Fish Focus: Trippletail

October in Southwest Florida is when people start preparing plastic traps for Stone Crab season. For the Florida angler that means Trippletail! Trippletail may look like floating turkey platters, but these fish have sharp eyesight, a voracious appetite, and are delicious. They gravitate to super high relief and mainly floating structures like a palm frond, 5 gallon bucket, tennis ball, or most importantly a Stone Crab buoy. In October the Gulf of Mexico becomes home to miles and miles of Stone Crab trap buoys set in continuous lines up and down the coast. Fishing for Trippletail in the fall means the excitement of exploring the trap line!

The fish are attracted to the buoys along the trap line because they provide shade, shelter, and a great supply of small baitfish and shrimp to snack on. If you want to locate lots of fish run up or down the coast looking keeping your eyes focused on the trap line. Just be careful not to run too close or you’ll spook them!

Trippletail in the water finding shelter next to a crab trap buoy.

Once you spot a Trippletail stop the boat and approach the fish slowly. Get into casting range but be careful not to get too close. My preferred bait however is a D.O.A. shrimp. I find that the even the most finicky of fish can be coerced into eating the lure often over the real thing.

Trippletail fishing tackle is pretty straight forward. I fish a 3/0 circle hook on 25to 30lb leader with 15lb main line; it’s a pretty standard inshore/ nearshore setup.