Fishing with Capt. George Tunison | This month is magic time for tarpon
May magic time and the gangs almost all here! Tarpon are moving north along the coast, into Pine Island Sound and the passes with Boca Grande Pass quickly adding fish, truly becoming “tarpon central.”
The early bird puts Boca’s fish in the air so be on station and fishing hours before the sun rises. New to the area and ready to sample Boca’s combat fishing in your new boat? May I suggest leaving the boat at home and either find a new, pass experienced fishing buddy or hire a pro guide for your first trip into Boca’s tarpon wars, which may save you and your boat, or at least keep you out of the way of the other 50 boats containing very serious anglers all badly infected with TFF or “tarpon fishing fever.”
Nighttime is the right time for local juvenile tarpon and snook around dock lights in our local canals. Juvie tarpon are typically not easy to fool, especially after the sun comes up. Tiny, soft plastic swimbaits (2 inches max) and tiny flies both get bites. Think smaller on leader material as well or you will not get bit as the bright lights illuminate the line and spook big eyed tarpon and snook looking up from below. This past week we’ve boated a dozen tarpon to 36 inches mostly on 6-weight fly rods with 9-foot leaders ending in 25-pound test fluorocarbon bite tippets moving down to 20-pound when the fish get extra finicky.
If the dock light is submerged and shining upwards or stationed above shining down, don’t “line” the light by casting and retrieving your line and lure or fly directly over then back through the cone of light. Cast well beyond the lights into the darkness and bring your offering back along the outside darker edges of the light cone 6 inches to 12 inches below the surface, teasing the fish swimming in and around the light into biting.
No bites or visible fish? Try a Clouser or other weighted fly or your plastic swimbait slowly hopped along the bottom where the even bigger specimens often hang out. Tarpon of all sizes seem to prefer a nothing fancy, medium steady, straight line retrieve when using paddle tail soft plastics. Once again quiet boat control is a must as these fish are quite noise sensitive.
If you were counting on a big plate of soapfish this weekend, I’d change plans as snook are now closed to harvest but are still very hungry and looking to do battle on their way to area beaches. Think mangrove island points, any river dock, bridge structure or current breaks along the way to the beach as prime territory. As the weather warms local passes will host large numbers of these fish and some real whoppers as well.
Over the years Captiva Pass has produced several personal over 40-inch snook especially when fishing after dark on hot summer nights. One of the best ways to catch your PB snook while using lures is to go tarpon fishing area bridges at night using large Hogy soft plastic eels and paddle tails. Either you hook a tarpon or if it’s a by-catch snook, it’s usually a big one. No matter where you fish in salt water (especially for snook), for best results first consult your tide chart and if you can, always plan your trip during a moving tide.
There’s lots of Spanish mackerel action from inside the passes to miles offshore with kingfish in on the baitfish feast as well. Predicted weekend winds may keep many boaters from sampling a mixed bag of bottom dwellers living way out in the Gulf.
I truly enjoy tarpon fishing but a bonus (not for the tarpon) this time of year is the shark fishing in shallow water. A small skiff, some chum, then casting plugs or flies to 6-foot sharks right off the transom is always top notch entertainment.
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.