Summer has set in and the fishing is just as hot. As scheduled, tarpon are moving along down the north Pinellas beaches and into our passes. The numbers are growing and will only get better in the coming weeks. Pods of fish are easy to sight cast if you are in their swimming lanes, just one to two hundred yards from shore. Leading them with artificial swim baits or live crab, threadfin herring or sardines is the most productive way to get bit. Unfortunately, not every group of fish will decide to eat. It takes a lot of patience and a several presentations to get a hook up as well as a very stealthy approach. But there are those days where the fish tend to eat more often, especially leading up to the stronger moon phases. Just prior to a new or full moon will stimulate most fish to eat better. Crabs begin to flush out into the gulf on the strong falling tides, creating a feeding frenzy for tarpon. I will often have a long dipping net to secure a few crab for casting. You’ll need to remove the claws before trying to put them on a hook or you will get a pretty painful surprise. Drift fishing the passes is also an effective method. Employing a large float with 5 – 6 feet of leader to the hook will place the bait in their path. Also, freelining large cut threadfins is working too. We are sight casting less when fishing the passes, yet if the fish are coming through you will definitely see them rolling.
