Fishing with George Tunison | Boca Grande Pass still best spot for tarpon — for now
Local coastal tarpon anglers are still waiting for their shot at a passing beach fish as the main body continues to enjoy life in Boca Grande Pass with no indication of leaving quite yet. More coastal shots are available north of our area from Venice up to Sarasota.
Others expecting tarpon action in the deep holes in Charlotte Harbor will also have to keep waiting but will pass the time playing with small to medium bull sharks as there has been little movement of tarpon into the harbor. Don’t overlook Captiva Pass if crowded Boca boat bumping stress isn’t your thing.
Crabs are still the hot ticket to a tarpon battle and it helps if they are the right size and properly rigged. Most like a silver dollar to 3-inch-sized crab either free lined with the current or using a short leader and small float.
Pinch or snip off the pinchers with side cutters or scissors rather than pulling the legs out which kills the crab. Push the hook up through the bottom of the crab at the end by the point or rig it or bridle it with rubber bands. Go to YouTube for further instruction.
After pushing the hook through the shell, check your hook point to make sure it stayed sharp and touch it up with your file if there is any doubt. Every good angler carries a file and uses it.
Everyone and their brother has their personal favorite hook size and hook configuration when it comes to rigging a pass crab, but a 6/0 to 8/0 circle works fine for me in most situations. When fishing in Boca Grande, the FWC recommends using a non-offset, non-stainless and barbless circle hook.
More from the FWC – “Fishing with gear that has a weight attached to a hook, artificial fly or lure in such a way that the weight hangs lower than the hook when the line or leader is suspended vertically from the rod is prohibited when fishing for any species year-round within Boca Grande Pass.”
Best times to hook up in Boca are from 3 a.m. till shortly after sunrise, or try the evening bite. Like with any fishing, putting in your time pays off. If you’re new to the game, spending money for a good guide is money well spent saving time and frustration.
There’s lots of snapper action from our nearshore reefs out to deep water where you’ll find less pressured and bigger specimens. Get out to the 150 to 200-foot and beyond depths for red snapper and grouper action. Live pinfish are always a hot bait and readily available right now on inshore grass flats using a cast net or one at a time on tiny hooks.
Received two different sailfish reports this past week from the same areas and depths, but no hook-ups reported although one boat had a brief flurry of small mahi action. Remember to keep a hooked fish in the water and lightly chum to keep the dolphin party going strong. First timers are amazed, especially with the beautiful colors and acrobatic ability of these top-shelf game and table fare fish. It’s big time fun using ultra-light action tackle on “peanuts,” or the little guys, and serious tackle testing when fighting their big brothers. Dolphin not only hit live and dead baits but will gladly take flies, jigs and hard lures as well. The current all-tackle world record caught way back in1976 in Costa Rica still stands at 87 pounds!
There’s lots of Spanish macs patrolling nearshore reefs to many miles offshore and it pays to have binoculars on board to spot feeding fish or birds working the schools.
Good numbers of small to medium-sized reds and snook are patrolling area shorelines and surf zones, along with pompano and whiting.
Shark fishing keeps getting better and better with plenty of bull sharks in the 3 to 5-foot size ready to play.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-579-0461 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.