Tarpon Fishing with Lures Tips and Techniques
The best lures for tarpon fishing are:
Tarpon are a bucket list species of fish and fishermen from all over the world come to test their skills against the tarpon a.k.a. Silver King. The ultimate test of one's fishing skills is catching a tarpon with lures. The lures above are my favorites for catching tarpon but any similar size, profile and brand of lure will work just fine.
Tarpon fishing with lures is all about the technique that you use and not the lure itself. Once you master the various lures that cover the different parts of the water column, then you will have mastered lure fishing in general.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you what I know about catching tarpon with lures. Let's get started.
*I am not sponsored by any of the lure companies that I recommend using. I use those lures because they work well not because I am being paid to use them.
Watch the video and catch more tarpon.
The best lures for tarpon fishing are:
- DOA Bait Buster
- Zara Super Spook/MirroLure Top Dog
- Any 3" to 5" Shad with Paddle Tail
- Spoons
- DOA Big One Terror Eyz
Tarpon are a bucket list species of fish and fishermen from all over the world come to test their skills against the tarpon a.k.a. Silver King. The ultimate test of one's fishing skills is catching a tarpon with lures. The lures above are my favorites for catching tarpon but any similar size, profile and brand of lure will work just fine.
Tarpon fishing with lures is all about the technique that you use and not the lure itself. Once you master the various lures that cover the different parts of the water column, then you will have mastered lure fishing in general.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you what I know about catching tarpon with lures. Let's get started.
*I am not sponsored by any of the lure companies that I recommend using. I use those lures because they work well not because I am being paid to use them.
Watch the video and catch more tarpon.
Tarpon Fishing with Lures off the Beach
Tarpon love to cruise the beaches during the various bait runs. As long as the water is 75 degrees plus you can count on some tarpon being in the surf eating whatever delicious baits are running the beaches.
Of course your best bet for lure choice is something similar to whatever the tarpon are feeding on. If you don't know what they are feeding on, then start small and work you way up in lure size or vice versa.
I have a 10 foot medium/heavy surf rod that I use exclusively to toss lures in the surf with. That extra couple of feet of rod length really makes a difference when you need that extra 10 or 15 yards of casting distance to get your lure where the fish are.
Often times during high tide you can probably get to the tarpon with a cane pole they can be so close to the shore. BUT more often they will be within 50 yards of the sand that you are standing on.
DOA BAIT BUSTER- The DOA Bait Buster is a great lure choice when the tarpon are feeding on smaller mullet off of the beach. The DOA Bait Buster come in shallow running, medium and deep running lure versions. As you can probably guess the deep runners and the heaviest and you can cast them the farthest.
That is the lure that I choose to pitch to beach tarpon. You will find it hard to get the right twitch action with a huge surf rod but you don't need to do much more than lift the tip of the rod and speed up and slow down your retrieve to give your lure enough action to attract a hungry tarpon.
My favorite colors are a natural color combination like a silver body with a black back. The glow and white colored ones will work very well too.
BIG SILVER SPOONS- Another great lure for catching tarpon off of the beach is a heavy spoon. You can get some amazing distance with a spoon that weighs 1 ounce or more when using a surf rod.
Most of the spoon's action is created by the shape of the spoon so you don't have to do very much with your retrieve. I like to vary my retrieve by going faster and slower to see what is getting the most strikes. You will have to do some experimentation to see what the tarpon want that day.
You will also need to bring a few different spoons when you fish off of the beach because there are inevitably going to be bluefish and Spanish mackerel feasting on the same bait as the tarpon. Those toothy types of fish will cut your line unless you have a wire leader.
If you choose to use a wire leader you will definitely get less strikes from the tarpon. They have excellent eye sight. BUT if the water is churned up by wave action, then you can get away with a light leader sometimes.
8 INCH PENCIL POPPER- A pencil popper is another great tarpon lure off of the beach and you can cast them a mile. This bait is the best one for fishing in schools of mature mullet that are a foot or so long.
All that you have to do is real this lure in. Its concave face makes a popping noise that sends out those low frequency sound waves that predatory fish love. This is the same lure that I use for catching Black Tipped Sharks off of the beach. They work great.
My favorite colors are the mackerel colored ones and the ones with a red head and a silver body. Those seem to work the best for me but I am sure that there are other ones that will work just fine too.
