Tarpon, Red Snapper are Hot Commodities

Capt. Mike Senecal of Paradise Pontoon Charters, LLC said tarpon fishing continues to be hot off the beaches, although the big pods have been tough to pin down.

“On Tuesday I was out off the beaches and there were these big pods, and all of a sudden they'd disappear and go into the passes,” Senecal said. “The big thing has been trying to get away from this wind where it's calm enough so you can fish.”

Senecal said bait has been scattered and not as thick as it should be this time of he year.

He also fishes on Lake Manatee — usually for speckled trout. But he said neither the specks nor the bass have been biting in this hot weather.

Also, Capt. Ryan Rolland of Outriggers Sportfishing Charters out of Marina Jacks in Sarasota guided a charter to some red snapper on Wednesday, the opening day of red snapper season.

Of course, Rolland said with the tight regulations on red snapper, the fishing was on fire with tons of snapper primarily beyond 30 miles offshore over natural ledges, rock ledges and man-made wrecks

He has been using mostly live bait and dead baits, including Rolland's favorite: sardine-squid combinations.

He said along with snapper, his anglers caught mangrove and yellowtail snapper as well as grouper in the same spots.

One of the secrets to red snapper season, according to Rolland, is using small baits and small hooks to match the snapper's mouths, which are about twice as small as a grouper's. He suggested a half of a sardine and a squid instead of whole bait fish with 8/0 to 10/0 circle hooks.

Rolland also likes 50- to 60-pound fluorocarbon leaders with 4-ounce lead weights.