# Tarpon



## pbradley (Mar 3, 2022)

I'd like to catch a tarpon this year. I live south of Atlanta, pretty sure there aren't any in the Hooch or Flint.

Anybody have any suggestiins?


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## Lilly001 (Mar 3, 2022)

Tampa bay, Charolotte harbor.
I’ve seen pods of 100 pounders.
Plenty of guides, or not to hard to DIY.


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## slow motion (Mar 3, 2022)

In summer they can be caught in the panhandle as well but the chance is much better further south where the numbers of fish are much higher.


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## Mexican Squealer (Mar 3, 2022)

GA coast....doesn’t get much better unless you want clearer water


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## kingfish (Mar 3, 2022)

East coast off Fernandina/Mayport and St Augustine in the heat of the summer time.  Lots of good guides and plenty of opportunity.


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## jspears (Mar 3, 2022)

Indian Pass is pretty good late summer.


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## GTMODawg (Mar 3, 2022)

Mexican Squealer said:


> GA coast....doesn’t get much better unless you want clearer water




THIS. Seriously, if a Tarpon is on your bucket list do some looking at the Brunswick area this summer.   The place is ate up with Tarpon.  They ain't 200 pounders but they ain't in most of Florida either....and they are far easier to entice to a bait (and just as hard to hook as they are anywhere) than most are in Florida because they have almost no pressure.  I had 4 guides, independent of one another, in the Melbourne area last summer ask me about Tarpon fishing in the Brunswick area because they were thinking of moving at least some of their trips to Brunswick.  I think Florida Sportsman (sorry GON LOL) crowned the Brunswick area as the top spot in the United States to catch a Tarpon a couple of years ago.  Thats saying something for a magazine in Florida to name a spot in Georgia as the best.

Unless you are fortunate in Florida when you are there and the Tarpon are hitting you will be SURROUNDED by other boats fishing for them.  It is possible to catch them every day year round but when they are really on everyone knows and boats come from all over the state and neighboring states.  This ain't an issue with trout and redfish.  It is a MAJOR issue when Tarpon are hooked.  It is a circus and not in a good way.  That doesn't happen in Georgia.  There will be other boats around but if you want to get in one of them you'll have to drive over or swim...in Florida you can just step out of yours and into theirs....and most of the time you could walk to the hill without getting wet.  On top of this, despite the gazillion boats present, Florida FWS will check EVERY BOAT at least every 3-4 hours.  If you get checked in Georgia it would be a rarity in my experience.  

if you can throw a cast net and have anything from a big Jon boat to a pontoon boat you don't have to hire someone to take you Tarpon fishing in Georgia.  It is very accessible.  Most of the time when they are there in numbers the water is like a mill pond.  There will be some exciting water in the mouth of St Simon's Sound but it is generally manageable.  bait is plentiful and tarpon can be caught just inside the sound and just outside the sound, outside is better probably but thats just my limited experience.  Do some youtube research....there are a lot of videos...and do what they do....everyone does it the same way.  Odds are pretty good you'll get jumped off several times but you might get a hook in one of the buggers...and you will most assuredly catch some BIG sharks.


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## RedHills (Mar 3, 2022)

slow motion said:


> In summer they can be caught in the panhandle as well but the chance is much better further south where the numbers of fish are much higher.



This...Panhandle is a horrible place to tarpon fish.


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## slow motion (Mar 3, 2022)

Yeah what do I know. My last trip down proved I don't know how to catch a fish anyway.


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## flatsmaster (Mar 3, 2022)

My only suggestion if a tarpon is what u want and ur going to get a guide set it up early and go as close to peak as possible… the more shots the better … night fishing is different and can be exciting as well … I’ve been to Boca Grande a bunch and it’s a mad house in the pass but a experience with fish on and maneuvering boats but out on the beach it’s not … we get plenty of shots at them in East Central Florida also … funniest size for me is a 50-60 pound fish with a lot of jumps on light tackle … hopefully you jump a few and get one boat side for photo … there the same everywhere so if it’s a vacation trip as well there’s lots of great options and if a bucket list quick trip just go where numbers are good and it’s close … just remember to bow to the king the silver king


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## pbradley (Mar 3, 2022)

Thanks, y'all.


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## lampern (Mar 3, 2022)

The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta has some big ones but I don't think fishing is allowed


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## RedHills (Mar 3, 2022)

pbradley said:


> Thanks, y'all.



I'd chose to beach chase em from the south end of the Skyway to Big pass Sarasota. Lot of guides chasn pods early in the day. Just trying to manuever in front of em. The Boca Grande deal is basically a vertical drop jig rig...with a huge crowd. No interest in that. Lots of boats on the Skyway working the pods on the baitfish. Weekdays are less crowded. That can be fun, but its anchor up and wait.


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## slow motion (Mar 4, 2022)

RedHills said:


> I'd chose to beach chase em from the south end of the Skyway to Big pass Sarasota. Lot of guides chasn pods early in the day. Just trying to manuever in front of em. The Boca Grande deal is basically a vertical drop jig rig...with a huge crowd. No interest in that. Lots of boats on the Skyway working the pods on the baitfish. Weekdays are less crowded. That can be fun, but its anchor up and wait.


Got a sister in Sarasota. Always liked fishing the Skyway pier. Always wanted to catch a grouper off the debris piles. No luck on that though.


