Fishing with Capt. George Tunison | Fishing dead baits on the bottom is a good way to lure a tarpon
For those that enjoy relaxing before the “silver storm” arrives, fishing dead baits on the bottom is the way to roll. Put the baits out, sit back in the shade, sip a cool drink and wait for the action to start … life is good.
Tarpon being scavengers or more politely, opportunity feeders, will at one time or another eat just about anything lying around from a big chunk of catfish or mullet, crabs, mackerel, to what I consider the crème de la crème of bottom tarpon treats, stinky old shad. Not far behind in the tarpon-attracting stink department is the guaranteed to foul your clean boat every time mini-tarpon — the high jumping ladyfish. The ladyfish and tarpon are closely related, both being members of the ancient family of boney fishes Elopiformes.
A 2006 Florida Sportsman article highlighted local tarpon fishing legend and dead-baiter Carlene Brennen and how she liked her tarpon bottom fed on menhaden and shad fished off Knapp’s Point. When winds made life uncomfortable, fishing along the Intracoastal Waterway, especially between markers in the (hint) high teens, was a go to spot. She also believed in the power of chumming.
All the above mentioned baits work great in the Caloosahatchee but be prepared to deal with a herd of gooey-up-your-line catfish. Since catfish typically won’t eat their own kind but tarpon like to eat catfish, the problem is solved. Lightly hook an 8-inch piece through one end with a 7/0 to 10/0 in-line circle hook then put it in the rod holder with strict orders to not touch the rod till its bent down and the line is disappearing from the reel. Use just enough weight to keep baits on bottom.
My fishing logs show that over the years our resident river tarpon prefer a plate of common mud cat over a dish of sail cat circle hook surprise. (To rig, simply tie a quality SPRO swivel to the end of the main line then tie the leader to the other end. Add a sliding sinker to the 2-3 foot leader then tie on the hook)
Pray for easy winds this weekend to be able to sample really good near and offshore action on a huge variety of fish, including red snapper. Warm water also means excellent night fishing opportunities for bigger specimens, especially for those that deploy chum.
The National Weather Service calls for lite and variable winds both days with a 40% chance of afternoon storms, so do your getting out and back in early plan. Otherwise, when in doubt, always wait it out.
Thinking of repowering your favorite money-pit soon? Mercury hit the market in 2021 with their unique 12-cylinder 600 HP Verado with all the advanced features like joy-stick control, a two-speed tranny to get you up and moving in low gear, a steerable gear case with dual counter rotating props (the motor doesn’t turn just the lower unit) and runs on 87 octane fuel. According to the web, today’s price for a 35-inch shaft model is around $88,000 then add quite a bit more for rigging.
Six hundred horse’s not enough? No problem! The BIG news is that if you wait a little longer, Mercury’s recently seen 12-cylinder 808 HP prototype may soon go into production. Price tags are expected to be well over $100,000, plus rigging costs for this beast which sports all the interesting features of its “little” 600 HP Verado brother. 1000 HP 12-cylinder outboards are coming.
Back country variety fishing is very good if you start early and cover from head to foot. If your repellent doesn’t contain a near lethal amount of DEET, it’s useless. The FDA recommends no higher than 35% DEET. Seems they haven’t experienced a Matlacha sweltering mangrove morning, bodies covered in no-see-ums, horseflies and mosquitoes. 100% DEET is available.
Know the signs of heat stroke and stay hydrated.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at captgeorget4@yahoo.com or (239) 440-1621.