Everything You Need to Know About Spring Tarpon Fishing in South Florida
In the mountain of sportfishing, tarpon are at the summit. Only the fortunate ones who have gotten a taste of their majesty thoroughly understand why they have been coined the “silver king.” For those aspiring anglers who have not yet been graced with the king’s presence, however, just know that the awe-inspiring feeling you get from mere pictures, TV shows and YouTube videos doesn’t even come close to the mind-numbing, adrenaline-pumping thrill of being there in person.
Tarpon fishing is intense anticipation, frustration, despair, determination, elation, exhaustion, ecstasy, jubilation and Zen — all sometimes before 7 a.m. I’ve caught big GTs, giant cubera snapper and roosterfish on topwater, and I will tell you that the prestige of chasing the silver king is unsurpassed throughout the world’s coastal waters. “11 o’clock … here they come, great cast … HE’S GOT IT!!! REEL! REEL! REEL! REEL! LIFT UP and get ready to bow, now BOW!!! YEEOWWWW!!!” Every angler worth his salt should experience the feeling that only THE most-explosive fish on the planet can give you at least once in a lifetime. The tarpon.
From land-locked ponds with nearly zero dissolved oxygen to freshwater rivers, estuaries and beaches, to hundreds of miles out at sea, tarpon have the ability to handle an extremely wide range of salinities and habitats. They can be found throughout most of the tropical and subtropical zones on both sides of the Atlantic and, in the last hundred years or so, have even started to populate a portion of the Pacific within a few hundred miles of the Panama Canal. Silver kings can reach maximum size of around 300 pounds and a total length of nearly 10 feet! Yet, even at this size, they can still summon the speed and power necessary to jump clear over your T-top!
Not only are these unique fish potentially massive and insanely powerful, they’re also armor-plated, have a wide-ranging diet and can gulp oxygen from the atmosphere through their specialized swim bladder. This ability allows them to live in extreme low-oxygen environments and gives them a supercharged boost before chasing down prey, evading sharks or battling anglers. With attributes like these, it’s no wonder tarpon can live to be over 50 years old and are dated in the fossil record as far back as 110 million years ago.
The lifecycle of the silver king is mind boggling. After adult tarpon spawn far out at sea near the edge of a continental shelf (over 100 miles out of the Florida west coast), their offspring begin life as tiny eel-like plankton. These larval tarpon migrate to the coast following the incoming tide (even utilizing storm surges from tropical systems) to go as far in as they can possibly go.
Eventually, lucky ones end up in the back of tiny tropical mangrove creeks, roadside ditches and even golf course ponds. Here they morph into juvenile tarpon more resembling a sardine than an apex predator. In these typically low-oxygen environments, they feed on a whole list of small critters, all while enjoying little competition or risk of predation from large fish, thanks to their ability to “gulp” air.
Once they are a few pounds (or whenever the next hurricane hits), they move into coastal rivers and estuaries where they spend their “teenage years.”
It isn’t until a tarpon is around 40 pounds and about 4 feet in length that they become adults and join the annual migrations. In Florida, that means migrating north from the tropics along both coasts beginning around the first warm days of spring. By late April, the tip of the spear is roughly halfway up the state and, by late June, you’re likely to find a decent school of big tarpon anywhere between Jacksonville all the way to Pensacola. They continue to spread north into the summer, traveling as far as Texas in the Gulf and Delaware in the Atlantic.
Just as waters start to cool in the fall, tarpon reverse course, shadowing the annual bait migrations as they move south. By late November/December, most adult tarpon have returned to tropical South Florida and the Caribbean where they will spend the rest of the winter. However, a small fraction of adult fish will stick out the winter wherever there is a warm water refuge until the warmth of spring returns, along with their schoolmates
TARGETING TAMPA BAY TARPON
In my home waters of Tampa Bay, we are fortunate to have a fantastic seasonal tarpon fishery right at our front door. The “meat” arrives around late-April; then in May-July, it’s possible to see thousands of tarpon along our beaches, bays and bridges.
