08-16-2002, 04:15 PM
Capt. Kevin Chamberlain<br><br>Everyone's talking about the "dog days" of summer with accuracy. Man, it's been hot, but the fishing's been good despite. Hitting the water early is still the best approach unless your going out at night, or at the very least, early in the evening. It's just not fit for humans or fish during the afternoon and you'll probably get chased off the water by thunderstorms anyway. Better safe than sorry. <br> <br>Juvenile tarpon are still in good numbers and they will eat. It sometimes takes some patience, and a painfully slow retrieve, but they will eat. Best baits are Reaction Lure's Bayou Chub Minnows and D.O.A.'s TerrorEyz. White and Pearl have been the best colors, but others will work. <br>For fly anglers, white is definitely the color, too. Though we're fishing brackish water, you have to forget about the "dark lures for dark conditions, light lures for light" school of thought. As said before, other colors will produce, but not with the same consistency. <br><br>Like with most other backcountry species in our area, I've tried to get these tarpon to take top-water lures, but have had little success. Redfish, snook, trout and several others will blast them into the air, but with tarpon it's another ballgame altogether. On two occasions this year, what looked like mud minnows crawling across the surface, were gulped up, one with enough ferocity to start the fire burning again. <br><br>I fished the area with Bill Hopper, from Sarasota and Leo Fieser, from Venice and Bill brought along a bunny fly that he had tied to work on the surface, just like the minnows I had seen. It looked great in the water, and though they would have nothing to do with it on that day, it's not over yet... He did put a nice one in the air with a 1/4 oz. soft plastic bait from Storm Lures called the Wildeye. <br><br>Redfish and snook action has been decent, too. There have been some nice snook mixed in with the tarpon on the east side of the harbor and taking the same baits. Reds are taking gold spoons and gurgler top water flies on the west side while casting up under the mangroves on the higher stages of the tide. Surface flies have worked best early in the morning. <br><br>Thanks,<br>Capt. Kevin Chamberlain<br>http://www.flatsangler.com<br>(941) 366-FISH (3474)<br><br><br>