Nigh Time Tarpon
The Night Time is The Right Time!
If you've ever shinned a light in the water near a tarpon feeding area at the correct tide and seen how many glowing red eyes are lurking near the surface, you've quickly realized that Tarpon are night feeders. Whether it sounds like your getting bombed with bowling balls as the Tarpon and Snook are busting Shrimp on the surface or bait showers of Mullet are splashing near the boat, it's a magical sound when the Tarpon are in a feeding frenzy within a fly line away.
I've put countless hours on the water after the sun goes down perfecting the art of Night Fishing for Tarpon. Once you've located where the tarpon are feeding and what tide phase they're feeding on, it's just a matter of getting out there and casting the rod. As long as the water temps are good and the wind is less than 20 knots, it's almost a sure thing to put multiple tarpon in the air in a short period of time. On top of the great Tarpon action, we hit Super Sized Snapper as well as Snook during our night trips.
Once you've located where the tarpon are feeding and what tide phase they're feeding on, it's just a matter of getting out there and casting the rod
The Fish, Gear and Seasons
During the winter months, we are usually targeting the Resident Juvenile fish (ranging from 10-50 lbs, but it's not uncommon to hit fish over 60lbs) and use Ten Weight Fly Rods with floating or sinking lines, depending on the conditions and Medium Heavy Spinning Rods. The larger Migratory Tarpon (60-150lbs) start showing up late Feb and March depending on the weather and as we start hitting larger fish we bump are arsenal to Twelve Weight Fly Rods and Heavy Spinning or Baitcasting Rods.
Twelve Weight Fly Rods and Heavy Spinning or Baitcasting Rods. The food source is constantly changing from spot to spot and different times of year. We throw primarily Shrimp, Deceiver, and Top Water Gurgler Flies. We cast a number of different shallow water diver, top water and soft plastic artificial lures. Pinfish, Crabs, Shrimp, and Mullet are the preferred live baits.
Typical Trip
Night Tarpon Trips usually last around 4 hours or when the fish stop biting. We start our night trips anywhere from shortly before dusk until a couple hours before sun up and sometimes fish into the morning. Start times depend entirely on the tide phase and certain dates/tides are better than others, so let us know if you're interested in checking out the Night Tarpon Game and we'll fill you in on the best dates and times to book your trip. The Peak Night dates/tides fill up quickly, so be sure to call ahead and book your trip.