Tarpon are indeed migrating “north” as they pass by the Tampa Bay area in the spring, but they don’t just move in a straight line up the coast. Large numbers of tarpon will linger in the bay and move around within the area for weeks at a time. If we’re lucky enough to have stable weather, they will get into a rhythm, often following a similar path on the same tide each day. In general, tarpon are the most active during the strongest tides of the full and new moon cycles each month. That is usually when some of the best fishing can be had.
However, tarpon also spawn near the full/new moons of May, June and July and they can be very unpredictable right around that time. Near the peak of the moon phase, massive tarpon schools might suddenly break their daily routine and start charging straight offshore in a mass exodus headed to the spawning grounds on the edge of the continental shelf.
I once followed a huge school 18 miles out, clocking them at an average of 11 knots with no sign of slowing down! Upon their return, they might end up in a totally different area. Needless to say, tarpon move around a LOT.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:
Finding the silver king and actually catching one are two very different things, however. At times, they can be one of the most aggressive predatory fish in the ocean; while during others, they be one of the most frustratingly finicky fish on Earth! Here is the necessary tackle you’ll need, the four main tarpon fishing zones around Tampa Bay (bridges, bay, major passes, beaches) and some proven techniques to go with them.
TACKLE:
- Rod: I like an 8’ XH spinning rod that can make a long cast, has a lighter tip and plenty of backbone.
- Reel: The reel must have solid gears, a powerful smooth drag and a capacity of more than 300 yards of 65 lb.
- Line: Look no further than the new 65 lb. Cast X12 Casting Braid. It’s truly unbelievable stuff!
- Leader: Day in and day out, I use a 10-foot 60-80 lb. fluorocarbon leader tied with an FG knot. However, if the fish are extra finicky and the water is clear, I might drop down to 50 lb. or even 40 lb. to get bites. You’ll land fewer fish but at least you’ll have a chance!
- Hook: It’s important to match the size of the hook to the size of the bait. I prefer an 8/0 BKK Heavy Circle Hook for most applications but will drop down to a 5/0 if small pass crabs are on the menu.
BRIDGES
Bridges can be great throughout the season but are especially productive both early and late as they offer a refuge for scattered numbers of tarpon to congregate. A well-lit bridge can also be exceptional at night as tarpon use the shadow lines of the bridge to ambush prey. Tarpon can potentially be anywhere along a bridge but will concentrate in the deepest part of the channel as well as eddies be – hind pilings. Finding them can be tricky, especially if they’re not “rolling” often (breaking the surface to get a gulp of air). This is where good electronics really come into play. Without good electronics, you often would never even know tarpon are there. If you don’t have side-imaging on your machine (or haven’t figured out how to use it), you are at a severe disadvantage.
On an incoming tide, a frisky live bait – fish (especially threadfin herring) is the way to go; on the outgoing, crabs get the nod. “Chunking” dead bait is another productive technique, but I’ll cover that in the next section.
BAY
This zone is where some of the largest schools of tarpon can typically be found. Finding a school of over a thousand individual silver kings is not out of the question! For that reason, it can often be the sharkiest. If the sharks are bad, just leave and go find another spot. It’s not worth the risk of killing a beautiful silver king that might have been on this planet longer than you.
One might think finding a giant school of big tarpon in the bay would be easy but locating them can take hours of scanning the horizon, praying for a fish to break the surface while simultaneously being zoned into your side-scan.
Once found, however, it’s possible to track a mega-school for most of the day by looking for the occasional fish to roll while constantly staying in contact with them on your side-scan. Even the largest schools of tarpon can be found “daisy chaining” (a common schooling behavior where tarpon forming a rotating circle with eyeballs on all sides). If you see what looks like a giant doughnut on the bottom on your electronics, you’ve just found yourself a sub-surface daisy chain! When the tide is slack, the daisy chaining school will often stay in the same spot unless something disturbs them. However, once the current starts, the rotating school of tarpon will get carried by the current whichever direction that may be drifting with the tide. On big incoming tides, a school of tarpon might ride the incoming tide miles into the estuary, though really, they’re just swimming around in the same circle. If you’re lucky enough to locate your own shark-free school, it can be some of the most AMAZING tarpon fishing imaginable!
