Tripletail Offshore

Most anglers think of tripletail as nearshore fish, and certainly, most are caught within sight of land. But these fish sometimes get swept far out into the Gulf by the currents, and no matter where you may be offshore, it’s possible to run into one. The question is, will you know how to catch it?

The angler pictured above was on a sportfishing boat 40 miles out, targeting mahi-mahi that were gathered around weed paddies. In fact, it was a completely unexpected catch. But tripletail gravitate towards flotsam of any kind, and whenever you’re fishing around clumps of seaweed or similar stuff, there’s a chance of spotting one. You may even sight mahi, cast to them, and see an odd clump of weeds sitting below the rest which somehow looks a bit different… and then swims off. Yup, that was a tripletail. So, how will you get them to take the bait?

• If you’re fishing with heavy gear, rig up a lighter (30 or 40 pound test) leader on a rod you can cast. Tripletail aren’t incredibly leader shy but 50 or 80 pound or larger can be enough to turn them off.
• Tie on a smaller hook than you were using for the mahi (1/0 is about right) and bait up with a chunk of squid, a shrimp, or a small chunk of fish (a ballyhoo slice isn’t the best but works in a pinch).
• Cast out in front of the fish, and allow plenty of sink-time if it’s sitting on its side. You’ll see tripletail both swimming upright, and sometimes floating sideways under flotsam. When they’re sitting on their sides they don’t always spot a bait right away and it may need to sink down significantly lower than the fish.
• If you have light spinning gear and you’re up for a challenge, a Gulp! shrimp tail on a light jighead often tempts tripletail into biting, too.

Once you hook up a tripletail, remember to net it or swing it in. Between their tough scales and relatively small size they usually bounce right off of a gaff. And once you get it into the boat, feel free to celebrate – because tripletail are downright delicious and you’re in for an excellent meal.