Best Tackle for Tarpon Fishing (The Complete Guide)
The best tackle for tarpon is a 4000 series spinning reel coupled with a 7 foot medium heavy rod. You will want to spool your reel with 20 pound braided line with a 30 pound mono filament leader.
That tackle recommendation above will handle the medium sized tarpon and smaller. Medium sized tarpon are 4 feet long.
Tarpon are one of those bucket list fish and you better have the right tackle for before you even try.
You will need to get yourself a spinning reel that can handle the size tarpon that you are targeting matched with a medium/heavy rod and a strong braided line for best results.
They are the best inshore fighting fish hands down. You will usually get 2 or 3 jumps out of a tarpon and the big ones might take you an hour to get them in.
You definitely want to have beefed up tackle and fishing gear if you are going head to head with "The Silver King". I like to have tackle a step or two heavier than I need because I want to stress the fish as little as possible. This way they are easier to revive and release to fight another day.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the mangroves and oyster bars for over 40 years. Tarpon are so popular that one of my charters specifically targets them and people come from all over the world just to get a chance to hook one from a kayak.
The article below will teach you all about the best tackle, tips and techniques to catch tons of tarpon.
Watch the video below and learn the best tackle for catching tarpon.
The best tackle for tarpon is a 4000 series spinning reel coupled with a 7 foot medium heavy rod. You will want to spool your reel with 20 pound braided line with a 30 pound mono filament leader.
That tackle recommendation above will handle the medium sized tarpon and smaller. Medium sized tarpon are 4 feet long.
Tarpon are one of those bucket list fish and you better have the right tackle for before you even try.
You will need to get yourself a spinning reel that can handle the size tarpon that you are targeting matched with a medium/heavy rod and a strong braided line for best results.
They are the best inshore fighting fish hands down. You will usually get 2 or 3 jumps out of a tarpon and the big ones might take you an hour to get them in.
You definitely want to have beefed up tackle and fishing gear if you are going head to head with "The Silver King". I like to have tackle a step or two heavier than I need because I want to stress the fish as little as possible. This way they are easier to revive and release to fight another day.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the mangroves and oyster bars for over 40 years. Tarpon are so popular that one of my charters specifically targets them and people come from all over the world just to get a chance to hook one from a kayak.
The article below will teach you all about the best tackle, tips and techniques to catch tons of tarpon.
Watch the video below and learn the best tackle for catching tarpon.
Best tackle for tarpon fishing--Mangroves
Tarpon are one of those prehistoric fish that haven't needed to evolve in a few million years. They even have a rudimentary lung so that they can breathe air. This helps them in very hot, low oxygen waters that can be found up mangrove tidal creeks.
Hot water does not hold dissolved oxygen like cooler water will. That is not a problem for a tarpon because they can breathe air. They will come up and gulp air which lets you know exactly where they are. Their bubble trail after they gulp will let you know exactly where they are heading too.
You want to use this trait to your advantage and cast just ahead of the bubble trail to get a tarpon to bite. The mornings, late afternoon and at night are the best times to catch tarpon.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a tarpon. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Best Baits--I like to fish for tarpon with a live bait under a rattle or popping cork. The cork helps slow down the bait enough for the tarpon to get it in their mouths. I used to free line live baits but the tarpon and snook that I mostly target would miss the bait most of the time. Once I added a cork the hook ups increased quite a bite so that is how I fish for most species when using live bait.
A mullet, pin fish, shrimp, pilchard or just about any other white bait will work great for tarpon. Just find out where they are and send it over to them. A long leader is usually necessary because if the cork is too close they will not hit the bait. I use about a 4 foot leader or more.
Best Tackle-- The tarpon that I target up in the mangroves are usually 4 feet or less in length so I can get away with a 4000 series reel loaded with 20 lb. braided line. Once they get bigger than 4 feet you will have to step up to a 5500 series reel and a 50 lb. braided line.
Best Lures--When tarpon are in feeding mode you can catch them on just about anything but I like to use DOA CAL 3 inch shad with a paddle tail. My favorite colors are white and natural color combinations with a 1/8 ounce jig head.
