Tripletail strategy is about understanding an ambush feeder with poor eyesight that floats next to debris and buoys, then putting your fly, jig, or bait very close and moving it slowly away so the fish wants to commit. On a recent shoot the tripletail were floating on nearly every trap buoy, and I dialed in two techniques that put a lot of them in the boat. In this How 2 Tuesday I break down how tripletail behave and exactly how to catch them.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The key is to respect that a tripletail is an ambush feeder with a small eye and limited eyesight that often sits in dirtier water. You have to put your fly, jig, or bait fairly close to the fish, then move it slowly away so the fish commits, because if something moves off too fast it loses interest and stays on the buoy. Throw close, ease it away from the fish, and keep that slow, deliberate movement going, and the tripletail will come and eat it.
Tripletail float on the surface next to structure, debris, and buoys, lying on their side near the top where you can spot them as you run by. In the Everglades there is a line of trap balls along the national park boundary, since traps cannot be set inside the park, and tripletail love to hang on those buoys. I do not encounter them as much around Key West and the clear water I fish for permit and tarpon, but the Everglades is a place you see a lot of tripletail.
Because a tripletail does not see as well or as far as a fish like a permit, which has a big eye. The tripletail's tiny beady eye, combined with the dirtier water it often sits in, means it simply will not track an offering from a distance. So you have to put the fly, jig, or bait right in its zone for it to even notice. Throw too far away and the fish never sees it, which is why proximity matters so much with this species.
You can catch them on lure, fly, jig, or bait. Live shrimp is probably their favorite, but it is hard to throw far, so a jig tipped with shrimp or a Gulp shrimp helps you reach them. Flies work really well, maybe best, because you can pick the fly up from forty feet and lay it back down gently without reeling all the way in, which lets you present again and again to a fish sitting on a buoy. Match the method to how close you can get and how the fish is reacting.
It is a second technique I discovered when surface presentations were not working in dirty water. Using a jig and shrimp, which you have to move faster because of the weight, the fish would drop out of view and not bite. One time I let the jig fall straight to the bottom by opening the bail, waited, and got bit. You will see the tripletail turn nose-down and follow the jig to the bottom to find it. When a fish only follows lackadaisically, let the jig drop right there and wait.
It is one of my favorites on the table, with some of the best white flesh of any fish in the ocean. The catch is that it is not fun to clean, the fish is almost prehistoric with a tough hide and scales that take extra elbow grease to get through. But once you do, the meat is perfectly white and worth every bit of effort. Just be sure to check your local regulations for the legal size, because it has changed.
On a recent shoot the tripletail were unusually prolific, floating on virtually every piece of debris and every trap buoy, which gave me a rare chance to really study them and refine how I fish for them. This is not a fish I chase as much as Rich does, since I spend more time in the clear water around Key West, but those days taught me a lot. I break down everything I learned in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday. I cover the details and stories behind each one in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
A tripletail has a tiny beady eye, the opposite of a permit's giant eye, and I am convinced eye size relates to how well a fish sees. The tripletail does not see far and often sits in dirtier water, so you have to get the offering right in its face and keep it moving slowly. I explain how that shapes every cast in the episode, so press play in the player above.
When wind and tide pushed the boat over fish and surface presentations failed, letting the jig fall straight to the bottom turned things around. You will actually watch the tripletail turn nose-down and follow it down to find it. We caught a lot of fish that way we never would have on the surface. I walk through exactly when to do it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Tripletail are a fascinating, rewarding fish once you understand that they are slow-seeing ambush feeders. Put it close, move it slow, and let it drop when they hesitate, and you will catch far more of them.
And do not forget how good they are to eat, just be ready for the cleaning and check your local size regulations first. Shout out to Josh Jorgensen of BlacktipH, who posted the biggest tripletail I have ever seen out of Louisiana. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
tripletail · Everglades · Key West · permit · trap buoys · live shrimp · Gulp shrimp · jig · fly fishing · Josh Jorgensen · BlacktipH · Louisiana · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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