Port Canaveral & Banana River – August 2026

It appears that this August is lining up to be very much like August was last year. If this is the case, it’s going to be a fantastic month of tarpon fishing here on Florida’s Space Coast.

As a true apex predator, these huge silver fish are probably the best sportfish species that we can target throughout the year. Currently there are a lot of fish in the 80 to 140-pound range. The smaller fish are a lot of fun and can be landed in 20 to 30-minutes using 30 to 50-pound class tackle. The larger fish can be more challenging, often taking up to an hour to land.

Most of the tarpon are caught on live baitfish; menhaden, mullet, croakers and pilchards are the most prevalent of these. During morning and afternoon sessions we can sometimes get these fish to eat artificial lures like Saltwater Assassin 4- to 7-inch soft plastic jerk baits or hard plastic Rapala suspending lures that imitate menhaden or mullet.

Schools of tarpon can be found just beyond the surf break. Running and gunning the bait pods that often show up in our near-coastal waters is my preferred method for finding pods of feeding fish.

The thrill of hooking a tarpon is unmatched. These fish will make your reel’s drag scream and will usually go airborne the instant they are hooked. Tarpon have no problem earning their frequent flyer miles.

If you would like to experience the thrill of hooking a tarpon, let’s make a plan to go catch your next memory!

Capt. Jim Ross
Fineline Fishing Charters
www.FinelineFishingCharters.com
(321) 636-3728