STA-SEA’S NATURE COAST ADVENTURES

Triple Tail. Let’s get to know these prehistoric-looking fish. They can be found in our warm gulf waters right now, normally floating on the surface of the water. It’s easy to mistake a triple tail for floating grass or debris. People believe they have three tails, when in all actuality, it just looks as if they do. They have a large, rounded soft dorsal fin, and their anal fin extends far back on the body, and closely resembles the tail in color and shape, so that the fish might appear to have three tails. The general look of these fish closely resembles that of a freshwater crappie.

Triple tail are normally found starting now through about October in our gulf inshore waters. You can find them near floating objects or adjacent to pilings or navigation markers. in our area, they can often be found around the buoys on the crab traps. Triple tail lie on their sides and float lazily near the surface, looking like clumps of leaves or a plastic bag. They have tiny eyes that are very close together, so getting your bait directly in front of them is key.  I like to drive past the crab traps and look for these fish floating on the top of the water near the buoys. These fish are lazy and are considered ambush predators. Once I spot them, I turn around, creep up on them, toss my bait past them and reel until I can get my bait right in front of their face. They will eat shrimp, soft plastics, and sometimes even a hard-suspending type lure. You can actually watch them attack. It is one of the most fun fish for me to target, because you can see every move they make. Triple tail in our area are on average about 14 to 20 inches. The minimum size limit is 18 inches. They can be found as large as 3 ft long, weighing up to 30 lbs. Triple tail are incredible because, they can actually camouflage themselves to match their surroundings. The older the fish, the darker they are. Juveniles tend to have more yellow and greenish markings, where the older fish are more of a dark brown, or black color. Triple tail are a delicious fish to eat. They are a little tougher to filet, but definitely worth the extra effort. Even if you are not targeting them for your dinner plate, they make for a great day of fishing, if you are looking to break the monotony. They are very exciting fish to catch, and put up one heck of a fight!

Captain Stacy Horak
Cell 352-553-3604
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Website:www.fishingwithcaptainstacy.com