Capt. George Tunison<\/p>\n
Southwest Florida flats fall anglers love the hard runs and bulldog fight of a big redfish, as well as the power and acrobatics of a good snook in a foot of water. I do as well but a 5-foot suddenly unhappy shark with a mouthful of my plug or fly throwing a big surface bulging torpedo-like wake as it burns through a hundred\u00a0\u00a0yards of braid or deep into the fly reel\u2019s backing is still pretty darn exciting.<\/p>\n
Tarpon, some still seen and caught in the passes, along the beaches and in the river systems, as well as deep spots in Charlotte Harbor, but they, too, will soon head south to follow those that have already left leaving their golden, tannin-stained Cape Coral loving cousins behind till next year. A good many sharks will follow this migration southward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s understood that shark populations worldwide are suffering and the species continues to be decimated in many parts of the oceans where long line fishing with their thousands of baited hooks per line and barbaric \u2018finning\u2019 (the practice of catching the shark, removing the fins and shoveling or kicking the helpless living animal now considered \u2018bycatch\u2019 back into the sea to die) kill untold thousands each year mostly to satisfy the huge seafood demands of Asia. In Japan a bowl of shark fin soup can cost as much as 100 dollars.\u00a0\u00a0You can enjoy the soup with a whale entr\u00e9e which are still brutally killed with harpoon cannons from their whaling fleets, hunter ships.\u201d \u2014 Since I wrote that a decade ago nothing has changed.<\/p>\n
For the responsible catch-and-release angler fishing from a boat or land-based, sharks are a top target. Recently located here and have always wanted to challenge \u201cJaws?\u201d You\u2019ve come to the right location as Southwest Florida has way more than its fair share of sharks. Many charter captains\u00a0\u00a0and lifelong anglers from all over Florida have been complaining of too many sharks as well as too many goliath grouper making it hard to get a fish to the boat without being eaten on the way top side.<\/p>\n
Want big sharks as in \u201cBig?\u201d No problem. Head over to Boca Grande during tarpon season. Sharks over 1,500 pounds swim there snacking on tarpon or anything else that looks or smells good.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve caught sharks in deep to knee deep water but for me nothing beats light tackle sharking from a small skiff in yard-deep water. Using your anchor and float rig, anchor the boat with a quick release knot so you can untie almost instantly to chase the fish during the fight. (Check YouTube.)<\/p>\n
Start chumming! Hang a block of chum over the side and have a crew member slowly toss out cut bait pieces behind the boat but within the chum slick. If you have them, hang bonito, ladyfish or, the best, a barracuda that\u2019s been opened up off the boats for added flavor. With the tide moving the scents, it\u2019s not usually long before there are customers in the chow line right off the transom. Dead baits on bottom with circle hooks? Live ladyfish under floats or hit them right on the nose with lures or big colorful flies? Pick your method and prepare to fight.<\/p>\n
Before going make sure to have all release tools needed and be aware of harvest rules.<\/p>\n
Fall is not only about catching the last tarpon of the season and the best of the year local redfishing, but also about intercepting a trophy class snook as they move inland to their cold water hangouts.<\/p>\n
This is a good time of the year to be on the river running snook docks. Skip-casting soft plastics far back and under will often result in an epic snook battle. Picking a long stretch of docks, I fish them facing into the moving tide, quietly using the electric motor. <\/p>\n
Hang on!<\/p>\n