of the other species except an amberjack and a trigger fish. Maybe this unnatural weather will settle down and June will be the usual perfect fishing month.
Inshore fishing appears to be coming on strong as the king mackerel and cobia have shown up in good numbers. Also, the speckled trout are moving on to the flats in the bay and crooked island sound. They seem to be larger this year than usual for some reason I am not familiar with. The pompano are still hanging around but I do expect them to be leaving buy the time June fishing gets underway so start checking for those mahi mahi and kings along the beach and look for those large speckled trout and red fish in the bays. One of the growing problems both in shore and off shore fishing is the large number of sharks that are showing up to eat your fish before you can get it in the boat. I guess the government still has to protect most of the sharks but they have apparently accomplished a great job so far in that there appears to be more sharks than I have noted in several years. Don’t forget to file a float plan, and let somebody know when you are going to return.