Fishing with Capt. George Tunison | ‘TFF’ spreading quickly among local fishermen
“TFF” or “tarpon fishing fever” has quickly spread throughout Lee County and has hit Cape residents pretty hard. Restless, can’t sleep at night or focus during the day other than to think about seeing giant, chrome, big-as-you-are fish take to the air while attached to your line? Yep, you got it, and as of this writing, there’s no cure. Might as well quit work and go fishing!
From San Carlos Bay up to Boca Grand’s underwater canyon, migrating tarpon are pouring in with plenty more on the way. Captiva Shoals, shallow flats around the many keys throughout Pine Island Sound, intracoastal markers, the Caloosahatchee, a few miles off Knapp’s Point or along the outside along Sanibel up past Bowman’s Beach and Captiva Pass, the list of local hunting sights are nearly endless.
If your fever is burning brightly but you haven’t had the privilege of catching your first, I suggest you look up BlacktipH on the net or YouTube and see what a “really big ‘un” looks like. How about 87 inches long and 54 inches around (at the dorsal fin)?
While rooster fishing during a trip to Bahia Solano along the coast of Columbia, the host unintentionally hooked a whale of a tarpon that after a two-hour struggle was finally boated. Quickly pictured on board then released, this monster tarpon was estimated at first to weigh between 250 to 300 pounds. The Bonefish Tarpon Trust tarpon weight calculator put it at 312 pounds, far exceeding the current world record 286-pound, 9-ounce fish. Because host Josh Jorgensen was recovering from a back injury, another angler helped him at the rod instantly disqualifying Jorgensen from submitting the fish for world record status. These South American fish which hang around Columbia, Venezuela and migrate into the Pacific through the Panama Canal are typically larger than their northern cousins, just like the tarpon caught along Africa’s coast, which is still the home of the current IGFA world record. This is a must-see video for tarpon newbies and anyone that enjoys the privilege of battling one of the world’s finest gamefish.
Spin, fly, lures, catfish tails on bottom, night and day, Cape Coral has a tarpon for you! Go out with a friend or hire a local guide, it’s time to try and possibly cure or at least cope with your case of TFF.
Baitfish are available near Bokeelia, Jug Creek and various markers, while once again the West Wall, Bull and Turtle Bays are hosting slot and over-slot reds, snook of various sizes, pompano and sharks of all sizes. Captiva Pass reports sporadic tarpon action but snook, reds, snapper and small to large sharks are willing biters.
Offshore and nearshore fish are always hungry when winds make for safe and sane trips to close in or far off numbers out in the beautiful Gulf of America. Get out to the 100-foot zone and beyond for bigger bottom grouper and snapper while watching for kingfish skyrocketing higher than a tower boat.
Inshore the bass are off their beds and looking to eat your rubber frogs, creature lures, spinner or chatterbaits, while local pond and canal invasive cichlids would be happy to have you buy them some earthworms or toss a tiny spinner their way. Why pay $25 for restaurant tilapia when you can easily catch your own down the street? Don’t be surprised if a colorful peacock bass hits your small largemouth plug.
For every angler dreaming about owning that first boat but for now can only fish from docks or shore, record fish are still possible. Twelve-year-old Nicholas Fano should be your hero. While fishing from his dock he hooked, fought and landed, a jumbo 58.5-pound jack crevalle setting a new Florida state record, which isn’t too far off from the current world record 66-pound, 2-ounce jumbo jack caught near Angola in 2010. What a jack!
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.