Another highly effective technique is “chunking” dead bait. Just cast-net a bucket full of threadfin, chop them all up into three or four pieces, get in front of the school, make it rain a constant stream of chum into them, then drift a freelined or split-shotted chunk back into the school, taking special care to make sure there is ZERO resistance on the bait. When the speed of the line coming off the reel changes, REEL! It’s messy, it requires killing a lot of baitfish, it’s not very sporting and it is definitely not my favorite way to catch them — but it can get the job done.
I heavily favor using baitfish on the incoming tide with a live threadfin or big pinfish being top choices. If the water is shallow enough, a bait pinned under a cork 10-15 feet can be a deadly technique because it forces the baitfish to constantly hover just over the rotating school. A freelined bait in shallower water (30ft >) or attaching a large split-shot an inch from the hook (30ft <) can also be extremely effective. However, the main reason huge schools of tarpon consistently pile into the bay and its major passes every year is for one reason and one reason alone — CRABS!
Around the full and new moons in late spring through the summer, strong gravitational forces usher in the most powerful outgoing tides of the year and kick-off a prehistoric natural spectacle that has been occurring for eons. Crabs by the million instinctually leave the relative safety of the bottom and swim to the surface to spawn. The only chance smaller blue crabs and the even less-sizable species of “pass crabs” have against a school of big hungry tarpon is overwhelming numbers! It’s no coincidence that the peak of the tarpon migration coincides almost exactly with the yearly crab flushes. Tarpon absolutely love them! Needless to say, crabs are the top bait on the outgoing tide in most areas.
MAJOR PASSES
Just imagine: The tide just switched and that same daisy-chaining mega-school of tarpon that rode the incoming tide far into the bay is now getting sucked in the opposite direction back towards the pass. As the outgoing current’s speed increases and the fish begin to near the mouth of the bay, there is a sense of urgency in the air. Other large schools of tarpon pop up nearby, all instinctually heading toward the bottleneck of the pass — not coincidentally just as the first few crabs begin to appear on the surface. In the pass, the current is approaching peak speed and the number of crabs on the surface is increasing by the minute. Suddenly you hear the tell-tale slurping sound of a tarpon aggressively popping a helpless crab off the surface. The dinner bell has been rung! All of a sudden below, the tarpon leave their tightly packed schools to spread out and gorge themselves! Scattered from top to bottom and widely distributed around the pass, they swim headfirst against the current, slurping up crabs like little nutrient- packed tarpon Skittles as they helplessly drift by. The “hill tide” bite has begun!
It doesn’t always happen but when the stars align over a healthy bay, the fishing can be absolutely sensational! Most of the same techniques I described for the main bay to catch tarpon can also be applied to the passes. However, during a “hill tide,” all you basically have to do is dip-net a fresh crab, hook it, cast it back out and drift. It can be the easiest way to hook a big tarpon.
With that said, the hill tide is no secret and has become extremely popular over the last few decades. Done properly, everyone can catch fish and have a good time. However, with nearly 100 boats often jockeying for position, there are bound to be a few bad apples with poor etiquette and little know how trying their best to ruin the fishing for themselves and everyone else. Around here, we call them “googans.” Learn some pass etiquette and DON’T BE A GOOGLE!
PASS ETIQUETTE DON’TS:
- Don’t motor straight back through the pack of boats after a drift! Go WAY around the pack and restart your drift upcurrent.
- Don’t cut in front of someone else’s drift, especially if they are anywhere near casting distance!
- Don’t anchor or spot-lock in the area where everyone else is drifting!
- Don’t just sit there if another boat close by is hooked up and headed your way! Reel in and move, if necessary, so you don’t get tangled or cut them off with your boat.
- Finally, don’t let a hooked fish get too far away when you’re in the pack. If you hook up around a bunch of other boats, try your best to stay right on top of the fish with the line straight up and down until you’re in the open
With an ever-increasing population here in Florida, having good etiquette is becoming increasingly important. If you follow some simple pass etiquette rules, you’re going to catch more tarpon and have a better time on the water.
