Tarpon< Snapper And>>>>

[Capt Bob]

decided to bail some pinfish to take to one of the bridges over the next few nights, net some shrimp for the food freezer and perhaps some tarpon which have been feeding on the shrimp in the light of the full moon.,
So I walk across the street to the canal with a 5ft 6# outfit, figure I'll have some fun while I catch the bait...BIG ERROR...MAJOR FAUX PA...Capital W Capital R Capital ONG!!!

In the midst of the pinfish a snapper of about 3 lbs grabs the tiny bait on the even tinier hook..as its swimming back and forth all his bretheren join in the swim....until..MR POON joins the parade about a 5 ft Tarpon comes along the sea wall and inhales the snapper and takes off...he's hooked up sort of..he's got the snapper in his mouth and I'm still attached to the snapper for Oh about 3.56 seconds...he takes off seaward does a cartwheel and spits the snapper and my 6# snaps...so I walk back across the street and get some appropriate gear, I hook up a pinfish under a yellow foam float and set it in the middle of the canal and I go back to the pinfish with heavier gear...about 10 minutes go buy and my bait is going nuts on the surface I know he's in trouble...one tarpon nails my bait and about a 6 ft tarpon goes after my float...he cartwheels in the air and darn near lands in the guys boat across the canal, he's on it doing some thing and the poon threw water all over him when it went back in...mean while the one I have a hook in its going nuts up the canal... it finally thows the hook and my bait so I re bait and put out another "happy" pinfish...a few minutes go by and my bait heads straight at me...and about 5 ft away the float goes down like a russian sub....set the hook...7lb Grey Snapper...inhaled my pinfish on a 9/0 hook...suddenly the snapper is swimming like mad back up the canal and I think what size tarpon would eat that....no Tarpon...about a 7 ft Bull is closing in... the snapper swims close enough on the surface I can swing it up on the sea wall and the shark goes by my feet, right against the sea wall...I swear I could read that sharks mind..."when the ...did snapper learn how to fly?" severarl Tarpon later ( no landings but solid hooks and fights) , the tide comes full flat and everything stops biting even the bait...


tomorrow its load the floating cage with bait and be ready when the tide turns!!!!

[moronehead]

Now thats some action. Sounds like fun.

[Echo]

Your killing me. Do I really need a #9 hook ? I bought 4 and 6's shorts and a few 8's.

[Capt Bob]

for live baiting with pinfish etc I like a bigger hook as it gives it more room to take a bite in a tarpons mouth, smaller hooks work ok, it's just my preference, the reference to the 9/0 was more for the fact that the snapper managed to get the whole thing AND the pinfish in his mouth! I'll be back across the street tonight...watch the eclipse and see whats biting

[Echo]

Whats your favorite brand of hook ? I understand they have to be new and razor sharp.

[Lurker]

Heading to the keys this summer for 7 days. Plan on renting a house with slip/dock and trailoring my boat down. Plan on doing a lot of things, including fishing. Might I ask: what sort of rig/bait is used to catch Pinfish? Squid? Rig on float or rig on bottom?

Thanks.

"Some Days It's Just Not Worth Chewing Through The Restraints..."

[Capt Bob]

I personally like Owner and Gamagatsu but I also have a lot of Mustad...just be sure they are SHARP and if they do not catch and dig into my thumb nail with just the slightest pressure I hone them until they do. I also hone a three sided point and don't even think about trying to keep it round, the three sided point acts just like a chisel and slices in much easier...try it on a piece of card board like from the back of a legal pad you'll see the difference...my sharpener is just the plain ol file they sell for about 6 bucks has a yellow handle and I think is made by luhr jehnsen any good sharpener works fine.


pin fish are easy targets once you find where they are hanging...basic two hook rig W/#6 hook (actually could use one hook as most are caught on the bottom hook) , I like a long shank makes getting the little stabbers ( why they are called pin fish) off the hook easier
bait with a little piece of squid...if you use shrimp the wrasses and small snappers will be all over it I still catch a few small snappers on squid but its well over 90% pinfish with squid...if you use any kind of cut bait you will catch pinfish but it draws the bigger snappers and little cudas and then the pinfish go POOOOOOF!

[Lurker]

Thanks. Looking forward to going.
Do you live there? If so, which Key, or as the conchs might say: which MM?

"Some Days It's Just Not Worth Chewing Through The Restraints..."

[Capt Bob]

I live in Marathon, Vaca Key, near MM51

[Lurker]

Hmm.. may I ask you a few questions about Marathon, the Keyes, and fishing the Keyes?

"Some Days It's Just Not Worth Chewing Through The Restraints..."