Florida is known the world over for its tarpon fishing, with some of the finest spots globally to chase the legendary “Silver King.” Here’s a guide to the top tarpon fishing action in the Sunshine State.
Florida Keys
- Overview: Florida Keys is known as the number one place in the world for tarpon fishing. Crystal-clear waters and rich marine life make this area a hotspot for tarpon enthusiasts.
- Best Time to Visit: April to June is peak tarpon season, coinciding with the annual migration of large schools that cruise through the Keys.
- Popular Spots: Key West Harbor, Bahia Honda Bridge, and the flats around Islamorada are quite famous. Tarpons are usually found in shallow flats, sometimes in deeper channels.
- Tactics: With daylight, sight fish in the flats; during the night, drift live bait in deeper waters.
Boca Grande Pass
- Overview: On the Southwest coast of Florida, it is known that Boca Grande Pass is the “Tarpon Capital of the World,” with aggregations of huge tarpon.
- Best Time to Visit: May to July because this is the time when the best fishing will take place during this tarpon migration annually.
- Popular Spots: Heavy tarpon action at Boca Grande Pass itself, Gasparilla Island, and Charlotte Harbor.
- Techniques: Among the proven techniques for these waters are drift fishing with live crabs and threadfin herring.
Tampa Bay
- About: Tampa Bay offers a variety of tarpon fishing, from flats to mangrove coastlines and deep channels teeming with tarpon.
- Season: The weeks of late spring and early summer, specifically during May and June, are the prime time to catch tarpon in Tampa Bay.
- Hot Spots: The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Fort De Soto Park, and the flats near Weedon Island are fisheries considered to be the best spots.
- Tactics: Sight fishing the flats during the calm mornings and evenings and the use of live bait around bridge pilings and channels.
Homosassa
An area along the Florida Gulf Coast is Homosassa, which has big tarpon, especially during the late spring and early summer.
- Best time: The Peak months for Homosassa are generally May and June.
- Hot Spots: The Homosassa River, Chassahowitzka Bay, and the flats and channels surrounding each are top spots to hunt for tarpon.
- Methods: Most of the fishing in Homosassa is done using a slow-sink, intermediate, or sink-tip fly line on a 9-foot rod with a medium action and a big, bushy streamer or floating fly. Fly anglers also like fishing with large crab patterns.
Miami and Biscayne Bay
- General Description: The quality of tarpon fishing in Miami and Biscayne Bay in both urban and natural settings is extraordinary during the peak.
- Best Time: Fishing is possible virtually year-round, but that’s true in a lot of places; peak time runs from March through July.
- Favorite Locales: Government Cut, Rickenbacker Causeway, and Biscayne Bay Flats are the hot spots for tarpon.
- Tactics: Productive methods here include night fishing around bridge lights and docks, and sight fishing in the daytime in the flats.
Fort Myers and Sanibel Island
- Overview: Both inshore and nearshore tarpon fishing are available around Fort Myers and Sanibel Island.
- Best Time to Visit: April to August is the best season for tarpon fishing here.
- Hot Spots: Sanibel Island beaches, Pine Island Sound, and the Caloosahatchee River are some of the best habitats of tarpon.
- Techniques: This includes good methods like drifting live bait along beaches and channels and sight fishing to tarpon in shallow flats.
Everglades National Park
- About: The large and diverse ecosystem of Everglades National Park supports tarpon fishing experiences that are totally unlike any other, as equally freshwater and saltwater habitats are merged in this region.
- Prime: The best tarpon fishing one can enjoy in the Everglades, through late spring up to the beginning of the fall, specifically in the months from May through September.
- Popular Spots: Flamingo, Whitewater Bay, and the Ten Thousand Islands have made a big name in tarpon fishing.
- Tactics: Fish for tarpon in backcountry creeks and bays, or shallow waters, sight fishing with live bait or artificial lures.
This post was written by a professional at Copeland Outdoors. Welcome to Copeland Outdoors, where the sun always shines and the fish are always biting! Right in the heart of St. Petersburg, Florida, our charter, owned and operated by the legendary Tyler Copeland, promises an adventure like no other. Embark on an inshore fishing trip and reel in some of the most prized catches The Bay area has to offer. Tyler, with his years of experience and a knack for finding the honey holes, will guide you to where the fish are practically jumping into the boat! For those craving a bit more adrenaline, why not try your hand at duck hunting, Shark Fishing Tampa, or alligator hunting near you? Grab your sunscreen, and your sense of adventure, and come join us at Copeland Outdoors. Let’s make some waves and reel in some memories together!