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Tarpon Fishing with Lures in Inlets
BIG tarpon like to hang out at the mouths of the various inlets. This is an especially good place to target them early in the morning; late in the day and at night.
Inlets attract lots of predators because the strong tides that occur in the inlets funnels food right to them. You will find that the tarpon often congregate in large numbers at the mouths of inlets all over Florida.
DOA BAIT BUSTERS and 3 to 5 INCH SHAD with PADDLE TAILS- The best lures for inlet tarpon are DOA Bait Busters and 3 to 5 inch shad lures with a paddle tail. I like the DOA CAL 3" shad with a paddle tail and the Zoom 5" Swimming Fluke lures.
Those lures will cover that middle to upper part of the water column where the tarpon are most likely feeding. They mimic very well the mullet, sardines, anchovies, minnows, menhaden or whatever white bait the tarpon are eating.
The outgoing tide is the best one to fish for tarpon with lures in and around an inlet. The outgoing tide usually has dirty water and this hides the real identity of your lures from the sharp eyed tarpon. This in turn leads to many more strikes.
The incoming tide is usually that clear water from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It is much harder to trick the tarpon into biting lures in clear water. I would suggest that you use live bait on the incoming tide unless it is sunrise, sunset or night time when the tarpon cannot see as well. Use your lures on the outgoing tides.
DOA BIG ONE TERROR EYZ- When the tarpon are down deeper the DOA Big One Terror Eyz is a good choice for the bottom part of the water column. Sometimes the tarpon are down deep and you need a deep diving type of lure to get at them.
This lure will get you down to the bottom or near the bottom. The best way to fish this lure is to bounce it on the bottom or swim it near the bottom with the current. You definitely need to cast up current and work the lure back to you with the current for best results.
Tarpon Fishing with Lures in the Mangroves
Tarpon love to hang out in tidal creeks and deep channels that are adjacent to mangroves. Tarpon are a species of fish that can tolerate two environmental conditions that are deadly to most fish.
Tarpon can tolerate very hot water. A tarpon can survive in water that is approaching 90 degrees. The high 80s will kill most inshore species of fish. Tarpon are very tough.
Tarpon can also breathe atmospheric air. They have a rudimentary lung and can gulp air when there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water where they are. Hot water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water but tarpon can thrive in hot water.
These two evolutionary adaptations help tarpon survive in the hot and low oxygen back waters and tidal creeks all over Florida. Tarpon are my favorite fish to target.
TOP WATER LURES- The back waters and tidal creeks around mangroves are usually very calm water places. This is a perfect scenario for using top water lures like a Zara Super Spook and a MirroLure Top Dog.
Top water lures are most effective at first light and last light. That first hour or so of the day and the last hour or so of the day are my favorite times to fish with top water lures. Top water lures can be effective at any time during the day but low light conditions are the best times to use them.
DOA BAIT BUSTER- The DOA Bait Buster is another great lure choice for mangrove tarpon fishing. You will need to have the shallow running, middle and deep running versions of this lure based on where the tarpon are feeding in the water column.
3 to 5 INCH SHAD with PADDLE TAILS- This is a great place to use your 3 to 5 inch shad with a paddle tail lures. The best colors are white, glow and natural color combinations like a light belly and sides with a dark back. When the water is murky a root beer color or any dark color will work for tarpon.
Watch the video and learn more about the best water temperatures for tarpon.
Tarpon love to hang out in tidal creeks and deep channels that are adjacent to mangroves. Tarpon are a species of fish that can tolerate two environmental conditions that are deadly to most fish.
Tarpon can tolerate very hot water. A tarpon can survive in water that is approaching 90 degrees. The high 80s will kill most inshore species of fish. Tarpon are very tough.
Tarpon can also breathe atmospheric air. They have a rudimentary lung and can gulp air when there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water where they are. Hot water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water but tarpon can thrive in hot water.
These two evolutionary adaptations help tarpon survive in the hot and low oxygen back waters and tidal creeks all over Florida. Tarpon are my favorite fish to target.
TOP WATER LURES- The back waters and tidal creeks around mangroves are usually very calm water places. This is a perfect scenario for using top water lures like a Zara Super Spook and a MirroLure Top Dog.
Top water lures are most effective at first light and last light. That first hour or so of the day and the last hour or so of the day are my favorite times to fish with top water lures. Top water lures can be effective at any time during the day but low light conditions are the best times to use them.