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## notnksnemor (Mar 4, 2022)

The mullet run on Florida's Atlantic coast is a ton of fun.


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## RedHills (Mar 4, 2022)

slow motion said:


> Got a sister in Sarasota. Always liked fishing the Skyway pier. Always wanted to catch a grouper off the debris piles. No luck on that though.


There's a limestone rock bottom that runs from the entrance of Terra Ceia at Rattlesnake, north to above Cockroach bay. Farther north the more broken it becomes. Theres a few spots with 2-3 ft ledges...6-10' of water. Over the last 50 years, that's been a great fishery for me.


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## flatsmaster (Mar 4, 2022)

Tarpon appeared in one of our ponds several years ago and are still growing and getting to be a fun size … when there active and rolling I’m guessing 15-20 in there
It will be interesting how big they get
We hadn’t been there in a bit but son wanted to check on the turkey’s Wednesday so we went down and fished them as well … son had 1 on a little bigger then the 1 I landed but gave him 2 jumps and sent the lure back at him … depending where we’re chasing them if spin gear we’re usually throwing the 85M suspending with the green back or a DOA TerrorEyz … you’d be surprised how many big fish we’ve caught with that little DOA TE


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## CaptKeith (Mar 4, 2022)

I used to be a tarpon guide, and your best bet is a good captain in Florida.  I’d focus on the SW coast (Basically Tampa south), or the central east coast.  I primarily fished out of Port Canaveral, catching lots of big fish.  You can see the rocket launch platforms in this picture.


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## GTMODawg (Mar 7, 2022)

I like Tarpon to about 60 pounds....anything bigger than that is too dang much work.  Luckily they are wont to throw a hook at any size.  I have hooked some I never saw but I have never had one one for long much over 100 pounds and those were all I wanted and more.  I have managed to land a few around 100 pounds but needed a nap and a beer immediately.  Tarpon are brutal.  Fun but brutal...


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## notnksnemor (Mar 7, 2022)

GTMODawg said:


> I like Tarpon to about 60 pounds....anything bigger than that is too dang much work.  Luckily they are wont to throw a hook at any size.  I have hooked some I never saw but I have never had one one for long much over 100 pounds and those were all I wanted and more.  I have managed to land a few around 100 pounds but needed a nap and a beer immediately.  Tarpon are brutal.  Fun but brutal...



I'll take a 100+ lb. tarpon over a 60 lb. amberjack any day.


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## flatsmaster (Mar 8, 2022)

notnksnemor said:


> I'll take a 100+ lb. tarpon over a 60 lb. amberjack any day.


The reef donkeys don’t play … my son and SIL can have all they want but 100+ poon I’ll still stand in that line all day !!!!


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## GTMODawg (Mar 8, 2022)

notnksnemor said:


> I'll take a 100+ lb. tarpon over a 60 lb. amberjack any day.



Amen to the amen. AJs gonna do me in someday.  I ain’t sure man is supposed to tangle with an AJ …..

Tuna are a load also.  Even a 20 pound black fin will make you think about a nap.


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## GTMODawg (Mar 8, 2022)

My wife caught a 74 pound Cubera snapper in 4 feet of water on an outgoing tide in the mouth of a river.  I have NEVER seen nor heard of a fish fighting like that thing did. There was where for it to go but away and it did it repeatedly for nearly 2 hours with us following it under power!  That thing made about 50 smoker kingfish quality runs and when it wasn’t ripping line a mile a minute it was broadside and surfing the tide.  I don’t think that thing knew it was hooked most of the time…..at one point the fanged thing busted a school of herring like it was still feeding!  It fought like a demon IN THE BOAT!  At one point I thought it wanted the boat more than me and if I could’ve turned him loose idve given him the boat!  A Tarpon that size would have been boatside or broken off/ thrown the hook in about 20 minutes and you could lead it around like a puppy.  That snapper would’ve taken a leg off if you weren’t careful!


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## Robust Redhorse (Mar 12, 2022)

RedHills said:


> This...Panhandle is a horrible place to tarpon fish.




They are there - June-early September, but they are not easy to catch.  

The ones on the Georgia coast are not hard to hook on trolled plugs (Bomber Long A's. Cordell Redfins, Yo-Zuri Mag-Minnows, etc.).  Mono #100 leaders seem to work fine.  I think the cloudy water on the GA coast might be an advantage.


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## ghadarits (Mar 12, 2022)

flatsmaster said:


> Tarpon appeared in one of our ponds several years ago and are still growing and getting to be a fun size … when there active and rolling I’m guessing 15-20 in there
> It will be interesting how big they get
> We hadn’t been there in a bit but son wanted to check on the turkey’s Wednesday so we went down and fished them as well View attachment 1139204… son had 1 on a little bigger then the 1 I landed but gave him 2 jumps and sent the lure back at him … depending where we’re chasing them if spin gear we’re usually throwing the 85M suspending with the green back or a DOA TerrorEyz … you’d be surprised how many big fish we’ve caught with that little DOA TE


We had them in the ponds on Sanibel Island for about 15 years until they ate themselves out of existence. I sure did have a lot of fun catching them while they were there. It got to the point they would go after anything as soon as it hit the water when it got close to the end for them.
MY PB land locked Poon was about 5ft long and that was an epic battle in my little Jon boat.
I don't recommend bringing one of any size into the boat with you........ ever...... it can get ugly in a hurry. 15yo Gary found that out the hard way.


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