Armed with the knowledge that scientists who dissect large South Florida bonefish report gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) in their bellies, my intention was to uncover a panacean soft bait to target flighty bonefish. Heck, there must be a reason certain bonefish flies like Harry Spears’ Tasty Toad, Pat Dorsey’s Kwan Fly, and the Gummy Minnow imitate a toadfish, goby, and glass minnow.

But after speaking with established Florida Keys captains such as Rich Smith, of Marathon, and Dave Atkinson, of Islamorada, I’ve learned just how unpredictable and scarce bonefish can become at times. When limited numbers leave them with narrow opportunities for customers — live shrimp, small crabs and flies offer the best presentation, so they stay with what’s habitually successful. “You really have to take advantage of the ­opportunities you get,” says Atkinson.

Different fish stories persist in South Florida of bonefish attacking bait schools intended for different species, but none ignite any degree of confidence. Still, options do exist for spin anglers who want to trick bonefish without relying on live baits like shrimp and crabs.

The Best Bonefish Jig

Most captains I spoke with agreed that the simplest lure to tempt a bonefish is the skimmer jig. Sometimes called a bonefish jig or flats jig, it’s flat with a tip shaped like a diamond or a circle. The hook and jig eye always point toward the surface to deter snags with grassy or rocky bottom where bonefish live. The hook is dressed with bucktail, fly or synthetic material to mimic shrimp and crabs. Different than traditional boxing-glove jig heads, the slender skimmer wobbles in the water and falls at a slower rate.

“Lightly twitch the rod so the jig hops off the bottom like a shrimp,” says Capt. Mo Estevez, who fishes South Florida’s Biscayne Bay regularly. “With a pure jig — which has no smell — you’re appealing to bonefishes’ keen eyesight. The jig’s productivity is dependent on the ability and skill of the angler. It’s tough to get the right action.”

Many captains tip the jig with fresh shrimp to appeal to a bonefish’s olfactory senses, but that’s no longer a true artificial. Instead, use artificial-shrimp scent (like Berkley Gulp! Alive, Pro-Cure or Carolina Lunker Sauce) on your jigs.

Color combos are wide ranging for the jigs, but browns, oranges, whites and pinks are top picks. In general, choose colors that mimic the same color as the bottom substrate or the colors of the local crustaceous fauna. In South Florida, common prey such as xanthid (mud) crabs , portunid (swimming) crabs, alpheid (pistol) shrimp and penaeid (Atlantic white) shrimp all mimic popular jig colors. Pick ⅛-, ¹⁄₁₆- or ³⁄₁₆-ounce jigs based on how shallow the flat is.

“Skimmer jigs work for anglers who don’t fly-fish,” says Estevez. “With the higher tide, bonefish feel and act safer with more water over their back. Still, I prefer low water on an incoming tide to spot them as they ‘pop’ onto the flats from deeper water.”

Popular jig brands include Hookup Lures Weedless Bucktails or Capt. Harry’s Flats Jigs, but many lure makers offer their own patterns.

Playing the Bonefish Numbers Game

Beyond South Florida, areas such as the Bahamas, Yucatan Mexico, Los Roques, Venezuela and Belize can offer incredible numbers of bonefish. In areas of abundance, anglers have the opportunity to try different presentations.

The bonefish of Los Roques eat from a buffet of glass minnows in the waters around the island, shadowing pelicans that dive on the bait. But the Venezuelan bones are a unique and exotic outlier; shrimp, crabs and sea worms still reign supreme for bonefish in most parts of the world. Consider these two techniques when the bonefish are ready and willing or in large groups mudding.

A Bone to Pick

1. Cast Berkley Gulp! Shrimp

“I have success with Berkley Gulp! Shrimp whenever I can’t find fresh shrimp,” says Capt. Jody Albury, of Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. He casts the artificial shrimp the same way he would a natural one. “Fishing the Marls, I use 10-pound SpiderWire braid, a light fluorocarbon leader and an Eagle Claw Baitholder hook, size 1/0.”

Besides Berkley Gulp!, South Florida anglers are having increased success with Savage Gear 3D Manic Shrimp and Vudu Shrimp lures. It’s a stealth presentation that requires the angler to set up on a flat where the bonefish are likely to flood onto — it’s not necessarily sight fishing. Anglers must make plenty of casts to where the deeper water meets the flat.

2. Cast a Fly With a Split Shot

A second method Albury mentions sprung from necessity — or possibly frustration — when fishing the extremely shallow flats that straddle the western side of Great Abaco. The Marls are a mix of mangrove, keys, limestone and bright-white sand.

“If the fish are being picky, I’ll have my spin anglers cast a fly with a split shot a couple of inches above the fly,” he says. “My favorite bonefish flies are the EP Spawning Shrimp and Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp, both in size 4.” Some might consider the technique cross-pollinating fishing styles, but I’d counter it’s a clever move to diversify your fishing arsenal for a fickle species.

Targeting Bonefish in Deepwater Harbors

Sight-fishing takes a back seat to other tactics when bonefish vacate the flats during the heat of the summer or the chilling temps of winter. Bonefish handle low oxygen levels that accompany hot water in coastal, tropical habitats by inhaling air into a lunglike air bladder. Still, larger bones retreat to deeper waters during the summer. In this warm-water scenario, ­blind-casting artificials pays dividends. The trick is to find deeper water near productive flats with current.

Regarding the Finger Channels south of Key Biscayne, says Estevez: “If it’s low tide, or in the cold of winter or dead of summer, head to the Finger Channels and bounce pompano jigs on the bottom. Bonefish head for the deeper channels, and you’re also likely to catch permit, mutton snapper and juvenile African pompano.”

Try pompano jigs or an undersize bucktail jig crafted mostly with a chrome jig head, short-shank hook and nylon skirt. The skirts are often cut short, just past the bend in the hook. Bomber’s Nylure Pompano jig is a good example of this style of jig. Other pompano jigs, like Doc’s Goofy Jig, are shaped kind of wacky. The Goofy jig is a long-shanked hook set inside a banana-shaped lead. Many times, the jig is dressed with a secondary hook hidden inside a skirt. This popular jig catches bonefish over sandy bottoms. Next time the fresh bait’s not available, tie on a jig with confidence.

The post Catch Bonefish with Lures appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Tarpon are smart, or stubborn — I’m not sure which. Maybe both? No matter what, a tarpon’s lack of appetite some days makes for frustrating fishing. What I’ve learned over the years is that figuring out the best tarpon lures and understanding which ones work best for your area can go a long way.

I remember one summer trip off a Florida beach when school after school of tarpon swam underneath the boat, completely ignoring our best presentations. Dozens of tarpon patrolled just below and at the surface, often gulping air in defiance to our offerings.

There’s no better way to get out of that tarpon rut than by switching tactics, as my friends and I learned later that month. A local guide let slip that the tarpon were biting white, oversize jerk baits rigged to appropriate-size jig heads. For the rest of the summer, we jumped and released plenty of tarpon along the beaches. I say “jumped” because tarpon are tough to catch, and getting jumps and long runs out of them is still fun fishing, even if they never make it to the boat.

While there can never be 100 percent certainty what tarpon will chew (even if they devoured it last season or last month) I surveyed top captains, fishing-show hosts, tackle shops and lure manufacturers to find the best tarpon lures. To list every valuable tarpon lure would fill an entire book, so we kept it to a mix of 10 hard and soft baits, listed in no particular order.

Quicklook: 10 Best Lures for Tarpon

• Bomber: Badonk-A-Donk High Pitch
• D.O.A. Lures: Terror Eyz
• Hogy Lures: Original Hogy
• Z-Man Lures: Z-Man Streakz
• Yo-Zuri: Crystal 3-D Minnow Magnum
• Rapala: Glidin’ Rap 12
• MirrOlure: Series III Suspending Twitchbait
• Sebile: Magic Swimmer Fast Sinking 145
• Live Target: Scaled Sardine Wakebait
• Storm Lures: WildEye Swim Shad

Bomber

Expert: Capt. Chris O’Neill, Englewood, Florida

Weapon of Choice: Badonk-A-Donk High Pitch (4.75 inches)

Color: Depending on the sky conditions, O’Neill’s first choices are silver mullet or speckled trout. If the sky is bright and the water’s flat, he’ll use a color with a bone- or orange-colored throat.

Fishing Conditions: O’Neill prefers the water’s surface to be lightly choppy or flat calm, though such conditions are not absolutely necessary. Look for signs of tarpon rolling at the surface or feeding on mullet or ladyfish. In the waters around Boca Grande, Florida, O’Neill prefers fishing from August through October. There’s zero pressure that time of the year, and migrating fish are happy throughout the estuary, he says. They are far more willing to take a topwater lure.

Technique: Spot the tarpon and try to get ahead of the pod quietly. Work the bait down-current of the fish, just as Mother Nature would, says O’Neill. Baitfish do not swim against current, toward a school of hungry tarpon. Use a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve — and boom! — expect to get hit, says O’Neill.

Rigging: O’Neill, who’s a Penn pro, prefers an 8-foot Penn Legion rod armed with a Penn Spinfisher 6500 spinning reel. He uses 50-pound braided main line, connected to 60-pound fluorocarbon leader with an Albright knot. But before he ties on the Badonk-A-Donk with a loop knot, he replaces the treble hooks with stout short-shank hooks to increase hookup ratios and minimize potential damage to the fish.

D.O.A. Lures

Expert: Capt. Ed Zyak; Jensen Beach, Florida

Weapon of Choice: Terror Eyz (regular size; “I have caught more tarpon on this lure than all others combined,” Zyak says.)

Color: Root beer

Fishing Conditions: The lure works great on the beach in clear water, as well as the stained waters of backcountry rivers.