DOA BAIT BUSTER- The DOA Bait Buster is another great lure choice for mangrove tarpon fishing. You will need to have the shallow running, middle and deep running versions of this lure based on where the tarpon are feeding in the water column.
3 to 5 INCH SHAD with PADDLE TAILS- This is a great place to use your 3 to 5 inch shad with a paddle tail lures. The best colors are white, glow and natural color combinations like a light belly and sides with a dark back. When the water is murky a root beer color or any dark color will work for tarpon.
Watch the video and learn more about the best water temperatures for tarpon.
Tarpon Fishing with Lures on the Grass Flats
Tarpon will hit the grass flats if there is enough bait for them to eat. This is a great place to catch tarpon in shallow water. My favorite way to fish the flats is to drift them unless I can see bait schools or some sort of predation happening.
If you can find the bait and the predators, then just go and fish where they are. BUT if you can't find them, then you can drift the grass flats with the tide or wind to cover as much water as you can.
3 to 5 INCH SHAD with a PADDLE TAIL- My favorite lures to cover as much water as I can are 3 to 5 inch shad lures with a paddle tail. These lures cast well and are great for fishing in water depths from one to 6 feet deep.
Tarpon will usually show themselves to you as they gulp air which helps you target them. After they gulp some air they will exhale the bubbles and this will show you which way they are heading. You will want to cast to 4 or 5 feet in front of the tarpon as they move.
SILVER SPOONS- Another great lure for tarpon on the flats is a silver spoon. Spoons are just about the longest casting lure that you can use. In other words, spoons are a great search lure to figure out where the fish are.
They are also an extremely easy lure to use. You simply cast them as far as you can and reel them back in with a varying retrieval speed. Fast then slow; fast then slow...….. is a great way to fish a spoon.
Tarpon will tend to move around quite a bit so you will have to move with them. In other words, you might be getting strikes in one spot for 30 minutes and then there is nothing. This means that the tarpon have moved and you will have to go and find them again.
I fish the grass flats a lot because my kayak fishing charters focus primarily in and around grass flats and mangroves. You will find that most of the fish that you want to catch on a grass flat will be in one spot.
That spot will have the right water temperatures and plenty of food for the predators to eat. Your job is to find that spot where the fish are.
You have to actively cover the area until you figure out where all of the feeding fish are. Most of the grass flat area will be dead zones with very little life. You must avoid dead zones or you will not catch any fish.
Watch the video below to learn how to avoid dead zones.
Tarpon Fishing with Lures Around Bridges
Tarpon like to hang out around deep structure like bridges. This is especially true at night if there are lights on the bridge. Bridges without lights just don't have as many fish around them. It is as simple as that.
Those lights will attract lots of marine creatures like marine worms, shrimp and small bait fish. Tarpon like to eat all of those things. Tarpon are also much more likely to bite a lure at night.
Tarpon that are normally finicky during the day will hit just about anything that you throw at them during the night time hours. Many fishermen catch their personal best fish during a night time fishing session.
3 to 5 INCH SHAD with PADDLE TAIL- Once again this is my go to choice for catching tarpon at night. The key to fishing the lights around bridges at night is to cast up current into the darkness. You want to cast into the darkness and bring your lure into the light.
The predators like to wait in the darkness for their prey items to show themselves in the light. You have to give them what they want. Your lure will often get slammed right as it gets into the light.
The best colors at night are the same colors that work during the day time hours. I like to use the glow, white and natural color combinations when fishing bridge lights at night.
Tarpon Fishing with Lures Best Tackle Tips
The best tackle to catch tarpon with lures depends upon where you are fishing for them and the size of the tarpon that you are targeting.
BEACHES- Those tarpon that are on the beaches are usually 5 feet plus in length and will require a heavy reel, rod and line to catch them. I like to use my 10 ft. medium/heavy surf rod coupled with a 5500 series reel that is full of 50 lb. braided line. You might even have to upgrade to a 6500 series reel for the big boys.
I use the 5500 series set up can catch everything from a 100 plus pound tarpon to a 100 plus pound black tipped shark off of the beach. You don't need to use a surf casting rod if you don't have one. You can use a 7 foot medium/heavy rod with the same reel and line to get similar results.
