# Tarpon Rundown



## iJabo

Help me catch a tarpon this week. I'll give you a rundown of what I'm doing throughout this week and let me know what needs tweaking.

- Start fishing at daylight at the Pcola Pier
- Bait of choice is live silver mullet, second is live cigar minnows, third is menhaden
- Gear is a Penn 706 and a Battle 5000 spooled with 65lbs braid and a 60lbs flouro leader tied to a 5/0 circle hook.

After that I'm pretty clueless. Should I wait for visual before casting, or just free-line? Where along the pier do they usually pass through? I generally don't pier fish but I'm putting my odds of hooking a tarpon on the pier over hooking one on my kayak.


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## CCC

Good luck, a bucket list of mine as well. Hooked one from the navarre pier once but was rigged for redfish so that lasted all of 8 seconds. Make sure you do not take him out of the water as others have been doing lately for pictures.


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## iJabo

CCC said:


> Good luck, a bucket list of mine as well. Hooked one from the navarre pier once but was rigged for redfish so that lasted all of 8 seconds. Make sure you do not take him out of the water as others have been doing lately for pictures.


Yeah I meant to ask about that as well. I guess people have been dropping the rod off the pier to their buddy on the beach to wrangle the fish to the beach for a picture. I don't want to break any laws or taboos for just a picture, but if I were to successfully catch one, I would like to get in the shallows with if for a picture and to revive it.


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## CCC

As long as they are left in the water you are good, but make your pictures quick, tarpon are a favorite meal for sharks and after fighting the fish it is exhausted and makes a quick meal for the grey suits.


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## reelthrill

I tarpon fish almost every day and hope I can help. I caught four on friday and have had to recover the last few days! I use 40lb titanium wire and a a 1/0 mustad treble hook 4x strong. Most of the tarpon you hang with a mono leader will eventually chew right through it. I use live LY's and keep a bait in the water at all times. If you see them roll on top then cast out in front of them and do not move your bait very much at all. Swim baits are great to sight fish for tarpon and great for multiple hook ups, but some times its hard to keep one hooked on a swim bait past a few jumps. If you use a swim bait, just toss it out in front of the tarpon, let it sink a bit, and reel it in very slowly.(you just want the tail to vibrate a little). Live cigs and the smaller hardtails are very good bait for tarpon, but you will have trouble with dolphin eating your bait.


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## Wugitus

*Tarpon*

PLease check Florida fishing regs, treble hooks are NOT allowed to be used fishing for tarpon with dead or live bait.


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## weedline

love it as usual the guys who never caught 1 telling pier guys how to fish


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## FreeDiver

Most guys are using 1 1/2 - 2 oz. white, or chartreuse over white shad swim baits and 100lb mono as leader. The reason behind it is being able to get farther out to some schools. And they can spit the hook before having to drag them into the pier dead. For the most part most fish are eatin right off the east side and east corner. 

Sometimes you'll see a few hungry enough to roll on a king bait wearing wire. 

I run 20lb mamoi on a 250 staal. Be carful using the power pro on a 706 I've blown two up with tarpon. 

If your on Pensacola don't beach the fish they'll ban you (new ruling) and try not to drag a worn out fish to the pilings, other wise they're shark food, have some fun and pop them off, re rig and hit another one. 

Good luck. 




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## FreeDiver

Most schools were swimming by around 0900-1400. But you'll see them all day long. 


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## FreeDiver

reelthrill said:


> I tarpon fish almost every day and hope I can help. I caught four on friday and have had to recover the last few days! I use 40lb titanium wire and a a 1/0 mustad treble hook 4x strong. Most of the tarpon you hang with a mono leader will eventually chew right through it. I use live LY's and keep a bait in the water at all times. If you see them roll on top then cast out in front of them and do not move your bait very much at all. Swim baits are great to sight fish for tarpon and great for multiple hook ups, but some times its hard to keep one hooked on a swim bait past a few jumps. If you use a swim bait, just toss it out in front of the tarpon, let it sink a bit, and reel it in very slowly.(you just want the tail to vibrate a little). Live cigs and the smaller hardtails are very good bait for tarpon, but you will have trouble with dolphin eating your bait.



Treble hooks are no good and the law can be found on FWC, and you can use 100mono a hook 2-3 fish on a swim bait depending the size and head shakes... Normally you'll loose the swim bait before the leader where's out. If you want to get serious 80flouro will do superb as well the roll is just a little more expensive then asking for 20ft of 100mono.... 

I would only tie wire if the Kings were thick even then I've caught kings on 100 mono when they were leader shy.... 

Figured I'd throw my two cents in on that. 




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## Wugitus

*tarpon*

weedline, Tarpon are too great a fish to waste, or injure with a trebel hook, thats why regs are made. I fish them with circle hooks and 60lb leader. The leaders break, the fish is not injured.


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## iJabo

FreeDiver said:


> I run 20lb mamoi on a 250 staal. Be carful using the power pro on a 706 I've blown two up with tarpon.


Thanks for the advice. As far as the 706, I know about the problem with braided line. I have a mono top-shot and a friend has been using Power Pro successfully on his 706 for some time, so I thought I would give it a shot.


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## Wugitus

*Tarpon*

weedyline Tarpon are too important a fish to use a trebel hook, thats why the regs are made. I use a circle hook, 60 lb leader, yes the leader breaks fish goes free, no damage from the hook. Respect Tarpon.


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## CCC

Wugitus said:


> weedyline Tarpon are too important a fish to use a trebel hook, thats why the regs are made. I use a circle hook, 60 lb leader, yes the leader breaks fish goes free, no damage from the hook. Respect Tarpon.


Reel thrill said treble hook, not weedline.


