Fishing from beach

[Norman Smith]

My wife and I will be staying near Pigeon Point for two weeks in the middle of September. The main reason for our trip is to fish for tarpon. Not being able to afford to hire a boat and guide every day we expect to fish on alternate days from the beach. We are both experienced anglers but not at this sort of fishing. My idea at this moment is to fish as I would for pike ie spinners, plugs and I hope with wobbled dead baits. Would any anglers with experience of this area please be kind enough to advise whether we are likely to be successful with this approach and as to other methods we would do well to try. Also of course guidance as to the areas to concentrate on would be most welcome. Whilst we especially want to catch a tarpon; a jack, baracuda,bonefish or permit would be very welcome as well.

Norman and Maureen Smith

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Maureen and Norman

Your location is ideal for tarpon and they can be caught from Crown Point around to Buccoo inc. Pigeon Point. There is also a chance of the other species you mention, as well as ladyfish, snapper and snook.

You can catch tarpon on plugs but you will probaly loose 9 out of every 10 fish hooked. Tarpon have extremely smooth, glass-like plates on the inside of their mouths and getting a hook to hold is more luck that skill. I have found single circle hooks to be far superior in holding on to tarpon, but if you don't mind seeing a 50lb fish leaping out of the water, shaking it's head furiously and then crashing back into the sea after it has spat out your lure, then you're both in for some fun.

There are lots of posts in this section of the forum, going back 3 or 4 years on various fishing methods - just scroll down and find a few that cover tarpon and or Pigeon Point and the recent novice flyfishing post has some marks which will be within striking distance of where you are staying.

There is a long-running thread on tarpon and jacks here - http://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3519

There is also a section on fishing in the Activities section of the Out and About pages in the blue header bar at the top of the screen.

Hope some of this helps

Cheers
Steve

[Norman Smith]

Thanks for that Steve. We are aware of the problem regarding getting tarpon to stay on as we fished for them once before in Cancun. We hooked several and failed to get any of them to smile for the camera. Hence our obsession with the creatures.
You did not comment on my idea of using a wobbled deadbait. I intend to mount them on size 3/0 circle hooks. We are experienced with using circle hooks as we use them for cat fish on the river Ebro. I gather that this is not a commonly used tactic in Tobago but do you think that it would work?

Norman

[Norman Smith]

Hello again Steve,

Just assuming you think that the idea of wobbling a deadbait has a chance how would YOU mount the bait on a size 3/0 circle hook for the best effect? I have my own ideas but as I said I am a novice at this sort of fishing.

Norman

[Steve Pitts]

I have my own ideas but as I said I am a novice at this sort of fishing.

That's a real coincidence Norman - so am I

I have not tried this method, but have fished livebaits and deadbaits on circle hooks (and have caught tarpon on both), so I guess wobbled dead baits are somewhere in between and therefore should work.

I would mount the deadbait to be wobbled as follows - Look away if you're sqeamish.

Ideal bait is flying fish as they are long and slim and will wobble rather than spin, as a circular-shaped fish like a palometa would tend to. You can buy fresh flying fish from the netsmen at Pigeon Point Rd, just before the Conrado Hotel.

Trim the 'wings' off THE DEAD FISH with a pair of scissors and stick the circle hook in through the mouth and exit up through the snout between the nostrils, ensuring that the hook is large enough to allow plenty of free hook point above the snout.

A bait hooked like this will swim reasonably well and withstand numerous casts before needing to be replaced. Cut up and throw the used baits in as groundbait because the tarpon around Crown Point are used to fish waste being dumped into the sea and get switched on to the freebies.

When using circle hooks, let the fish take the bait and resist the urge to strike at all costs, as I guess you do with the Ebro cats.

Once the fish has taken the bait and turned away (they tend to roll on the bait) let the line tighten and the circle should catch in the corner of the jaw on the way back out, where there is a bit of soft tissue, which is about the only place you will get a hook to stick.

Cheers
Steve

[Norman Smith]

Thanks for that Steve. It all sounds very much as I would fish for pike. Mind you I do like the idea of the rubby dubby, if I can get hold of enough dead fish I certainly will give that a try. We have a few weeks to go yet but I will let you know how we get on.

Norman