INLETS- You can use the same 7 foot medium/heavy rod; 5500 series reel and 50 lb. braided line for inlets too. Those tarpon are usually the big ones and you will not be able to catch them effectively with smaller reels and line.
MANGROVES- The mangrove tarpon are usually smaller than the ones on the beaches and inlets so you can downsize your gear to catch them. This is the environment where I catch most of my tarpon. My go to set up is a 7 ft. medium/heavy rod; a 4000 series reel filled with 20 lb. braided line.
The tarpon that I target in the tidal creeks and cuts around mangroves are usually 4 ft. or less and weigh 30 lbs. or less.
GRASS FLATS- You can use the same gear that you use in the mangroves unless the big boys are running the flats. Then you will have to beef up your gear.
BRIDGES- You can get away with the 4000 series reel set up around bridges at night if the tarpon are under 4 feet in length. You will have to go with the 5500 series reel set up to catch the big boys.
The best tackle to catch tarpon with lures depends upon where you are fishing for them and the size of the tarpon that you are targeting.
BEACHES- Those tarpon that are on the beaches are usually 5 feet plus in length and will require a heavy reel, rod and line to catch them. I like to use my 10 ft. medium/heavy surf rod coupled with a 5500 series reel that is full of 50 lb. braided line. You might even have to upgrade to a 6500 series reel for the big boys.
I use the 5500 series set up can catch everything from a 100 plus pound tarpon to a 100 plus pound black tipped shark off of the beach. You don't need to use a surf casting rod if you don't have one. You can use a 7 foot medium/heavy rod with the same reel and line to get similar results.
INLETS- You can use the same 7 foot medium/heavy rod; 5500 series reel and 50 lb. braided line for inlets too. Those tarpon are usually the big ones and you will not be able to catch them effectively with smaller reels and line.
MANGROVES- The mangrove tarpon are usually smaller than the ones on the beaches and inlets so you can downsize your gear to catch them. This is the environment where I catch most of my tarpon. My go to set up is a 7 ft. medium/heavy rod; a 4000 series reel filled with 20 lb. braided line.
The tarpon that I target in the tidal creeks and cuts around mangroves are usually 4 ft. or less and weigh 30 lbs. or less.
GRASS FLATS- You can use the same gear that you use in the mangroves unless the big boys are running the flats. Then you will have to beef up your gear.
BRIDGES- You can get away with the 4000 series reel set up around bridges at night if the tarpon are under 4 feet in length. You will have to go with the 5500 series reel set up to catch the big boys.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are the best fighting inshore fish that you can catch in Florida waters. They aren't called "The Silver Kings" for nothing. If you have not caught one, then you should put it on your bucket list to do so. They are an amazing species of fish.
My kayak tarpon fishing charter is the most popular one that I offer. In my area the tarpon don't show up in great numbers until May and they are usually gone sometime in November. This depends upon whether the cold fronts are early or late in coming to the area.
The problem with tarpon fishing is that they love hot weather. The best time to catch them is July through September along the Treasure Coast of Florida and you have to fish for them at first and last light for best results.
The reason that is a problem is because you will be super hot and that time of year is very buggy too. BUT it is worth it to get a chance to jump a beautiful tarpon at first light.
I hope that this article helps you catch lots more tarpon or at the very least helps you have more fun fishing for them. Thanks for reading it.
Do you like how to fishing articles like this one? If you do, then sign up for our email list because we will send you a new article every week. Sign up now and get your first one today.
Tarpon are the best fighting inshore fish that you can catch in Florida waters. They aren't called "The Silver Kings" for nothing. If you have not caught one, then you should put it on your bucket list to do so. They are an amazing species of fish.
My kayak tarpon fishing charter is the most popular one that I offer. In my area the tarpon don't show up in great numbers until May and they are usually gone sometime in November. This depends upon whether the cold fronts are early or late in coming to the area.
The problem with tarpon fishing is that they love hot weather. The best time to catch them is July through September along the Treasure Coast of Florida and you have to fish for them at first and last light for best results.
The reason that is a problem is because you will be super hot and that time of year is very buggy too. BUT it is worth it to get a chance to jump a beautiful tarpon at first light.
I hope that this article helps you catch lots more tarpon or at the very least helps you have more fun fishing for them. Thanks for reading it.
Do you like how to fishing articles like this one? If you do, then sign up for our email list because we will send you a new article every week. Sign up now and get your first one today.