Technique: When using the Terror Eyz, Zyak ­typically casts to rolling fish — long, accurate casts are a must. Cast 4 to 6 feet in front of a rolling fish, and let the lure sink freely for a three- to four-second count, he says. Then use a steady, slow retrieve with no jigging movement at all. The bite is usually very light, but make sure to set the hook hard, says Zyak.

Rigging: Zyak prefers a 5,000-size Shimano Stella spinning reel on a 7- or 7½ -foot, medium-heavy rod. He spools with 30-pound braid and 50-pound ­fluorocarbon leader. The line-to-line connection is a double uni-knot, and the Terror Eyz gets a loop knot at the eye. This setup gives the best balance of distance and accuracy, plus great drag and power from the rod, the guide says.

Go Ballistic

Hogy Lures

Expert: Capt. Aaron Snell; Key West, Florida

Weapon of Choice: Original Hogy (10 inches)

Color: Snell prefers bone, followed by bubble gum. He’ll use black in low light or in off-colored waters.

Fishing Conditions: Snell prefers to sight-fish for tarpon over crystal-clear flats. For fishing around bridges, Ross Gallagher, director of retail sales at Hogy, recommends a black Hogy rigged to a jig head. More and more Keys captains bounce the jig along the bottom to catch tarpon in deeper waters, he says.

Technique: When flats fishing, get the lure in the water well ahead of the fish. Retrieve the bait with light twitches right into the fish’s strike zone. Vary the retrieval speed to the fish’s cruising speed, says Snell. Then set the hook down and to the side as soon as you feel the pop, he says. If the tarpon is swimming toward the boat, make sure it turns away before striking.

Rigging: Snell uses an 8-foot, ­medium- to ­fast-action ­spinning rod coupled with a reel that handles 30-pound braid. He ties a Bimini twist into the braid, and then uses a ninja or double slim knot to attach 2 feet of 60-pound fluorocarbon. Sometimes he’ll incorporate a section of furled nylon to add stretch. He rigs the Hogy to a weightless, 10/0 swimbait hook. Leader-to-hook connection is a Homer Rhode loop.

Single Serving

Z-Man Lures

Expert: Capt. Andrew Bostick; Marco Island, Florida

Weapon of Choice: Z-Man Streakz (5 or 8 inches)

Color: Black or white

Fishing Conditions: Bostick covers the waters from Marco Island to Everglades National Park on the southwest coast of Florida. He searches for tarpon feeding high in the water in both clear and tannic conditions. Since the lure is up in the water column, he says, it’s exciting to see the strikes.

Technique: Bostick fishes the soft bait when sight‑casting to rolling fish or blind-casting in a productive area. During the retrieve, he jerks the bait 6 to 8 inches, lets it sit for a second or two, and repeats. It’s important to wait for the fish to turn after it eats because anglers set the hook too fast at times.

Rigging: Bostick rigs the 5-inch Streakz with an Owner 4/0 Aki hook; the 8-inch is rigged with a 7/0. He uses a medium-heavy setup spooled with 20-pound braid, ending with 60- to 80-pound leader. Super glue the ElaZTech material of the Streakz to the hook, recommends Bostick. Once glued, the bait lasts longer than other soft plastics and has an impressive lifelike look.

Yo-Zuri

Expert: George Large, general manager, Yo-Zuri America

Weapon of Choice: Crystal 3-D Minnow Magnum

Color: In clear water, Large uses the holographic sardine color; in tannic water, he uses the holographic bunker; and in dirty water, he chooses holographic chartreuse.

Fishing Conditions: Spring and fall are the best times of the year, especially around new moons and during flood tides, says Large. As far as water conditions go, the lures work well in most waters, but tannic tints really set off the ultraviolet colors.

Technique: It’s as simple as casting and retrieving. Work the lure with a consistent retrieve — fast or slow, says Large. The tarpon will let you know what they prefer. Sometimes incorporate intermittent pause-jerk-pause actions to increase strikes, he says.

Rigging: It’s really up to the user, says Large. He uses a medium-heavy rod rigged with 60- to 80-pound braid, paired with a strong baitcasting or spinning reel. Large ties 80- to 130-pound ­fluorocarbon leader to a heavy-duty split ring attached to the lure’s line tie.

Gulp

Rapala

Expert: Capt. Rick Murphy, host of the Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report and Sportsman’s Adventures

Weapon of Choice: Glidin’ Rap 12

Color: Gold shiner

Fishing Conditions: Capt. Rick Murphy spends plenty of time fishing Everglades National Park in South Florida for the silver king. He targets laid-up tarpon in the back bays, swirling with clear to tannic-brown waters, during the prime months of May to October.

Technique: Murphy prefers blind- or sight-casting to rolling fish with shallow-running lures that feature strong side-to-side action. He casts out in front of the tarpon and twitches the rod tip to give the lure a walk-the-dog presentation, a forced zigzag motion that many lure anglers are familiar with. Often, tarpon hit the lure during the pause. So far, his largest lure-caught tarpon is 140 pounds.

Rigging: Murphy prefers plug tackle, opting for a 7-foot rod paired with a 400-size baitcasting reel. He rigs up with 20-pound braid main line tied to 60-pound fluorocarbon leader. All line connections use the time-tested uni-knot.

Wide-Eyed

MirrOlure

Expert: Capt. Rhett Morris; Port Charlotte, Florida

Weapon of Choice: Series III Suspending Twitchbait (S25MR)

Color: Morris prefers chartreuse, red-head-and-white back, or apple-red-and-gold

Fishing Conditions: The best time of year to catch tarpon is April through June, as well as in fall, says Morris. He looks for glass-calm waters so the lure leaves a surface wake while being worked toward the boat. Still, the suspending twitchbait works in choppier waters too, so don’t fret when waters aren’t dead calm.

Technique: Cast the lure 10 feet in front of a rolling fish, then slowly work it with a series of twitches. Morris tries to follow a one-second pause with a three-second pause. He’ll change to a one-two count when retrieving the lure more erratically. Try hard to make the bait look like injured, easy prey, says Morris.

Rigging: Morris removes the front hook of the MirroLure and replaces the back treble with a 3x-strong Owner treble hook. That single, rear hook has a better hookup ratio, he says. He attaches the plug to 6 feet of 60-pound leader with a no-name loop knot. Make sure to use at least a 7½-foot rod that can handle 50-pound braid and an 8,000-size reel, he says.

Pretty in Pink

Sebile

Expert: Patrick Sebile, founder of Sebile Lures

Weapon of Choice: Magic Swimmer Fast Sinking 145

Color: A natural shiny color for the daytime. At night, Sebile chooses white so he can see the lure in the water.

Fishing Conditions: The best time of the year is during spring and fall, or anytime tarpon are active in shallow waters.

Technique: Sebile rigs his lures to fish in a number of ways. Cast and reel in the lure with a straight retrieve, or slow-troll the lure behind the boat. If anchored, let the bait sit still so the “Magic Swimmer can do its magic,” says Sebile. The natural wobble of the Magic Swimmer in the current draws strikes from tarpon.

Rigging: Sebile developed this rig years ago when guiding for monster tarpon in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Sebile connects a circle hook to a swivel, holding the hook onto the swivel with a rubber stopper. On the other end of the swivel, a split ring attaches to the lure. The rig allows anglers to change sizes and models but still allows total freedom for the lure to swim, he says. Once the fish is hooked, there’s no leverage on the lure’s body and less of a chance to break off. The hook lips the tarpon when they swallow it, minimizing intrusion of the hook in the fish’s mouth, Sebile says.

Live Target

Expert: Henry Waszczuk, host of Fishing the Flats

Weapon of Choice: Scaled Sardine Wakebait (4½ inches)

Color: Ghost amber

Fishing Conditions: Waszczuk prefers stained water, where tarpon can’t overanalyze his presentation. He targets fish in Florida Keys backcountry waters near tide rips, mangroves and other holding areas, plus near bridge structure.

Technique: Tarpon are notorious for keying in on live baits such as crabs, threadfin herring or scaled sardines, so it’s no surprise that Waszczuk recommends twitchbaits, swimbaits and wakebaits that mimic them. Waszczuk makes long casts to the tarpon, staying as far away as he can from the pods, and then utilizes a quick-pause erratic retrieve. The height of the rod tip off the water dictates the various depths your lure swims, he says.

Rigging: A medium-heavy rod matched to your favorite spinning reel is all that’s necessary. Waszczuk uses braid in the 40- to 50-pound class but recommends the angler determine the line weight based on the size of tarpon in the area. Tie a fluoro leader to the terminal end, and then add the plug. Waszczuk works the bait with the rod tip for the best action.

Head Turner

Storm Lures

Expert: Robert Lugiewicz, manager at Fishin’ Franks tackle shop in Charlotte Harbor, Florida

Weapon of Choice: WildEye Swim Shad (4 to 6 inches)

Color: Lugiewicz prefers bunker or mullet colors but says the best color changes from year to year.

Fishing Conditions: Sight-or drift-fishing in the harbor or along the beaches offers the best of both worlds in summer. Lugiewicz prefers a bit of a breeze and some chop on the water, and looks for schools of mullet or threadfin schools. In Charlotte Harbor, he’ll search out deeper holes, ranging from 6 to 20 feet deep.

Technique: Besides casting in front of tarpon schools and letting the bait sink, Lugiewicz offers a tip you might not have considered. Put a float above a swimbait, cast it out, and stick the rod in an ­out-of-the-way holder while drifting. Forget about it while casting to other fish in the area. He’s caught countless tarpon this way, he says — Rodney the Rod Holder to the rescue.

Rigging: Rigging is a cinch with the line-to-­swimbait connection using a basic uni-knot (no leader). Lugiewicz uses an 8-foot rod, such as a Shimano Teramar, and pairs it with a Penn Battle spooled with 50-pound braid. (He’s not affiliated with either manufacturer.) Leader strength is 60- to 80-pound fluorocarbon.

