Tarpon will be the main focus for many anglers during June. "Silver Kings", as they are often called, will provide exciting action up and down the coast. There should also be great action for redfish, trout on the flats and catch and release snook in the surf and the passes.
Tarpon will be found in the gulf from a couple of hundred yards to a ¼ mile off the beach. They may occasionally be as far as ½ mile offshore depending on water clarity. Most tarpon schools will travel the same distance from shore, so you should be able to establish where their lane of travel will be by observing them. Areas of hard or rocky bottom will hold baitfish and tarpon will also hold there. I usually start my day with live blue crabs in my live well and my customers will use a "sabiki" rig to supplement the crabs with pinfish, threadfins, pilchards or cigar minnows. I keep at least one rod rigged with an artificial bait. My favorites are the large DOA shrimp, DOA Baitbuster, DOA Swimming Minnow or a 65M MirrOlure.
Fly anglers will be most effective with an intermediate fly line due to the deeper water that we fish along the beaches. Dark flies, such as Cockroaches, Deceivers or bunny flies have worked well for me in the past, although light colored or bright flies may be a better choice at midday. The best school of tarpon for fly fishing will be "laid up", slow moving or "daisy chaining". It is possible to get tarpon to bite from fast moving schools, but it is harder.
You must have a lot of patience to be a successful tarpon angler. Resist the temptation to chase fish. Take a shot or two at a school and if they don't bite let them go. Common sense and courtesy will take you a long way when tarpon fishing. Keep in mind that outboards will spook tarpon, so don't run your outboard within several hundred yards of a school of tarpon. Use electric motors or drift into position ahead of a school of approaching tarpon. I am even cautious about running electric motors when I know the fish are very close to me. A four-stroke outboard, even though it sounds very quiet above the surface of the water, is not the same as an electric motor-it will spook fish!
       If a school of tarpon passes you and you decide to take another shot at them, let them get well past you before starting your outboard. Go well offshore and get several hundred yards ahead of the school of tarpon before you shut down and wait for them to approach again. If another angler is working a school of tarpon, it is OK to set up behind them and take your shot when they come to you. However, never get between another angler and a school of tarpon they are working unless you are waved in. If everyone is patient and courteous, you can all be successful.
       Snook season will remain closed during June, so all fishing for snook is catch and release only. They will be found in the surf, the passes and around docks and bridges close to passes. One of the best techniques for catching snook during June is sight-fishing in the surf. You will need a pair of polarized sunglasses to be able to spot snook in the trough close to the beach. Walk the beach from mid morning until about noon for the best action. I usually walk about 10-15 feet from the waters edge studying the water from where it touches dry sand to about 10 feet out. A 6 through an 8-weight fly rod with an intermediate of sink-tip fly line and a baitfish fly pattern such as a Deceiver or an Enrico Puglisi fly will work well. A medium spinning outfit with a DOA shrimp, TerrorEyz, CAL jig or Cotee jig with a grub will work equally as well for conventional anglers. This type of snook fishing compares to fishing bonefish on a Caribbean flat!
They may also be caught in the passes or around docks and bridges close to passes during June. One of the most effective techniques will be fishing with live pilchards (whitebait). I prefer the challenge of lures and flies for snook and there are many options. DOA baits, Cotee jigs with large shad tails or CAL jigs are some of my favorites. A very productive technique is to drift a pass or bridge channel with a DOA TerrorEyz. The key is to get the boat drifting the same speed as the current and bounce the TerrorEyz along the bottom. Night snook fishing will also be very good. Larger fly patterns such as Deceivers or Enrico Puglisi's Peanut Butter fly may produce larger snook when fished at night along the shadow line of bridges.
Reds will be active on the flats during June. Higher tides will allow them to get into areas that they could not normally access. Look for them on top of sandbars or along mangrove shorelines at the top of the tide. Live bait fishing for redfish with whitebait, pinfish or live shrimp will be very effective. Gold spoons, Cotee jigs with grubs, CAL jigs with shad tails and Exude slugs are some of my favorite lures.
When targeting reds with a fly, I prefer to wade starting at the bottom of the tide. I use a floating fly line and fly that can be fished without snagging in shallow water. A small dark Clouser or Enrico Puglisi's Reds Critter fly have both been very effective for me.
Trout are also a good option during June. They will be found on deeper grass flats due to warmer water. However, large trout will be found in shallow water during low light conditions at dawn and dusk. Live shrimp, whitebait or grunts fished under a popping cork will be good choices if you prefer live bait. MirrOlure's Top Dog and DOA's Baitbuster are both proven lures for "gator" trout. Fly anglers will be effective with a baitfish pattern on an intermediate fly line.
If you just want to bend your rod, there should be plenty of jack crevalle and ladyfish around during June. They will be found along the beach, in the passes or on deep grass flats near the passes. A jig with a plastic tail will work well. Fly anglers will do best with an intermediate fly line and a Clouser fly. Another good option for jacks is a popper on fly tackle, although you would want to use a floating fly line when fishing a popper. Last season I encountered some jack crevalle in the 20-pound class along the beaches while tarpon fishing. These fish put a big smile on my angler's face when he battled them on a fly rod!
Tarpon fishing will be at its prime during June. However, if tugging on a 100-pound plus fish is not your idea of fun there are plenty of other fish to be caught in the inshore waters. As always, remember to limit your kill; don't kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.snookfin-addict.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net

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