Kuhn tripletail
Fishing for tripletail along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts is heating up. The once beleaguered fish is now one of the most sought after summertime targets. According to marine researchers, the Gulf Coast is the perfect spawning and feeding grounds for these aggressive fish. During summer months, large schools of glass minnows, red swimming crabs, pogey and shrimp fortify tripletail in the Northern Gulf allowing them to grow to impressive sizes.
Habitat is plentiful from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Lake Charles, Louisiana, as the coast line is littered with channel markers, buoys, crab trap floats, grass and oil rigs—each providing the perfect refuge for these fish.
Locating tripletail is as easy as finding any of these; then idle or drive by and look underneath the floating structure. If a fish is spotted, position the boat down current or downwind, depending on which is stronger.
Rigging for tripletail is as basic as it gets. Spinning or baitcasting gear works well, however, most seasoned pros opt for spinning outfits as they cast nicely even in stiff summer breezes. A quality braided line in 30-pound test with a foot or two of fluorocarbon leader works best with a floating cork and a 2/0 live bait hook. Live shrimp, minnows, small crabs and artificial baits all will coax fish into biting. For the adventurous types, tripletail provide an admirable fight on fly fishing gear.
