Every week of May brings more mahi past the Keys, the muttons gather to spawn, and the ocean settles into its summer rhythm a month early.
By May the mahi have stopped being a rumor. Weed lines organize, birds mean something again, and run-and-gun afternoons start filling fish boxes the way the brochure promised.
May is also the mutton moon. Around the full moon the big snapper gather on the deeper structure, and a well-anchored evening can produce the best-eating fish in the ocean. Ask the captain about timing a trip to the moon phase.
Summer fishing without summer crowds or summer heat. The month fishes big and books easy, a combination that does not last past Memorial Day.
Building by the week. Late May fishes close to peak-summer form, with fresher fish and fewer boats.
Around May's full moon, mutton snapper gather on deeper structure. Timed right, it is the best bottom fishing of the year.
Weekends around the full moon and Memorial Day, yes. Weekdays stay reasonable until June.