Shore Thing Fishing Report, 5/8/24

May 8, 2024

Local waters are looking good, and fishing gets better every day. Spring is a great time to get out there, but be prepared for a lot of company on those beautiful spring days.
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- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Pierce, Lilly and Boston Rhodes with a nice trout from their trip south of Bayou Caddy.

The speckled trout fishing has gotten even better over the past week. Our biggest hurdle has been the wind, but on calm days, the speckled trout fishing seems to get better and better. We are finally seeing the shrimp and rain minnows coming through, and the birds are diving. The bull reds are just about everywhere we are catching trout. Yes, they will mess up your bite, but man, what a fight on light tackle. We have also started seeing a few tripletail to the east and the south, and that should get better and better as we get into summer.
 

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The happy couple With two perfect red fish, they caught fishing with Capt. Keith Crawford south of Pass Christian.

 
The live bait boats are steadily catching shrimp and just started catching croakers. For those of you who prefer to fish live bait, this has made a huge difference. The speckled trout bite should go from good to great in the coming weeks now that the Pearl River has gotten lower. Once that pretty green water stays here, it may be one of the best spring bites we have seen in a long time.
 

The spring speckled trout was fantastic for these lucky gentlemen fishing with Capt. Keith Crawford out of Shaggy's charter dock.

 
For now, the better water has been further to the south, but we are still catching plenty of fish in close. Even in dirty brown water, we have had great success on redfish, puppy drum, and even a few speckled trout and flounder.
 
Speaking of nearshore fishing, if you happen to catch a fish with a pink tag, please call the phone number on the tag to report your catch. You’ll need to report your name, the date of your catch, the tag number, where you caught the fish, its length, and whether you kept or released it.
 

Please report any pink-tagged fish you catch to the University of Southern Mississippi at the contact information on the tag. Most of the fish will likely be in and around Bay St. Louis.

 
If you decide to keep the fish, it has a recording device in it about half the size of a tube of Chapstick. The folks at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab would appreciate your returning that device so it can be reused. Data collected from these transmitters is used in future reef building. Release the fish if you can, please.
 
The time of year we have all been waiting for is here! With this great fishing and good weather comes the crowds at the boat launch, bait shops, repair shops, and all those “secret fishing spots.” Please be courteous to those around you. If someone needs help, try to help them. If someone is in “your spot,” move to the next one, or better yet, explore a different area for a new spot. Every day is a gift, especially this time of year. Make the most of every day and leave the world better than you found it. Have fun and be safe.
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