Tarpon Schools on the Move: Fishing with Capt. George Tunison

Tarpon Schools on the Move: Fishing with Capt. George Tunison

Tarpon Fishing Guide: Tips and Techniques for a Successful Catch

Introduction

If you’re looking for thrilling and challenging fishing, tarpon angling may be just the sport for you. Boca Grande, located in Florida, has become tarpon central recently, but there are other spots along the coast where you can find these magnificent fish. If you’re new to this type of fishing, it’s best to seek help from experienced anglers or guides to ensure success. In this post, we’ll provide techniques and tips to improve your chances of catching a silver king.

Fishing Techniques

Beach or Coastal Fishing

One technique to catch tarpon is beach or coastal fishing from a boat. This involves first spotting moving schools of tarpon along the coast then motoring out and ahead of their intended path without spooking them. Set up and then wait for them to come into casting or baiting range. Coastal presentations range from dead baiting on the bottom using a variety of fish, including cut mullet, catfish, Spanish mackerel, or shad to presenting small live baits such as small pass and blue crabs, pinfish, or threadfins under a small float.

Casting Techniques

Another technique is casting your favorite lure. Use large three-hook Bomber stickbaits (with replaced treble hooks to singles) for tarpon fishing local bridges at night but clear water coastal fish typically shy away from such large plugs in the daytime. A standard-size MirrOlure with trebles removed and a single 5/0-6/0 circle hook rigged to the nose can be deadly on early morning beach hunts. Alternatively, casting swimbait baitfish imitations such as DOA Bait Busters, Storms, or Zman Herculez can be effective.

Bait and Lure Choices

Soft Plastic

Soft plastic lures can be effective when fishing for tarpon. The Zman Herculez is a realistically swimming paddle tail swimbait that comes with a molded-in weight and upright hook. Another option is the Hogy family of lures with molded-in weighted jig heads using their Barbarian hooks or purchase the jigheads and bodies separately. The Barbarian hook design seems to lock onto tough tarpon jaws more efficiently than standard design jigheads.

Topwater Lures

Tarpon will often take a slowly fished topwater presentation such as a Hogy eel fished with Hogy’s Keeper Soft Circle Hook. This is a plain circle hook with a spring attached at the bottom of the hook to screw into the nose of the soft plastic allowing the bait to be presented floating on the surface with a fully exposed circle hook for a solid hook-up. Fish this lure straight at a moderate speed along the surface for explosive strikes especially at night or very early mornings

Tips for Successful Tarpon Fishing

Timing

If you plan on fishing Boca Grande, make sure you are there very early in the morning as it’s been shutting off quickly as the sun gets up. Fishing the 4-8 a.m. shift has been by far the most productive catch window times.

Expert help

If you’re new to tarpon fishing along the coast, it’s highly recommended you seek help from an experienced fellow angler or hire a guide that specializes in this type of tarpon fishing. Either one will save time and money and jumpstart your tarpon game. Joining the No. 1 tarpon club in the USA, the Cape Coral Tarpon Hunters Club, is another great way to get up to speed and become a successful silver king angler.

Stay Informed

Local night fishing around area bridges will keep improving as the weeks go by depending on the amount of toxic water releases from Lake Okeechobee this summer. Although Charlotte Harbor’s deep holes and huge baitfish schools draw lots of tarpon to the area each year, typically hosting them there all the way into late fall, it’s not happening quite yet. Pass and coastal hunts are still more productive.

Be Prepared

Finally, come prepared for the heat by bringing along cold neck towels from the cooler. This will help you stay cool and comfortable as you wait to reel in that big catch.

Conclusion

Fishing for tarpon can be challenging but highly rewarding when you catch that silver king. Using the techniques and tips outlined in this post will help you become a more successful tarpon angler. Remember to seek help from experienced anglers or guides, stay informed, and come prepared to stay cool and comfortable during the heat of the day.

Originally Post From https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/sports/sports-columns/2024/07/11/fishing-with-capt-george-tunison-tarpon-schools-now-moving-along-the-coast/

Read more about this topic at
Tips for Fishing for Tarpon
Tarpon Angling Tips

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