Use a medium-heavy action rod with a 5000 series spinning reel or higher. Some anglers prefer fly-fishing for tarpon, which requires a 9-foot 11- or 12-weight rod and large arbor reel.
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What size fly rod do you need for tarpon?
A 10-weight is not only a great tarpon rod, but works well for permit, roosterfish, milkfish, and most larger tropical species as well as a host of coldwater gamefish like pike and stripers.
How much drag do you need for tarpon?
Set Your Drag Right 20-25% of your line’s weight will be good. Remember that knots will weaken the line as much as 25%. If you’re tarpon fishing with a 20 lb test line, set your drag at 4-5 pounds.
How much backing does a tarpon fly reel need?
The more backing the better, but being that you’ll most likely be fighting the fish from a boat in relatively shallow water you don’t need to go crazy with backing. 200 yards of #30 is usually sufficient.
What is the best bait for tarpon?
Some of tarpon fishing bait are shrimp, pinfish, mullet and crabs. Stake out above areas that hold tarpon and drift your live bait down to the fish. Hook crabs in the corner of the shell and baitfish through the mouth. The best bait for tarpon doesn’t spin in current, so pinch off the heads of shrimp.
Can you catch tarpon from shore?
It’s possible to catch tarpon from the beach. Tarpon is an inshore fish and spends most of its life in coastal waters. It is therefore one of the species that surf anglers can reach from the shore. That being said, you are more likely to catch tarpon from shore in the summer and fall.
How do you rig a tarpon fly rod?
What is a 12 weight fly rod used for?
11- and 12-weight Fly Rods These are good choices when fishing heavy Saltwater applications and are specifically built for large saltwater species such as adult tarpon.
How do you attach a tarpon to a fly rod?
- Keep your rod tip on the water and always point it in the direction of your fly line and fly during your retrieve.
- Use a 100% strip set when setting the hook.
- Set the hook multiple times for better hook penetration.
- Make sure you set the hook hard enough.
What pound braid should I use for tarpon?
50-pound test braided line is the standard for tarpon, and you’ll want to have plenty on the spool—250 to 300 yards.
Do you need a wire leader for tarpon?
“Wire leader is a staple in my tarpon fishing,” says Smith. “With dead baits on the bottom and with live mullet, I use a couple of feet of No. 8 (93-pound-test) single-strand wire. Tarpon have no teeth, but when they clamp down hard on a mono leader, their mouths are rough enough to keep the leader from sliding.
How do you reel a tarpon?
If a tarpon jumps, point the rod tip toward him. When they’re in the air and they shake their heads, they can easily spit the hook, so to try to not put too much tension on the line, point your rod tip toward them. By chasing them down, you’ll able to reel more line in and have more leverage on the fish.
Does fly line color matter?
If you’re going to line ’em, it doesn’t matter what color the line actually is. A highly visible line might help you see and control your drift better, which many say is the number one factor that influences whether a trout will eat your fly or not in the first place.
Can you use braid as fly backing?
The answer is yes! Fly shops around the country use braided fishing line to back their fly reels.
How long should the leader be on a fly rod?
Leader length depends on the type of fishing you are doing and the conditions, but a general guideline would be 6-12 feet long. A good place to start is with a 9-foot tapered leader. If you are fishing to spookier fish, add a section of tippet and lengthen that out to 12 feet or so.
What is the best time of year to catch tarpon in Florida?
The best time to fish for large migratory tarpon in the Florida Keys is when the water temperatures reach and stay above seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. That can be as early as mid-March, but usually equates to late March to as late as early April. May is all safe as well as most of June.
What size hooks for tarpon?
A 5/0 hook is the best size hook for catching tarpon. That hook size is perfect for hooking all of the tarpon’s favorites like finger mullet or large threadfin herring, ladyfish, pin fish, crabs or silver and striped mullet without affecting their swimming abilities too much.
Will tarpon eat dead bait?
The best bait for tarpon is dead bait like a chunk of ladyfish or mullet. You will find that most of the big tarpon that are caught around the world every year are caught with dead bait on the bottom. They would much rather scavenge for a meal than use up valuable energy to chase down their food.
Is tarpon good eating?
Tarpon is edible but people rarely eat them because their meat contains a lot of small bones and it’s reported that they don’t taste very good.
How far off the beach are tarpon?
Tarpon move up and down the coast in the 30- to 70-foot range searching for food. They can range for many miles and finding them is like finding a needle in a haystack. If bait pods are in close to the beach, the tarpon will be following them.
Are tarpon hard to catch?
I hope that you were helped by this article about how to catch a tarpon fishing in Florida. They are very hard to catch because their bony mouths are hard to get a hook in. They are also very good at spitting the hook with their vicious head shakes. They are the best fish to catch, in my opinion.
What is the world record tarpon?
The all-tackle world record (additionally certified as the 80-pound class record) for a giant tarpon is 286-pounds, 9-ounces caught by Max Domecq in Rubane, Guinea-Bissau, Africa on March 20, 2003.
What weight fly rod for small tarpon?
Fly rods from 6- to 9-weight are ideal for baby tarpon, just let the size of both the flies and the fish you’ll be targeting dictate the tackle selection.
How do you make a tarpon leader?
Do heavier fly rods cast further?
You can go up or down a fly line weight from what the fly rods specify. Going up a weight in fly line will load the rod more to help you cast further and punch into the wind. Going down a fly line loads fly rods a bit less, giving you less energy to control for accuracy and delicate presentations of your flies.