Baby tripletail can grow to 30-plus pounds.

I seldom see a tripletail turn up its nose at a live shrimp. Hook the shrimp just above the tail, from bottom through top. If the tide is moving strongly, however, use a jighead and hook the shrimp through the head for a more natural presentation. Sometimes a small egg sinker or splitshot will suffice. Small crabs and baitfish, including menhaden, will often get the job done as well. At times they’ll hit small jigs and flies.

The drill we use off Port Canaveral can be employed anywhere there are tripletails. Look closely at marker buoys. Wear a hat or cap and a good pair of polarized sunglasses, to cut the glare. If you spot a tripletail, try to keep the boat near the buoy without revving the motor and then cast to the fish. When you hook up, try to maneuver the boat and the fish away from the buoy as quickly as possible.

Even if you can’t see tripletail, they may be deeper and out of sight. That’s when you might cast a bait with a splitshot or jighead, perhaps 3⁄8 ounce or so. Allow the bait to sink close to the structure. You’ll know it when one hits. Don’t give up after a single drift; try a buoy several times.

Use strong tackle. We used 30-pound braided fishing line with two feet of 30-pound mono leader. Keep in mind that if a big tripletail gets your line across the barnacles, it will slice even 50-pound leader. That’s why it’s important to get the fish away from the structure as soon as possible. You’ll likely need to apply additional drag by palming your spinning reel spool, or pressing your thumb on a baitcaster.

Tidal flow is helpful when tripletail fishing. However, I like to catch the tides before the current gets too strong because it’s easier to get baits down. I prefer free-lining, but will add light weights as the tide increases and finally resort to hooking my bait to a jighead.

In addition to searching buoys, look for floating patches of weeds offshore or any type of flotsam. Tripletails, like dolphin, look for shade and hang around almost anything floating. I’ve caught them around boards, barrels, rafts and weeds. They are great at camouflage and often look like part of the flotsam. There seems to be no limit as to how far offshore you might find a tripletail.

Jim Ross and Russ Rivers inspect a typical Canaveral 'tail. Note the fin setup.

After another great morning off Canaveral, my two friends and I concluded the ninth inning back at the launch ramp, where we dined on blackened mahi-mahi sandwiches at nearby Grills, a favorite restaurant next to the launch area. My fishing friends had just treated me to a morning of excellent fishing. Now, it was my time to treat, so I sprung for lunch.

FS