CATCH LATE SUMMER TRIPLETAIL SOAKING IN THE SUN

By Emily Hanzlik

In late summer, the humidity is crazy and the heat wants to take you down. e shing can slow down during this time; however, chilling in the sun is a lifestyle for some sh species.

e tripletail is one of the strangest sh in the ocean. Tripletail are usually dark brown with some lighter shades mixed around, and they can sometimes be yellow, depending on their area. ese sh don’t have a typical body structure. Instead, they have a at almond-shaped body and get their name from the appearance of having three tails, which is an adaptation of enlarged lobes on the posterior ns. ey usually don’t grow any larger than 15 pounds and typically range from 20-30 inches. For their size, they put up a heck of a ght.

Many tagging studies have been done on these sh to track their migrations. However, science has yet to gure it all out. e idea is they move north to south, then back up the coast going no further than Georgia. In the Gulf, they make it as far as Texas. e timing of their movements appears to be random, but it probably depends on currents, since they don’t free swim much.

Sometime during the summer months, tripletail will oat o shore to breed. Like most, they broadcast spawn, with females producing anywhere from 4 to 8 million eggs. ey can spawn every three to ve days. ere are many di erent ways to target tripletail. Since they aren’t big swimmers, you’ll normally nd them oating around with seaweed or next to buoys. You can pitch baits, like live shrimp, to target them. Usually, you’ll want to use a small live bait hook without a weight to get a natural dri in front of them. If live bait isn’t your style, you can also use small jigs or swimbaits to grab their attention. Another great way is y shing. Here, you’ll want a y that mimics a small shrimp or bait sh. When targeting them, make sure to nd which end is their face. en try to dri your o ering in front of their nose. e current IGFA all-tackle world record is

When these sh aren’t o shore spawning, they typically hang near lots of structure. You might spot them oating near crab buoys, mangroves, oating leaves and poles in the water. Tripletail are known for mimicking and blending in with their surroundings. is makes it especially di cult while shing to spot these creatures. However, it gives them amazing bene t, since their prey is also hiding in these places. Tripletail usually prey on shrimp, sh and small crabs.

42 pounds. It was caught in South Africa in 1989.

Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 62 IGFA world records in various categories. She hails from West Palm Beach, where she has a part time Bow n Guide Service as well as shing classes for Jr. Anglers. Find her on social media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.

Let’s grow with Florida together.

Palm Beach and Fort l auderdale a reaS

By Mark Ambert

By now everyone knows my passion for mahi fishing. Such an amazing quarry and should be the state fish! I wish we had tighter regulations as this popular species is also delicious and has found its’s way onto every restaurant’s “daily special’s” menu - every single day. The shear popularity of this species means we need to pay very close attention to the potential for overharvesting. Every charter boat captain and sport angler I’ve spoken to throughout the state have acknowledged the dwindling stocks. The question is why. While there are many mitigating circumstances one factor looms large.

There are accounts of long lining for these fish and in state waters. A typical longline is eleven miles long and can have as many as 1,100 large, baited J-hooks that attract and catch targeted migratory fish. No species can long endure this kind of fishing pressure and we have witnessed the results. A drastic decline in recreational catches up and down the Florida coast.

This from the Miami Herald explains a lot. Mahi are dwindling and Keys charter boat captains agree why. By David

Goodhue

10/07/22

An undated photo shows large mahi caught and brought back to the Post Card Inn Marina in Islamorada. The fish was caught aboard the Early Bird Fishing Charters. Miami Herald File Jon Reynolds, a Florida Keys charter boat fishing captain, opened up a plastic trash bag Thursday night during a meeting with federal regulators and pulled out a huge ball of thick monofilament line that’s used to target en-masse mahi mahi, also commonly known as dolphinfish. He removed the discarded line by hand from the ocean during a recent outing on his Drop Back charter boat, which he operates out of Islamorada. “To even have this in a fishery anymore in 2022, this is disgraceful — to even do this to the ocean,” Reynolds told National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials at the meeting. “Our customers are sickened by the fact that our country is even allowing this gear to be deployed into the water. I mean, this is absolutely insane.”

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