BEACH
Another zone where it really comes into play (and my personal favorite place to fish tarpon) is the beach. Whether with bait, artificial or fly, sightcasting to big tarpon in the clear shallows is right up there with the most exciting sportfishing on the planet. To consistently catch big tarpon on the beach takes tremendous skill, unlimited patience and relentless determination. Finding them can be extra-tricky, but the payoff is second to none.
If I had to describe beach tarpon in one word, it would be MOBILE! Locating tarpon on the beach is more like hunting than fishing and having eyes on the tarpon is critical. Sometimes they are obvious but, more often, you must tune your eyes to the slightest splash, recognize “nervous water” and have near superhuman X-ray vision once the sun lights up the shallows. Getting out there early can be key to finding “happy fish” before swarms of jet skis, clueless pleasure boaters and googans put the fish down. However, I have had some of my best days on the beach in the afternoons, once most of the impatient fisherman have gone home.
Generally, tarpon will move along the beach away from major passes on the incoming tide and toward major passes on the outgoing tide. They typically meander up and down the beach in 6 to 12 feet of water just off the last coastal sandbar, but concentrating your search around any bottlenecks, such as the tip of a shallow shoal or channel between a shoal and the beach, can increase your odds of eventually running across them. Once spotted, stealth is key. In shallower water, tarpon are much more sensitive to sound and vibration, so revving your trolling motor, slamming a hatch or cranking the engine anywhere near the fish are all great ways to blow your shot! Once the tarpon notice your presence, they will often turn and come directly at you, seemingly in an effort to get eyes on the threat. It’s best to slowly and quietly set up far in front of the school or, better yet, just post up and wait. Another thing to keep in mind is that tarpon moving against the current are much more likely to bite than fish swimming in the same direction as the current. A live crab, threadfin herring or pinfish under a cork are all top choices for bait fisherman, while a purple toad is tough to beat for the fly guys. No matter the direction or bait of choice, proper presentation is absolutely critical!
Lead the fish with a cast that is far out of their sight/sound range. You might be able to get away with plopping a bait right into the middle of a deep school of tarpon but doing so to a shallow school on the beach might be the worst thing you can do!
It’s also critical to make sure that the first thing the tarpon see after a cast is the bait and not your line! That means being in front of the fish and casting to them as they are approaching. Once the school starts to get by you, if you cast to them, you are lining the fish before they see the bait and you are likely doing nothing but turning them off. Chasing them from behind and constantly lining the fish with casts is a googan move. You might as well be a big hammerhead shark!
Daisy chaining pods are common on the beach. It’s a bit more technical to present a bait properly to a daisy chain but the premise is the same. You want to cast way past the edge of the circling school, so they don’t hear the impact, then VERY slowly drag the bait within a few feet of the chain. The direction of the rotation will determine which edge to target again so the first thing they see is the bait first and not your line (clockwise-right side, counterclockwise-left side). Flies can be especially productive in this scenario. Done properly and you’ll have a constant presentation in the strike zone as the school continuously circles past.
THE FIGHT (ALL ZONES)
When all the stars have aligned and you finally get that bite, the next mission is to get that fish to the boat for a healthy release. With a hookup-to-land ratio of roughly 40-50%, battling them with the proper technique can be the difference between landing the fish of a lifetime and heartbreak!
To increase the chances of landing the fish, I like to start with a relatively loose drag. During the beginning of the fight, tarpon are fully energized and are capable of unbelievably violent aerial headshakes. If the drag is too tight, your chances of something going wrong increase dramatically. The best technique after a bite is to point the rod straight at the fish and reel fast until all the slack is out of the line and the drag starts to scream. Keep in mind they may quickly change directions and come flying at you at over 30 mph, so be ready! Once the line is tight to the fish, pull back, put a huge bend in the rod. If you have time, grab the spool and give the tarpon a few stiff jabs with the rod to drive the hook in and get ready for the jump. As soon as the tarpon breaches the surface, it’s time to “bow to the silver king.”
