Saltwater Swimbait Tactics
Tap-tap-tug.
The tell-tale take of a tarpon was unmistakable, but not unexpected.
After all, fishing partner Danny Torres and I had been pinning swimbaits
in the maws of 3- to 4-foot tarpon for over an hour at this point.
However, seconds after setting the hook on this particular `poon, I
realized this was no 4-footer.
As
12-pound test poured from the spool, Danny jumped behind the console of
my skiff, cranked the engine and gave chase. Since we had been fishing
for juvenile tarpon and snook, I was woefully undergunned on this
6-foot-plus fish. The lengthy - and exciting - fight culminated with the
inevitable parting of the line and the fish swam free.
Unfortunately, the last swimbait I had on my person was still stuck in its jaw.
This
scenario is typical of what I've come to expect while throwing
swimbaits in salt water. We had already tempted a mixed bag of jack
crevalle, kingfish, small tarpon and snook with our 3 1/2-inch swimbaits
before my massive tarpon struck, proving once again any species that
counts small finfish among its dietary needs will strike swimbaits.
At
times catching fish on swimbaits involves little more than casting and
reeling. Other times, a more deft touch is needed. However, even at
times like these anglers can still score big on swimbaits, provided they
have a few tricks up the sleeves of their casting shirts.
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