Tarpon continue to be an option in the coastal gulf waters. Although there are still schooled up fish, there are more singles and loosely schooled fish moving both north and south along the beaches. Tropical Storm Bill left a 2-3 foot swell in the gulf making fishing difficult in a flats skiff and tarpon were not showing well on the surface. Blind drifting with baitfish has been the most productive technique, since fishing the sand bars has not been a good option due to the swell.
Jay Alvis, from Columbus, IN, and Phil Hehe, from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me on Monday. They each jumped a tarpon near Turtle Beach, one on a live crab and one on a pinfish, before we were chased into Sarasota Bay by the increasing swell. We worked the mangroves in Roberts Bay, where they caught and released several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
I tried to fish a sand bar for tarpon on Wednesday, but the swell was still too much and the water dirty. It was too rough on top of the bar and too dirty to see fish below the surface off the edge of the bar. A thunderstorm chased me off the water before noon. Oh well!
Tarpon fishing will continue into July, along the beaches and in Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. Reds and trout on shallow grass flats and snook in the surf and close to the passes will also be a good option, if tarpon is not your game. The best fishing should be early and late in the day when heat is not a factor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail [email protected]
www.snookfin-addict.com or www.flyfishingflorida.net