Take this Lure Out of Your Tackle Box

The post 10 Best Tarpon Lures appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

As founder of the popular community of trophy speckled-trout enthusiasts known as Speckled Truth, Chris Bush yawns at fish that cause most anglers to fight an irrepressible urge to wet their waders. The Holy Grail for trophy-trout diehards is a 30-inch fish, a true log of a lifetime, a fish that many anglers strive for, fully knowing they’ll likely never achieve. In his fishing career, Bush has landed six of them, and he’s got the pictures to prove it. So it took me less than two seconds to reply affirmatively when the San Antonio resident asked if I wanted to come to his home state and tag along with him in a quest to add another notch to his wading belt. 

A regular at the Texas coast, Bush said the absolute best place to do it would be Port Mansfield in the winter. So eight months in advance, we put some December dates on the calendar, and Bush lined up area guide Capt. Joe Prado to ferry us.

I’ve got four decades of speckled trout fishing experience, and two decades ago wrote a book on the topic, but nearly all of my pursuits have occurred in the marshes of south Louisiana, an area that produces numbers of fish that beggar belief but doesn’t offer a realistic shot at a 30-incher.

In fairness to my home state, I did catch my PB (personal best) there — an 8-pound, 8-ouncer — but that was during a five-year run of absolutely ideal conditions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That fish, a remarkably rotund 28-incher, fell for a Norton Mud Minnow on Calcasieu Lake. I’ve caught some 24- and 25-inch fish since, but nothing approaching 30 inches.

Bush and I had agreed to fish two days in Port Mansfield, and when the dates for our trip arrived, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. A hard cold front blew through two days prior, leaving in its wake partly to mostly cloudy skies with absolutely no wind. Prado had scouted in preparation, and picked out an extensive grass flat with maybe a foot of water between the surface and the tips of the seagrass. We donned waders and fanned out across the flat.

It wouldn’t take long for the hopes and dreams I’d spent eight months conjuring in my head to be dashed. To my left and right, Bush and Prado were catching plenty fish, and a significant percentage of those were over 5 pounds with a handful over seven. I was catching as many fish as they were, but my trout were significantly smaller, and I seemed to be a magnet for redfish, nothing but a time-waster when you’re targeting big trout.

Only a foolish guest thinks he knows more than his hosts, so I studied Bush and Prado, whose cadences were markedly different but seemed to be equally productive. At various times, I tried to mimic each, but my results stayed consistent — lots of reds and small trout. My biggest of the day were a couple of 4-pounders — certainly not slouches, but not what I had driven 10 hours for, particularly when 28-plus-inchers were clearly in the area.

That night, I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was doing differently than the two much more experienced Texas wade fishermen who put on an absolute clinic. I vowed to keep trying different cadences on our second and final trip to the flat, but unfortunately, I got more of the same — except in addition to the reds and small trout, I caught two black drum and a sheepshead.

At a certain point, I wanted to snap my rod in two because Prado and I had wandered off shoulder to shoulder, casting to the same water, and within a 45-minute stretch, he subdued five fish over 7 pounds. I caught nothing anywhere close.

Then Prado gave me a lesson that would completely change my fortune. The hot bait of the trip was a MirrOlure Soft-Dine, a lure with which I’d had very little experience, and Prado offered that I was fishing it too slowly. Indeed, on maybe 10 percent of my casts, I’d come back fouled with grass, while Prado never did. He told me to twitch the lure almost as fast as possible and intersperse random short pauses — but so short that the lure would never fall more than four inches below the surface.

It felt quite unnatural to me, but I took the guide’s advice, and I’ll be forever grateful I did. Almost instantly, the size of the trout I was catching grew noticeably, and finally, with only 30 minutes remaining on our final day, I felt a hard thump, set the hook and knew instantly I hadn’t hooked a redfish.

Large trout sometimes fully breach the surface, but often, they’re so big, they can’t. The best they can do is emerge halfway, shaking their massive maws in what every angler hopes is a futile attempt to throw the lure. The ever gracious Bush, who had been pulling for me to catch a big one like I was a Make-A-Wish kid, saw the bite and the initial eruption, and rushed over, ready to stick a Boga in the fish’s mouth.

His first attempt was a swing and a miss, but the exhausted fish had little left in the tank. It circled back, and Bush clamped the prongs of the tool around the fish’s bottom jaw. It pulled the Boga to more than 7 pounds. Although it wasn’t a 30-incher, and wasn’t even my biggest trout ever, it was the biggest I’d caught in almost two decades, and made the trip more than worth it.

Bush said he regularly stresses to his followers the importance of fishing Soft-Dines almost impossibly fast when wading shallow flats, and the difference it makes was reiterated to him with my experience. That may be elementary to Texas wade-fishing veterans, but those traveling to the state in hopes of catching a big one should definitely keep it in mind.

The post After a Texas Trophy appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw a hefty increase in new boaters and anglers, many just getting their feet wet in the world of fishing. And sure, well-known fish species are easy to identify, but you better believe there was and continues to be plenty of head-scratching when an odd-ball or nondescript fish gets scooped into the net.

Below, we identified some common fish species you’ll likely catch in Florida Gulf or Atlantic waters. That’s not to say these fish can’t be caught in other southern states — many, in fact, are caught all over the Southeast. Still, these fish can be confusing in their similarities to other species or unfamiliar to the untrained eye. The internet is unforgiving, and asking for fish identification in online fishing groups often leads to plenty of useless, salty comments. So, skip that mess and check this page first to see if the Florida fish you caught is here. As with any fish species you’re not familiar with, play it safe by taking a picture and releasing it. With state and federal seasons and regulations to abide by, you better be able to identify the species in your cooler.

Atlantic Bumper

When trying to catch live bait off the beach, in the bay or near an inlet — mostly when using a sabiki rig or tiny bits of shrimp or squid — you’re likely to catch the Atlantic bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus). Unfortunately, the Atlantic bumper and a similar species called the leatherjacket (Oligoplites saurus) have lousy reputations as fish-catchers — whether that’s true or not. For whatever it’s worth, I caught my largest tarpon from a kayak trolling an Atlantic bumper on a circle hook outside the surf near a southeast Florida beach. 

Both baitfish species fall in the Carangidae family of jacks. What’s worse, both baits have the ability to be a real pain in your hand. 

The Atlantic bumper, sometimes called a butterfish or hornbelly, has two small, spiky fins on its belly that will easily tear up your hand to the point of bleeding. The Atlantic bumper is identified by its yellow tinted fins, silver sides, and black spot on its caudal peduncle just before the tail. A bumper’s body is compressed and deep, with mild curves in the forward section at the head. To add confusion to one of the Atlantic bumper’s nicknames, there’s another fish species called the butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus) that’s used to catch striped bass and tuna. 

The silvery leatherjacket is much longer in stature than the Atlantic bumper, growing to a max of about 10 to 11 inches. The leatherjacket, sometimes called a skipjack or leather jack, has dorsal and anal fins that can deliver considerably painful venom, making this species even nastier to handle than Atlantic bumper. Just use your de-hooker and don’t touch the things. The sting from a leatherjacket is said to feel worse than a saltwater catfish. 

A Florida “Bonita”

Probably the most common of the “tuna” caught nearshore Florida, bonita have an absolutely confusing name. Even in Florida they’re called “bonito” or “bonita.” Florida’s bonita (Euthynnus alletteratus) are regularly called different names in other places, including false albacore or little tunny. Bonita are part of the Scombridae family that includes tuna and mackerel, but are not part of the genus Thunnus (true tunas). That makes bonita more closely related to mackerels than well-known tunas such as yellowfin, bluefin or blackfin.

In general, bonita can be identified by wavy, diagonal dark stripes along the back and dark spots under each pectoral fin. Plus, bonita have no teeth like the Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda). And bonita have little value as a food fish, compared to say the albacore (Thunnus alalunga) of the Pacific. The current world record little tunny weighs more than 36 pounds, caught off Spain.

Bonita make up for a lack of taste with great fighting ability. Northeast fly anglers love to target false albacore, and that trend is growing along the Atlantic Coast down to Florida. More and more captains in Florida are now targeting bonita as worthy opponents on light tackle. Still, many Florida anglers currently catch bonita as an accident, and they’ll keep one or two to chunk up as bait or chum, but won’t hang around long near a school before moving on. 

Bonnethead Shark

Most anglers can identify this species as a shark, but they often mistake it for a true hammerhead. The bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo) is the smallest member of the hammerhead family. The maximum length they grow to is about 4 feet, and that’s a large one. The head of a bonnethead is curved and shaped more like a shovel, while a hammerhead’s face has straight lines and sharp corners like a symmetrical double-bit axe. If you’re fishing in an estuary or the surf, chances are a bonnethead is the shark you’re most likely to catch.

Anglers fishing with shrimp catch these fish on the flats, in the surf and off ocean piers. In particular, bonnethead sharks love shrimp, crabs and other mollusks. I remember once fishing with small, live crabs for bonefish and permit on a Florida Keys flat. Well, we didn’t catch any of the target species, but we did see the amazing stalking capabilities of full-size bonnetheads. As soon as that crab hit the water, these sharks could sense it and used side-to-side tracking movements to quickly locate the squirming crab. We watched the action happen in seconds in the clear Keys water.

Lookdown

The first time I ever caught a lookdown, I was fishing around dock lights well after dark. Tarpon, snook and seatrout were my targets, but this weird looking fish shaped like a plate bit my shrimp imitation instead. 

