A new fish has made its way into town. A lot of them are on the small side but fun to catch nonetheless. Triple tail are a up and down the Big Bend fish and I’ve talked to local guides in Cedar Key who are catching them daily and then it will shift and the Spoil Banks in Crystal River will be on fire with them. On my side of the keys I find them mostly in dark water around the mouth of the major rivers but also on the markers in Homosassa and Chassahowitzka. Most of the triple tail I catch are short, the minimum size is 18″, but if you like to saltwater fly fish this is a relatively easy one to target. They love floating structure like crab buoys, card board boxes, tree/mangrove debris and certain markers.
My method of catching them is to run past likely spots and if I see one then I use a shrimp under a cork after I’ve shut down and drifted in to casting range. There is also a method of using FADS. Fish attracting devices are a good way to create your own triple tail spots. I use a cinder block with a short piece of black poly crab line attached to a obscure old buoy. In the line I weave brown palm fronds to create the habitat. They prefer brown, trust me. Sink them just below the surface to keep from being detected. Keep in mind it is your duty after the fish stop using it to clean up your FADS and put it in the back yard till they show up again in the Fall. If you don’t want to do that they please send me the GPS # when you put them out and I’ll make sure to clean them up for you! High incoming tide will be early morning this weekend.
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