From Ron Brooks,
Your Guide to Saltwater Fishing.
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As a kid, I first remember seeing them floating on their side, almost as if they were dead, drifting out with the tide. They were strange looking fish, dark brown to black on the sides with a shape that mimics a larger version of a freshwater tropical fish – Oscars come to mind.

Tripletail. The name says it all. A huge powerful tail, aided by dorsal and anal fins that grow so far back they look like two additional tails, makes this fish an agile swimmer and strong fighter when hooked.

We were tied to a mangrove branch in East Cape Canal that day, waiting for the slack tide so we could put a jewfish line down. As the tide ripped past us, several tripletails drifted by. We thought they were dead. As the drift path of one appeared to head toward our boat, I grabbed the net and attempted to scoop it from the water. I never had a chance, because the fish sounded long before it came into netting range. This strange habit of floating on the surface has never been explained to me, but it is quite common to see more than a few “trips” floating in the same area.

This past month was prime time for tripletail in a number of areas, in particular, Flamingo in the Everglades National Park. Those who fish this area regularly will attest to the numbers of fish available to those looking for a great fight. Late spring and early summer are prime times.

In addition to their floating antics, these fish identify almost personally with any type of permanent structure in the water. A stick, a marker, even a rope tied to a trap buoy will attract a fish. They're easy to spot. They tend to stay close to the top of the water, down current from and with their nose seemingly glued to that structure. As you approach they will slowly disappear down in the water.

A small jig tipped with a piece of shrimp is all that’s required to entice a strike. Toss the jig close to the structure and let it fall toward the bottom. Nine out of ten times, the trip will have the jig before it gets to the bottom!

These fish can be found in a variety of locations. The only other place I personally have fished for them is out of Port Canaveral on Florida’s east coast, but they are found all along the gulf coast and up the Atlantic coast as well. The shipping lane buoys that extend into the Atlantic from Port Canaveral all hold numbers of trips this time of year.

One word of advice, and at the same time a request: Catch your fish, take a picture, and then let them go. These fish are so easy to catch that we could easily deplete the population. One fish for dinner is fine; an ice chest of fish taken to the dock is not good!

And don’t be fooled by the size of the fish in the picture. These fighters can reach twenty pounds. My personal best is about twelve pounds, and it was all I could do to land him on eight-pound test line. Quite a thrill! Tripletail, triple thrill!