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## weedline

i never said i would use a trebile i would go 50 to 100 lb mono and a circle hook i never would care to kill one or attempt to beach 1 just saying dont tell the pier guys how to fish they all know the regs


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## CCC

weedline said:


> i never said i would use a trebile i would go 50 to 100 lb mono and a circle hook i never would care to kill one or attempt to beach 1 just saying dont tell the pier guys how to fish they all know the regs


Pier guys were on WEAR TV website twice in the past three weeks holding tarpon completely out of the water, want me to send you a copy of it ?


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## CCC

Here is one of them:


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## weedline

i wouldnt do that i never been into risking killing a fish for a photo opp but they do the same in the bocca grand tarpon tournaments draging fish to a scale on fishing shows its all about the film so whats the difference. im a big dont kill what u dont eat person but if no law is broken then it is what it is


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## CCC

weedline said:


> i wouldnt do that i never been into risking killing a fish for a photo opp but they do the same in the bocca grand tarpon tournaments draging fish to a scale on fishing shows its all about the film so whats the difference. im a big dont kill what u dont eat person but if no law is broken then it is what it is[/QU
> 
> Regs say you CAN'T take it out of the water.


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## weedline

well fishing shows do it all the time


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## CCC

weedline said:


> well fishing shows do it all the time


LOL, that makes it right.


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## weedline

call the fwc dont complain to me i never have even pulled a tarpons head out of the water for a pic and dont even care to catch one land or pier baised because it puts such a hurt on a cool animal but hey im not into killing a 1000 lb marlin for money but it happens when the pay out is what it is


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## CCC

Relax, bud, I am the one took up for you when folks were saying you used trebles. Just making you aware that when you say "Pier folks know the regs" that that is a BROAD statement, and lately it is obvious some don't. Wasn't complaining just trying to tell you there are idiots on the pier AND in boats.


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## CCC

But yep you are correct, when I see picts like this I send them to FWC to let them sort it out.


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## weedline

no big deal i said they know the regs not obide by them i just get sick of people hateing on pier fisherman i learned more on the pier in my teens than charter fishing for years so i try to defend them i havent pier fished in 7 years but my last experience was good


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## sniperpeeps

I believe it's legal to pull a tarpon under 100 out of the water and anything bigger is supposed to stay in. Could be wrong, I don't keep up with tarpon stuff.


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## FreeDiver

CCC said:


> Here is one of them:



These aren't the local guys, just some goofy kids that were out there to be Heros, similar to the guys that catch sharks off the beach...... 

Most pier rats pop the fish off before it comes to the pilings or if the fish is green PPP it off at the pilings so that have more shots at fish instead of killing one for an hour...... 

This is why beaching tarpon on Pensacola pier has been banned. And it obviously gives a bad name to the guys who go out there day after day and target select fish with the season..... 

As per last post, 40" or less and be lifted out of the water. 


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## FreeDiver

Couple unbeached poons 


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## iJabo

Didn't mean to open up a can of worms here. In other news, I paid to walk the pier after work today and it was slow, or so the regulars say. I saw a single tarpon rolling 15 minutes after I arrived and let my buddy know before everyone else saw it. He ate his bait but didn't hook up. After that he ate another guys bait but came loose again. My buddy also hooked a big king that broke off 100lbs. mono as well. Will hopefully be back tomorrow ready to catch a silver king.


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## FreeDiver

Sounds like a good time to me! Yeah having a wire for kings is always a sure thing. If they miss the bait or engulf it, it more than likely will cut a mono or flouro leader. But hell get back out and get cha one. It's too much fun chasing the silver king! If you can, carry two rods, one for king and one for poons, you'll be slinging baits all day! 


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## Pushwave

Use a live Ladyfish, clip the tips off the tail fin and tie on a balloon and get ready!!


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## Ocean Master

The smaller 15 to 20lbs have been hanging around the dock at my house. My son gets them going with a big plug but didn't have any live bait to throw at them.

I didn't know we had the small ones up here.


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## Chris V

Ocean Master said:


> The smaller 15 to 20lbs have been hanging around the dock at my house. My son gets them going with a big plug but didn't have any live bait to throw at them.
> 
> I didn't know we had the small ones up here.


 You should've never mentioned that Keith!!! I'm a baby Tarpon junkie and now I'll be prowling around your pier in my kayak.


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## KingCrab

Tarpon are fun to catch. I've caught all I've wanted over the years. One pic from the pier makes us all bad hunhh. I asked the pier to stop people from beaching them. I talk every one into not dragging them to the beach for a pic for what? To kill it. :thumbdown: What happens when big old Poon Bites yor live bait with a treble hook? Does it matter? There are tons of Poons , Tons. Why worry about a big Skip jack ? Worry about a cobia. MAke them a game fish. Theres none left. Whats the difference u Ask ,,,,,,, $4.00 a lb. If Tarpon was good to eat & worth money, They gone as well. Seen as many as u could imagine this year of the endangered tarpons as I do every year. Cobia, Very few.


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## FreeDiver

One day the cobia will come in thicker.... I hope as thick as North Carolina see them in the marsh! 


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## KingCrab

FreeDiver said:


> One day the cobia will come in thicker.... I hope as thick as North Carolina see them in the marsh!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Marsh Or March ?


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## FreeDiver

marsh. Like the cobia will swim inland up there... A lot of guys in Beaufort run fly charters for reds and in season cobia in the MARSH. 


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## FreeDiver

Pretty sweet deal. I'd live up there but it snows and I can only handle 2 weeks of that shit a year. 


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## KingCrab

I can handle some snow. Cobia in the Marsh. Here goes all the tournament Marsh Cobia fishing. Kiss them goodbye.:thumbdown:


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## FreeDiver

lol nah, they manage them pretty well up there. Plus the have the offshore cobia pods up there! 


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