Top 5 Tarpon Tips

Tarpon may not be the most common fish along the coast, but they could very well qualify as the most exciting catch for some anglers. How will you get ‘em? Fishing live baits, trolling plugs, and large jigs can all get the job done. But however you choose to fish for ‘em, always remember these top five tarpon tips.

Few fish can match tarpon, for sheer power and excitement.

• Use sharp, stout hooks—very stout. Tarpon have hard, boney mouths, and put a tremendous amount of pressure on your gear. You need to punch the hook in quickly and hold on tight, but if you’ve chosen a thin hook, there’s a good chance the fish will bend it right open.
• Try to target tarpon in low lighting conditions. Tarpon have huge eyes and excellent eyesight, and that can make them tough to fool sometimes. Low light makes it easier. Cloudy water can actually be an advantage in this regard, too, and in gin-clear water under bright sunlight it can be nearly impossible to get them to bite. Note also that fluorocarbon leaders are in order, to minimize visibility.
• If you know where fish are located, going static or drifting with live or dead baits (tarpon will happily slurp up a halved mullet or crab sitting on bottom) will usually prove most effective. When in search mode, however, trolling is usually the best bet. But keep trolling spreads thin; having more than three lines out almost guarantees a tangle when a tarpon goes ballistic after feeling the set of a hook.
• Tarpon are known for acrobatic jumps, which you need to be prepared for. When they come out of the water, swing your rod tip low to the water and out to the side to maintain tension and keep the line down low.
• Tarpon may be a thrilling catch, but they aren’t eaten so treat them with respect as you remove the hook and release the fish. And remember that lifting large ones out of the water can cause internal damage. Get your snapshot with the fish still mostly in the water, before letting it go.