The Tarpon spawn is winding down which means the bite is heating up. Gone are the days of throwing a bait into schools of fish and watching as they ignore it over and over. I have seen my last “daisy chain” of fish, and I don’t miss it a bit. The fish that return from the trip offshore are hungry. Will they eat all day long? Of course not. However, if you play the tides right, the bite can be amazing day after day.
Get the Tarpon Tackle Right
The last 3 days in a row we have landed multiple fish all before 9am, each day. Most of the morning has been spent fighting fish. Yesterday I made a total of 2 casts, and landed 2 fish!!! Can’t beat that. My charters also had another amazing stat that is almost unheard of for Tarpon fishing: 100% of the fish hooked this week were brought to the boat! There are a couple of reasons for that. One, the tackle I use from July thru October lands more fish. Two, the setup with the bait allows for a more predictable take from the fish. So, let’s talk tackle again, and contrast from my previous post: https://www.nativesportfishing.com/book-now-for-the…sh-of-a-lifetime/ . As I have stated before, the best terminal setup for landing tarpon is to combine monofilament line with a large, sharp circle hook. When using non-live natural baits, I opt for much heavier leader. I use 150lb test because I can still tie it to the swivel and hook on the fly, and it’s heavy enough to prevent break-offs. The mainline is 50lb, and I make sure to have at least 250 yards on the spool. The hook I use is a Mustad 9/0 Perfect Circle. I know this hook won’t straighten no matter what my anglers do.
Three More Tarpon Months Left!
Post Spawn Tarpon have to replenish the calories burned from the spawning run. That means their appetite is incredible. When the dinner bell rings, we often get double and triple hookups. This time of year I can usually predict the amount of wait time on each bait. Some mornings all it takes is a couple minutes.
