This Page About Tarpon Fishing

Tarpon Fishing

The Florida tarpon mini-series covers all aspects of fishing Florida Giant tarpon on the saltwater flats and backcountry of Boca Grande, Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater,Tampa, Orlando, and the Disney area. Learn everything from tarpon biology to the charter secrets of Florida tarpon fishing guide, Capt. Robert McCue. Whether you are a flyfishing guru or a light tackle warrior, the tarpon mini-series offers Florida tarpon fishing tips for pros and novices alike. We invite you to review the entire Bounty Hunter Florida Sport Fishing Charters & Guide Service site in making your decision upon taking Florida fishing charter.

"Here they come, one o'clock a big wad" I said, as I hit the hi-bypass of my electric trolling motors to intercept the path of the giant tarpon. Their black mass just visible in the light green Florida saltwater, 500 yards off the beach. A few fish roll, their giant eyes looking right at us. "Give 'em the filet mignon" I suggested to the stunned angler. The blue crab lands well ahead of the school and slowly sinks out of sight as the huge mass of tarpon closes in. The rod tip bounces and the angler cranks the handle of the large spinning reel in a fury to come tight to the beast. "Jab 'em, hit him again," my voice cracks with a rush of adrenaline, like a trainer in Mike Tyson's corner during a title fight. A 5-foot surface- to-air- tarpon missile launches, the gills rattle like a threatened diamondback as the king walks on his tail across water. The tarpon beast cartwheels in an attempt to throw the razor-sharp hook. Its body lights up in an array of silver and so does the angler, and the guide wonders, who hooked who? Another Florida tarpon fishing charter success story, another Florida tarpon gone bad.

A moment of a lifelong memory? Yes. A rare occurrence? Not really, after all, we're fishing giant tarpon on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The scene is played out day in and day out all along our beautiful coast. As I mentioned in the introduction to fishing tarpon, the silver king arrives along the West Coast of Florida on or about the first moon in March most years. Action heats up in April and peaks in May, June, July, all along our beaches and saltwater flats. This, all part of a tarpon pre-spawn courtship ritual that has been happening as long as anyone can remember.

An hour before first light, I launch my 23-foot tarpon skiff the "Bounty Hunter". Her trolling motors rigged, batteries charged, an arsenal of rods point to the fish gods in every rod holder, the tarpon war machine is ready for battle, another fun day in the Florida sun. The location of my tarpon charters may vary somewhat according to particular moon phases and movements of the giant tarpon. For this reason the "Bounty Hunter" is stowed on her trailer, giving me the mobility to act as a tarpon fishing nomad and necessary to keep my clients in the highest concentration of tarpon all year. I am a firm believer in the odds game.

I make my run to the tarpon battlefield in the early morning darkness and kill my Mercury 225 Opti Max. a half-hour before first light in the theater of probability. Tarpon hate outboards,(they may not chase them away...but do change their temperament in shallower water) and I feel it's very important not to "run" anywhere you expect them to be. As the sun rises, all eyes study the water for signs of the tarpon. They almost always give themselves away by "rolling" on the surface, other times they may "fin," just a portion of their tail or dorsal breaks the surface. Other times a "pop" will be heard of the feeding "poon". If none are spotted after a patient "stakeout", I will move well outside of the anticipated travel path of the fish and slowly idle northward parallel to the beach thus as I expect the tarpon to be generally moving south in early spring. Stalking tarpon is similar to buck hunting, except it's a little bit warmer! We are always staked out some where waiting. This is a major part of tarpon fishing. If you are one who is not this type we suggest fishing for another species. Of course, the payoff is huge.

As soon as I spot the tarpon fish, I turn the big motor off and make my final approach and adjustments with a pair of high-thrust electric trolling motors. The same technique is used when I am tarpon fishing on the saltwater flats, with the exception that I never use a gas motor in hunting tarpon in shallow water. Tarpon on the beach are often found in 8 to 25 feet of water and can tolerate a gas motor idling a few hundred yards away. Tarpon on the Florida flats will not stand for a gas motor in the clear shallows. At a good distance the fish may not "spook" but their feeding will turn off. Flats tarpon are always "spooky." I search for these fish using a combination of the push-pole and electric motors, and only approach to make a presentation via push-pole, as these fish are sensitive to the whirl of the electric's. The key to catching Florida flats and beach tarpon is to be patient. An angler who stakes out an area is more likely to encounter "happy" tarpon than those who insist on moving at fish quickly.

I often sit outside of pods of tarpon and study their movements, their speed, and the attitude of the fish. If the tarpon (as they often do around the moons and in the early season) are moving fast and rolling high ("greyhounding") and the area has a lot of fish moving through, I will often let these "greyhounding" fish pass on. These tarpon fish are hurried, and about as likely to stop as the average guy late for a date with Demi Moore. Remember, these are pre-spawn fish. By letting them pass I can concentrate on finding "happy" fish, those moving slowly, milling or stopping to feed. A properly presented bait to these fish will often result in a hookup. If the pods are coming infrequently I'll work all schools I can. Being able to make quick, yet patient decisions is also key in catching beach and saltwater flats tarpon.

As I mentioned in the introduction to tarpon, a key factor is finding northbound schools on the beach. This situation occurs mostly after the first full moon in June. Northbound tarpon are post-spawn. Southbound tarpon are mostly pre-spawn. Southbound fish can require presenting the bait multiple times. Like putting a peanut on the table of a poker game, eventually somebody is going to eat it. The northbound tarpon are hungry. They may have just completed the rigorous act of spawning and in addition just made it in from the continental shelf 125 miles off shore and are returning to their normal habits, if there is anything normal about tarpon!

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