Fly Fishing for Tarpon in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce and Stuart Florida
Tarpon are one of the most popular targets for fly fishing enthusiasts who travel from all over the world for a shot at the "Silver King". Tarpon are ranked #2 on the world's best game fish list behind the Blue Marlin.
The author of this article is a fly fishing guide with over 40 years of inshore fishing experience.
In the article below we will cover.
Let's get started.
Tarpon are one of the most popular targets for fly fishing enthusiasts who travel from all over the world for a shot at the "Silver King". Tarpon are ranked #2 on the world's best game fish list behind the Blue Marlin.
The author of this article is a fly fishing guide with over 40 years of inshore fishing experience.
In the article below we will cover.
- What are the best tarpon flies?
- How to catch a tarpon around docks, off the beach, on the flats, in the mangroves...?
- What size fly rods are best for tarpon fishing?
- What size tippets are best for catching tarpon on the fly?
- What are the best months to fly fish for tarpon?
- What is the best time of day to fly fish for tarpon?
- What is the best stripping technique for tarpon?
- and much more.....
Let's get started.
What are the best tarpon flies?
Tarpon can see purple and blue variants the best. This is probably why purple is one of the go to fly colors for catching tarpon.
Shallow- I like to use purple tarpon toads, cockroach, black and purple deceiver minnow patterns, and purple and black baitfish imitations. See photo above. This is especially true when you are fishing low light scenarios like first light, last light, overcasts days and nighttime.
White versions of minnow patterns, baitfish patterns and tarpon toads with accents of tans, olives and browns are a great choice when you are fishing clean water under sunny skies.
Another great choice for tarpon is an unweighted shrimp pattern fly with lots of tan or olive coloring. Everything likes to eat a shrimp, especially tarpon.
Huge tarpon will eat tiny flies. You often don't need a fly with hooks any larger than a 2/0 for most tarpon BUT if you go after the big ones, you might want flies with a 4/0 hook.
Tarpon will readily eat topwater flies in low light scenarios. This is my favorite way to catch tarpon, snook or any other fish, in the morning.
A 2- or 3-inch gurgler type fly and foam head tarpon toads are excellent choices for topwater tarpon flies. Purple and black are great colors in low light for tarpon.
Deep- Tarpon will also eat in deeper water as the sun gets higher and higher. This is when sinking flies will be coupled with an intermediate sinking line for best results.
Large deceiver flies and larger Clouser minnow flies are great for tarpon feeding in deeper water. Weighted shrimp patterns are another good choice.
I buy my flies cheaply in bulk from two companies that I found online. Discountflies.com and Big Y Fly Company are great options for those of you who don't tie your own flies. They have great tarpon fly and any other saltwater fly collections to choose from.
* I am not sponsored by any of the companies, nor do I get special discounts from any of the companies that I mention in this article. I am just trying to help you get into saltwater fly fishing without breaking the bank.
How to catch a tarpon on the fly.......
Around Docks- Not all docks attract fish equally. Some docks are much more appealing to tarpon and other predators.
- Docks with fish cleaning tables are good for attracting predatory fish like tarpon, snook, redfish and speckled trout. When the owner cleans a fish and throws the remains in the water they are chumming the area. Fish get used to these free meals and will frequent these docks..
- Docks with large boats are better too. Large boats tend to dredge up the ocean floor creating trenches that predators like to use to ambush prey items.
- Older docks are better than newer docks. Older docks have more oysters, barnacles, sponges, and plants on them. These in turn attract crabs, shrimp and fish to them. Tarpon and other predators love to eat crabs, shrimp and fish.
- Docks with lights on them attract prey items at night. Predators like tarpon will start relating certain docks to food even if it is in the daytime.
Tarpon can be hard to get out of the docks so make sure you are not under gunned if you are targeting big ones. Use at least a 10 wt. so you don't get caught up in the pilings.
Off the Beach- Tarpon will be cruising the beaches along the Treasure Coast of Florida throughout the summer and fall. They are usually very close to the beach during the higher parts of the tide. Even when the wind is onshore you can still get your flies out far enough to catch tarpon. They are often within 15 feet of the shoreline during high tide.
When the tide gets high these larger tarpons can get within a few feet of shore to eat minnows, anchovies, pilchards, finger mullet and any other type of baitfish that they want. Your job is to match the hatch to whatever they are feeding upon.
Your best bite is during first light and last light on the beach. Tarpons have huge eyes which gives them the advantage over their prey. Tarpon's Latin name is Megalops Atlanticus which translates into Atlantic Big Eye.
