How to catch Tripletial

[ceej]

So I had my first taste of Tripletail this weekend and I must catch one but I need some advice. (I had it at Sage in Tallahassee, first visit there and it was damn good). My questions:

1.) Is there a season for them?

2.) Is time of day important? What about tides/slack tide?

3.) Most people mention using live shrimp or shrimp on a jig. What is the best advice here? I hear mixed reviews regarding using a fly.

4.) I hear that they hang around structure or floating debris, any good spots out of St. Marks for them?

Any other tips?

Thanks!

[boggob]

I think they are mostly a summertime fish, there may still be some around. I think the best bet is western Apalachicola Bay or offshore from there. I have no idea what works for them but I hear they can be finicky bait-stealers.

[Reel Cowboy]

I've found a hook to be the most effective

[konrad]

Go to www.floridasportsman.com They have a short clip on the main page about fishing for them.

[ceej]

I've found a hook to be the most effective

Cowboy, thanks for the tip. I've just been cutting a handfull of line off of the spool and chucking at buoys and floating debris. I'll have to ask for some of these "hooks" next time I'm at the store. I hope I'm pronouncing it correctly.


good video konrad, thanks. they mention all the above and say that there is a season to them but don't say what it is. I'll assume boggob is correct that they are summertime guys

[big bend gyrene]

Ceej, did a search and there's only 30 hits on tripletail and most are about it tasting good, asking how to catch, etc.. but very few reports of them actually being caught. This said, think I can recall 2 confirmed catches out of the St. Marks area in 8 years I've been reading reports on multiple sites. This said, the same person over the cobia tagging program I participate in has told me that tripletail tagging is even more popular than the cobia tagging over closer to the PC, Destin, and Pensacola way. Don't know if it's because of closer access to deep water, offshore grasslines, etc... just know that's what I've heard.

Maybe one of the guys further west can answer if/why they have more. Haven't seen Littoral post in a long time but as one of the fishing scientist on the board, he would probably know too. Hope someone answers as I've always been curious to know more about them too.

[Barhopr]

Now and a little later on as the shrimp hatch gets going you can target them around crab bouys,jetties and pillings. Anywhere that can be used as an ambush point. I would try the West side of Apalach around the pillings marking the oyster leases and crab pots. I've caught several on fly and they seem to take flies just fine if you drift an unweighted shrimp pattern past them.

[culrich]

Indian pass, West pass, and the West side of the bay all hold fish. This is a great time to target them, a 15lb 10'' leader under a CT with a small circle hook and a big live shrimp.

[Reel Cowboy]

I've found a hook to be the most effective

Cowboy, thanks for the tip. I've just been cutting a handfull of line off of the spool and chucking at buoys and floating debris. I'll have to ask for some of these "hooks" next time I'm at the store. I hope I'm pronouncing it correctly.

Couldn't help it.

Try around anywhere you'd find cobia. Crab bouys, pilings and markers. Unweighted shrimp or shrimp imitations (like DOA) should do well I would think but I've only ever seen one.

[Talltails]

They are not hard to catch. Here's one I caught this year near Indian Pass. I checked a few crab trap buoys and saw one laying up next to it. I tossed it a gulp shrimp under a cork, juked it a couple times, and the fish jumped all over it. Good fighting fish and great eating.

[big bend gyrene]

Just curious, anybody actually know why they seem thicker over on the west side of the bay than the east side? Depth, food source, other reason(s)???

[Barhopr]

habitat and a bay that necks down from just over seven miles wide to less than a mile within a ten mile stretch that causes the current to go from barely perceptable to raging. The shrimp are looking for any port in the storm to get out of the current:deep water, seawalls, bouys, pilings etc.. The bigest triple tail I ever caught was at the mouth of the ICW @ Saint Joe on an out going tide off of the bouy closest to shore on the south side. He was about 8 lbs. and hit a johnson spoon.

[big bend gyrene]

habitat and a bay that necks down from just over seven miles wide to less than a mile within a ten mile stretch that causes the current to go from barely perceptable to raging. The shrimp are looking for any port in the storm to get out of the current:deep water, seawalls, bouys, pilings etc...

Thanks, Barhopr... that explanation makes sense.