Fishing with George Tunison | Others are having their own on-boat tussles with tarpon
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After writing last week about an unusual number of hooked tarpon jumping, then landing in my boat I was surprised by the number of emails and photos from anglers all wanting to share their personal in-boat tarpon battle stories. Apparently I'm not the only target of these crazed fish.
Local angler Roy Bennett had his close encounter a few years back, leaving his large bay boat a front-to-back, slimy, bloody mess. From the photos, it looked like someone had been butchering cattle. Two other anglers sent photos of their boats' center consoles knocked loose and shifted from their attachment points while still others described rods, reels, assorted tackle boxes, coolers and other gear kicked out by these panicked fish now completely out of their element.
If you're fortunate, the intruder will only stay for a short visit before flipping itself back into the water, which typically happens if you're in a skiff. If you're in a bay boat with high sides somewhat trapping the fish, that's when your trouble starts. Again, it's the complete tarpon experience with the big surprise ending. Good luck!
With tarpon spread out in waters along the coast from Knapp's Point to Englewood, as well as in Redfish, Captiva and Boca Grande passes, there are lots of opportunities for success. Whether you like soaking baits on the bottom, staking out and intercepting pods of fish moving along or off the beaches using lures, flies or live threadfins and pinfish or fishing crabs in the passes, right now our area has a fish for you and your favorite angling technique. It may be a good time to try the passes this coming weekend, especially in the late afternoon into the evening as tides will fall from a high of 1.9 down to - 0.3 backed up by a full moon, which should funnel lots of moving water as well as crabs and baitfish into the mouths of waiting tarpon.
I haven't received any reports this week of tarpon in the center of Charlotte Harbor around the "deep holes," but in the lower harbor or the north end of Matlacha Pass two parties reported multiple hook-ups. My best bet weekend pick is to hit the passes or just outside either north or south, along or just off the beach.
Area surf zones and again the passes are hosting lots of snook doing their thing on this full moon weekend. If you catch a big summer spawning female, do it and future anglers a favor and avoid handling it by carefully releasing it while in the water. Hanging large heavy fish by your Boga Grip for a picture is a bad plan, causing damage and often delayed death. Don't be that guy! Let them reproduce unharmed.
Although there are plenty of opportunities to get your snook game on this week with our population of local fish, traveling anglers looking for an even better shot at catching a true giant might consider heading over to the east coast to give one of their passes a try where, quite often, you can see the jumbo snook you want to target. Unless you're familiar with those passes, leave your boat at home while you and a buddy split guide fees making it affordable and as well as providing a better shot for success as most of the area's guides have it pretty much dialed in. If you have the time, also keep in mind their coastal beach fishing for tarpon, snook and sharks is also blazing hot right now.
Back at home our backwater gang likes getting out sight fishing shallow reds, snook and juvie tarpon, especially after cooling rains turn everything on while our offshore crews are finding fish from nearshore numbers out to 150 to 200-foot depths when conditions allow such a journey. Things change quickly in the Gulf of America. Not sure about the weather? Don't push your luck.
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.