Capt. George Tunison

Southwest Florida fishing newbies often ask: “I keep hearing guides and local anglers talk about using ‘whitebait’ for fishing. What do they mean? What is it, and where can I buy it or find it?”

Whitebait, or pilchards, are small baitfish used by live bait anglers to catch several varieties of game and food fish, especially snook. Typically captured by “chumming” them close to the boat, collected and then deposited in well aerated live wells within the boat, they are transported and used during the fishing day.

Basically, chumming means small amounts of prepared fish feed the size of your thumbnail are tossed into the water every 10 to 20 seconds, which is then carried by the current creating a chum slick out behind the boat attracting baitfish close to the back of the boat or food source.

“Chum” can be store-bought or homemade, typically consisting of a combination of a solids like oatmeal or tropical fish food flakes, menhaden oil and cans of jack mackerel mixed together in the proper ratio ending up as a sort of paste.

If you’ve done things right you should start to see pilchards and other bait like pinfish show in your chum slick. With the boat anchored at both ends to keep it from spinning, the proper mesh size cast net (usually a 10-foot wide x 3/8-inch mesh) is then thrown and hopefully soon you’ll have a live well full of fresh bait. Most bait is chummed on the flats but can also be collected around structure like pilings or channel markers.

This is a simplified explanation about the “art” of chumming. Spending some time with an experienced chummer will help you get with the program as there are several other variables to consider like when to chum, how much to chum, current flow, best times, seasons and locations, etc. One thing for sure, fresh baits like these often prove irresistible to our local gamefish, especially snook.

With water temps in the mid-70s, fishing isn’t quite on fire but definitely heating up and will only improve as it continues to warm. Anglers are seeing, hooking and catching some tarpon in the typical locations like Boca Grande with shrimp one of the best bait choices, and lures like the reliable DOA Baitbuster also getting the nod for the casting crowd. That being said, there have been reports of a few tarpon anglers already reporting multiple hookups so the best bet is to try your luck now rather than waiting for consistent reports.

Remember, tarpon will hit casted Baitbusters but will also eat them suspended under floats especially in the coming summer months especially in Charlotte Harbor.

Wind is still the problem for those heading offshore but when a safe day is available the lack of fishing pressure is sure to mean very hungry bottom dwellers. Nearshore numbers will also host a large variety of hungry wind neglected fish as well ranging from end of season sheepshead, to various snappers, sharks, king and Spanish macs, freshly arriving permit and bound-to-show-up-anywhere cobia. Best bet is to carry multiple rods and set-ups for different species you might encounter. Often fish are seen but quickly gone after spending several minutes hurriedly rigging.

With most local snook heading to the coast, this is a great time for intercepting them along the way which to me means pitching and flipping docks in the lower Caloosahatchee and along ICW. Pick a line of docks and go to work carefully picking them apart with accurate side arm skip casts getting your offering back and under in the dark danger zones. The Cape Bridge and Sanibel Causeway are also great early snook targets as well. Lots of smaller snook and redfish are being reported along mangrove edges, especially in Bull and Turtle bays and both sides of Charlotte Harbor.

Chum up a flats shark this month and enjoy exciting high-speed, drag-burning action.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.