*I do a one-on-one fly-fishing surf charter focused on catching tarpon and snook off the beach during the summer and fall. Learn more here Surf Fishing Charters.
Around Mangroves- Tarpon love to cruise the mangroves looking for prey items. Sometimes they are all the way up into the tangles of limbs and roots of the trees. Other times they are right on the edge of the mangroves.
You will definitely need to master your side arm, 25 ft. casts to be any good at tarpon fishing within the mangroves. It's good practice for the snook in the mangroves too. Snook are always around, and tarpon are not.
The best flies are those very slow sinkers that land lightly on the water. Tarpon can be very spooky, so the smaller more stealthy flies tend to be the best ones for this type of fishing. I would recommend unweighted tarpon toads and shrimp imitations 2 or 3 inches long.
In Creek Mouths- Tarpon love to cruise creek mouths searching for food. Topwater flies like gurglers and foam head tarpon toads are a fun choice for blind casting during sunrise and sunset. Any slow sinkers like deceiver minnows and tarpon toads are another great choice for sniping gulping tarpon.
During the summer/rainy season, tarpon will congregate around the freshwater outflows to feed upon freshwater prey items like bluegills and other panfish.
Spillways are another great spot to find tarpon and snook. Both species can live in freshwater but the freshwater species coming over the spillways cannot live in saltwater. This makes them easy prey.
Are you going to be in my area? If so, book a fly-fishing tarpon charter. Learn more here Tarpon Charters.
My area of the Treasure Coast is blessed with many of these areas where spillways, canals, creeks and rivers flow into the main saltwater waterways. Early and late in the day are the best times for fishing the creek mouths because boat traffic will shut down the tarpon action.
What size fly rods are best for tarpon?
Tarpon are fun from the time they are 15 inches long to when they are 150 pounds. Your best bet for tarpon 20 lbs. and under is an 8 wt. Once you are targeting tarpon bigger than that you should invest in a larger fly-fishing kit. You will need an 11 or 12 wt. outfit to handle the really big ones.
There is a great and inexpensive saltwater 8 wt. fly-fishing kit that only costs $400. You can easily spend $1,000 on a decent 8 wt. set up for small tarpon, snook, redfish and speckled trout.
The kit that I am talking about is the Redington Tropical Saltwater outfit and Bass Pro Shop sells them online for $400. AND it ships for FREE!
Okay. Let's get back to the article.
I am not suggesting that an 8wt. can't handle a tarpon bigger than 20 lbs. but you want a larger arbor so you can put more line and more backing on it, so you don't get spooled if you hook a larger tarpon than you wanted.
An angry tarpon can run 50 yards in a heartbeat, so you need more line on your reel for bigger tarpon.
Let's use the following as a basic guide for what weights will be necessary for different sized tarpon.
PRO TIP- Use a class tippet when you are fly fishing for tarpon. I'll talk about leaders, class tippets and bite tippets later in the article. It is a good idea to have a class tippet to create a weak point in your leader when you are chasing big tarpon.
Tarpon are fun from the time they are 15 inches long to when they are 150 pounds. Your best bet for tarpon 20 lbs. and under is an 8 wt. Once you are targeting tarpon bigger than that you should invest in a larger fly-fishing kit. You will need an 11 or 12 wt. outfit to handle the really big ones.
There is a great and inexpensive saltwater 8 wt. fly-fishing kit that only costs $400. You can easily spend $1,000 on a decent 8 wt. set up for small tarpon, snook, redfish and speckled trout.
The kit that I am talking about is the Redington Tropical Saltwater outfit and Bass Pro Shop sells them online for $400. AND it ships for FREE!
Okay. Let's get back to the article.
I am not suggesting that an 8wt. can't handle a tarpon bigger than 20 lbs. but you want a larger arbor so you can put more line and more backing on it, so you don't get spooled if you hook a larger tarpon than you wanted.
An angry tarpon can run 50 yards in a heartbeat, so you need more line on your reel for bigger tarpon.
Let's use the following as a basic guide for what weights will be necessary for different sized tarpon.
- If you are after juvenile tarpon from 5 to 20 pounds, then you will need an 8 wt.
- If you are after larger tarpon from 20 to 60 pounds, then you will need a 10 wt.
- If you are after BIG tarpon from 60 to 140 pounds, then you will need a 12 wt.
PRO TIP- Use a class tippet when you are fly fishing for tarpon. I'll talk about leaders, class tippets and bite tippets later in the article. It is a good idea to have a class tippet to create a weak point in your leader when you are chasing big tarpon.
What size tippets are best for catching tarpon?
