ENDLESS INSHORE FISHING

Fishing St. Lucie Estuary in May and June

EDITOR'S NOTE: Captain Ed Zyak of Jensen Beach, Florida, chose the St. Lucie Estuary on central Florida's Atlantic Coast to set up his Local Color Guide Service for two reasons. One, he's lived and fished in this region all his life. Two, he can produce speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tarpon and snook year-round. This area homes a phenomenal fishery, and if you like variety, you must consider fishing there. But rather than tell you about my experience fishing the St. Lucie Estuary, let's let Captain Zyak tell you his story.

QUESTION: What can anglers expect to catch in this part of the Atlantic's central Florida coast in May and June?
ANSWER: During May and June, anglers can have a great day of fishing for tarpon, snook and trout -- all in the same day. If you choose, you can target any one of these three species and have a great day of fishing. And anglers shouldn't overlook the redfish during these two months. Redfish usually are not a problem to catch during May and June.

QUESTION: What do most people fish for during May and June?
ANSWER: During these months, most fishermen target either snook or tarpon. As the trout fishing begins to wane, the really big snook start to bite, and the migratory tarpon begin to arrive. As I mentioned earlier, we have a resident population of tarpon that stay here all year. But during May and June, the migratory tarpon move into the river system and the estuaries. If you want to catch a tarpon, fish during these two months because when the migrating tarpon come in, they're much easier to catch than our resident population. These migrating fish haven't been harassed as much. They are not lure-shy, and your chances of catching two or three tarpon in one day are really good.

QUESTION: How would you plan a day of fishing in May?
ANSWER: May is still a good month to catch big trout. But the water is beginning to heat up this month, so you'll primarily get early-morning bites. When the sun comes out, and the water heats up, the trout don't seem to want to bite as much. So, as the sun rises, I'll fish for the trout with top-water lures. When the sun gets higher, I'll fish a little deeper. I like to fish for the trout just at daylight and then target either snook or tarpon. In the latter part of the trip, I'll go after the species we haven't targeted.

If you're fishing for tarpon in May, your best bet is the root-beer- or chartreuse-colored DOA Terror Eyz. I prefer the 3/8-ounce head. Another effective bait is a DOA Glow Shrimp. Although these baits are small and the tarpon are big, just remember that elephants eat peanuts, and big tarpon will eat little baits. To catch tarpon this month, put a Glow Shrimp on a rod, and cast it out of the back of the boat. Put the rod in a rod holder, use your trolling motor to move around in the schools of tarpon, and cast to them with the Terror Eyz. Many times the tarpon will inhale the Glow Shrimp as the bait moves behind the boat.

For more information, call Captain Ed Zyak with Local Color Guide Service at (772) 485-FISH or e-mail him at localcolorgs@aol.com. Mrs. Peters' SmokeHouse is located at 1500 North East Dixie Hwy, Jensen Beach, Florida. For more information, call (772) 334-2184. You can reach DOA Lures by calling 877-DOA-LURE or going to the Web site www.doalures.com Learn more about Minn Kota trolling motors by going to www.johnsonoutdoors.com or calling 800-227-6433.

TOMORROW: JULY AND AUGUST FISHING IN THE ESTUARY