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Sports Columns

Try your luck with bass or tarpon

Florida’s FWC is proud to announce that three of the state’s big bass factories -- Lake O, Stick Marsh and Orange Lake -- received national recognition as part of the Top Ten Bassmaster picks for best largemouth bass lakes in the nation. Looking to bag your own trophy-sized Cape ...

‘Keep it simple…’ is the way to go

“KISS” or “Keep it simple …” is something you’ll hear well known DOA lure inventor Mark Nichols use quite often in his public presentations and videos when describing productive retrieve presentations using his many successful and widely copied soft bait lure designs. Simple: ...

Trying to check off a few more bucket list catches

A lifetime of fishing adventures often starts with humble pan fishing -- crappies, bluegills, perch -- then that first largemouth bass or walleye. Soon you’re reading every fishing rag dreaming of moving up to the big leagues even creating your first bucket list of species you want to someday ...

Highly prized red snapper usually found further out in the Gulf

Like most snapper species the highly prized red snapper is delicious but requires extra fuel to find them as these guys are usually found further out in the Gulf in the 125 to 200 foot range and beyond. Unfortunately, this popular fish is still by far the most faked commercial/restaurant fish ...

Challenge of dealing with tarpon tunnel vision

After being on the water chasing fins and scales for over half a century, in my mind there’s little question that tarpon can be one of the most frustrating fish to target, especially juvenile tarpon. A few days ago in Boca Grande, big tarpon where as thick as fleas breaking the surface in all ...

Not everyone is fishing for tarpon …

While many local and visiting anglers are putting in time hunting our spring tarpon swimming in the passes and along the beaches, others are taking advantage of the calm weather to venture offshore to public reefs and much further out secret GPS locations in the Gulf in pursuit of a great fight ...

Debating best hook size and bait for tarpon

If you asked 10 tarpon anglers what’s the best size and type of hook to use to tame the silver king, you’re sure to get lots of different advice. For hooks, the FWC recommends non-offset circle hooks although many still swear by and use J-hooks. Treble hooks are simply too dangerous for ...

Where to look for tarpon?

With tarpon the talk of the town, the only question is where will you look for yours? Obviously Boca Grande Pass comes to mind first, where fish and fishermen are stacked up. Other fish have taken to daily coastal excursions sometimes miles off shore, other times a stone’s throw from the ...

Tarpon will take a wide variety of baits

Being an opportunity feeder or scavenger, tarpon can be taken on a large variety of dead and live baits. For Keys anglers, mullet seems to be the live fish bait of choice but here locally, ladyfish get more hook time. Hand-sized threadfins and pinfish free lined or under floats are always a ...

My first stolen tarpon or you can’t pick your family

For years I dreamed about tarpon, had read every outdoor book about tarpon, every magazine article and watched every video that I could get my hands on and at this point was more than ready to do battle. I was consumed by it, simply dying to catch one. I saved my money and the next year my ...