You will need at least a 30 lb. bite tippet to go after tarpon unless you are targeting the super small ones. For the bigger tarpon you might want to have 40 lb., 60 lb. and 80 lb. leader material for bite tippets.
A 1 to 2 ft. long bite tippet is pretty standard for tarpon fisherman.
A class tippet is another good idea when trying to catch tarpon. You would tie in your class tippet above your bite tippet. Here is an example. 6 feet of 40 lb. leader attached to a one foot 16 lb. class tippet attached to a two-foot 40 lb. bite tippet.
A class tippet is used to create a weak point in your leader just in case you need to break your tarpon off for one reason or another.
Here are a few of those reasons:
- A shark is trying to eat your tarpon.
- Your tarpon is too big and is going to spool you.
- Your tarpon is too big and will ruin your expensive fly line in some structure like dock or bridge pilings.
There are many tapered leader choices for tarpon in lengths from 6 to 10 feet in length. The good news is most of them have a picture of a tarpon on them. I will use many from 12 pounds up to 30 pounds for the tarpon that I like to target.
Mono vs. Fluorocarbon- Many tarpon fly fishermen don't use tapered leaders. They will just run a straight monofilament or fluorocarbon leader from the fly line. Both types of lines have their pros and cons.
For instance, fluorocarbon lines sink, are harder to see, are stiffer and don't stretch. This type of line is great for slowly sinking types of flies and fish species with hard mouths like tarpon.
Monofilament lines float and stretch. These lines are better for topwater flies and for species of fish with softer mouths like speckled trout. You don't want the mouth to have a big hole in it because the fly will shake out easily.
What are the best months to fly fish for tarpon?
In my area, May through November are the best months to catch tarpon. My fly-fishing charters run from Vero Beach down to Stuart, Florida.
Tarpon will start to actively eat once that water temperatures get over 70 degrees. Getting up to that temperature in my fishing areas depends upon when our last cold fronts move through the Treasure Coast. Some years the last cold fronts come through in mid-March. Other years our cold fronts last until mid-April. So you never really know when the waters will get to that magic 70 degree level.
Our resident tarpon can sometimes be caught towards the end of February or early March BUT the tarpon that migrate do not return in decent numbers until May.
Tarpon love hot water and 75 to 85 degrees is the best temperature range for tarpon. Tarpon are one of the few fish that can survive in 90-degree water.
June through September are definitely the best months for tarpon in my area. By then you will have your choice of tarpon sizes. You can find them from 15 inches all the way up to 150 pounds by Summer.
What is the best time of day to fly fish for tarpon?
Tarpon are most active during low light. This means your best chance to jump a tarpon is first light, last light and nighttime. This does not mean that you can't catch tarpon at high noon. I have done it many times. I am saying that your odds are best during low light scenarios.
The great thing about early morning tarpon is they show themselves more frequently. Many fly fishermen do not realize that tarpon need to breathe atmospheric oxygen to supplement the dissolved oxygen in the water.
Most of the dissolved oxygen in the water comes from photosynthesis. There is obviously no sun at night so there is less available oxygen in the water first thing in the morning. That is why you see so many "gulping" tarpon in the early morning hours.
You can lead the gulping tarpon by reading their bubble trails as they swim off. It is best to lead them by about 8 feet and meet them at a 90-degree angle or less. If they are coming right at your position, lead them by 8 feet and start stripping.
PRO TIP- The one thing you never want to do is put your line over a tarpon's back. Do not try to present your fly to a tarpon moving in a straight line away from your position. You will spook the fish and she will tell all of her friends.
Nighttime- Nighttime tarpon can be found by any sort of lights. It can be lights from bridges and inlets or seawalls and docks. Lights at night attract the shrimp and fish that tarpon love to feed upon.
It is best to present your fly from the shadows into the light. The predators are waiting in the shadows for some unsuspecting food item to show itself in the light. Nighttime is the right time to catch tons of tarpon.
In my area, May through November are the best months to catch tarpon. My fly-fishing charters run from Vero Beach down to Stuart, Florida.
Tarpon will start to actively eat once that water temperatures get over 70 degrees. Getting up to that temperature in my fishing areas depends upon when our last cold fronts move through the Treasure Coast. Some years the last cold fronts come through in mid-March. Other years our cold fronts last until mid-April. So you never really know when the waters will get to that magic 70 degree level.
Our resident tarpon can sometimes be caught towards the end of February or early March BUT the tarpon that migrate do not return in decent numbers until May.
Tarpon love hot water and 75 to 85 degrees is the best temperature range for tarpon. Tarpon are one of the few fish that can survive in 90-degree water.
