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John's Journal... Entry 157, Day 4 ENDLESS INSHORE FISHING July and August Fishing in the Estuary EDITOR'S NOTE: Captain Ed Zyak of Jensen Beach, Florida, chose the St. Lucie Estuary on central Florida's Atlantic Coast to set up his Local Color Guide Service for two reasons. One, he's lived and fished in this region all his life. Two, he can produce speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tarpon and snook year-round. This area homes a phenomenal fishery, and if you like variety, you must consider fishing there. But rather than tell you about my experience fishing the St. Lucie Estuary, let's let Captain Zyak tell you his story. QUESTION: What are you going to fish for in July and
August? I'll still put a DOA Glow Shrimp out of the back of my boat, and I'll primarily use a spinning rod. I like to use the Shimano Stradic 4000 or 5000 reel, depending on the size of fish that day. I'll also use a heavy-action, 7-foot spinning rod and put 30- to 50-pound-test line as my main line with a 50- to 80-pound-test fluorocarbon leader. When I see tarpon rolling, I'll use my trolling motor to get within 100 yards of them. Then I'll try to ease within casting distance. If I fish on the beach, I'll try to determine the direction the school of tarpon is moving, get ahead of it and let the rolling fish come to me. I want to cast just in front of the rolling tarpon and swim the bait away from them. Most of the time, the tarpon will take the Terror Eyz as it drops from the surface of the water to the bottom. The trolling motor is critical to my success, because it allows me to move in quietly without scaring the fish. One of the biggest mistakes many tarpon fishermen make is using their big outboard or inboard motors to approach a school of tarpon. The second mistake they make is pitching their anchors overboard. When I'm fishing for tarpon, I never anchor, I never use my big motor to get into position, and I never get closer than 100 yards from a school of tarpon before I start using my trolling motor. QUESTION:
How do you hook a tarpon? For more information, call Captain Ed Zyak with Local Color Guide Service at (772) 485-FISH or e-mail him at localcolorgs@aol.com. Mrs. Peters' SmokeHouse is located at 1500 North East Dixie Hwy, Jensen Beach, Florida. For more information, call (772) 334-2184. You can reach DOA Lures by calling 877-DOA-LURE or going to the Web site www.doalures.com Learn more about Minn Kota trolling motors by going to www.johnsonoutdoors.com or calling 800-227-6433. TOMORROW: ST. LUCIE ESTUARY -- FISHING FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
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Check back each day this week for more ENDLESS INSHORE FISHING ... Day 1 - Fishing St. Lucie
in January and February
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