If you want to catch fish in the Destin area, I suggest going to Okaloosa Isand pier in Ft Walton Beach. It is only about 15 minute drive from Destin. I'll outline what you should do based on the type of fish will be there at the end of may.

Spanish Mackeral- Medium sized fast darting fish, good to eat if eaten before frozen. Use shiny lures such as gotcha plugs and spoons. Another great lure is the bubble rig that they sell at the pier. The bubble rig floats, so youll want to skip it across the water as fast as possible, making as much splash as possible. Jerk the gotcha plug as fast as possible at a depth of 2-15 feet. The best pace to catch these fish is 2/3 out to the end of the pier on the west side. A bass rod is perfect for these fish.

Blufish- Same as above

Ladyfish-same as above. Not good to eat. Great shark bait

Hardtail- Same as above. Smaller ones are great bait.

King Mackerel- Large fish. Anywhere from 10-50 lbs. A large reel with at least 300 yards of line and a hefty rod is needed. Use a steel leader with a J hook in the front and a treble hook in the back. Hook the J hook in the nose of the bait and the treble in the tail. You can buy frozen cigar minnows at the pier, or catch your own. Snobble your bait across the top of the water at a medium speed. (Snobble means twitch across the top using a twitch, twitch, pause... twitch, twitch, pause method.) Best opportunity is at the end of the pier.

Cobia- Most of the cobia will be gone by the end of May, however there may still be some around. Use the same rod described for kings, and a cobia jig. These can be bought at the tackle shop in destin, and tip it with a piece of squid, which can be bought at the pier. Best opportunity at the end of the pier, or along the gut halfway out.

Bait- Use a sibiki rig (can be bought at pier) and jig it up and down around the pilings.

If you want to wade the shallower parts of the bay, throw a bone color Zara Spook (topwater) or a white minnow imitation such as the zoom saltwater fluke or the strike king redfish majic. This should land you a couple of redfish or trout.

You can also catch sharks from the end of the pier at night. Just rig up a ladyfish, or any cut bait, toss it out, and hold on.

One last thing, fishing from the pier you DONT need a liscence, however wade fishing, fishing from the jetties, or fishing from the beach you DO need a liscnece.

Hope this helps,
Ben