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THE TARPON SEASON NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT
By Captain Joe Rodriguez
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Do you think tarpon season begins
in March and that by June it’s
time to put away the 12 weights
and break out the smaller sticks? Well, I’m
here to tell you June is only the beginning.
As long as the weather is warm and the
conditions are right in South Florida you
can successfully “sight fish” for tarpon – and
not the babies, but the big ones. Here are a
few pointers that will help you target and
catch these fish.
The purist’s way of catching a tarpon is
on a fly and in clear water on the ocean side.
In July, schools of tarpon migrate north from
the Florida Keys to Miami. These tarpon are
a lot easier to catch than the big southbound
schools we fish for in April, May and June.
Don’t get me wrong. South-bounders can be
caught. North-bounders, however, are usually
a lot easier to catch because they have
already spawned, are more strung-out, and
are on their way up the coast to their winter
homes. There are no secret spots to find them.
The same places we fish in April, May and
June are the same ones you will find fish in
July and August.
From Long Key to Elliot Key, you can
throw at tarpon all day, especially during the
stronger tides. Even better: No one is fishing
them and they’ll eat flies really well. Don’t
be discouraged if
it’s windy. I prefer
it a little breezy.
The fish aren’t
spooked as easily
as they would be
if the wind were calm.
Wind of about 10 knots is sufficient, but 10 to
15 are even better. Some of the best days with
my clients are when the wind is blowing 15
to 20 knots. If your first thought is that you
can’t cast when the wind is blowing that
hard, don’t worry. In July the wind doesn’t
usually blow that strong so it shouldn’t
be a problem. The water also becomes a
little dirty in the summer and that helps
when it comes to getting more bites. The
combination of both wind and dirty water
will help you catch more fish on the ocean.
Leader set up is a little different for
fishing in these months. Remember these
fish feed at night, not the day. What you
throw (cast), how you throw it to them, and
what fly you use, are key. My leader set up
is simple. I start of with about five feet of
60-pound monofilament, to three feet of
40-pound mono, three feet of 16- or 20-
pound class tippet, and 12 inches of 40- to
60-pound bite tippet. I prefer not to loopto-
loop my leaders and opt to tie the leaders
up with improved blood knots. I feel they
are less visible to the fish. A quality 10 to 12
weight rod and reel rigged with a weighted
floating line will do. When casting to these
fish, it is ideal to lead them by a minimum
of 10 to 15 feet. As far as flies go, the
sparser the better. Tie on a darker pattern
very early in the morning. Once the sun is
bright overhead, switch to a much smaller,
lighter colored fly.
When most fly fisherman are asked
about their favorite way of sight fishing
tarpon, they usually say fishing for “laidup”
tarpon. Laid-up tarpon are lying like
logs. Some of the best laid up tarpon fishing
occurs from July through October. Again,
there are no secrets to finding them. The
same places you fish in early spring will
have fish during this period as well. In fact,
I have found that a lot of these lakes and
basins are as good, or better, than in the
spring because there are fewer boats fishing
and running through the lakes. Therefore,
the “poons” are happier and more willing
to eat your flies. I also prefer the stronger
moon phases. Try to get on the water early.
In some spots the fishing will be over by
early morning. The first few hours can be
magical. As far as flies, white lightnings,
black and red, or black and purple, are
ideal.
On calm days, many of the channels
with flamingos will hold tarpon of all sizes.
Have a rod rigged with a sinking line or
“slime line.” As far as flies go, it’s very
simple: big black or chartreuse flies. This
is the time of year to encounter “shrimp
hatches” during a full moon. Calm, hot,
muggy mornings are the key to finding
a hatch. Any of the lakes and basins in
Florida Bay may have them, usually over
an hour after sunrise, unless there is some
cloud cover. Tarpon from hatches can be
as small as five pounds to more than 100
pounds. It’s possible to hook as many as
30 tarpon in a hatch. For the smaller tarpon
use your 9 weight. For the bigger fish, an
11 or 12 weight is best. It’s also great for
the fish, you get them in quicker and it
does less harm to the fish especially when
the water is hot and stagnant.
From July until late October,
schools of mullet will be forming what
we call “mullet muds.” Not far behind,
the tarpon will be feeding on them. Any
mullet mud you find in Florida Bay
can have tarpon. You will sometimes
see them skyrocketing out of the water
eating a mullet, or busting on them.
Usually, however, they will lay up on
the edges of the mullet mud. Sometimes
they’re simply in the mud rolling
around. These fish eat flies like crazy.
I prefer to use darker flies like black
or black and red. If the fish are rolling
around it helps to have that sinking
line handy just in case they are not laid
up. Just anchor or stake out, then cast.
It won’t take long to hookup if there
is a bunch of fish around. The same
shorelines and bights that hold redfish
and snook will hold tarpon. Sometimes
they slide down the shorelines in two
feet of water with their backs and dorsal
fins out of the water. They destroy big
flies.
Muddler type flies from four- to
seven-inches long in black and red,
orange and brown, and chartreuse will
all work. These flies should be tied
on 3/0 or 4/0 hooks due to the size
and length. The water is muddy so be
aggressive with your cast and put it on
his nose. The strike of a tarpon in two
feet of water is awesome. Usually the
entire head will come out of the water as
they eat the fly. An 11 or 12 weight rod
will do. Many of these fish are giants.
Many of my client’s biggest fish have
been caught in mullet muds. Tarpon up
to 150 pounds are found in mullet muds.
For some, that’s a fish of a lifetime.
Also I have found that if there are
sharks around in the mullet muds there
are tarpon, too. Sharks love tarpon,
especially big bull sharks. The leader
set up is easy because long, oceanside
tarpon leaders are not needed. A nineto
11-foot leader is more than enough.
Especially on days when the wind blows
and you need to cast a big muddler into
the wind to a big tailing tarpon.
I hope that all this talk has
convinced you there is a second tarpon
season. Using a few of these techniques
will help many of you have more
successful poon trips this summer and
fall.
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