by Greg Poland
Tarpon season is in full swing & the Silver Kings are biting all up and down the Florida Keys from the oceanside flats to the backcountry of the Everglades National Park. We have been spending a lot of time around the local bridges with live mullet on a cork and the bite has been outstanding, for this setup I like a 10ft leader of 50lb fluorocarbon with a cork on one end and a on a circle hook on the other. I go back and forth from 20lb spinning tackle to 30lb conventional 2 speed setups much like guys do for Sailfishing depending on the angler, both work great but I find for younger anglers the spinning rod is easier for them to handle.
I like to get up current of rolling fish and drift a live mullet back to them and if all goes right you will have an amazing bite and be fighting a jumping fish for the next 30 minutes. If you are a fly fisherman it’s the best time of year to get out on the oceanside and cast a chicken feather at a school of migrating tarpon, there is nothing more exciting then standing on the bow of a boat watching a meatball of tarpon swimming at you.
If you are traveling into the backcountry of the Everglades National Park remember you now must have a pass. I was pulled over in the park recently for a safety check and the ranger gave me all the information, so I want to pass it along to you in this article, so you are informed. Check out www.YourPassNow.Com for all the info. It’s something new but from what I understand if you are traveling through the park but not stopping you don’t need a pass, but if you are recreating of any kind from fishing to photographing you will now require a pass. The rangers were great about it and just doing their job, but things are changing so from now on I will be informing my clients about the new rules.
On a lighter side of things, the fishing in the backcountry has been great for everything from Snook to Seatrout, below are a few photos of some families who have been out with me. If you are looking to get out on a charter, I would love to get you out on my new Contender Bay Boat weather it’s a Tarpon trip or a 1/2 day in the backcountry of the Everglades. Here are a few photos and I hope to see you out on the water.
Capt. Greg Poland
305.393.3327 | gregpoland.com
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