Lookdowns (Selene vomer) have silver and iridescent coloring, with a very steep front head. You might even call it a forehead. A lookdown’s body is thin and compressed, with its second dorsal and anal fins featuring long filaments. Swimming freely in the water, a lookdown does appear to look down toward its delicate mouth, hence the name. Lookdowns are caught in coastal waters on shrimp and other crustaceans, often over sand bottom. They don’t grow particularly large — one-pounders are the usual.

A similar fish with a steep head is called the moonfish (Selene setapinnis). Atlantic moonfish have more of a jack look to them — read that as tougher — and don’t have any long filamented fins. Both species can be mistaken for each other because they feature a distinct steep face with eyes set above the mouth. But the two species are different, even if anglers mistakenly use the names interchangeably. 

Mojarra

The mojarra is a small species of baitfish you might catch in a cast net. The largest ones can be caught on a hook with natural baits, such as shrimp. In particular, surf fishermen catch them when targeting other species such as pompano. And if they’re big enough to fillet, mojarra go right into the cooler for eating too. 

Mojarra, sometimes called sand perch, are great baits for snook fishing. If you’ve ever wanted to know the origin of the fishing meme “Snook Candy,” this was that baitfish trying to be identified. 

In Florida, there are a couple species of mojarra, including tidewater mojarra (Eucinostomus harengulus), Irish mojarra (Diapterus auratus), and striped mojarra (Eugerres plumieri). The most common is the striped mojarra, regularly hanging in large schools far upriver in brackish waters. The striped mojarra features an olive-colored back and silver sides, almost like a metallic sheen look. Black stripes are prominent along the top of the fish, with those stripes trailing off toward the belly. A pointy dorsal fin starts tall, with the fin progressively shortening as it flows along most of the back. The striped mojarra also has three rigid anal spines. 

Palometa

If you’re familiar with permit and pompano, this similar-looking jack species could leave you confused. The palometa (Trachinotus goodei) is in the same genus as Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) and permit (Trachinotus falcatus), but doesn’t grow as big in Florida as the other two species. In fact, newbie surf anglers have a hard-enough time differentiating an 11-inch pompano and permit — because they do look darn similar. One main difference is the permit’s dorsal and anal fins tend be longer and darker black in color.

The palometa species is not all that common. Where it’s most often landed is along the sandy beaches and clear waters of southern Florida. Swimming just inside or outside the breakers, palometa have overly elongated dorsal and anal fins almost to the point of looking sinister. In The Lion King, if Mufasa is a permit and Simba is a pompano, then Scar is a palometa. Palometa also have four narrow bars on their sides, with subtle traces of a fifth bar near the tail section.

Most anglers don’t chase after palometa, but catch them as bycatch when targeting other pompano. Palometa almost never grow larger than 20 inches and don’t weigh more than a pound or two.

Pigfish

The pigfish is one of those hand-size, colorful Florida fish you catch on a chunk of squid while trying to make bait in the morning. Often found over grass flats, near structure such as docks, or even near mangroves or corals, pigfish are pretty enough to live in a fish tank. They also happen to be great bait for fish like snapper, grouper, snook and redfish.

Pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera), sometimes called a grunt, make a grunting noise with their pharyngeal teeth. Piggies are light brown or gray in color, usually paired with a bluish tint. And they don’t grow longer than 12 inches usually. The most obvious identifying marks are the small orange and blue dots across their body.

Other species that get mistaken for pigfish are similar-size pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), although pinfish have yellow and green stripes and a black dot on the gill cover. And then there’s the white grunt (Haemulon plumieri), commonly called a Key West grunt, that makes grunting noises just like a pigfish. But the white grunt has a larger, more lippy mouth almost like a grouper. Its common colors are greys with touches of bronze reds and yellows, plus there are blue stripes on its head. Check inside the mouth of a Key West grunt and you’ll see it is bright reddish orange. 

Some other Florida grunt species you’ll likely catch include sailor’s choice (Haemulon parra), tomtate (Haemulon aurolineatum) and bluestriped grunt (Haemulon sciurus).

Sand Seatrout 

The speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is the king of the Florida grassflats. But “yellowmouths” aren’t the only trout in town. In fact, there are a number of Florida fish in the genus Cynoscion that fall under the drum and croakers family. 

The trout without the over-abundance of spots is named the sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius), or sand trout for short. Sand trout, sometimes called white trout, have a tan yellow body that fades to white at the belly. White trout do have a pair of canine teeth like speckled trout, but lack the dark spots along the back. Sand trout are commonly caught over sand flats where they can school up in large numbers.

Here are some other trout species to look out for:

• Silver seatrout, Cynoscion nothus (These trout are more silver in color and smaller-sized than specks, plus they have an oversized eye and shorter snout that ends abruptly.)
• Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis (Found in the northern sections Florida, a weakfish’s upper sides have wavy lines of small, irregular spots that differentiate them from other Florida trout species. In Atlantic states farther north, weakfish grow much larger than speckled seatrout.) 

Spot

The spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) are often confused as the same fish species. Although each croaker species is known as a top baitfish, they are tasty to eat if large enough to fillet. The two fish look similar in some ways, with both regularly caught at sizes under 12 inches. Each fish also has lines on the upper portion of the body that sit vertically, although spot tend to have less lines total.

Here’s how the two species are different. The spot has a dark spot behind its gill cover, plus it’s the only drum in Florida with a forked caudal fin. The Atlantic croaker has a strongly serrated preopercle, which means it has a boney spot on the cheek. The Atlantic croaker also has small barbels at the jaw and no large spot.  Both species eat invertebrates such as crabs, shrimp and clams, so you’re not likely to catch them on plugs or live baitfish.

Whiting 

This fish species goes by plenty of names. In Florida, it’s often called a whiting. In North Carolina, they call it a sea mullet. Just about anywhere it swims, you might hear scientists refer to the fish as a kingfish (although it’s not a king mackerel). Whatever you call it, the whiting is a prized surf species to eat, probably only second to pompano. You mostly catch them on heavy surf tackle, so the fight isn’t great, but whiting are not a species you target for catch and release sport. The largest whiting I ever caught was in a deep creek on a soft plastic near St. Augustine. So, the surf isn’t the only place to catch them. Other hot spots include sandy areas just inside inlets and passes.

In total, the general whiting name covers a couple different species, including Gulf kingfish (Menticirrhus littoralis), northern kingfish (Menticirrhus saxatilis), and southern kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus). The three species mostly look the same, but have different coloring and slight differences. In general, all whiting species have a dorsal fin that stands tall like a proud acute triangle, plus barbels on the lower chin. Their mouth is underslung like a redfish, ready to chew up crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp. And all whitings have a similar body shape, growing to a max length of 18 to 19 inches and not heavier than 3 pounds. 

The post What Fish is This? Florida Saltwater Edition appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

QUESTION:

We caught some African pompano while kayak-fishing off Panama. This isn’t that, though I’d guess it to be in the same family (jacks and trevally). What exactly did I catch?

Mitchell Roffer
Melbourne, Florida

ANSWER:

This is likely the paloma pompano, Trachinotus paitensis, Mitch. These are particularly abundant in lagoons where they may be one of the most important predatory fishes. However, anglers often encounter larger individuals along the open coast, mostly in schools along sandy beaches, but ­occasionally down to depths of more than 300 feet. Palomas grow to 20 inches long and occur from Redondo Beach, Southern California, to Chile, including the Gulf of California and Islas Galapagos. There is no world record established at this point. I have found such invertebrates as snails, shrimp and crabs, along with the occasional small fish, in their stomachs. In some areas, this species forms a substantial part of the commercial artisanal fishery. Arguably, this is one of the best tasting of the pompanolike species.

—Milton Love

Checker This Out

QUESTION:

I caught this fish on light tackle close to Cambodian territorial waters, in the Gulf of Siam. The bait was a piece of squid offered on the bottom. It must be some sort of snapper, but what type?

Capt. Jean-Francois Helias
anglingthailand.com
Bangkok

ANSWER:

What you have there is a ­checkered snapper, Lutjanus decussatus, a ­member of the Lutjanidae family. This species occurs throughout tropical western Indo-Pacific waters, from the Ryuku Islands near Japan, down to northern Australia, and as far west as India and Sri Lanka. The checkered is one of the smaller lutjanids, growing to only around 14 inches. Its name comes from its distinctive color pattern, which includes the “checker board” on the upper half of the body, plus five to six horizontal brown stripes along the flanks, and a prominent black spot at the base of the tail. Like other small tropical snappers, adult checkered snapper inhabit structures around inshore and offshore coral reefs to depths of 100 feet, often occurring in schools, while the juveniles frequent coral patches on shallow reef flats. They are aggressive feeders, preying on smaller fishes and benthic crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs.

—Ben Diggles

Count Your Lucky Stargazers

QUESTION:

I caught this fish at night while casting from a pier in the Chesapeake Bay. The water was about 3 feet deep. I believe it is a northern stargazer, but no one around here has ever seen one. Is this normally a shallow-water fish?

Steve Loomis
Cape Charles, Virginia

ANSWER:

Steve, that is indeed a ­northern ­stargazer, Astroscopus guttatus. Its range is from New York to North Carolina, occurring in bays, coastal waters and the continental shelf as deep as 600 feet. It’s one of the few truly endemic fish ­species in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Not only is your specimen a shallow-water fish, it spends so much time buried in the substrate that you might say it’s a below-shallow-water fish. Its eyes are situated on top of the head, protruding only when the fish buries itself in sand, mud or any soft substrate. The species can exceed 10 pounds (the all-tackle world record stands at 10 pounds, 12 ounces, caught off New Jersey in 1998).

This species is most often seen when there are local oxygen-­depletion events with resulting fish kills, at which time they make up a large percentage of affected fish, in areas where local folks don’t even know they exist. They’re seldom collected in trawl samples. Reproduction occurs in summer, and the larvae and early juveniles are seen (by biologists) more often than the adult stages. Winter is apparently spent on the bottom near the edge of the continental shelf, but data on their winter distribution is ­incomplete.