Now, all this info will probably go out the window on your first couple of hookups as you’re standing there awestruck at the giant silvery dragon-like fish flying through the air in front of you, but it’s worth mentioning! The idea behind a bow is to put as much slack back into the line as possible so the tarpon will (hopefully) stay connected during an explosive jump. A proper bow is accomplished by having a massive bend in the rod just prior to a jump, then throwing the rod tip back toward the fish as far as possible once it breaches the surface. Once the fish re-enters the water, put a good bend back into the rod and get ready for another jump.
Tarpon have an extremely bony mouth that even the sharpest hooks have a tough time penetrating. Often, they aren’t hooked at all, and the hook is just bouncing around in their mouth throughout the fight. For this reason, it’s critical to keep the line tight for the entirety of the battle (except on the jump). Even one second of slack line during the battle and the hook might simply fall out. Keeping a good bend in the rod throughout the fight is a good way to ensure you have tension on the line. If the tarpon surges, remember to hold your ground with a big bend in the rod and try to resist the urge to drop the rod tip towards the fish. A bent rod is your shock absorber and keeping it bent (except on the jump) will help you land more fish.
A few minutes in, tarpon will usually begin to settle down a bit. Then, I will gradually increase the drag to put more pressure on the fish. You want to put as much pressure on the fish as possible after the initial freak-out phase! A huge mistake I see other anglers commonly make is to idle toward the tarpon during the entirety of the fight. In doing so, they’re not putting enough on the fish and unnecessarily prolonging the battle. If there aren’t any other boats around, I’ll let the tarpon run until the reel is nearly out of line. In this way, I’m using the weight of the boat to put more pressure on the fish. Believe it or not, fight times will drastically decrease if you try to “pull the boat to the fish” with the rod rather than chasing them with the boat.
You want the tarpon to exert as much energy as possible. One way to accomplish this is to use the angle of the rod to constantly pull the fish backward and get “down and dirty.” If the tarpon wants to swim to the right, pull back left parallel to the water and vice versa. Also, if they are constantly slowly clicking out drag, the angler can put a bit more pressure on the fish by keeping a good bent rod and lightly palming the spool (think applying the brakes on the highway). This sudden increase in pressure will often aggravate the fish and make them jump and exert more energy. In the later stages of the fight, this technique can also be used to turn the fish and finally break their will. Just be careful not to apply too much pressure at the wrong time!
With the proper tackle and fighting techniques, the average fight time is roughly between 15-30 minutes. It’s rare to fight even a big tarpon for over an hour on my boat and if you are doing so regularly, you’re probably doing something wrong. Two- to three-plus-hour battles should never happen unless you accidently hook a monster on light tackle. My guy caught the approximately 240-pounder in one hour 40 minutes and it never jumped! It’s not good for the fish or the angler to battle for that long and you likely missed a good portion of the bite. Apply heavy pressure, get the fish in, and go hook another one while the getting is good!
LANDING & PROPER HANDLING
Once the tarpon is laid up next to the boat, reach down with both hands and firmly grab it by the bottom jaw, making sure to push the fish away from your face if it decides to get squirrelly on a late jump. DO NOT attempt to drag them into the boat! It’s technically illegal to completely remove their gills from the water (unless in the process of de-hooking) plus it’s not good for the fish. By this point, the tarpon is gassed and if you sit there for too long fumbling around for a picture, they may release the air from their swim bladder and not have the strength to come back up for a critical gulp. Grab a quick pic while keeping a portion of their gills in the water, remove the hook and idle the boat forward to bring a fresh dose of oxygen through their gills. Turn them upright and swim them back and forth to release lactic acid in their muscles. Do this for as long as it takes until they begin to stiffen up and fight back. Once they are revived, pull them forward to give them some momentum and release. They will likely come up to get another breath or two of air and be on their way to fight again another day. High five your buddies, sit back and enjoy the moment! You just won the battle against the most explosive fish on the planet!
Tarpon are an incredible species of sportfish that deserve our respect. Their prestige and fighting ability are unmatched throughout the world’s coastal waters. Think you have what it takes to do battle with the silver king? Use the techniques above and find out!
Capt. Tyler Kapela
Instagram: @captain_tyler_kapela
Facebook: Hit and Run Fishing Charters
727-421-1051
