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Fishing in light rain a relief for anglers … and the fish

By CAPT. GEORGE TUNISON - | Sep 9, 2022

Capt. George Tunison

Morning and afternoon rains made planning fishing trips a bit tricky this past week although fishing in light rain with the local air temperatures on extra high can be quite refreshing for angler and fish alike. Cooling relief for us while oxygenating the water, it often gets fish out of their heat-induced slumber and actively biting.

Light rain is fine but when it comes to lightning, seek shelter. Even though your chances of being struck are low, no fish is worth a featured listing in tomorrow’s obituaries.

If you’re looking for a giant snook inshore or along the beaches and only finding active but on the whole smaller specimens, you might want to move your hunt to a nearshore reef where some really big gals are being caught and released on live baits and large white bucktail jigs tipped with Fishbites or GULP shrimp.

While you’re out there try some GULP crabs or better, the real thing, when fishing for the remaining permit you might encounter. Keep the crabs on the small side like 2-3 inches for best results and a longer than normal fluorocarbon leader helps increase your odds.

Catching a permit over a nearshore reef is always fun but for the ultimate challenge head to near-by Miami and beautiful Biscayne Bay or further south in the Keys where permit are taken in skinny water on spinning rods baited with crabs and shrimp. A real angling accomplishment is taking a nice one using a fly rod. Although bonefish in shallow water are always nervous and ready to sprint away from you, most find that chasing permit on clear shallow flats present an even greater challenge.

More and more redfish are coming to the hook along the mangroves as the main body of our local redfish starts its fall inshore schooling pattern which typically produces reds from 2 to 12 pounds or more as they gather in giant schools often numbering a hundred fish or more. For most of the larger fish in the school (sexually mature at 4 years old and approximately 30-36 inches), it will likely be the last times they visit our flats as once they leave, the rest of their long lives are mostly spent offshore. Redfish can live to be 40 years old or older.

If catching a 100-pound redfish is your goal then its road trip time. Head north to the Outer Banks of the Carolinas where the big reds live and where the current all-tackle world record of 94 pounds, 2 ounces was caught from shore.

Again after reaching about 30+ inches, they leave for offshore life but over the years I’ve taken surprise reds to 22 pounds in shallow Matlacha Pass and have seen pods of even bigger fish there especially around the east side shoreline of Matlacha’s McCardle Island. Seems no one told them they should be out to sea at that size?

Scattered tarpon reports from Charlotte Harbor and especially stretched out along the coast. Get them while you can! Chasing smaller Cape canal tarpon is great fun but requires scouting, planning and patience, and quite often, they just won’t bite.

With 128 responding to last week’s Name That Lure contest, no one came up with the correct answer although 34 got close by guessing it was an old-fashioned, but still produced and still popular freshwater lure, the Arborgast Jitterbug. The correct answer is the Arborgast Jitterstick which is a discontinued Jitterbug variant with a longer body and an added propeller on the back end.

I still want to award the lure and tackle package so here’s another and easier chance. Name an older, discontinued, but not antique, surface plug that’s deadly on fresh and saltwater fish especially seatrout. It’s thin, long and sprays water from both ends. It has a two-word name with the initials being D.F. First correct guess wins the prize. Contest closes 9/20/22.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at 239-282-9434 or captgeorget3@aol.com.