First thing in the morning and right before dark I like to use top water walk-the-dog style of lures. Mirrolure Top Dog and Zara Super Spooks are my favorite. Again, I like the white ones the best followed by natural color combinations.
When they are deeper in the water column later in the day I like to use a Mirrolure suspending mullet with natural color combinations. This is a very realistic bait and works extremely well when there are finger mullet around.
Gold and silver spoons also work well for tarpon. Spoons are great because they cast so far and you can cover a lot of water with them. I have found that a slow retrieve works the best for tarpon.
Watch the video below and catch more tarpon.
WANT TO CATCH A TARPON? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Best tackle for tarpon fishing--Tidal Creeks
Tidal creeks are another great place to catch tarpon. Their tolerance for low oxygen environments gives them an advantage over other predatory fish. Often the hot back water tidal creeks have lots of tarpon in them because that is where the small bait fish like to congregate.
If there is a deep channel in the creek or deep water at the mouth of the tidal creek, then you can often find some BIIIIIIIG tarpon in them. Big tarpon means that you will need big tackle to catch them. A tarpon is a fish that will literally fight to the death once hooked. It is a good idea to use heavier tackle than you need to catch a tarpon.
I try to limit my fight times to 20 minutes or less when tarpon fishing for the safety of the fish. They will give their last ounce of strength to get off of the hook so you will have to revive them just about every time that you catch one.
I wrote another article that covers in much more detail the best baits and lures for tarpon fishing. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Best Tackle-- I use my 5500 series reel for tarpon that are over 4 feet in length with a 50 pound braided line. This is coupled with a 7 to 8 foot medium/heavy rod. When the tarpon are under 4 feet in length, I will downsize to a 4000 series reel filled with 20 lb. braided line.
Best Baits-- My favorite way to catch big tarpon is with fresh dead bait on the bottom. I like to use a lady fish chunk or a mullet chunk with no weight on the bottom. If the current will not allow no weight, then I will use a one ounce just to keep the bait still on the bottom.
Many fishermen do not realize that tarpon are as much a scavenger as a predator. It makes perfect sense if you really think about it. In the ocean it is all about getting enough calories to survive.
Why use up a bunch of calories chasing your food around when it is just laying on the bottom of a tidal creek?
Always use a circle hook for dead baiting tarpon. This will stop them from swallowing the hook and injuring themselves. The circle hook usually ends up right in the corner of the tarpon's mouth allowing for an easy release.
The key to dead baiting for big tarpon is using big baits. The bait has to be large enough to stop the catfish from eating it before the tarpon can find it. The hard head catfish and sail catfish are very good at finding stinky things on the bottom of a tidal creek.
Once the tarpon picks up the bait let it run with it for a 5 count before flipping your bail over and letting the drag set the circle hook for you. You have to let the fish hook itself. If you try and set the hook it will pull out of the tarpon's mouth.
Have you ever heard the tarpon fishermen's phrase "Bow to the king."? What they mean by that is you should give the tarpon some slack in the line every time that it jumps so that it won't break your line.
Another great way to catch tarpon is by trolling a finger mullet behind a kayak where they are gulping. You will want to paddle very slowly and let your live bait attract an attack from below. Some of these attacks are like the ones that you see on TV when great white sharks come flying out of the water to catch seals. The tarpon will fly out of the water trying to catch the mullet. It is amazing.
Watch the video below and catch more tarpon in tidal creeks.
Best Lures-- I like to use the DOA CAL to find tarpon the white 3 inch shad with a red 1/8 ounce jig head is my go to unscented lure. I like to use a slow retrieve with an occasional twitch to get the tarpons' attention.
My favorite scented lure is the white Berkely Gulp swimming mullet with a red jig head. You will use this lure just like the DOA CAL. A slow retrieve with an occasional twitch seems to work the best.
My favorite hard bait is a walk-the-dog type of top water lure first thing in the morning or late in the day. I like the Zara Super Spook in white or in a natural color combination. The Mirrolure Top Dog is another good choice in those same colors.
A Mirrolure suspending finger mullet is another great hard bait for tarpon. This lure will suspend horizontally in the water column a few feet from the surface. This is a twitch bait and will dart from side to side when you twitch it during your retrieve. I like the ones with natural color combinations like a black or green back with a white belly.
The Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit Trust is an amazing organization dedicated to keeping our waters and estuaries clean and healthy. Only clean and healthy ecosystems will keep our fish populations abundant and our fishermen happy. Visit their website to learn more.
Best tackle for tarpon fishing--Beaches
Tarpon can be found migrating down the beaches all over Florida. There are many different bait runs that happen throughout the year. Those prey items attract just about every predator to the beaches and especially tarpon.
Tarpon are a lot of fun to catch off of the beach. Just make sure that you have enough line on your reel to handle one if you hook it. They can easily spool you if you don't have enough line. I recommend using braided line because it has a smaller diameter than mono filament line.
That means that you can fit a lot more line on your reel to give you a chance to catch one of those really big tarpon that run the beaches looking for prey. The only problem with catching tarpon off of the beach is that you will have to get wet. You will have to get into the water to revive and release them because it is illegal to bring them out of the water.
Best Tackle and Lures-- I love to fish for tarpon off of the beach using an 8 inch pencil popper top water lure. I will attach my 5500 series reel filled with 50 to 80 pound braided line to my 10 foot medium/heavy surf casting rod. The surf casting rod lets me get the lure out much farther than a smaller rod.
The best time to fish for tarpon off of the beach is at first light when it coincides with the higher parts of the tide. The higher tides let the bigger fish get closer to the beach. The last hour of day light during the higher parts of the tide is another great time to fish for tarpon.
A large silver spoon is another great lure for tarpon. Spoons cast extremely far which allows you to cover a lot of water searching for the tarpon bite. Just cast it as far as you can and reel it back slowly.
Watch the video below and catch more tarpon off of the beach.
Best tackle for tarpon fishing--Inlets
There are lots of tarpon around the mouths of inlets all around Florida. The mouths of inlets are great places to find all kinds of predators like snook, redfish, sharks and tarpon. The outgoing tide seems to be the best one for catching tarpon.
The beaches on either side of the mouth of the inlets is another great spot to catch tarpon. The current in the inlets themselves can be challenging to fish when they are strong. I like to fish on either side of the mouth in the eddies that are formed with the outgoing tide.
Best Tackle-- The tarpon around the inlets are usually pretty big so you will want to use a 5500 or even a 6500 series reel full of 50 to 80 lb. braided line. You will want to couple that with a 7 to 8 foot medium/heavy rod.
Best Lures-- The dirty water of the outgoing tide is the best friend of the lure fisherman. This is especially true for catching tarpon with lures. Tarpon have huge eyes and excellent vision so they are hard to fool when the water is clear.
The water is dirty on the outgoing tides which makes it easier for the tarpon to mistake a lure for a real prey item. I like to use a suspending Mirrolure finger mullet in the outgoing tides around inlet. You will want to cast as far as possible and twitch the bait back to your spot.
A large silver spoon is another great lure to use in the inlets. A spoon has an excellent casting distance and puts out those perfect low frequency vibrations that predatory fish are so attracted to. Just make sure to cast it out as far as you can and work it back to you about at the same speed as the current.
I like to have a double barrel swivel to stop the spoon from twisting up your line as you cast it over and over again. You will want to have a swivel attached to the spoon itself and have one on the top of your leader where it attaches to your main line.
Bonus Video-- Tidal Creek Tarpon and Bluefish
Conclusion:
Tarpon are my favorite fish to target when they come rolling through my part of the state. BUT you definitely need to have the proper tackle to catch them. You need tackle strong enough to handle the "Silver King" or you won't be able to land them.
You also need tackle that is a step above what is necessary to catch these fish because they will literally fight to the death. If you are using light tackle, then the tarpon may be half dead by the time you get them in. If you can't revive them they will just sink to the bottom when you let go of them and drown.
Their bodies fill with lactic acid and the blood oxygen levels get depleted because they were too busy fighting to gulp enough air. My point is use heavy tackle and fishing gear when you are targeting these fish. It will make it easier on you and the tarpon that you are catching.
Wherever you live you can find those amazing creatures in your part of the south when the water temperatures get to be 75 degrees and higher. That is when the tarpon will show up in your town.
I hope that this article helps you catch a ton more tarpon or at the very least have more fun trying.
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