By: Caitlyn Gatrell
Springtime tarpon fishing is one of the most anticipated times of the year for an angler. It’s when tarpon make their annual migration along the southern coastal states of the U.S. They travel in large schools, are close to shore, and are often fired up and ready to eat. In the Ten Thousand Islands especially, that spring heat heavily draws them in, creating lots of opportunities for hookups.
Whenever the warmer weather becomes frequent and we start seeing them roll in our area, we get prepared! We like to plan our trips around the tide, preferably ones that overlap with the sunrise or set. This is the ultimate high activity level as we always see them very active and lunging on bait. With that being said, we make sure to stock up on live bait such as mullet, whitebait, shrimp, and crabs. We like to free line our live bait, with or without a sinker, and wait for that hard thump.
When they are abundant in Southwest Florida, you can find them just about anywhere, but they tend to hang around points, channels, deep cuts, and around mangrove lines. Sometimes we pull up to our spots and we can see a bunch rolling (or even jumping!) and other times we don’t see much activity. It also can be instant back to back hook-ups, or it could be a bite every 30 minutes or so, or none at all. It’s best to plan your trip around the other factors so you can get the most out of your experience.
Another thing to consider when it comes to springtime tarpon fishing is the moon phase. Fishing a few days before or after a new or full moon can bring the action. Oftentimes, these moon phases also bring big tide fluctuations. That means there can be extra low or extra high tides with stronger currents present, making the feeding frenzies a bit crazier. If I had to give you my idea of the best springtime tarpon fishing, I would say plan your trip around an evening outgoing tide with a newer or fuller moon.
The action that tarpon brings make the whole trip worth it. Their crazy jumps, incredible strength, and their ability to not give up makes this one of the best inshore gamefish to target. I can say Tarpon are for sure my favorite saltwater species, and I’m sure plenty of you can agree!
I wish tight lines to all those who are gearing up for their springtime Tarpon fishing.