—Mike Fahay

Hawaiian Tuna Shows Its Stripes

QUESTION:

We caught this small tuna, held for a photo by my deckhand Britt McCurdy, off Kona. We’re accustomed to various small tunas here — such as skipjacks, kawakawa and frigate mackerel — but we don’t see many striped bonito like this. What is it exactly?

Capt. Shawn Rotella
Night Runner Sportfishing
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

ANSWER:

You’re exactly right, Shawn: It’s a striped bonito, otherwise known as the oriental bonito, Sarda orientalis. Of the five recognized species of bonitos, this is the most widely distributed, found throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the entire western Indo-Pacific region, from the Pacific coast of the United States and Central America, west through the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands (where they’re reportedly rare), and throughout the western Pacific to Japan, northern Australia and across the Indian Ocean to eastern Africa.

The oriental can be distinguished from the other four bonito species by various minor morphological features such as differences in finlets, teeth and vertebral counts, and the arrangement of the distinctive longitudinal stripes, which are quite thin and straight on this species and do not extend onto the belly. In contrast, the Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) has slightly diagonal stripes at a more oblique downward angle, while the stripes on the Australian bonito (Sarda ­australis) are much broader and extend far below the lateral line and onto the belly. The other two species of bonito occur only in the Eastern Pacific, including the aptly named east Pacific bonito (Sarda ­chilensis), which occurs along the coasts of Chile and central America, and the Pacific bonito (Sarda ­lineolata), found along the West Coast of the United States from Alaska to Baja California. Both of the latter ­species are closely related and, compared with the oriental bonito, have fewer stripes that tend to be slightly wavy and more widely spaced.

Like its other close relatives, the oriental bonito is an epipelagic species that schools by size (­including with other similar-size tunas) and spends most of its time feeding voraciously on smaller fishes, squids and shrimp. With a life span of less than 10 years, it matures in its second year, growing quickly to a maximum size of around 40 inches and 23 pounds.

—Ben Diggles

On the Trail of the Yellow Tail

QUESTION:

One of my customers caught this small fish while bottomfishing for northern kingfish behind the southern point of Assateague Island, Virginia. We were over sandy bottom in less than 10 feet of water. At first I thought it was a Florida pompano, but the head shape is different, so I am going with some other kind of jack. Your thoughts?

Capt. Charlie Koski
Chincoteague Island, Virginia

ANSWER:

Your client caught a juvenile blue runner, Caranx crysos, Charlie. Unlike adults, juveniles of this species have ­yellow median (dorsal, anal and caudal) fins and a series of broad, dark bands on their sides. Although faded, these bands can be seen on the fish in question. Additionally, unlike some other Atlantic members of the family Carangidae (the jacks), blue runners have a dark blotch by the upper posterior margin of each operculum, and this is apparent on the fish in your photographs. Finally, the fish lacks adipose eyelids, which are characteristic of yellow jacks (C. bartholomaei) and bar jacks (C. ruber), similarly shaped species that also have yellow median fins as juveniles. Juvenile blue runners often form schools and are easily caught on sabiki or quill rigs or small jigs or shrimp-tipped hooks. They make excellent live bait for pelagic species including king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) and sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). Unfortunately, larger individuals are quite strong-tasting, which limits their appeal to many human would-be ­consumers. The maximum size achieved by blue runners is slightly more than 2 feet (the all-tackle record was an 11-pound, 2-ounce fish from the northern Gulf of Mexico in 1997), although the average size is considerably smaller. In the Western Atlantic, the blue runner ranges from Nova Scotia through Brazil, ­including Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

—Ray Waldner

Going Batty

QUESTION:

Last week my nephew, Joseph Sabella, caught a strange-looking fish that I’ve never seen before. I think it’s called a polka-dot batfish. It weighed about 2 pounds. Joe caught it on the Bokeelia Pier in southwest Florida.

Sal Sabella
Coral Springs, Florida

ANSWER:

Sal, indeed what your nephew caught was a polka-dot batfish, Ogcocephalus radiatus, a truly fascinating fish. These guys, along with about a half-dozen other species of batfishes found along our coasts, are quite common but rarely seen. This is because their feeding ­habits generally preclude ­getting hooked: Under that pointed snout is a small cavity that contains a highly ­modified dorsal fin called an illicium, which it can wiggle like a tiny worm. This attracts small prey animals, which it then engulfs. It is also thought that the batfish produces a chemical ­attractant that helps to draw in other living food items. So catching a batfish with a hook is highly unlikely (but ­obviously possible).

These menacing-looking creatures are totally harmless. Divers often encounter batfish on open sandy bottom and can easily pick them up since they’re terrible swimmers because their fins are used more for walking than swimming. They would likely be fascinating aquarium residents except for those difficult feeding habits.

The polka-dot batfish ranges along our coasts from North Carolina around Florida and into the northeastern Gulf. They top off at about a foot and weigh in at about a pound or two. Though most common in shallow depths, they’ve been found to several hundred feet.

—Bob Shipp

Read Next: Strange Fishes from the Deep — Jelly-Eating Prowfish and More

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Mike Fahay, Sandy Hook Marine Lab, New Jersey

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Ray Waldner, Ph.D., Palm Beach Atlantic ­University, Florida

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Milton Love, Ph.D., UCSB, California

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Ben Diggles, Ph.D., Queensland, Australia

Bluewater Pelagics
John Graves, Ph.D., Virginia Institute of Marine Science

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The post Strange Fishes From the Deep: Paloma Pompano and More appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

While a common mantra for catching flounder — “fish near the bottom, stupid” — is mostly true, being tuned in to exceptions and nuances increases the odds of bagging big flatties.

No one’s better at doing just that than top flounder fishing guides. Questions we asked included what are the best flounder rigs, what’s the best bait for flounder, where can we catch flounder, and when is the best time to catch them. Here’s what the 10 pro fishing guides said.

Catching Flounder in Maine

Guide: Capt. Barry Gibson Contact: 207-633-5929, ­saltwatermaine.com Region: Booth Bay Harbor Species: Winter flounder (known as “blackbacks” locally)

With 46 years of guiding ­experience, Gibson knows where to point his 28-foot Whitewater during the hot flounder months of July through September. “Area tides don’t make a lot of difference,” says Gibson. “Flounder like moving water around coves, estuaries and inlets that present fairly deep centers and shallow fringes. A sand or gravel bottom is ideal, but they’ll also feed over mud and grassy areas as well as mussel beds and creeks that empty into deeper water.

Capt. Barry Gibson’s Flounder Fishing Tips:

• Go Zobo: Fish a Zobo rig developed by Pete Santini, a tackle-shop owner in Everett, Massachusetts. It’s essentially a high-low rig with hooks and 2- or 3-ounce sinkers painted orange or yellow for more visual appeal. • Seduce with Sandworms: The best bait for flounder is a 3-inch section of a live sandworm. To make the worms less slippery, put them in a plastic container half filled with corn meal. • Move It: Blackbacks feed more by sight than scent; try moving the bait a few inches at a time.

Catching Flounder in Massachusetts

Guide: Capt. Jason Colby Contact: 617-755-3740, littlesister1.com Region: Boston Harbor and Quincy Bay Species: Winter flounder

Catches of winter flounder weighing 3 pounds or more often reward anglers fishing with Jason Colby, a licensed guide for 35 years. He fishes up to six anglers aboard his 26-foot open-console Goldline with a 300 hp Yamaha. He says the best months for winter flounder are May, June and July, and August to September for summer flounder, aka fluke. (Colby says summer flounder are encountered more often during August and September past Cape Cod.) Colby prefers no wind, but a light breeze with the tide works fine. “Generally, I drift over smooth bottom and anchor where there’s structure,” he says.

Capt. Jason Colby’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Drop Down: Flounder tend to gather on the deeper side of a ledge, especially on a falling tide, around creek mouths that feed into larger bodies of water. Sometimes flounder follow baits to an anchored boat, so periodically drop straight down. • A Puff of Mud: When chumming in a current over mud or sand, bounce your flounder rig on the bottom: Lift it 2 inches, and drop it suddenly. That creates a particulate puff each time the sinker hits, and blackbacks hustle over. • Clam Up: Colby’s consistent success often relies on a two-hook tandem rig with one leader a little longer than the other. Put a clam on the shorter hook and a worm on the longer one — more flounder will go for the worm, but the clam is likely to attract the big boys.

Catching Flounder in New Jersey

Guide: Capt. Scott Newhall Contact: 608-385-3729, time​out​fishing​charters​.com Region: Southern New Jersey Species: Summer flounder

“Summer flounder start arriving around the coast in this area in April and during all of May,” says Newhall. “Then they head into the back bay before reaching the continental shelf for the winter.” A 10-year veteran in the guiding biz, Newhall fishes a 21-foot Contender. “In the back bay, you want two hours before and after high tide, since you often get cleaner water then,” Newhall says. “Light winds add to the bite, and I run a drift speed of half to 1 mile per hour.”

Capt. Scott Newhall’s Best Flounder Fishing Tips:

• Gulp! Over Gulp!: Go with a single-hook ­bucktail tipped with a Berkley Gulp!. Ten inches above that, thread a bare Gulp! onto a hook — all colors seem to work well. Vary the retrieve from a long stroke to rapid fire. • Lots of Liveys: Effective live baits include minnows, peanut menhaden (pogies or bunker), baby bluefish, striped killifish or mullet, fished on a bare hook. • Structure on Sand: For ocean fishing, stay tight to structure where the debris or metal meets the sand. If you get a bite and the flounder drops the bait, immediately set it back.

