There are several places to find your post-spawn tarpon this month as they are quite scattered and hungry. The passes, Captiva, Boca Grande and Gasparilla, still host fish. Fishing these passes before dawn will pay off as it shuts down early as the sun starts to shine. The deep holes in Charlotte Harbor are also becoming more productive.

Next we have the outside tarpon, those cruising right off the beach to 3-5 miles out, with a few more on close-to-shore reefs or structures. The insiders are found at various locations along the intracoastal waterway throughout Pine Island Sound. North Matlacha Pass or the bottom of Charlotte Harbor are always worth a look these next couple of months. While you’re in that area, setting up and waiting or poling along the Burnt Store Bar is definitely worth a shot.

My favorite group of tarpon hangs out and chows down at area bridges, especially at night. A live 12 to 15-inch ladyfish or mullet under a float or dead on bottom will get the job done. You may have to put up with huge snook, sharks, redfish and maybe a Goliath grouper or two as by-catch, but you’ll survive I’m certain.

Lure anglers all have their personal favorites but a good rule of thumb is to have multiple rods rigged with “bigs and smalls” alternating casts till the fish respond. Some favorite smalls would be Zman’s HerculeZ, DOA’s Baitbuster and Swimming Mullet. For large profile lures, try the Hogy Eels and paddle-tails. Not all tackle stores carry Hogy products but I noticed a good selection at our Cape Sportsman’s Warehouse. Other soft plastic, fish shaped, paddle-tail style swimbaits, like those made by Storm and other manufactures, have a place in your box of tarpon goodies.

Fly anglers get in their best chances casting at early morning beach cruisers but for a different experience try flinging your fly at night at area bridges. Again, alternating presentations with multiple rod setups help up the odds for success. Have a floating line set up as night feeding near or on the surface is always a possibility. If there’s nothing happening up top, then pick up your sink tip line outfit and get your fly down in the water column where it can be noticed and inhaled.

However and wherever you enjoy our local tarpon fishery, remember ,like you, the fish are also uncomfortably hot. This is not the time for lite tackle fish exhausting or killing prolonged battles. Even after a successful release the battle isn’t over till the fish fully recovers. In the fish’s post-fight weakened state it may not be able to avoid the always lurking bull or hammerhead looking for an easy silver snack. Sixty-five to 80-pound braid and a med-heavy to heavy action 7-8.5-foot long rod gets the job done in a timely manner.

Revive the fish till it’s ready to kick away strongly but be extra cautious at night. You can’t see Jaws coming in the ink black river water and believe me, he’s always near attracted to the sounds and struggle vibrations generated during the fight. Think Boga Grip or other hopefully longer jaw holding device at night, anything to give you some distance when holding on to a potential time bomb.

Hope you caught your red snapper as these tasty reef dwellers are now closed to harvest starting yesterday on the 1st. Red grouper is also closed along with gag grouper but gag season will re-open for a short time starting Sept. 1 and ending Sept. 15.

Snook are still enjoying the beach and local pass spawning season while our inshore redfish are getting bigger with more slot and over-slot specimens being taken especially on cut bottom baits.

Seatrout are really unhappy about the hot water while beautiful chrome permit don’t seem to care, camping out on near-shore attractions, always ready for a small crab snack.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.