by Capt. Matt Mitchell
After what was almost a full week of near-perfect April conditions, the weather quickly changed, giving way to yet another windy, cold front. Although it was a subtle front, it was enough to drop water temperatures from a perfect 78 to 71°, basically overnight. Behind the front, we also experienced strong winds for a few days.
Changing gears from Tarpon fishing to hiding in the mangroves and catching snook, trout, and redfish was what it required to keep on fishing. Slow one-tide days did not help either, and not a single fish seemed to come easily. In the few days following the front, every part of fishing was a grind. Bait became hard to find, and moving around a lot was what it took to catch fish. Luckily, we have lots of options and, as usual, following a front, we had to change the target species for success.
As April comes to an end, we should be all but done with cold fronts, and conditions will become much more stable. Tarpon fishing will kick into high gear as these migratory fish show up in huge numbers throughout the month of May. We have already had a good start with lots of early-season fish showing up. The action on the causeway bridges has been very consistent on both live and cut bait.
Tarpon fishing in the sound had just heated up in most of the usual places before the front. Calm conditions made for great sight fishing opportunities from Chino Island to Demere Key and on the west side of the sound from Fosters Point to Cabbage Key. Live pinfish and threadfin herring under afloat seem to be what these fish wanted to eat. Low and slow on the trolling motor is the way to get on what I like to call the tarpon highway. Working out how these fish are moving is the key to presenting a bait to them. There is nothing more exciting than pitching a live bait to a rolling Tarpon and watching it eat.
One thing I do during Tarpon season is to set bait traps. Pinfish traps are a game changer as they allow you to be fishing during the 1st few prime hours after sunrise. Key West pinfish traps work the best for me. I buy plastic containers with screw-on lids, drill holes in them, then pack them full of dry chum. This method of baiting seems to work best, as frozen sardines or other fish bait are quickly eaten by the pinfish. These containers slowly release the chum and seem to catch more bait. Just 2 or 3 pinfish traps will catch enough bait for a tarpon trip. Drop them in grassy areas in 4-6ft. It may take a little time to get it dialed in on where to put them, but not having to throw a cast net and being on the fish at 1st light every day is a joy.
