‘Amazing tarpon season.’ How Manatee County’s weather benefits local anglers

In the extremely clean Gulf waters, there are a pair of kings who have made their presence known over the past few weeks.

One is passing through and about to make an exit, while another is making an early season arrival for those who can find them.

The one that has been around is king mackerel, more commonly called kingfish. They’re a speedy and toothy pelagic that migrates north across the west coast of Florida in the spring. They prefer water temperatures in the low 70s and the cleaner the water, the better. This season has been one of the best in recent memory for captains like Jonathan Soultatos.

“Even though the kingfish aren’t heavily congested in one specific area right now, they are spread out thick from one end of our fishery to the other,” said Soultatos, who fishes out of Anna Maria Island. “On most of our Gulf reef charters, we’ve been getting five to 15 fish, with some banner days seeing 30-plus.“

Soultatos has been able to venture out on calm days into the Gulf. He’s noticed how clean the water has been, allowing anglers to see rock piles and bottom structure in shallow water. One of the reasons for the clean water is the lack of rain and late season cold. The combination has the Gulf looking like the Caribbean at times, but it has made him adjust.

“When the Gulf turns gin-clear you have to prioritize stealth without sacrificing the protection needed for those razor-sharp teeth. The current clarity has changed our typical approach,” Soultatos said. “We’ve been scaling everything down to get bites, using short traces of wire and small hooks. One of the biggest game changers has been chumming heavily with live bait to get these pelagic predators fired up.“

To target kingfish, Soultatos catches plenty of live bait which they prefer. He heads to structures where bait is prevalent or nearby, like reefs, wrecks or high profile bottom that keep kingfish around, throwing out a lot of live baits to bring the kings nearby. To counter the kingfish’s sharp teeth, a long shank hook or small wire leader is needed.

“The short trace of wire is only about 4 to 6 inches since the water is so clean. For small hooks they’re about a 1/0 and fluorocarbon leader. This lets the bait swim naturally,“ explained Soultatos.

Over the next month the West Coast will host many kingfish tournaments, culminating in the King of the Beach. With as good as water conditions are, big fish will be caught often if weather holds out.

The other king that has been exciting anglers is the silver king, or tarpon, which have recently made their appearance along the Gulf coast in inside Tampa and Sarasota Bay. This is usually a May scenario for the masses, but the early arrival has intrigued anglers and those fishing Tampa Bay have already caught their fair share.

“I’m calling it now, it’s going to be an early and amazing tarpon season. Tarpon migration is almost entirely dictated by water temperature, and the magic number for these fish is 75 degrees, which we are hovering at. I’ve been seeing plenty of fish on the side scan while running to and from spots, and even while catching bait in the dark before sunrise,” said Soultatos.

“I predict by mid-to-late April, the numbers are going to spike heavily. If you want to get on the silver kings this year, now is the time to get ready,” he added.

Over the next few weeks even more tarpon will be arriving and anglers will no doubt bring out the heavy tackle to tangle with the prized game fish. With such clean Gulf waters, anglers should be excited for all the opportunities they currently have.

Captain Soultatos can be reached through his website www.FishingWithSalty.com.