- November 25, 2024
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Tarpon fishing along the area beaches has been spotty as of late due to cooler water temperatures.
Lately, the water temps have been bouncing back and forth between the 70s and 80s. The lower temps will either shut the tarpon down, or the fish will leave to find warmer water. Higher temps will bring the tarpon in and turn the bite on.
Tarpon are often called “silver kings” or “poons,” so you will see me use these terms.
Last week, Dan and Ramona Rutkowski went out to the Matanzas Inlet in search of tarpon and were rewarded with two silver kings that they brought to the boat and released. Both fish were in the 80-pound range.
Dan said they didn’t find any tarpon on any of the bait pods they came across, but they did find them by accident as they were cruising around, searching for signs of poons. They noticed a silver flash in the water and stopped the boat to investigate.
What they found were a couple of schools of tarpon that were lazily hanging out just a few feet below the surface. Dan said most of the fish they saw seemed to be kind of sluggish, which he said was probably caused by the cooler water temperatures.
They placed their baits right in front of the fishes’ noses, but they refused to eat the baits. They finally found a couple of fish that cooperated with them and the fight was on.
If you want to try your hand at catching a tarpon, start by trying to choose a day when there is no wind. Morning is usually the best time because the ocean is flat, and it’s easy to spot the pods of bait on top of the water.
As the day wears, we usually get the afternoon breezes, and this puts a chop on the water, making it difficult to see the bait. Once you locate bait, you’ll have to throw the cast net and fill your live well with it.
Your tackle should consist of a rod in the 30- to 50-pound class, with a reel to match. Line should also be in the same size class to match the rod and reel. You’ll need a 50- to 80-pound leader attached to the line with a triple surgeon’s knot.
On the end of the leader, you want a 5/0 to 9/0 circle hook, depending on the size of the fish. Hook your bait in the back and cast it to the edge of the bait pod and you’re good to go.
