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S14:E10 - “Yellowjacks Of Home” (2019)
Tom & Rich don't have to travel far for yellowjack & other desirable fish in the Middle Florida Keys
We idled right under the bridge after leaving Hawks Cay and found action right there. In that spot it was perfect because you don’t have to get on plane, you can fish on a kayak or any way you want. There are fish there even though the cars are right there. Its kind of a community spot, but we headed over there and tried to get some Tarpon and Yellowjacks.
Yellowjacks are a little more toothy, they have a mouth kind of similar to a permit. It is a shy fish, and they eat a lot of shrimp even though they don’t have many teeth in their mouth. But what we found, even though they tend to be elusive, they loved the pilchards. We reeled in two right away, Rich had never eaten them but went home after we caught these and he said that they were amazing (expect a taste similar to dolphin) when he filleted them up, the first Yellowjacket I had was smoked and it was amazing.
Though we were really wanting to see a tarpon, we didn’t see any until we waded out and the water calmed down - we threw out a handful of bait and saw a tarpon! This one had one of the highest jumps I have ever seen, it was definitely a decent sized fish for our lighter tackle. We ended up catching grouper, jacks, yellowjacks and tarpon all in the same area… Not a bad day at all.
Check out the Tips From The Pros on What Is Active Trim And How Does It Help Fuel Efficiency?
As always, we had Jason Stemple with us to document this trip in ultra high quality still photos. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!
See you on the water,
Capt. Rich Tudor & Capt. Tom Rowland
Join Saltwater Experience with Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor as they team up with expert spearfishing guide Tony Young in the Florida Keys. From nonstop Yellowtail Snapper action to adrenaline-pumping Wahoo spearfishing and Lionfish hunting, this episode showcases the ultimate Florida Keys saltwater adventure—both above and below the surface.