As the month progresses so does the offshore fishing. A lot of time these early Kingfish are in schools made up of larger fish up to 40 plus pounds. Of course there are always some Grouper and Snapper hanging around the same area to make up a mixed bag. Amberjacks are also available. March also marks the start of Tarpon season. This is the month the Captain always put his first early season Tarpon in the boat. These are all resident fish running from 50 to pound that are found around bay area bridges and structures.
Though it is not prime Tarpon season, the Captain has hooked as many as 10 full grown Tarpon in a day in March. This time of year is a good time to spend early morning hours chasing Tarpon and then heading to flats for Snook and Redfish.
As a bonus we always come across some large Cobia cruising the flats in search of crab or pinfish. So you never know when you are going to come home with a 20 to 40 pounder or maybe larger.
April leaves Tampa Bay charter captain Matt Ercoli with a lot of decisions including which direction to start, what to fish for, inshore or offshore, flats or Tarpon. Things are hot everywhere, and any kind of fish that can be caught in the area is available this time of year. The offshore fishing is smoking as fast as the flats fishing.
Some of these same reefs can also have some superb Permit fishing with larger ones breaking 40 pounds. Captain Matt has even landed a few Sailfish this time of year.
The offshore fishing can also be red hot, but just as good is the flats. Snook and Redfish are all over the flats this month in all sizes. There are monster Trout up to 30 inches mixed in with them. The resident Tarpon are feeding more as their metabolism heats up. Giant Cobia can still be found on the shallow bars along the flats. Fishing is generally excellent everywhere. Tarpon fishing is the best way Captain Matt describes the month of May. May 1st traditionally marks the beginning of the migration of Tarpon in these parts.
Thousands of Tarpon flood into the Bay, local passes and along bay area beaches. This is the time of year Captain Matt switches into Tarpon mode, his favorite time of year. Captain Matt changes his boat set-up for sight fishing massive schools of Tarpon, because this is what he will spend over 90 percent of his days doing for the next three months.
An average day of Tarpon fishing is 5 to 10 hooked on the better days with more this month. They are all full grown Tarpon as large as pounds. The captain likes May because the boat pressure is light making it much easier to set up on the fish properly.
There are plenty of Trout on the deeper grass edges. The Redfish can be found in large schools many times larger than 30 inches.
Large Permit can be found on the beaches and offshore. Still, plenty of Grouper and Snapper in the bay and close in offshore. There is also some massive Cobia on the beaches at this time. The largest are the Hammerheads reaching over 17 ft long and pounds plus. At this point Tarpon are everywhere.
There are Tarpon on the beaches, Tarpon in the passes, Tarpon in the Bay and sometimes some huge schools offshore. Captain Matt has been in full Tarpon status for over a month. When June arrives, he is already a couple of hundred Tarpon hookups deep into the season. Captain Matt uses all of his skills as a fisherman and stays totally concentrated to produce Tarpon each and every day. But if you hook into a tarpon your fly rod , prepare for the fight of a lifetime! Tarpon are catch and release only in Florida unless you have purchased a tarpon tag.
One tarpon tag may be purchased per person per year. The tags are only for fishermen looking to land an International Gamefish Association record fish. Additional rules on landing tarpon are that the fish must remain in the water if it measures over 40 inches in length. This is to prevent unnecessarily hurting the fish after landing it.
If you do decide to tow the tarpon, go slowly! Top Tip: You should also avoid fishing for tarpon when large predatory sharks are feeding nearby. Sharks will jump at the chance of biting a winded tarpon, no matter the size.
The tarpon season in Tampa Bay starts as early as February during warm years. As the water in the bay continues to warm up, the tarpon bit will continue to improve. By March, many tarpon can be found in Tampa Bay with consistent bites for anglers with the right setup.
These early season tarpon are the resident fish in Tampa Bay and are often larger than the migratory ones. In late April and May is when tarpon season kicks into high gear, with north-bound tarpon migrating up from Mexico coming in the thousands. These migratory fish swarm Tampa Bay and can be sight fished with artificial lures and flies.
May through July is when most charters fand guides will see the highest amount of action. As August begins the migratory tarpon begin to leave Tampa Bay. The resident fish are still feeding, however, and the bite can remain quite good. September through November brings southern migrating tarpon and solid shore fishing.
This often coincides with the local mullet run — which tarpon love. There is also a healthy population of juvenile tarpon in our area ranging from pounds. These tarpon can be found year round from inside residential ponds and canals, to backwaters, river mouths, and open bays. Tarpon can typically be found moving parallel to the beaches, either travelling in a northern or southern line.
Because of this, it can make it quite easy to see their large bodies over the white sand. This works especially well when they are in larger groups. Positioning yourself in a spot where there may be a sandbar or channel edge can be quite productive as well, as they will use these contours as a guidance of where to swim. Tarpon are known for their drag screaming runs and their high-flying leaps during the fight. It really is a fishing experience that everyone should try at least once in their life.
Tarpon A. As you can tell they like to swim. The migration fish typically run just off the beaches and make their stop in the Tampa Bay area around the months of May, June, and July. These fish stay inside Tampa Bay and use all the great qualities that make the bay so awesome. From the artificial reefs and wrecks that are all over the middle of the bay to the 4 major river systems Alafia River, Little Manatee River, Hillsborough River and Palm River that feed into the bay.
This makes for the perfect habitat for Tampa Tarpon fishing or any other fish that you might encounter while on a Tampa Bay fishing charter.
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