By Capt. Mike Smith, Fish Your Ass Off Charters
Are you having trouble catching tarpon this summer? It ain’t easy but you can get them to eat your artificial lures if you present them the correct way. Yes, size and profile are important too, but the retrieve is the key to catching more tarpon.
The first thing that you have to master is the tarpon retrieve. Tarpon are a no-frills species of game fish as it relates to your lure presentation. They typically do not like lures with a lot of action. There are days when they will hit anything that you put in front of them, but those days are few and far between.
A great summertime lure for tarpon is a 5.5 inch jerk bait with a nice long twist-lock hook nicely centered so it tracks perfectly straight and doesn’t wobble on the retrieve. Cast it out a few feet in front of a gulping tarpon and reel it slowly back.
Another great lure for this situation is your favorite 3-inch artificial shrimp, as long as it falls slowly through the water column and stays horizontal as it sinks. Present this lure to gulping tarpon by casting a few feet in front of them and let it fall to the bottom. That’s it. Don’t twitch it or move it at all, just let it fall. If they are hungry, they will eat it as it falls. Natural looking shrimp with gold glitter is a good choice.
This no-action tarpon retrieve idea works for fly fishermen too. Present your purple and black tarpon toads or deceivers in front of the tarpon and work it back as slow and steady as you are able.
One of this captain’s favorite tarpon lures is the D.O.A. shallow running Bait Buster. This lure is a mullet imitation that tracks perfectly straight and has very little tail action. Purple works great in low light scenarios and a more natural look works better when it’s sunny and clear. You know the drill. Just cast it in front of the tarpon and reel it back slowly without twitching.
When it gets super hot and the tarpon move to deep water, another D.O.A. lure that works great is the 3/8-oz. regular TerrorEyz. You typically won’t see the tarpon but they are probably facing into the current so cast upcurrent and slowly reel back, keeping the lure near the bottom. This is very effective around bridge pilings and deep docks. You will also pick up a lot of really big snook this way too.
Tarpon are about the best inshore game fish that you can catch. They are ranked #2 as the best sport fish on the planet behind the blue marlin. Hopefully this article will help you catch more.
Go get ’em.
Capt. Mike Smith, owner of Fish Your Ass Off Charters, is an inshore fishing guide who has been fishing the waters, oyster bars and grass flats of Florida for more than 40 years. Reach him at (561) 339-2317, email: contact@fishyourassoff.com or visit fishyourassoff.com.
