The summer bite is in full swing. Tarpon are still our biggest focus with plenty of fish still being caught daily. Morning bite is best along the beaches. Look for rolling fish and position yourself well out in front, shut off your motor and let the fish come to you. Threadfin Herring and 2 to 3 inch blue crabs work best. 65lb braided
main line with an 80lb fluorocarbon leader is recommended for these fish along with a stout 8ft to 9ft rod with at least a 6 to 7000 series reel. Fighting these fish on to light a tackle or for extended periods of time is not recommended. Any fish of any size should be landed in no more than an hours time. Any fight lasting longer than that with a Tarpon will almost certainly end up killing that fish. Reports around the bay area have been good as well. Capt. Will Shook reports the Spanish Mackeral bite is as hot as ever with his clients catching several fish in the 4 to 5 pound range. He also has been catching loads of Silver and Speckled Trout in 5 to 8 feet of water. Medium sized Pilchards have been the primary bait of choice. Capt. Steven Markovich is reporting a fantastic Oversized Redfish bite down around Fort DeSoto. According to Steven There are several schools roaming the flats down there eating live Pilchards and cut Threadfin Herring. There has also been steady Shark action around the channel markers up inside the bay. A wide variety of Sharks are in the Bay this time of year and can be easily caught on cut mackerel. The action is fast and exciting but be careful on the release. One mistake with one of these creatures can ruin your whole day! Catch Capt. Michael Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles every Saturday morning on News CH8 at 6:30am and on AM970 for Reel Animals Saturday from 6:00am to 9:00am and Sunday mornings on AM620 for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals Radio Show from 7am to 9am or to book a trip call 1-866-Gamefish.
