Nearshore Tripletail: How To Catch Tripletail Under Buoys
- By: Luke Simonds
- on December 1, 2021
Do you want to learn how to catch more tripletail around buoys and crab traps?
How do you avoid scaring off the fish but position yourself close enough to catch them?
Everything you need to know about catching tripletail near crab traps is down below!!!
Check this out!
How To Catch Tripletail Under Buoys [VIDEO]
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Equipment Used:
- Rod: Custom Prototype from Mudhole
- Reel: Daiwa Fuego 2500-XH
- Line: 10lb PowerPro
- Leader: 20lb Ande Monofilament
- Lure: Power Prawn Jr.
- Hook: Z-Man Trout Eye Jighead (3/16 oz.)
- Vessel: 24 ft Pathfinder
Tripletail fishing doesn’t require any out of the ordinary gear than what you would be using for inshore game fish.
Stone crab season recently opened which creates a scent off the beaches that attracts lots of fish nearshore.
How To Find Tripletail Under Crab Trap Buoys
Tripletail hide right beneath crab trap buoys or in some cases a few feet below.
They tend to lay on their sides which makes them easier to see.
You need to patrol along crab trap buoys and be able to sight tripletail without spooking them off.
The splash of the boat will spook the tripletail if it hits the buoy.
Sometimes the fish need a few minutes to settle down after you drive by and push a wake from your boat over the buoy.
There really is not a huge rush to approach these fish because they are holding tight to the crab trap buoys.
Slowly sneak up to the buoy and see if you can spot the tripletail in the water.
How To Place Your Cast For Maximized Results
The main thing to look for is which direction the fish is facing.
You want to cast 5-6 feet over the buoy in the direction the fish is facing.
Then, reel in your lure in front of the fish’s face, feel the thump, and let them have it.
If you do hook into a tripletail, it is still worth checking the buoy to see if there are other fish that dove deeper down.
You may only get one or two attempts to catch a tripletail so it is very important to be accurate with your casts.
Best Lures To Use For Tripletail
As far as flies are concerned, it is beneficial to use a fly with a bit of weight to it.
The fly used in this video had zero weight and when you pause with a weightless fly, it pauses in the water and does a super slow sink.
Whereas the Power Prawn Jr. rigged on a jighead dives when you stop your retrieve.
Most of the tripletail strikes happen on the dive as the lure descends down.
The best tripletail lure setup to use is a Power Prawn Jr. on a 3/16 oz. jighead.
You can use other shrimp imitation lures, but this is the setup that has produced results time and again.
Tripletail also follow scents and will strike lures depending on scents.
If you use Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Scent, you can increase your probability of landing a fish.
Dr. Juice paired with the Power Prawn Jr. is the ultimate tripletail lure to use.
Conclusion
Tripletail are coming in this time of year and it can be a real treat to spot them along crab trap buoys and sight fish for these fun fish.
Remember to be stealthy when approaching crab trap buoys with fish holding near them and to also be accurate and precise with your casts.
The best lure to use is a shrimp imitation lure and if you haven’t gotten your Power Prawn Jr., this is the time to try it out!
If you have any further questions on catching tripletail, please let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to learn more about the best ways to catch tripletail, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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So Luke, how deep was that water on average ?
Enjoyed,thank you.
They are tough for us,never know how fast to run the traps.
Try not to splash them but our boat doesn’t plane real slow.
Learn every time out….
Fantastic video Luke very entertaining and informative. Are the triple tail ever on the bottom near the crab trap or always on the top of the surface. I can’t wait to cruise the traps off Sanibel. Thanks!
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Jonathan! Yes, tripletail will move up and down the water column. But given how many crab trap buoys are out there, it would be quite a task to fish them all so I don’t stop unless I see a tripletail.
Great video Luke! I have not had a chance to go out and fish for triple tail, so I’ll will be soon and using your tips to catch em’!
Thanks Darlene! I hope you have a blast going after some tripletail.
So enjoyed this video! It felt as if I was right there! KUDOS to the cameraman! I will have to try the PP Jr as I have tried the large PP but with no success on triple tails ,perhaps the smaller sizes is more inviting 😉 What was the water depth? Certainly was a Beautiful Day! Thanks for sharing
Thanks Bob! I highly recommend the Power Prawn Jr. for going after trilpletail… they seem to really prefer the smaller profile.
The water depth this trip ranged from 10 to 20 ft… sometimes they seem to prefer a specific depth, but this trip they were just scattered without any noticeable trends.
Tie yourself a shrimp fly with a bit of lead wrap, you will hook up quick with that set up. I use a tan colored shrimp, Hook: Ahrex NS122 #4, Thread: UTC mono.004, Body: STF dubbing – golden honey, Eyes: Home made, Uv resin: Solarez thick
Thanks for the helpful tips David!
LUKE, good to see you
trying some flyfishing. I am bringing my ff setup for the trout this winter.
Thanks Gary! I’ll be bringing mine out more frequently now that the fish are pushing up into the calm shallows during the day.
Luke, just got in town. Picked up a keeper triple tail this afternoon using no weight on the hooks. Yumm.Taking out father-in-law tomorrow. Will experiment with powerprawn. Look for the post.
Great work David!
Darn Luke, I wanted you to catch a triple tail on that fly rod so bad maybe next time. Great video. The power prong junior is my go-to. Best lure I’ve ever used besides the Slam Shady.
Thanks for making time to pot the nice comment Ken!
Luke,
What was the water depth around those buoys?
They were in the 10 ft to 20 ft range that day.
Thank you! I fish the Intracoastal in NE Florida. Inshore traps all around and the water depth varies. There are limited sight casting opportunities. Also not sure if Tripletail make it very far inshore?
They’ll definitely push inland as I know many people who target them pretty far up into Tampa Bay.
I’ll try blind casting to trap buoys here and let you know if I have success.
Does the water depth come into play? I see crab buoys set in all depths in my area. I am curious of where I should start looking and focus on.
I’m sure it does, but I haven’t yet found a certain range that works at specific times… I’ve caught them form buoys in as little as 6 ft to over 30 ft, so I’ll generally zig zag across different depth ranges each trip to try to find which range they seem to prefer on the given day.