Spring has sprung, and Summer is on the way, and for many anglers in the Florida Keys, that can only mean one thing: Tarpon! The “Silver King” is a special fish that many anglers from around the world come to the Florida Keys with the dream of catching a trophy-sized Tarpon over 100 pounds. They are so powerful that depending on their size and strength, a stubborn Tarpon can take several hours to catch and release successfully.

Acrobatics and Endurance

Weighing well over 200 pounds and measuring up to 8 feet long, the Tarpon is a living fossil. Their ancient, armor-like scales and their habit of breaking the surface to breathe are testaments to 120 million years of survival.

Once you hook a large Tarpon it becomes clear these fish are truly unique. The fight will be chaotic and memorable, to put it mildly. When a Tarpon feels that hook point pierce its mouth, it will usually either launch itself into the air, violently shaking its head to throw the hook, or it will blast off on a blistering run, the sound of your screaming reel punctuated by a spectacular acrobatic leap! Anglers are often treated to a series of acrobatic leaps throughout the fight if they are fortunate enough not to lose the fish in the process.

The Silver King takes flight.

To prevent the hook from being thrown or putting too much pressure on the line, it is advised to create slack in the line as the fish launches itself entirely out of the water. The easiest way to teach anglers this technique is to recommend they “bow to the king” when it jumps!

Never underestimate a tarpon’s endurance. Even when it appears exhausted, it possesses surprising reserves and an incredible will to fight, often making another powerful surge when you least expect it. Even if the fish has run out of strength to leap, it will keep fighting, coming up for gulps of air and bulldogging its way back down in the water.

It is not unusual to have to leader a Tarpon multiple times before it is actually ready!

This is the most dangerous time for the Tarpon, as it is often the only time a large, hungry bull shark or another apex predator will get a good shot at such a large meal.

Tarpon are a highly coveted and thus protected catch-and-release species in Florida. To capture the memory, be ready to lean over the side of the boat for a photo. According to Florida regulations at the time of writing this, any tarpon over 40 inches must remain in the water. If you’re quick with the camera, you might even capture the ultimate shot: the Tarpon jumping mid-air!

Snap a quick photo and release your Tarpon right away!

Florida’s Silver Rush: The Annual Tarpon Migration

In the winter, Tarpon head for warmer waters, which are often in the Caribbean, or they head offshore to deeper waters where the temperatures are more stable. But once the spring begins and temperatures start crossing that 75-degree mark, the massive migration to the Florida Keys begins. It will be time to spawn soon, but before that, they need to fatten up, and that is when their feeding behavior starts kicking in.

Like many Americans, Tarpon love to visit the Florida Keys weather in the Spring and Summer!

In April, we often fish the bridges, such as the Long Key Bridge or 7-milethe Mile Bridge, depending on how the bite is. The bait we use at the bridges varies from shoreline fishing. For bridge fishing, we often use live mullet or crab. Location and weather play a role in bringing the proper bait.

Each year, a remarkable natural spectacle unfolds in the Florida Keys. Timed around late May or early June, millions of red, 2-to-4-inch Palolo worms erupt from the ocean floor to spawn, creating a massive feeding frenzy that attracts legions of Tarpon.

Later on in the summer, you can still fish the bridges; however, we prefer to fish shorelines for Tarpon. The uptick in summer and holiday boat traffic can diminish the Tarpon bite on the bridges, so we tend to gravitate towards fishing the shoreline instead, and the carcasses from our Mahi Trips make great chum and bait for opportunistic Tarpon looking for an easy meal!

The Virtue of Patience

Last year, our very own Captain Alex Lewis, who regularly takes our clients Tarpon fishing, decided to spend an afternoon fishing for Tarpon just for fun. He invited Bonus Mom Katie and his little sister to join him. As we all know, catching Tarpon isn’t as easy as catching snapper; it’s more akin to Sailfishing, where you don’t reel in fish one after another very quickly. You are happy to get a bite and hopefully land one. The fish were there, but they kept rolling around, not connecting with the bait.

After a while, they decided it was getting late and would need to leave soon, but they all agreed to give it five more minutes. It wasn’t two minutes later when an explosion of water occurred around the bait, and the reel went off screaming. Katie ran for the rod as Captain Alex maneuvered the boat. The fish was large and heading offshore. Little sister wanted in on the action, so she helped turn the handle as Katie held the rod.

Eventually, it was the Captain’s turn for some fun. Alex got on the rod to fight the fish while Katie took the helm to drive the boat.

Katie snaps a quick photo while Alex fights the Tarpon.

The fight lasted about 40 minutes, as the Tarpon was quite large. When the Tarpon went under the boat, they discovered that there was a second Tarpon that had been swimming alongside it the entire time. They pulled the Tarpon alongside the boat, and Alex picked up the large fish’s head to remove the hook and get a photo. Katie put the boat forward as they revived the fish and released it safely.  Just 5 minutes of patience made their entire afternoon!

Captain Alex snaps a quick photo as he dehooks the Tarpon.

Headed our way? We’d love to take you fishing! Let Captain Alex show you an unforgettable day chasing Tarpon, or let’s head offshore for the Mahi, Tuna, and whatever else is biting right now. To plan your trip, call us at 305-289-0071 or get in touch through our contact page.