Catching Flounder in North Carolina

Guide: Capt. Jeff Onley Contact: 252-333-6524, albemarlefishingcharters​.com Region: Albemarle Sound Species: Southern and summer flounder

Jeff Onley, who guides from a 17-foot Polar Kraft, says the best flounder months in his neck of the woods are May to September, when winds come from the southwest to clear up water and push tides higher.

“I prefer braided 6-pound line, up to 12-pound around structure when bigger flounder or stripers are in the mix,” says Onley.

Capt. Jeff Onley’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Deploy a Dropper: A dropper rig using a rounded weight and, above it, a hook tied to the line or leader, helps avoid break-offs around structure. • Best Baits and Lures for flounder: The best live baits for flounder are croaker or mullet. For strip baits, he likes bluefish, squid or the belly of a gray trout or croaker. When fishing artificials, his go-to list includes Berkley Gulp!, swimming mullets and spinnerbaits, such as the Strike King Redfish Magic. • Creek-Mouth Wisdom: Target mouths of creeks on the ebb tide and, on the incoming, deeper water over drop-offs and around structure with live baits.

Georgia Flounder

Guide: Capt. Tim Cutting Contact: 912-230-1814, fishthegeorgiacoast.com Region: St. Simons Island to northeast Florida Species: Southern flounder

A guide since 1990, Tim Cutting bags flounder year-round from his 20-foot Scout, but does best from June to late fall. “I’m not that big a believer in tidal influence,” says Cutting. “Flounder like clean, salty water and structure near an inlet. They gravitate to wherever the ocean feeds into marshes, jetties, docks and riprap.” Cutting utilizes his trolling motor frequently to cover water. He prefers a Carolina rig with soft plastics, using a sinker as light as possible above the swivel and a short 6- to 15-inch leader to limit bait movement where the bottom is snaggy.

Capt. Tim Cutting’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Skip the Shrimp: Flounder seldom pass up live croakers, finger mullet, pinfish or menhaden. Junk fish, such as hardhead cats, tend to get to shrimp in this area before flounder do. Soft plastics, such as Berkley Gulp!s, do well along with spinnerbaits. • Fewer Fails with a Kahle: Use a Kahle hook for more dependable hook-sets. On live bait, wait five to 15 seconds before a hard hook-set. • Think Clearly: When water runs fast, it can become turbid, so concentrate on areas where the bottom isn’t silty. If you can’t see the bottom of your trolling motor, move.

Florida, East Coast Flounder

Guide: Capt. Alan Sherman Contact: 786-436-2064, getemsportfishing.com Region: South Florida Species: Gulf and summer flounder

A Miami Beach head boat skipper for 20 years, Capt. Alan Sherman, who runs a 22-foot Pathfinder, knows a thing or two about flounder. “We usually come upon flounder while fishing for other species,” says Sherman, adding that the more frequently encountered summer flounder run 4 to 6 pounds but Gulf flounder are smaller. Late fall through winter, in sandy areas, near rocky bottoms, yields the best flatfish catches. Sherman likes moving water.

Capt. Alan Sherman’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Supersize Shrimp: In the colder months of winter, fish shrimp, which tend to run large, or else use pilchards hooked through the nose. • Fish Finger Channels: Target finger channels. Tie the running line via swivel to a 30-pound monofilament leader with a 1/0 short-shank hook, and go with a ¼- to 1-ounce egg sinker, depending on current strength. • Feel for the Fall: Bounce red or chartreuse jig heads with Gulp! along the bottom. Strikes usually occur as the lure falls.

Florida, West Coast Flounder

Guide: Capt. Paul Hajash Contact: 727-251-2623, flyfishingflorida.com Region: Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg Species: Gulf and southern flounder

Capt. Paul Hajash (pronounced hash), who has been guiding since 1999, fishes a 201 Pro Guide Backcountry. “Flounder seem to migrate offshore during winter to spawn in deeper water, and come back when water is between 68 and 78 degrees during spring and fall,” Hajash says. Flounder — especially the bigger doormats — feed more by sight than smell, he adds. “Accordingly, they can see better in clearer water, where they lie hidden until something swims over their heads.”

Capt. Paul Hajash’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Guide’s Hot Spot: Good areas include the ­mitigation reefs that run from Sound Key south to St. Petersburg. Flounder congregate in sandy areas in 10- to 15-foot depths just off those reefs. • Soak a Sardine: Live sardines with a 1/0 to 3/0 hook, fished with just enough split shot to get them to the bottom, are hard to beat. Nearly as good are tiger minnows, chubs and small pinfish. Mullet strips or small pinfish on a lead-head jig also work. • Cast Up-Current: In Clearwater Pass when the tide is moving in or out, cast up-current and let your bait drift slowly or bump it along the bottom. Oyster bars anywhere often hold promise.

Catching Flounder in Louisiana

Guide: Capt. Troy Nash Contact: 337-412-5950, southlouisianaredfishing.com Region: South Louisiana Species: Southern and Gulf flounder

Nash, who’s guided for 26 years, employs a 22-foot Ranger Bay. “Our best flounder fishing starts in October and November as they migrate into the Gulf to spawn,” he says. “We fish a lot of artificials, such as ⅛- or ¼-ounce wiggle jigs tipped with shrimp.” Nash prefers spin gear with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and, if using bait, a 3/0 Owner hook with a shrimp threaded onto it. He adds a small split shot, then bumps the rig along the bottom of bayous and outflows. “You can catch large numbers of flounder in Vermillion Bay and around Marsh Island in the Russell Sage Wildlife Refuge,” he says.

Capt. Troy Nash’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Go to the Gators: Look for alligator trails where they enter and exit the water; these create holes where flounder like to nestle. Other points of water flowing in and out of the marshes are good too. • Follow Slack Tide: Fish the end of high tide, when water starts to slacken, as long as water clarity is decent, then follow the slack tide to the next spot and on and on. • Flounder on Fly: Fly patterns take plenty of flounder, particularly small poppers, Seaducers and lavender bendbacks. Put a lead wire on the flies to get them below the surface so flounder feel and see the push of water.

Texas, North Coast Flounder

Guide: Capt. Mike Losoya Contact: 409-939-2311, getbentgalveston.com Region: Galveston Species: Southern flounder

Now in his sixth year of guiding, Capt. Mike Losoya fishes a 16-footer in marshes and a 23-footer in open bays. “Around here, we find a decent amount of flounder year-round, but the best runs occur in the marshes from October to November,” says Losoya. He searches for green water that’s neither stained nor crystal clear. Wind doesn’t seem to affect flounder, but he does look for mixed bottoms, “such as sand and mud together with shells around drop-offs in depths from 2 to 20 feet, with the 5-foot range most productive.”

Capt. Mike Losoya’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Better with a Baitcaster: Learn to throw a baitcasting rig to maximize precision with just a touch of your thumb to hit the points and run-offs. • Texas Choice: Live shrimp, mullet, pinfish and croakers work well for those not adept at casting lures, but you should have good action with Berkley Gulp!s, MirrOlure’s Lil Johns and the Texas favorite, Corky lures. • Cover Ground Looking Down: Use your sonar to look for irregularities in the bottom, such as small holes and rocks. Fish eddies in currents. Cover lots of water because flounder will be scattered in potholes as well as open areas.

Texas, South Coast Flounder

Guide: Capt. Bill Sheka Jr. Contact: 361-991-7191, billsheka.com Region: Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay Species: Southern flounder

Few guides can match Capt. Bill Sheka’s prominence as one of the most famous fishing personalities in Texas. Now retired, Sheka plied the waters in a 21-foot Kenner and similar boats for 35 years. “We had good flounder runs in 2016, and prospects look excellent this year,” Sheka says, noting that tighter regulations have helped. “Fishing is best from October to December, when water temperatures fall below 72 degrees, because that seems to get flounder to stop moving,” says Sheka. “Drop-offs are the big key in shallow grass beds, as are points during a push of current.”

Capt. Bill Sheka Jr.’s Top Flounder Tips:

• Pop a Cork: A live shrimp under a popping cork can work magic if popped hard where grass bottom gives way to a channel. • Twitch Versus Hop: Don’t hop baits along the bottom — they tend to snag too much in these waters. Instead, work your offering with small twitches. • Cast Master: Precision casting will result in more catches — a difference of only 5 feet from where a guide says to cast can mean the difference between success and a big zero.

Types of Flounder

Gulf Flounder

• (Paralichthys albigutta) range from North Carolina to Texas. This is a left-eyed flounder, meaning both eyes are always on the left side. Males typically reach no more than 14 inches; after their first year of life, they remain offshore. Females can grow to 18 inches. • IGFA all-tackle record: 7 pounds, 2 ounces, from Bogue Sound, North Carolina, in 2011.

Summer flounder

• (Paralichthys dentatus) often referred to as fluke, are a left-eyed species, abundant from Massachusetts to North Carolina. They can reach 26 pounds and live as long as 20 years. • IGFA all-tackle record: 22 pounds, 7 ounces, from Montauk, New York, in 1975.

Southern Flounder

• (Paralichthys lethostigma) range from North Carolina to Texas and south into Mexican waters (minus much of South Florida). Also a left-eyed species, females reach 28 inches in length and males up to 14 inches. As with Gulf flounder, males head offshore after a year. • IGFA all-tackle record: 20 pounds, 9 ounces, from Nassau Sound, Florida, in 1983.

Winter Flounder

• (Pleuronectes americanus) range from Maine to Georgia. Often nicknamed blackbacks or lemon sole, these right-eyed flounders seldom exceed 23 inches and6 pounds. • IGFA all-tackle record: 7 pounds, from Fire Island, New York, in 1986.

About the Author

Doug Kelly is a freelance outdoor and travel writer. He’s the author of two books: Florida’s Fishing Legends and Pioneers (2011, University Press of Florida) and Alaska’s Greatest Outdoor Legends (2016, University of Alaska Press), both first-place winners of the Southeast Outdoor Press Association’s Best Book Award.

