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Fish Tales
Tarpon is still king
By CAPT. TYSON WALLERSTEIN
Article published on Thursday, July 26, 2007 |
We have officially entered into phase two of our summer tarpon season and there are still plenty of opportunities for you to get into the action.
Tarpon can be found along area beaches, pass bridges and their traditional backwater haunts.
While those large schools of adult tarpon can no longer be seen slowly milling around their way down our local beaches, there are, however, lots of fish still out on the beach.
These fish are more in a feeding mode than a spawning mode as they were last month.
Tarpon are likely to be found anywhere there is some structure that is holding bait, i.e. jetties, near-shore artificial reefs and piers. Your best chance for catching these fish is to establish where they are holding and then anchor up tide and drift your baits back to the fish.
It would be a good idea to have a few baits out in order to cover the area because the tarpon won’t move too far to hit a bait. Best baits would include big threadfins, big pilchards and palm-sized pinfish.
Bridge fishing really got going a couple of weeks ago when the tarpon returned from their offshore spawn. Day or night, these fish can be found working the shadow lines, fenders and pilings. If you’re fishing at night, move along the down-tide side of the first shadow line using your trolling motor. Look for tarpon to stage just inside of the shadow and lunge into the light as they strike bait fishes, crabs and shrimp.
Single hook lures such as jigs and swim baits are best for this style of fishing since they’re much easier to remove from a thrashing fish’s mouth in the darkness.
Backwater fishing is good right now. Plenty of fish can be found in deep holes along the Intracoastal Waterway as well as a few of the larger residential canals that have some depth to them. An assortment of live, dead and artificial baits can be used to catch these fish.
Perhaps the most popular method would be plug fishing. It’s no secret that tarpon love Mirro-Lures. Plugs like the TTR and the 65M are legendary and there is also a new kid on the block, the Baitbuster by D.O.A. This soft plastic plug is accounting for a lot of tarpon these days.
The trick to this kind of fishing is to lead the fish with your cast and then begin a slow constant retrieve. If you can locate some shad for bait, these tarpon should be more than willing to cooperate. Fish your baits dead on the bottom and cut some of the shad up for chum.
Until next week – GET BENT!
Tyson Wallerstein can be reached at capt.tyson@hotmail.com. If you have a fish picture you would like to see published in the newspaper, send it with your name and where it was caught, to: “Fish Tales,” Tampa Bay Newspapers, 9911 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772, or e-mail it to editorial@TBNweekly.com.
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Article published on Thursday, July 26, 2007
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Tampa Bay Newspapers
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Seminole, FL 33772
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