by Capt. Billy Norris
The whole month of May, Pale Horse Fishing Charters shifted gears and moved the whole operation to Marathon in the Florida Keys running tarpon charters. May is the premier month to catch tarpon in the Lower Keys, as they show up in schools of thousands. Congregated around the major bridges of Bahia Honda and the famous 7 Mile Bridge, are enormous schools of world class tarpon ranging in size from 50 to over 200 pounds. They are undoubtedly one of the top sportfish in the world and will put even the most experienced anglers to the test. Over the course of the month we landed tons of tarpon, with some charters hooking up over a dozen fish in a single day! Bait of choice depends on where you are and what the fish are choosing to eat. Crabs or mullet are the hot ticket baits of choice. As far as gear setup, you can use either 6000 series reels up to 8000 with heavy action rods. Personally, I like to use the Quantum Cabo 60s with a 7-foot heavy action Star Rod. Line wise, I like to stick with 50-pound braided line, although some guides like to go heavier. Fluorocarbon leader is a must, and depending on how picky the fish are that day you may have to go back and forth between 40-60-pound test. As far as hooks, 5/0 Mustad heavy duty circle hooks or Owners will do the trick. On top of having to beat the fish themselves, avoiding the gigantic hammerheads trying to eat your tarpon gave customers a heart pounding thrill! In addition to tarpon, we ran several offshore trips catching limits of big yellowtail snapper, and trolled up plenty of dolphin and blackfin tuna! Every May Pale Horse Fishing Charters runs charters out of Marathon, so if you’ve ever wanted to take a tarpon trip of a lifetime, call Captain Billy and set up your tarpon trip for May 2020!
