With all our local stone crabbers starting to pull in their traps this is the time to check some buoy lines for triple tail. The trap lines west of Crystal River and along the intake canal to the Duke Energy plant have been the most productive. Buoy’s that have long strings of grass around the rope are the best ones to check. Clean buoys are less productive. I like to run the buoy lines with my vessel about 30 yards away, extra “eyes” are always helpful to spot the triple tail. Sometimes they will be hard to see if they are tucked up against the grass hanging on the buoy. If luck is on your side the triple tail will stick out like a sore thumb. When the fish is spotted position the boat so that the wind and tide will let it drift close enough as not to spook it. I prefer to use a live shrimp under a cork to present to the triple tail because they are curios so when the cork passes by they will check it out generally taking the shrimp. Other baits work also like soft plastics and fly’s when the bite is on.
The trout bite has been good on the inshore rocks. Redfish and snook are biting on the incoming tide near rocky points with jumping mullet. Incoming tide this weekend is very early in the morning and very late in the evening.
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