The post 30 Flounder Fishing Tips from Top Guides appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Cabo Striped Marlin

Sandy Bonefish

Ocean Oasis

A Short Reprieve

Cobia Capture

A Sailfish Soars

50/50

Sunrise Launch

Picture Permit

Keys Redfish

One Angler’s First Striped Marlin

AJs at Night

Sheepshead Release

Key West Sunset

Keys Tarpon

Flats Permit

Tournament Fishing

Lady Anglers

The Long Run

Dolphin Dinner

The rise of social media has influenced a lot of where Hunter Ledbetter’s photography has gone. He mostly shoots promo work for companies that have products they need to advertise. He shoots with a lot of anglers who need pictures for their social media profiles and websites too. Fishing publications and online media have a steady demand for new images and often require very specific images.

You can find Hunter Ledbetter in Florida Keys waters fishing or diving, and almost always with his camera.

The post 20 Great Fishing Photos of Warm-Water Game Fish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

One of the primary functions of the International Game Fish Association is to ensure and maintain responsible, ethical angling practices in part by establishing and maintaining rules. Such rules have been widely adopted globally and by many regional fishing associations as well as many tournaments.

Most rules are very specific and have been for decades.

This month, the IGFA announced significant changes, that will take affect on April 1, 2017, in several rules, explained below.

BACKING AND TOP SHOTS

The current rule: “If the fishing line is attached to backing, the catch shall be classified under the heavier of the lines.”

The concern: This rule has long been contested in cases where the main line or top shot is lighter than the underlying backing, as logic dictates that the lighter line will break before the heavier backing. This is also contrary to IGFA angling rules for fly fishing where the catch is categorized based on the breaking strength of the class tippet, which must be a minimum of 15 inches.

The new rule: Adds a new subsection that reads: “3. The use of backing is permissible” and a new subsection that reads: “4. The catch shall be classified under the breaking strength of the first 16.5 feet (5 meters) of line directly preceding the double line, leader or hook. This section must be comprised of a single, homogenous piece of line.”

ASSISTING THE ANGLER

The current rule: “The act of a person other than the angler touching the rod, reel, or line either bodily or with a device once the fish strikes or takes the bait” constitutes a disqualification.

The concern: Nowhere do the IGFA’s rules discuss the legality of another person touching or making contact with the angler. The IGFA is frequently questioned on the legality of touching the angler while he/she is fighting a fish.

The new rule: Holding or touching an angler in a manner that assists him/her in fighting the fish or takes pressure off the angler is a disqualifying act. Touching or briefly holding the angler to prevent him/her from falling does not constitute a disqualification.

CHANGES TO RECOGNIZED GAME FISH SPECIES

The current rule: The IGFA maintains All-Tackle world records for thousands of different species; however, only certain game fish species are eligible in the additional line-class categories, tippet classes (fly rod), and junior-angler world-record categories.

The concern: In an effort to better recognize premier game fish species around the world that merit such line classes, the IGFA will no longer be accepting line-class, tippet-class or junior-angler world records for the 45 species of freshwater and saltwater fish listed below.

The new rule: Removes from class-record consideration the following saltwater species: Pacific barracuda, black seabass, Japanese parrotperch, spotted parrotperch, Florida pompano, doublespotted queenfish, black-blue rockfish, Atlantic spadefish, oxeye tarpon.

For freshwater, removed are: rock bass, shoal bass, white bass, yellow bass, bluegill, black bullhead, brown bullhead, yellow bullhead, burbot, white catfish, black crappie, white crappie, freshwater drum, Florida gar, shortnose gar, spotted gar, oscar, European perch, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, red piranha, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, sauger, American shad, hickory shad, splake, green sunfish, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, tench, warmouth, lake whitefish, mountain whitefish, round whitefish.

CHANGES TO WORLD-RECORD REQUIREMENTS

The current rule: To submit a line-class or tippet-class (fly rod) world record, the only weight requirement is that the fish must weigh at least .45 kilogram (1 pound).

The concern: As a result of this rule, the IGFA has accumulated a significant number of records where the weight of the fish is much lighter than the size of the tackle used to land the fish.

The new rule:

For line-class categories up to and including 10 kilograms (20 pounds) and all tippet-class (fly-rod) categories:
The catch must weigh at least half as much as the line class in which it is eligible. For example, a fish entered for the 6-kilogram (12-pound) line-class or tippet-class category must weigh a minimum of 3 kilograms.

For line class categories greater than 10 kg (20 lb):
The weight of the catch must be equal to, or greater than the line class for which it is eligible. For example, a fish entered in the 24-klogram (50-pound) line class category must weigh a minimum of 24 kilograms.

Minimum ratios will not be retroactive and records that currently do not meet the new minimum weight requirements will not be retired. Records listed in the 2017 World Record Book and on the IGFA website will have a new column that instructs anglers what the minimum weight necessary is to establish a record for each line class.

See More on IGFA World Records

The Top 100 World Records

14 World Records You Could Catch

22 Weird World Records

The post New Fishing Rules Announced appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

But First! A Little Background: Fishing Poppers and Stickbaits, An Indo-Pacific Phenomenon

Globe-trotting anglers who love to throw lures and sight-fish for a great variety of saltwater game fish associate that fishery mostly with Indo-Pacific reefs. That’s where they can expect to hook up with bad boys of the reefs such as giant trevally, red bass (the aggressive snapper Lutjanus bohar), dogtooth tuna, coral trout, potato grouper, barracuda — you name it.

Using top-shelf spinning gear, anglers fishing these Pacific destinations cast expensive lures in hopes of provoking toothy critters, looking in particular for unforgettable, explosive surface action.

Caribbean Islands: Sight-casters’ Undiscovered Heaven

So yeah, I’ve been there (to many Pacific and Indian Ocean locations) and done that sight-casting thing, but I’ve been elsewhere and done it also — notably around the islands and reefs of the eastern tropical Atlantic. True, the primary draw for many sport fishermen visiting the Caribbean from the United States is fishing blue water and flats. But large areas of deep flats, channels and reefs of rock or coral reefs, found between shore and deeper drop-offs, aren’t fished as much by visiting anglers, especially those who cast and retrieve lures.

This fishery is simply not on the radar of many local guides, who often have no clue about the effective and exciting technique of fishing lures around reefs and shallows. When predators including snappers, groupers, jacks, tarpon, barracuda and others are hunting nearshore waters, all can be suckers for a well-presented lure, throughout the Caribbean — including the Bahamas, Cuba, Trinidad, Mexico’s Yucatan and the cays of Belize and Honduras, as well as many other islands.

“The Lip is Broken Off Your Lure!”

In Caribbean waters, inshore guides often are primarily fly-fishing specialists. They may have little knowledge of lures such as poppers and stickbaits. “The lip is broken off your lure!” is a comment I’ve heard more than once from guides seeing my stickbait who are not familiar with plugs other than diving Rapalas with plastic lips.

I heard just such a comment most recently during a visit to the British Virgin Islands, a lovely paradise at the top of the Leeward Island chain. It was September, the weather was superb, and I had the islands largely to myself. The first morning, my guide stopped his 35-foot center console in a small cove to catch live bait.

I had already tied a 4-inch stickbait to my 30-pound spinning outfit. I threw it out near some pelicans, twitched it twice, and a 30-pound tarpon jumped several times before throwing the lure. A few more casts resulted in another missed tarpon and two nice bar jacks.

We moved on that morning to fish stretches of beautiful coral reef. The water was so clear, it reminded me of atolls of the Indian Ocean. Hard-fighting horse-eye and bar jacks, as well as barracuda, large yellowtail snapper and more species, grabbed my lures. I also lost some unidentified creatures that made off with two of my favorite stickbaits.

In light of the fact that we were just a half-mile from the marina, such hectic action was a nice surprise. The guide admitted he had never caught so many fish so quickly without live baits (which he seemed to forget all about that morning). Thus began three days of exciting fishing around reefs that, surprisingly, probably had never been seriously plugged before.

This experience offered further proof that light-tackle enthusiasts, prepared with the right gear to explore islands in the Antilles and elsewhere in the Caribbean, can find memorable action on hard lures.

The Caribbean’s Jurassic Park for Plug Fishermen

In the early 2000s, Cuba was the first eastern Atlantic destination to which anglers (particularly from Europe) brought serious popping gear with the clear intention of catching big fish like cubera snapper. Huge marine areas around Cuba had been isolated for decades with minimal access or fishing pressure; many Cubans don’t own boats, and there are no modern tackle shops around.

As a result, many fish live long and grow big in these famous protected zones dedicated to divers and fishermen from abroad. Most of the fishing boats available are flat skiffs and can’t easily venture onto deeper reefs, though they offer fishing of world-class dimensions in terms of the variety and size of fish.

A Procession of Game Fish

With small surface and subsurface plugs on the deep flats, channels and shallow reefs (to 20 feet), you can find jacks, ‘cudas, baby tarpon, mutton snapper, young goliath grouper and cubera. These game fish offer great sport on 30-pound tackle.

But if I were casting larger lures over deeper reefs (say, 30 feet or more), I’d think twice before casting with a light rod. Monster cubera and big black and gag grouper patrol those waters. If you don’t have strong, giant trevally-class tackle, and lack much experience battling big fish “street fight-style,” you’ll likely lose your lures and could harm trophy fish.

When fishing big lures along these reef edges, you have no idea what will come up to grab them. It could be a 15-pound jack that ends up being swallowed by a giant cubera seconds after you hook it.

