By: Capt. Bart Marx
The tarpon that have traveled from the Caribbean to Boca Grande Pass should be close to migrating back out into the Gulf to spawn this month. The pass is a mile wide opening and Charlotte Harbor is about twenty miles long north and south, and ten miles east and west. The Peace River and the Myakka River flow into the northern section which is a big estuary where there all kinds of juvenile fish that grow up here. With the tides that come in and out these fish get pulled out to the pass which acts like a big funnel. And remember, it is only a mile wide and for over 100 years people have fished for the Silver King Tarpon. I have been told in the early sixties, there were tournaments for tarpon were held in Harbor Heights, and the old Princess Hotel in Punta Gorda is where the wealth folks came to stay and fish for tarpon. Around 1900, Usseppa Island housed folks that also came to tarpon fish. I have seen artist drawings with a launch/power boat towing six to eight 20ish foot long canoes with one angler and one oarsman. They would fish the tides and when the tides changed they would round up the canoes and tow them back and get ready for another trip. Today, there are several different ways to target tarpon. There are the traditional live baiters, most of these are power boats that drift in Boca Grande with crabs, shrimp, mutton minnows, squirrel fish and even pin fish and use conventional style reels. And then you have the artificial bait anglers that use jigs and soft plastics to target tarpon which most of these are daytime fishermen. Boca Grande Pass can be a dangerous place with the current and hundreds of boats drifting for tarpon at the same time!
A piece of advice, never anchor your boat in the Pass as the current and waves make it very dangerous, with all these tarpon here, what part of the food chain are they in? The biggest threat to tarpon is sharks! Yes, sharks follow the tarpon because it is a great food source. Some people like to target sharks to have a battle with some of these large creatures and to get a photo, and this time of year the snook should be all along the beaches and near the Gulf in spawning mode. They can also be found around structure just inside the passes along the coast. If you travel out into the Gulf away from all the tarpon anglers there should be some nice snapper, lane, mangrove, and yellow tail to target so as to have some fresh fish for lunch or dinner. Keep an eye out for some red grouper too, which you should be able to find from fifty to eighty feet of water. So, get out there and get after it and catch them up! Give me a call and I’ll show you how we get it done!