Tarpon Fishing

As coastal water temperatures begin to climb in early spring migratory schools of tarpon work their way from the Florida Keys up the southwest Gulf coast towards Charlotte Harbor. Large schools of hungry fish filter into Boca Grande Pass and the adjacent bays and sounds to feed on the vast amount of available bait. From this point, groups and schools of fish spread out from the beaches to the backcountry and can be seen cruising, daisy chaining, or just laid up within any of these areas. Looking and fishing for tarpon generally takes place in somewhat more open and deeper water than a backcountry trip and also utilizes stouter tackle. In addition to working the beaches just Sanibel, Captiva, Cayo Costa, or Gasparilla Islands, we might stake out or drift some of the deeper grass flats within Pine Island or Gasparilla Sound. In Charlotte Harbor itself, we could slowly work our way up and down the east or west wall between Matlacha and Pirate Harbor.

As for tackle, we offer both fly and spinning gear. For fly, we’ll use ten or twelve weight rods matched with an intermediate sink tip line. If you’ve ever wanted to experience the thrill of fishing this great game fish on fly, spring and early summer provide a perfect sight fishing opportunity.

For spinning gear, we can throw suspending plugs, drift live bait, or use a combination of both. Instead of pure sight casting, we’ll float our baits under a cork and cast our plugs in the same area we see tarpon rolling on the surface. We can even fish for tarpon well into late summer in some of the deeper holes of the harbor utilizing this method.