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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
May is the month that the tarpon make their migration from the Shark River to Flamingo area of Everglades National Park, push north around the tip of Marco Island and then work their way up towards Boca Grande Pass. A lot depends on the weather and water temperature, but by mid-May the fish are definitely on the move and easy to target on a daily basis in my region.
The place to find migrating schools of fish is along the beaches in anywhere from waist deep water out to about 20 to 25 feet of water.
On the lower stages of the tide, the fish will really gang up in the deeper water areas from the Shark River to Marco Island, and there are times when I’ll come across schools that are so dense with fish that they stretch to the horizon. As far as you can see in any direction there will be rolling fish.
When the fish push out of the backcountry they follow a distinct line of travel, which on the lower tide phases is usually the outside edges of the flats right where the water drops off. The water in these areas will be anywhere from 6 to 10 feet deep so they can be hard to spot on the windy days. On the calm days, you’ll see rolling fish or fish pushing water, but on the windy days you have to look deep into the water column for the dark shadows of the schools while at the same time watching for free-jumping fish that are blowing up bait.
Live pinfish, ladyfish, mullet or threadfin herring are the top tarpon baits. I like to suspend them under a cork so they can’t move out of the path of approaching fish easily, and also so I know where my baits are at all times. These baits see the tarpon swimming at them, and they’ll get out of the way so they don’t get eaten, so you want to do something to hold them right in the path of the moving fish.
We throw flies at the tarpon a lot as well. The nice thing about the flies is that they’re usually neutrally buoyant so they can sit suspended in front of the fish for longer periods of time if the fish are moving slowly. They’re also easy for the fish to catch and large enough to represent a decent meal.
For fly colors, I like white, chartreuse and brown—with the brighter colors in the middle of the day and the darker colors early. Black and purple is another good color, as is yellow or yellow and white.
The same time the tarpon are migrating north, the silver mullet are schooling up and pushing out of the creeks and canals, so you have schools of mullet crossing paths with the tarpon, and that can really light the fish up. If you find them in an area where they are blowing up mullet schools, you can go to an 8 inch lipped plug in the natural colors like brown, green or bone and do really well.
When I’m fishing tarpon in the springtime with live bait, I like to target them with 6/0 to 8/0 circle hooks, 60 to 80 pound fluorocarbon leaders and 25 to 40 pound spinning gear on a 5,000 size reel. I’ll spool that up with 40 pound braided line so we can put a lot of heat on the fish and not wear it completely out and increase its chance of survival.
At night and early morning, the fish will really gang up in the passes and around the bridges. The same baits will work, and live crabs can be the hit of the party if they’re moving on the surface with the outgoing tide. The tarpon will school up and eat the crabs off the surface, and a freelined crab back to where they’re feeding is a sure bet.
The migrating tarpon of spring tend to average anywhere from 80 to 160 pounds with fish even larger in the mix, so this is not a fishery you want to target with light tackle. If you hook a big fish in one of the passes with a strong outgoing tide, you likely won’t be able to stop it even with heavy tackle, and with light tackle, you’ll get pulled into the next county.
One last thing you want to remember is that the bull sharks and hammerheads tend to dog the migrating tarpon schools, so if you see a shark chasing your tarpon, immediately break it off to give the fish a chance to escape. When a tarpon’s mobility is limited because you’re pulling on it, the fish will surely get eaten, and we’re only out to play with the fish and have an enjoyable time on the water.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 5/31/2014 12:40:29 AM by Seamus and last updated on 5/31/2014 12:40:29 AM.
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