Fishing with Capt. George Tunison | Preparing to fish for tarpon
This time of year my in-box typically fills up with this type of mail – “Hi, I’m new to the area and want to try tarpon fishing. What kind of rod should I buy?” To which I usually reply, probably more than one because of the different areas you might be angling for them and what size fish you’re after or likely to encounter. Are you comfortable with spinning tackle or bait casting outfits? Do you plan on fly fishing for them? Lite tackle fan?
Capt. George Tunison
My favorite way to fish for tarpon is at night around Southwest Florida or Keys bridges. It’s cooler with less noise, traffic and googans. My second favorite way is to present baits, flies or lures to tarpon traveling just off the beaches or coast. A close third place winner would be shallow 10,000 Island tarpon in and along mangrove shorelines. Lastly, lite tackle fly fishing for hard-to-catch 3-15 pound, my backyard, canal poons that love to tease and that usually defeat me. In these varied situations just one rod obviously wouldn’t cut it.
When fishing big structure like bridges, especially at night, I’m leaning on heavy action equipment to try and steer fish away from line-shredding concrete piers and docks. Often this would be a 7.5-foot bait casting or conventional reel outfit. Along the coast I need an 8 to 8.5-foot medium-heavy spinning rod that has good backbone but a flexible enough tip to throw a crab, shrimp or soft plastic a long way. In the 10,000 Islands I’m basically using heavy action largemouth bass tackle to explore mangrove shoreline nooks and crannies or make long casts to shallow fish sunning themselves in open bays and pockets. Here a shorter spinning rod or bait casting outfit in the 7 to 7.5-foot range works for me.
Big triple digit fish call for heavy fly tackle like a 12-weight rod while I enjoy using my 50-year-old, 5-weight rod for my juvenile backyard encounters.
Still need just one outfit as limited space or a skinny wallet rules the day? Then go for an 8 to 8.5-foot heavy action spinning outfit with a quality 4,000-5,000 series reel or a 7.5 to 8-foot conventional outfit with a basic Penn 4/0 bait caster reel which can handle most situations you’ll encounter. Let the size of the tarpon you’re after dictate fly tackle but if you’re after big fish, a 12-weight is pretty much standard stuff.
From the backcountry and along the coast, nearshore reefs out to the 100 foot or more depths, spring has sprung with warm water and moving bait turning everything on, it’s a wonderful time to be fishing Southwest Florida. We also have one of the greatest tarpon fishing holes on the planet in our Boca Grande backyard. Although crowded carnival-like pass fishing isn’t my cup of tea, I do recommend all newbie tarpon anglers experience the wonders of Boca Grande at least once just to experience the sheer numbers of fish and anglers that gather there in this beautiful pass, all trying for a shot at their own silver king.
Definitely hire a guide to keep yourself and your crew out of trouble and out of the way of some very serious anglers and guides trying to make a living.
If you enjoy live bait fishing and gathering your own bait, then it’s time to purchase that cast net and start throwing or using a friend, guide or YouTube to show you the many ways to toss one. Nets are rated by diameter and mesh size with a 6-foot diameter, 3/8-inch mesh size a good all-round choice to start with. Good nets cost good money so learn to properly care for your investment to make it last.
This year be kind to the environment and also take the extra time to carefully handle and release your catch.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-579-0461 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.