Tarpon Tips
Tarpon Fishing Information - Charters and Guides
Tarpon fishing information and directory of charters & guides in the Florida keys, boca grande, everglades, southwest florida, sanibel, naples, sarasota, tampa bay, key west, key largo, islamorada.
Tackle
For tarpon from 5-40 lbs, medium spinning rods 6.5-7 ft and
4000 class reels will suffice. I prefer braided line from 10-20
lbs with a 40lb fluorocarbon leader of 12-18 inches. For the
larger fish, a 5000 or 6000 class reel with 20-40 lb braid and
a heavy action rod will be necessary.

Live Bait
For the greatest numbers of fish and spectacular strikes,
nothing beats a small finger mullet fished on the surface.
Other small to medium baitfish will also draw strikes.
Menhaden, scaled sardines, threadfin herring, ladyfish,
pinfish, and mojarras are examples of baits that can easily
be caught with a cast net. I use circle hooks exclusively. The
use of these hooks prevent the leader from wearing through
as the fish are nearly always hooked in the top lip or corner
of the jaw. 4/0 or 5/0 size hooks will work on all juvenile fish.
Use 7/0 to 9/0 for fish over 50 lbs.

Lures
Catching tarpon on artificial baits can sometimes be
challenging but is very rewarding. Some of my favorite lures
can be seen in the photo to the left side of this page.

I prefer to cast these lures directly to rolling fish. Let the bait
sink for several seconds and begin a slow retrieve. The
strikes on these lures are often very subtle. My go to lures
for tarpon are the DOA Baitbuster and TerrorEyz. The 1/4
oz. DOA Shrimp is also very effective

Topwater baits and swimming plugs can also be used to
catch tarpon. These types of baits have two disadvantages.
They are easily shaken by jumping fish. Handling a
thrashing fish with several sets of treble hooks dangling from
its mouth can also be dangerous.

Tarpon are my favorite fish. I you want to learn how to
become a successful tarpon fisherman, contact me for an
instructional charter!

Tarpon are available in central Florida from the late spring
through fall. Juvenile fish arrive first and can be found in
various creeks and canals off the Indian River and Mosquito
Lagoon. In the late summer, adult tarpon move into the
lagoon system.
Central Florida Fishing Charters with Capt. Chris Myers
popular small tarpon lures
Clockwise from top: Pearl
shad tail/jighead, storm shad,
DOA rootbeer terroreyz,
DOA glow shrimp
Central Florida tarpon fishing charters
Fishing Near Orlando Florida with Capt. Chris Myers
Your Orlando Fishing Guide
321-229-2848