The offshore mahi-mahi run has been the centerpiece off Palm Beach this week. Boats working the weed lines and current edges in 250 to 600 feet are finding schoolies and the occasional gaffer, with the birds marking the better water. Trolling and run-and-gun casting to fish under floating debris have both produced.
Along the beach and over the nearshore wrecks, the kingfish and bonito are crashing bait pods, offering fast action on live goggle-eyes. A few cobia and blackfin tuna are mixed in over the same structure for the run-and-gun crowd.
Tarpon are rolling along the beach on the morning tides and through the Lake Worth Inlet, taking crabs and mullet for anglers fishing the moving water early. Snook are around the inlet and bridges but must be released — the Atlantic season is closed.
On the reef, mutton and mangrove snapper are biting on the deeper edges, and there are scattered grouper over the structure. The reef bottom bite has been a reliable fallback when the offshore trolling slows.
Conditions have featured clean blue water close in and light morning winds before the sea breeze fills. The mahi bite should continue through June — start early, watch the storm line, and keep the tarpon gear ready for the morning beach roll.