http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Winds-take-a-toll-on-tarpon-fishing_170259108
A week’s worth of westerly winds pounding our gulf beaches has been better suited for surfing than fishing. It has spared a whole bunch of tarpon from experiencing sore mouths. Normally now is when “edge fishing” for tarpon can be particularly productive. Anchoring just outside the “swash” that runs parallel along our beaches in often only 10 to 16 feet works best. Lately, that close to shore has been nearly unfishable. When conditions improve and we can get back to it, our spread will include as many rods as we can fish loaded with fresh dead shad and presented on the bottom. We also like to offer up a live bait or two suspended beneath corks to cover all the bases. We’re not likely going to see the big schools of tarpon rolling on the surface and easy to track, as we did earlier in the season. Most have broken up into smaller pods, pairs and even singles, and don’t always “show” as much. Trust me, they chew just as well and often better than those seen rolling a lot on top. This technique can help extend our tarpon season through August and in some cases longer. In the meantime we’ve been hiding from west wind the best we can and waging war on tarpon in Tampa Bay. As we get later in the season lots of fish will push well into the bays, rivers and backwaters. They often travel in big herds as they roam the bay and seldom settle for any length of time. Where they were today may not be tomorrow. We may find them on the Snell Isle Reef one day and the “Bootleg” the next. A bunch may be off Rocky Point then roam up above the Courtney Campbell after a day or two. If anybody asks, they’ll be where you find them.
Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
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