# Tripletail in the Indian River



## ThomasHierholzer (May 30, 2019)

Anyone know what time of year the Tripletail start showing up in the Indian River?

Not looking to steal any spots, just wondering when it is worth looking for them.


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## Pope (6 mo ago)

I’m not from Florida, but I suspect they are seasonal in the same way there as here in Texas. May-June they start to appear in the passes around buoys and crab traps in the shallows. They are in the Gulf Stream year round.


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## Shallow Expectations (Jun 11, 2019)

Tripletail are in the indian river all year long. Just go fish them and you will find them. They are just easier to find during stone crab season as their are way more traps out but also you will find alot more baby tripletail mixed in. I caught several yesterday on fly but all were only around 10".


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## ThomasHierholzer (May 30, 2019)

Shallow Expectations said:


> Tripletail are in the indian river all year long. Just go fish them and you will find them. They are just easier to find during stone crab season as their are way more traps out but also you will find alot more baby tripletail mixed in. I caught several yesterday on fly but all were only around 10".


Thanks for the advice. I've seen small ones from time to time but never the giants that I've hear rumors of. 

I think I just need to spend more time targeting them and try to get out earlier before the boat traffic picks up.


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## Shallow Expectations (Jun 11, 2019)

ThomasHierholzer said:


> Thanks for the advice. I've seen small ones from time to time but never the giants that I've hear rumors of.
> 
> I think I just need to spend more time targeting them and try to get out earlier before the boat traffic picks up.


 In my experience you will never see the giants up top. Maybe if you're lucky. I always find the big ones mid way to 2/3 the way down to bottom. Usually the top is fish up to 22". I wish the big ones hung out on the surface more to make them an easier target on fly. A 15lb tripletail on fly sounds like a good time to me


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## Pope (6 mo ago)

They are spooky fish. I generally do not try to catch them except during a tide change. I will move up current from a buoy, drift parallel to it, casting diagonally up current and retrieving with the current. I like to fish soft plastics with 1/8-1/16 jig heads depending on current. 
I get hit in a pause as the current moves the lure. Short pauses work over longer pauses. 
Also, the edges of channels are far better. I have rarely seen big tripletail in shallow water.


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## ThomasHierholzer (May 30, 2019)

Thanks guys, this is all extremely valuable information. I'm going to go scout it out this weekend and see if maybe I can catch one on the fly. 

I'll switch to the jig and start blind casting down deep if I can't find one on top.


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## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

Don't just check bouys, the channel markers, sign posts etc are pretty popular with them also


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## ThomasHierholzer (May 30, 2019)

SS06 said:


> Don't just check bouys, the channel markers, sign posts etc are pretty popular with them also


Do you normally throw artificial at them or live bait? I've never caught one I couldn't see.


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

My buddy and I have a good memory we still laugh about chasing a triple around in IRL. He was cruising the flats when we spotted him in about two feet of water. We spent a good 30-40 minutes chasing him down determined to get him. Have no idea how many cast and misses were had. We started trading the the bow and PP after each miss. Until we finally got his ass and had him for dinner. That’s was 15 years ago now and I remember it like it was yesterday. Totally not the target species but man did we laugh our asses off the whole time. Thanks for reminding me I got a smile on my face right now 😂


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## Pope (6 mo ago)

ThomasHierholzer said:


> Do you normally throw artificial at them or live bait? I've never caught one I couldn't see.


I don’t carry bait, so artificials. They are finicky, which is why I play the current as described above. The most realistic plastic you can throw, the better. 
As said above, anything in the water they can orient to is important. Our channels are marked by buoys in the ship channels and they are often on these. 
Nearshore, they occupy the same niche as dorado and use sargasso weed.


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## ThomasHierholzer (May 30, 2019)

jonny said:


> My buddy and I have a good memory we still laugh about chasing a triple around in IRL. He was cruising the flats when we spotted him in about two feet of water. We spent a good 30-40 minutes chasing him down determined to get him. Have no idea how many cast and misses were had. We started trading the the bow and PP after each miss. Until we finally got his ass and had him for dinner. That’s was 15 years ago now and I remember it like it was yesterday. Totally not the target species but man did we laugh our asses off the whole time. Thanks for reminding me I got a smile on my face right now 😂


Nothing better than big ol triple tail for dinner. Sounds like a memorable catach.

Wildest thing I've seen cruising the flats in the IRL is a pair of massive cobia. Couldn't get them to touch a thing. Love this fishery.


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

Man it makes sad to see it these days. I started fishing the north end of the IRL, BRL and ML in 91 at 18 years old. It was absolutely amazing back then. I hope it recovers one day soon. I moved from Titusville in 07 to SC. And we were already starting to see issues then. And it just went downhill from there.


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## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

Shrimp pattern fly get the most attention. Fish it slow. Use the current to naturally drift the fly into the fish.


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