by, Capt' Jackie Otto

It is that time of year again. Love bugs are plastered on the front of every vehicle in town, the yellow butterflies are flying around and the crabs in Tampa Bay (both pass crabs and blue crabs) are flushing out of our passes as if they hate living here. That means it is Tarpon time for sure. Are you ready to rumble with one of our famous aerial acrobats and one of the strongest fighting fishes from Florida? Even if you are ready for them, I hope I can give you a few tips to help you test your skills on this mighty silver king of a fish.

An average size Tarpon around Tampa Bay passes and beaches is 80 to 120 pounds, the most fun ones are less than 80 pounds and the ones that really break your back are from 120 pounds to 200 plus pounds. Everyone has their own choice of what type of gear and tackle to use. I do not intend to tell you right or wrong about the gear you use, I am just trying to get you in the ball park regarding the types of gear, line sizes, weights, hook sizes and types of reels and rods to use. There are plenty of types and varieties of rods, reels, tackle and baits that are preferred by many an angler; using the right gear for the right application is essential for success. Don’t go to a gunfight with a knife if you want to actually catch a Tarpon.

If you want to beach fish for Tarpon, that gear is different from gear needed for fishing deeper passes especially when there is a bridge involved. A Tarpon on the beach has room to do his thing while fish fought in passes have bridges and docks and other types of structure to use to its advantage. In passes, the fisherman has to maintain a steady and close-to-the-fish fight to keep the fish from entangling your line on a piling or two. Beach fishing is done mostly with a long 8 foot rod that will handle 30 to 50 pound main line and a reel that has a good gear set and smooth drag system along with the ability to cast a free-lined bait or small crab at on-coming Tarpon. Most of the time on the beaches you are sight fishing rather than dead sticking as is typically done in the passes. Sight fishing is really a lot more fun. Leaders can vary from 50 to 100 pound test for both beach and pass fishing; this depends mostly on water clarity and on the size of the fish you are targeting. (I will explain later on targeting sizes.)

Pass fishing at this time of year would include Skyway/Egmont channel both north and south, Blinds Pass, Pass-a-grille Pass, John’s Pass, Clearwater Pass and Dunedin Pass as some of the more popular Tarpon hang-outs, especially when the crabs are flushing out of the bay. The flush occurs during the New and Full moons in May and June and is usually a strong outgoing tide during the late afternoon. Seeing a sunset while catching a beautiful silver king is a great experience and a great photo opportunity that many Tarpon fisherman seek. When I fish the deeper waters in the passes I use a 40 to 50 pound mainline and 60 to 80 pound fluorocarbon leader. My rod is rated to 60 pound test and is 7 to 7.5 feet long. On the passes, you don’t need the flexibility or length in a rod like you do on the beach because the current is so strong that you just let it carry your bait as naturally as you can by letting line out until you feel a hit.

There are a variety of baits both live and artificial that work on Tarpon and many will also take baits that were not meant for Tarpon. The first Tarpon I ever caught was on a top-water hard bait while fishing for trout on a grass flat using 14-pound test with no leader. After that I was hooked forever on this mighty fish and that was more than 30 years ago. Just last year I tossed a small fake shrimp at a Tarpon laying in 4 foot of water on my favorite trout grass flat and had a cardiac arrest when he took the shrimp and began his aerial assault across the flat. I mostly use live bait when Tarpon fishing and I use the same hook whether I’m on the beach or in the passes. For Tarpon I always choose a 5/0 Wide Gap Circle hook. The “wide gap” is important because the Tarpon’s lips (for lack of better description) are thick and bony and the wide gap fits and grabs better around the bony parts of the fishes mouth. (Circle hooks prevent gut hooking and harming the fish also) My suggested baits would be; Threadfin Herring, Scaled Sardines, Shad (menhaden), Pass Crabs and or very small Blue Crabs and extra large Shrimp. I always tell people to “match the hatch” and it works. Artificial baits can be anything of any size, any color, from small hand tied flies to huge 10-inch chug baits. If the Tarpon is hungry and you put it in front of that gigantic mouth, he’s going to eat it.

Usually, (not always true, so don’t hold me to this) I find smaller Tarpon after the full moon in June. The smaller males tend to stay in the bay while the big females go away to spawn. When the Tarpon first arrive there will be more big females and the chance of catching 200 pound plus slobs are higher. (Usually when the first love bugs show themselves) This is the time of year I use heavier tackle. Late in the season, August, September and if the weather is still warm October and November, you can still catch medium sized Tarpon. The females have rowed out and are thinner and there are plenty of males hungry enough to stick around as long as our bait sticks around. Lightening your tackle later in the season will help catch more as the fish seem to be smaller and the water clearer. By this time of year, I usually am so sore from fighting Tarpon I really don’t care if the leader breaks, I will get more hook ups but maybe not as many to the boat but that’s ok with me.

Tarpon are one of our most prized sport fish that we have here in Tampa Bay so take good care of them. I try to revive the fish for as long as I possibly can, keeping it in the water at all times, never putting it on the deck of my boat or holding it out of the water at all. We all need to keep this resource healthy and strong to make it possible for our grandchildren’s children to feel the same thrill that we do today.

Remember to always be safe, know your regulations and be courteous while on the water!