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Hot Tarpon Bite

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By Ron Kowalyk
Offshore: If you're up for it the tarpon bite is as hot as the weather. Crews fished at first light and came up with bruiser poons to 180lbs. Threads, pins and cutbait all worked. Bite started at the twin Towers off Ft. Myers beach and extended to Knapp's Point and beyond. Fish were reports as close in as 16 ft. water off Sanibel Light and the bite extended to the 30 ft. marks, easy running. "Old Timie" stick and soak with chum worked as long as you stayed away from the "Young Turks" chasing the rollers. Cut bait included ladyfish, mullet, and shad, crabs were useful as well. Plenty of sharks around, better yet cobia and bonito. Spanish thrashed small baits and softplastics, a few King reported eating freelined Spanish and threads. The beach bite was pretty good with surf angler getting into the fray, tarpon, snook, reds, Spanish and pompano were all active eaters. The digger and drop fishing was very good starting at 10 plus miles out, grouper, loads of snapper and cobia all were reported. Backbay: Action was good but you'd better be out early or you and your catch will be parboiled. Redfish were the top target with good bites in Matlacha around Reckems Point and Black Creek near the Caloosahatchee. Shrimp of course were the easy offering with cutstocks as well. The wayback creeks off the pass offered good snook and redfish bites in the early morning. My crews did well using shrimp and white softplastic jerkbaits for snook, mostly " spikes" 16-20 inches with a couple of would be keepers when the season resumes. The Ding Darling is hold a nice mixed bag bite, reds, snook, sheepie and plenty of shrimp hungry snappers. We ran the "sputter-bug" flatback canoe into several of the way-wayback creeks and came up with snook, baby poons and cichlids, best action was on freshwater shiners and bluegill. "Those who dare win". We'll be back out this weekend hunting down the creek tarpon, yakkers and canoe guys are in their glory skipping into the mangrove tunnels, snakes, gators, coons and lots of bugs for company! {%image_id=48623%} Capt.'s Corner : Take a shot at the creeks and rivers at first light. Easy entry in with yaks and canoes for the mangrove tunnels and a nice morning place to hook up with rolling tarpon i n your skiff. The creeks and rivers are cooler than the flats and Gulf=85 plus degree and warmer by midmorning. Just a thought. Evening bites are really good in the rivers and passes! Capt. Ron Kowalyk www.fishswfla.com [email protected] 239-267-9312