One of those jack attacks happened in the Gardens of the Kings, a chain of keys on the north coast, while we fished a sandy flat, looking for large barracuda. Near Cabo San Antonio, at the western tip of Cuba, we were trying for snapper along a reef drop-off when a school of 15 or 20 AJs showed up and charged all our lures at the same time. Things quickly become chaotic, but at least we were using strong GT rods. Even so, hooking a 50-pound amberjack five feet from the rod tip is something brutal.

Gear That Gives You a Fighting Chance

At best, an angler still makes an awful lot of casts, on average, to hook a prize like a cubera. It’s a shame, then, to lose the fish before getting a good look at it, and if the fish breaks off, you’ve also lost an expensive lure (and, especially if the barbs are still on the hooks, you might have doomed the fish as well).

Guides don’t always have the time or experience to move a boat quickly enough to help the angler keep a big fish away from rocks, caves or coral heads. You need to lock down the drag (at 30 pounds or more) and stop such fish in their tracks. A GT rod with a large, high-end spinning reel, using 100-pound braid, will give you a fighting chance.

When I throw lures around Cuba’s deeper reefs, I generally use 120-pound PowerPro. Lures designed for giant trevally, with the strongest split rings and treble hooks or in-line singles, should hold up. I’ve seen too many anglers relying on 50-pound-test lose nearly every big fish they hook.

Bahamas — Best of Inshore Variety

As most anglers are aware, the Bahamas archipelago is a true paradise for fly-fishermen looking for bonefish. But when it comes to fishing plugs, the potential of these waters is overlooked. Lightweight bucktail jigs, used to target small snapper for dinner, are the only lures I’ve seen in most guides’ boxes, whether at Grand Bahama, Andros or Crooked islands, or the Acklins.

Yet the opportunity the Bahamas offers for light-tackle fishing is immense. Anglers can expect mutton snapper, monster barracuda, smaller tarpon, horse-eye jacks, bar jacks, blacktip and lemon sharks, Nassau grouper, cero or king mackerel, and on and on. I was amazed by the variety of fish I caught while blind-casting lures around shallow reefs (and even in marinas), and I had incredible fun sight-fishing the flats, particularly for big, laid-up barracuda (which are truly explosive in such skinny water).

As one example of the islands’ potential, last February I was invited to spend four days exploring Long Island’s great bonefishing. Sustained north winds, however, had cooled the flats. The bones were hanging off the flats in deeper waters; we caught a few to 8 pounds, but fishing was tough.

Parting Act

On the last morning during my most recent Bahamas trip, before I had to hop on the plane to Nassau, I picked up my spinning rod and box of lures and went for a walk along the rocky beach on the island’s eastern shore, below Stella Maris Resort. Here deep water is close to the rocks. The weather had become superb, the ocean totally and unseasonably flat, and I had this part of Long Island to myself.

I started heaving out a Cordell pencil popper and was rewarded with immediate action from hungry ’cudas. I tried a Williamson Speed Pro Deep, an excellent plug for casting, and immediately caught a beautiful Nassau grouper.

Right after I released the grouper, I spotted a big triggerfish cruising near the surface and tossed a floating stickbait in front of it. I let the lure sit motionless, and the trigger pounced on it, sucking in the rear hook. It was game on.

Afterward, my fourth fish raised was yet another species. Throwing a Williamson popper, I watched a reef shark in triple digits charge — and miss — it, leaving my hands shaking.

The last fish I hooked in the short time I had that morning came in behind that same popper, perhaps 20 yards from shore and in water not much more than 10 feet deep. In a huge swirl of water, it attacked the lure. That wasn’t unlike strikes I’ve experienced fishing GTs in the Seychelles. I saw it well enough to recognize an amberjack of possibly 50 pounds. Had I been in a boat and using heavier gear, I might have had a chance, but this brute charged out on a hundred-yard run before the line passed over a rock, and that was all she wrote.

After that taste, I hope to get back someday and, in a boat with a guide, cast big plugs along the wild side of Long Island.

Caribbean Snappers

Once hooked, muttons rush to find shelter in a cave, under a rock or a coral head, or even in a hole in the sand. Using 30-pound braid is a minimum if you are targeting muttons of 10 pounds or more. Unlike their cousin the cubera, which prefers a slow retrieve and frequent pauses, muttons are prone to going after sinking stickbaits worked with dynamic twitches (pauses too long give these sharp-eyed fish time to rethink the wounded baitfish). They also respond well to lipped diving minnows the size of big sardines, and where muttons remain abundant, they will take surface lures.

Pick Your Plugs

Stick baits cast long distances and swim with an underwater walk-the-dog motion, typically just a bit below the surface. For lighter duty, 4- to 5-inch sinking Sebile Stick Shadds, Shimano Orcas and the like will turn on everything from yellowtail snapper to big tarpon. Floating stickbaits might be less effective overall but are more fun. Besides the classic red-and-white Zara Super Spook, there are many other options, including floating models of the Stick Shadd and Orca, as well as the Rapala X-Rap Walk.

Leader Lore

Forget wire leaders; 2½ feet of fluorocarbon or hard mono is better. You might lose a few lures to the teeth of barracuda or king mackerel if you’re unlucky, but you’ll have plenty of bites, and it will be easier to control fish boat-side. Connect braid to leader with an FG knot. When fishing 30-pound line, I use 50-pound fluoro and check it after every fish or strike. With heavy tackle, using 100-pound braid, for cuberas, don’t go under 150- or even 200-pound-test for leader.

Crimped sleeves offer an alternative to tying a loop knot with very heavy mono leaders, though not a lot of anglers use them. (But in any case, I like to carry a big Hi-Seas crimping plier because it will cut through a large hook and adds a measure of safety when fishing remote areas.)

Hooks

With most smaller plugs out of the package, the standard treble hooks will last about two seconds if you hook even a 10-pound snapper on 30-pound line. Plan to replace the hooks (and split rings) from the get-go with strong hardware, as this Caribbean-reef plugger has done.

For heavy poppers and sinking stickbaits, you should have 250-pound split rings and serious trebles, or the biggest single jig hooks rigged with a short 300-pound assist cord. (Don’t forget to carry pliers designed to open heavy split rings.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The post Fish Caribbean Islands Casting Poppers and Stickbaits appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Explosion of Huge Cubera

Since the Gabon government has imposed a 10-kilometer no-commercial-fishing zone along this coast, says Knausenberger, the population of African cuberas has exploded. “Huge cubera to more than 100 pounds are caught while throwing poppers and stick baits from shore.”

Where is Loanga National Park?

Timing the Tides for Surf Action

Guides here have tides dialed in, and it matters: Some beaches are best fished on the outgoing; others are best fished on the flood. Whenever one fishes, he’s assured of it being a solitary experience except for some of his mates on the trip.

Sharing the Waters — With Elephants

Loango National Park is home to more than 10,000 forest elephants. As they cross regularly from rain forest to open grasslands across the Ndogo Lagoon, “Anglers will experience some amazing encounters with these gentle animals,” says Knausenberger.

Drum African Style

A fairly common surf-caster’s surprise are drum like this Senagalese kob. They can exceed 30 pounds.

Crossing Ndogo Lagoon

One of the boats from Sette Cama Lodge (home base for anglers on these visits) crosses the lagoon with anglers ready. Sometimes these boats simply ferry anglers to spots up or down the beach; sometimes they permit anglers to cast in the lagoon.

Not a Crevalle

While these may superficially resemble jack crevalle, their dorsal and anal fins readily identify them as longfin jacks, found only along the central western coast of Africa. They can reach more than 50 pounds and are every bit as brutal when hooked as any member of the jack family. During spring tides, Knausenberger says, they may venture more than 12 miles upriver and bite with a vengeance.

Night Visitor — Tarpon in the Surf

Among the mix of several predators in Gabon’s pounding surf, lurk tarpon.

Ferry to a Sandbar

“We had to find ways to reach the best fishing spots,” says Knausenberer. Currents and tides conspired to create a sandy bank in the Ndogo River mouth, separated by a channel too deep to cross on foot. “So we used a kayak to put anglers on the sandbar. The effort was well worth it, since fishermen experienced some amazing action out there.”

On the Cusp of the Night Bite

While fish feed along the beaches 24/7, most of the time dusk and dark offer the best fishing, here.

Gabon’s Amazing Birds

Anglers encounter many species of birds while fishing and while en route to/from the water. This is a hadada ibis.

Cubera Can’t Resist Mullet on A Circle Hook

While big snapper will join other predators in smashing poppers and stick baits, it’s always hard to beat fishing a dead mullet — a major prey item in these waters — with a circle hook, the rig that accounted for this fish.

Gabon: Giant Threadfin Central

The fantastic giant African threadfin may reach more than 100 pounds, and are found in this area of the coast in great numbers. Plugs or jigs with soft plastics, fished slowly, work best for the threadies, feeding on fish and crustaceans that wash out the river mouth.

Forest Buffalo: Shy but Formidable

These large bovines generally mind their own business as they graze or swim across the lagoon. Nevertheless, giving them a wide berth is a good idea since they can be dangerous if disturbed, and, says Knausenberger, every year at least a couple of people are killed by buffalo in Gabon.

Storm Over the Atlantic

Fishing generally heats up in the rainy season, and threadfin are particularly active after heavy rains.

The Underappreciated Guitarfish

The past season, says Knausenberger, proved a banner one for guitarfish in the surf. That’s good news for anglers, he says, since guitarfish are impressively tough opponents when hooked.

Lagoon Alive with Hungry Longfins

When tides are right, longfin jacks roam the lagoon attackinng anything that moves. “These jacks are amazing fighters on light tackle,” Knausenberger says. The IGFA all-tackle record of 36 pounds, 6 ounces, was caught in nearby Angola in 2015.

For many other articles and galleries on fishing both sides of Africa, see Sport Fishing‘s Africa page.

The post An African Fishing Adventure appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.