All-Season Tarpon
Four fisheries for access to year-round Florida action, By David Conway
Florida tarpon fishing is as diversified as the state's waters. Different
fisheries shine at different phases of the species' annual turns along the coasts.
Together, the four fisheries for four seasons described below tell something of
the mystery, and magic, of the tarpon's life story.
The story of their species is amazing, one that scientists are only beginning to understand with studies in Florida and elsewhere. The species has been coming to Florida's shores for more than 80 million years. During the adults' spawning migrations, the younger fish come out of their inshore haunts in the mangrove shorelines, bays, and backcountry to meet the adults in the open oceans. There are famous tarpon fisheries all around Florida, but in the following four, you'll not only find the fish but also some of the story of their annual migrations.
Capt. Derringer with daughter Aven and her first big tarpon.
TArpon Seasons
Spring Migration in the Keys
Spring Migration in the Keys
Spring Migration in the Keys
To track spring tarpon, Capt. Juan Garcia of Islamorada will head to the western edges of the Everglades National Park in Florida Bay, to Cape Sable
and up the coast toward Shark River. He'll also scout schools deeper in the Gulf.
"It can be pretty epic on a slicked out day when you find hundreds of tarpon laying up on the surface," Garcia says. "When the water temperature starts to hold steady in the mid 70s, these fish will move deeper into the park. Tides, water temp, wind direction and weather will determine the best areas to fish on a given day."
Garcia believes the fish are coming from northern and western Gulf of Mexico waters, and recent research has revealed that huge schools of tarpon over winter by oil rigs in the northern Gulf.
"These fish are ready to feed and get into their spawning rituals in the coming months. The longer they're around, the more pressure they see from anglers, so we're on the lookout. We like to get the first jump."
Garcia will alter his tackle depending on the size of tarpon he's after, always keeping in mind that a fish fight and a quick release is good for the fish and the fishery. When he's fishing dead baits like mullet on the bottom, he'll use a weight, swivel and a circle hook attached to a 5-foot long piece of fluorocarbon leader. The weight and leader size depends on current and water clarity.
"Up in the Flamingo and Cape Sable area, you can't beat mullet or ladyfish. Pilchards, pinfish and shrimp will work well for the smaller fish," he says.
"At the bridges, I use mullet, dead or alive, depending on tide and location. When the sun goes down, live medium crabs are my bait."
Summer Spawning Grounds
Spring Migration in the Keys
Spring Migration in the Keys
As spring days pass, schools of tarpon move northward to their spawning grounds. Boca Grande's is one famous spring fishery, but tarpon are well-
distributed along Florida's southwest coast all summer.
"There's nothing better than a school of tarpon that has rested up all night and is ready to chew at the crack of dawn," says Capt. David Holzhauer of Cape Coral.
Holzhauer's fishing begins in the spring with the first wave of fish, and
continues deep into summer.
"Their northerly pattern brings them into the Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel
area from deep water where they stage, before continuing along the beaches
toward Captiva Island, Boca Grande and farther north towards Tampa,"
Holzhauer says. "Along with staying in the Gulf, the fish will also take the inside track through the Intracoastal up Pine Island Sound, where the fishing can be as impressive as what we found on the outside Gulf waters.
"Baits I use change, and knowing where and when to fish each bait is a key to success," Holzhauer says.
Also critical is tracking bottom contours, he adds. Knowing where the
slightest drop offs are, where the bottom changes or where structure is can
determine whether the fish pass within reach of your bait or stay around long
enough to give you a chance for multiple hookups.
Fall's Forage Fish Migrations
Fall's Forage Fish Migrations
Fall's Forage Fish Migrations
The action kicks into gear with the outpouring of forage fish, such as
mullet, pogies and minnows, from local waterways out the inlets, to the near-
beach waters, in a southward migration.
"In the fall we target the inlets, bridges and along the beach for the bigger
migrating tarpon," says Capt. Tommy Derringer, a practiced hand at tarpon
fishing from South Jacksonville to Palm Coast. "My favorite place to target those big fish would have to be at the inlets. The tarpon put on quite a show along the rocks, and if you time it right, it can be an all-out feeding frenzy."
Float a live bait, free-line a bait, fish the bottom, or even toss a plug or fly
at those fish, Derringer says, and the action gets outrageous. "There might be
three to five big tarpon launching into the air, attacking the mullet schools, as you fish. If that scene doesn't get your heart pumping, I don't know what will."
Derringer cautions that the region's high tides, which run four to six feet on
average, cause big currents, which can make it tough "to get a live bait to look
natural in the water. If your bait looks even just a little unnatural, the tarpon is
most likely going to pass."
As the pods wend their way south, tarpon can be reached with a good,
sharp cast from some beaches.
Winter in the Big City
Fall's Forage Fish Migrations
Fall's Forage Fish Migrations
From December through February, Capt. Mark Kostyo of Miami will catch
tarpon in Haulover Inlet and along the beach north and south. Under the bright
lights of Miami, Kostyo will head out at night and target the fish that are wintering in deeper water and feeding on the shrimp runs that are spurred on by winter cold fronts. Later in the year, from March into July, Kostyo will focus on fishing Government Cut. The bridges in Biscayne Bay are good for tarpon throughout the entire season.
"In a 4-hour evening trip," Kostyo says, "I reasonably expect to have shots
at anywhere from two to eight tarpon. When you hit an evening when the shrimp run, the action gets even better."
Early in the season, the fish tend to be smaller, ones "coming from inside the bay, from the mangroves and brackish water bays north of the inlet," he says.
After February, bigger fish move in, with April and May being the best months to expect to catch fish in the 100-pound and bigger class. Still, there's something magic about catching tarpon in the dead of winter, by a big city, when the air is cool, and there few other boats.
Haulover Inlet is a drift fishery, and there's skill to knowing how to drift your boat over the areas where the fish gather, not to mention how to maneuver your boat once an angler gets hooked up. "No matter how well you know the area by day, it's a whole different picture by night," Kostyo warns. "If the tarpon takes you into the main ship channel, remember, the big ships have the right of way. Also, keep your navigation lights on and be aware of where the jetties are when moving toward a hooked tarpon."
Kostyo also has a few words for anglers who want a shot but are as yet
unfamiliar with the tarpon's power: "Stand up and breathe while fighting the fish. I've seen many anglers bent over at the waist, cutting off their breathing. They get exhausted and have to pass the rod off. On the bigger tarpon, your back is going to hurt, your arms will turn to rubber, and your grip will give out."
Tarpon trip planner
What: Big Tarpon
When: Year-round
Where: All around Florida
Who: These captains follow the tarpon through their waters:
Spring: Capt. Juan Garcia, Islamorada, FL (305) 297-0438, www.letsgofishing.us
Summer: Capt. David Holzhauer, Cape Coral, FL (239) 940-1541,
Fall: Capt. Tommy Derringer, St. Augustine, FL (904) 377-3734,
Winter: Capt. Dave Kostyo, Miami, FL (305) 965-9454, www.knotnancy.com
