| Where and when to Fish for Tarpon | | | | Penn 650 (or something similar is size |
| The Florida Keys are heavily laden with tarpon | | | | performance) spinning reel, a rod handling 20-50lb |
| from roughly mid-April through mid-July, although | | | | test line, a 40lb-50lb leader, and a number 7 circle |
| quite a few juvenile fish and some resident adults | | | | hook to be a great set up for tarpon fishing. |
| stay year around. Bridges, rubble piles, and around | | | | Presentation is the key when fishing for virtually |
| very shallow flats next to the channels are a | | | | anything and tarpon aren't any different. There |
| very popular place for these silver kings to live. | | | | are two commonly known practices. The first is |
| Tarpon are for the most part nocturnal feeders | | | | anchoring up in a semi-slack tide with a buoy tied |
| but the early mornings and dusk hours are also | | | | to your anchor for quick release when you hook |
| quite productive. The best producing place our | | | | a fish. Simply allow your bait to go back into the |
| captains have found after many, many years of | | | | current several yards from the boat and wait for |
| experience fishing tarpon are the number two and | | | | the strike. This method may require a strike |
| number 5 bridges located between mile marker | | | | indicating device (a bobber, or cork) to keep a live |
| 73 and 70 just a mile or south of Islamorada. | | | | bait off the bottom and in reach of a passing |
| What to use for bait and how to present it. | | | | tarpon. The second is actually just leaving the |
| Tarpon are basically garbage feeders, they can be | | | | anchor out of the mix and drifting your bait the |
| caught using dead or live bait. Selections include, | | | | same speed as the boat in the current. Tarpon |
| but are not limited to: mullet, crabs, dolphin (mahi) | | | | and captains have success on a daily basis using |
| bellies or tuna bellies cut out of a carcass after | | | | both methods, it's really a personal preference. |
| cleaning, or once again, any number of other live | | | | Thank you for reading, happy fishing! |
| or dead baits. Many angles find a combination of a | | | | |