By: Capt. Greg Poland
It’s spring in the Florida Keys and if you have been reading my reports for the last few years you know it’s my favorite time of year because my old friend the Silver King comes to town, and of all the fishes that swim in the sea, the tarpon by far is my favorite! As a child, I went snook fishing with a group of guys and one of them was so upset that he had hooked a tarpon so he handed the rod to me and said you deal with this thing and so I did and have been doing so for the rest of my life.
My old friend who handed me that rod many mango seasons ago only wanted to catch something he could eat and to be honest, I never cared for the taste of fish, so give me a slice of pizza and a tarpon over a snook any day! The annual migration of tarpon will bring the fish from both sides of the State to the Keys and Everglades waters, and they will be here for a while so if you have never experienced a tarpon on the line, now is the time to get your tackle prepared and go catch one. I like to use a 20lb spinning rod or conventional outfit depending on the situation and bait I am fishing with, and for the last few years have been fishing beaded line with a long fluorocarbon leader with a circle hook. Depending on the area I am fishing and the bait I am using, I will add a bobber or a sinker to the leader and use a light drag and increase it after the fish is hooked. The best part of tarpon fishing comes about 30seconds after the fish is hooked, that’s when your fish turns into an Olympic athlete and will put on a show better then Circ do Sole, so hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
Often, we are fishing around a bridge so the ride might take you scaredy close to the concrete but with a good boat driver, it will give you a great story to tell at the local watering hole for years to come. If you are like my old friend who only wants to catch something you can eat, that is fine with me, there is room on the water for everyone and for the next few months. I will most likely not be in your favorite snapper spot! I have just come off a stretch of fishing the Gulf for spanish mackerel and the patch reefs and have spent a lot of time at the fish cleaning table. We have been chumming heavy and using a mixture of pilchards and live shrimp. The mackerel and mangrove snapper bite had been good and lots of action for everyone on board.
— Contact Capt. Greg at 305.393.3327 or email
gregpoland@icloud.com | Instagram: gregpoland
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