By Doug Hemmer, Times Correspondent
Sunday, June 5, 2011
What's hot: June 15 is a full moon, and three days after will be the best tarpon tides of the year. The afternoon outgoing tide will be strong. The fast-moving water will flush crabs out of the flats and into the passes. Tarpon will school in the passes to feed on the large number of crabs. The best spot is the Egmont Key Island. The north and south points will hold the most crabs and fish.
Joining the crowd: There will be numerous boats working in a tightly packed bunch. You'll want to start a drift up-current on the inside of the island. During the drift, free-line a crab in front of the boat. You'll have no problem dipping crabs to use as bait. Use a long-handle dip net and look for crabs along the weed lines. When you see crabs is when the tarpon start feeding. During the drift wait for the rod to bend and the line to begin moving off the reel. This is when you set the hook. Give the rod one or two hard hook sets, then lower it before the tarpon makes its first jump. If you keep the rod high and bent, the tarpon usually will throw the hook on the first jump. When you reach the end of a drift, idle to the outside of the pack before getting on a plane. Return to the top of the drift and repeat this until you catch a tarpon. With the high number of sharks in the area, release your fish quickly to increase its chance of survival.
Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 347-1389.