June through September are definitely the best months for tarpon in my area. By then you will have your choice of tarpon sizes. You can find them from 15 inches all the way up to 150 pounds by Summer.
What is the best time of day to fly fish for tarpon?
Tarpon are most active during low light. This means your best chance to jump a tarpon is first light, last light and nighttime. This does not mean that you can't catch tarpon at high noon. I have done it many times. I am saying that your odds are best during low light scenarios.
The great thing about early morning tarpon is they show themselves more frequently. Many fly fishermen do not realize that tarpon need to breathe atmospheric oxygen to supplement the dissolved oxygen in the water.
Most of the dissolved oxygen in the water comes from photosynthesis. There is obviously no sun at night so there is less available oxygen in the water first thing in the morning. That is why you see so many "gulping" tarpon in the early morning hours.
You can lead the gulping tarpon by reading their bubble trails as they swim off. It is best to lead them by about 8 feet and meet them at a 90-degree angle or less. If they are coming right at your position, lead them by 8 feet and start stripping.
PRO TIP- The one thing you never want to do is put your line over a tarpon's back. Do not try to present your fly to a tarpon moving in a straight line away from your position. You will spook the fish and she will tell all of her friends.
Nighttime- Nighttime tarpon can be found by any sort of lights. It can be lights from bridges and inlets or seawalls and docks. Lights at night attract the shrimp and fish that tarpon love to feed upon.
It is best to present your fly from the shadows into the light. The predators are waiting in the shadows for some unsuspecting food item to show itself in the light. Nighttime is the right time to catch tons of tarpon.
What are the best stripping techniques for tarpon?
Tarpon respond well to a slow steady strip with an increase in speed as they give chase. Some days they like a rapid and short series of 6-inch strips and others they like a series of longer and slower strips.
Also consider what flies you are fishing with. A cockroach mimics a shrimp and shrimp move slowly until they are being chased.
An unweighted baitfish might work best with a long and slow stripping rate.
My advice is to mix it up around gulping tarpon to find out what they want.
PRO TIP- Keep the tip of your flyrod in the water or very close to it when stripping for tarpon. Your flies will look better to the tarpon, and you will be in a better position to strip set the hook.
Your will have to experiment to figure out what they want on the day you are on the water.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are a very valuable sport fish that brings billions of dollars to Florida. Fly fishermen from all over the world come to Florida just to target this fish. They are the hardest fighting, most challenging inshore species of fish and Florida has the largest quantity of this fish for any state.
One study was done to figure out the value of each tarpon and the number they came up with was $50,000. Tarpon are worth $50,000 each to the local economies because fishermen pay for a flight, pay for a rental car, pay for a hotel, pay for their meals at restaurants, pay for flies and supplies at the fly shop, pay for a fly-fishing guide, typically for multiple days.......
Tarpon are an amazing species of fish and should be treated accordingly. During my charters we are very careful to revive our tarpon and protect them from dolphin and sharks as we are releasing them. It is a privilege to fly fish for tarpon and we are lucky to have an abundance of them in our area of Florida.
I hope this article helps you catch more tarpon.
Thank you for reading it.
Capt. Mike
Tarpon respond well to a slow steady strip with an increase in speed as they give chase. Some days they like a rapid and short series of 6-inch strips and others they like a series of longer and slower strips.
Also consider what flies you are fishing with. A cockroach mimics a shrimp and shrimp move slowly until they are being chased.
An unweighted baitfish might work best with a long and slow stripping rate.
My advice is to mix it up around gulping tarpon to find out what they want.
PRO TIP- Keep the tip of your flyrod in the water or very close to it when stripping for tarpon. Your flies will look better to the tarpon, and you will be in a better position to strip set the hook.
Your will have to experiment to figure out what they want on the day you are on the water.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are a very valuable sport fish that brings billions of dollars to Florida. Fly fishermen from all over the world come to Florida just to target this fish. They are the hardest fighting, most challenging inshore species of fish and Florida has the largest quantity of this fish for any state.
One study was done to figure out the value of each tarpon and the number they came up with was $50,000. Tarpon are worth $50,000 each to the local economies because fishermen pay for a flight, pay for a rental car, pay for a hotel, pay for their meals at restaurants, pay for flies and supplies at the fly shop, pay for a fly-fishing guide, typically for multiple days.......
Tarpon are an amazing species of fish and should be treated accordingly. During my charters we are very careful to revive our tarpon and protect them from dolphin and sharks as we are releasing them. It is a privilege to fly fish for tarpon and we are lucky to have an abundance of them in our area of Florida.
I hope this article helps you catch more tarpon.
Thank you for reading it.
Capt. Mike