Tarpon

There are Tarpon in the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands year round, but for much of the year, large tarpon are a bonus fish you might encounter somewhat by chance while you’re fishing for snook and redfish.
A 125-pounder rests on the foredeck
prior to being revived and released.
In the spring, however, migratory tarpon come in from the Gulf or up from the Keys and make their presence known in the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. They’re off the beach in the Gulf, in the passes, in the back bays adjacent to the main passes … at times, it seems like they’re everywhere.

Then, suddenly, they’re nowhere, as one batch of migratory fish continues on its journey, and the bays are empty until the next batch cruises in to take their place.
The migration can begin with isolated pods of fish as early as February, but the prime time is May and June, when a sort of madness descends on Southwest Florida anglers as they forget about jobs and family responsibilities and other species of fish to pursue the silver king.

In the Everglades, the main technique is sight-fishing for laid-up tarpon, “sleepers,” as some call them. These are the resting tarpon who lie on or just under the surface of the water in Everglades bays. The idea is to present a fly or lure right in front of the sleeping face of the fish in hopes it will wake and snack. Sometimes not much happens — the fish slowly descends into the water until it disappears from sight. Other times, it’ll turn on the fly … and all hell breaks loose!

It’s those “all hell breaks loose” moments that tarpon anglers live for. Some have termed the encounter with large tarpon a life-altering experience.
Up close and personal just
before the release.

Everglades tarpon vary in size from “babies” in the 5- to 50-pound range to large tarpon that can reach weights close to 200 pounds. Every year, anglers hook up with fish in the 150-pound range.

Hooking is only part of the story, though. For every large tarpon hooked, only about one in four stay on the line past the first jump. Perhaps half of those that are still hooked up after the first jump are landed. Many, many fish are lost right at the boat, when a seemingly whipped tarpon suddenly comes back to life, leaving broken lines, broken hearts and, sometimes, broken rods in its wake.
Bob Delaney puts pressure on a 100-pounder.
For small tarpon, anglers can use the same tackle required for snook. For large tarpon, fly anglers will want an 11- or 12-weight rod along with a saltwater reel with a smooth drag and the capacity for 200 yards of 30-pound backing in addition to the fly line. Light tackle anglers will want a stiff 20-pound rod, along with a reel that has a good drag and 200-yard line capacity. For large tarpon, both fly and light tackle anglers will need heavy-duty shock tippets in the 60- to 80-pound class.