TARPONMania!

from Coastal Angler Magazine | June 2023 | Miami Edition

NORTH CAROLINIAN SMASHES U.S. SURF CASTING RECORD

by Captain Tony Tojdowski

Tarpon season is nally upon us in the waterways that endlessly crisscross Miami’s urban areas. In the month of June heavy rains and thunderstorms will increase in frequency. e ood gates that connect lakes, canals and waterways to the ocean need to open to allow water to drain and prevent streets and houses from ooding. e man-made canals of Miami are part of an extensive, interconnected network. It was constructed in the early 1900s by the army corps of engineers for drainage, ood prevention, and water storage. e longer these locks stay open, the more saltwater sh like tarpon, snook, jack crevalle and many other species sneak into our canal estuaries.

If you are targeting tarpon or snook, start early in the morning just a er sunrise or about 45 minutes before dusk. Look for tarpon surfacing and gulping air. As water temperatures increase, the oxygen levels decrease resulting in tarpon surfacing/rolling to breathe. ey will give you a quick glimpse of their dorsal n and expose a little bit of their back. I describe it kind of like a dolphin surfacing to get a breath of air. Tarpon can also be found in many of our lakes that connect to these canals. ey will usually be seen toward the middle of the lakes surfacing so a boat or kayak is recommended to sh for them. A good tip is to have a chat with fellow anglers that live on these lakes or join a local shing club that shes these waters frequently.

Urban canal bridges with owing water are another great place to look if you want to land your rst freshwater tarpon or snook. Just the other day while shing with a client from Mississippi we pulled the boat up to one of the bridges that we know hold tarpon during this time of year. We stopped the boat about 20 yards short of the bridge and noticed the water was rushing because they were releasing water from the canal system in anticipation of an upcoming low-pressure system headed our way. I instructed the client to pitch a live shiner to the closest piling. Man did he make the perfect cast. e bait landed 6 inches from the piling and my client then proceeded to let some line out and the rushing water took the golden shiner toward the darkness of the middle of the bridge. It didn’t take long to see the line exiting the reel three times faster than the owing water had previously taken it. 1-2-3 he counted out loud and then closed the spool to set the hook. Several jumps later and about a 15-minute total battle, we were nally able to land this mint condition river monster. He said it was the catch of his life. We have landed many urban snook on our charters in this same manner. e only di erence is we usually put a small split-shot weight on to sink the bait towards the bottom where the snook lay and wait to ambush anything that swims by.

Captain Tony Tojdowski

Urban Legends Fishing Charters