The Complete Tarpon Tackle Box Basics
The perfect tarpon tackle box basics for maximizing your tarpon hook ups are 4 to 8 inch paddle tails in white and purple. That is your best bet and large top water lures are another fun but less effective lure for tarpon.
Tarpon are voracious marine predators that eat crabs, shrimp, marine worms and fish. When you are targeting big tarpon then you will definitely want to use big lures unless they are feeding upon small baits like minnows or marine worms. Then you will want to try and match the hatch.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves, beaches and docks for small and large tarpon all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will cover the best tarpon tackle box basic setup for catching more tarpon inshore and off of the beaches. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn the best tarpon tackle box basics.
The perfect tarpon tackle box basics for maximizing your tarpon hook ups are 4 to 8 inch paddle tails in white and purple. That is your best bet and large top water lures are another fun but less effective lure for tarpon.
Tarpon are voracious marine predators that eat crabs, shrimp, marine worms and fish. When you are targeting big tarpon then you will definitely want to use big lures unless they are feeding upon small baits like minnows or marine worms. Then you will want to try and match the hatch.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats, mangroves, beaches and docks for small and large tarpon all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will cover the best tarpon tackle box basic setup for catching more tarpon inshore and off of the beaches. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn the best tarpon tackle box basics.
Tarpon Tackle Box Basics
The best type of lure to catch tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout and just about every other sought after inshore fish species is a paddle tail.
I have tried all sorts of soft plastic lure styles over the last 40 years and the basic paddle tail is always the best bet for catching the most fish consistently.
I have narrowed down my lure colors to something dark and something light. Tarpon like purple for some reason which is the dark color that I make sure is in my lure color. (ex. June bug or different other color combinations with purple in it.)
I also like white, or pearl or any version of white. The dark colors work best when the water is stained or dirty and the white colors work the best during clear and clean water conditions.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a tarpon. You can see that article by clicking right here.
What size tarpon are you targeting?
Those big bruisers that you will run into around inlets and off the beach during the various bait runs in Florida will determine the best size lure to use.
Those big 50 to 100 pound tarpon want an 8 inch paddle tail. They are usually a 1 ounce to 2 ounce weight so you will need a medium heavy rod to pitch them without damaging the rod and your guides.
Hogy lures makes a great tarpon paddle tail that is very effective. BUT there are also some cheaper paddle tails that will get bites like the Tsunami brand that Walmart carries. The Hogy lures are better but they cost a lot more.
My favorite size tarpon to catch are between 2 and 3 feet long. Those are what I consider a fun sized tarpon because they will give you 4 or 5 jumps and pull drag just like the big ones. BUT your battle will only last a few minutes instead of 45 minutes to and hour.
I am too old for those long tarpon battles with big tarpon.
The best lure size for a 2 to 3 foot tarpon is the 4 inch paddle tails most of the time. They will hit a 4 inch paddle tail more readily than a larger one most of the time.
The best time to target tarpon with lures is sunrise, sunset and at night. They are much more apt to fall for a lure when the sky conditions are darker.
The best retrieve for tarpon is a slow and steady one for some reason. Many species like an erratic retrieve but tarpon like it slow.
Watch the video below to learn more about targeting big tarpon off of the beach.
What line and leaders do you need in your tarpon tackle box?
I like to fish for fun sized tarpon (2 or 3 feet) with a 15 pound braided line and a 20 to 30 pound leader. Tarpon have excellent eyesight so you will want to use as low pound leader as you can get away with.
It's better to get a bite and lose the fish than not get any bites at all, in my opinion.
When I am targeting those bigger fish with lures off of the beach or dead bait inshore, my line is 50 pound and my leader is 50 to 100 pound.
You need to have enough braided line to handle a 250 yard run by a big tarpon so you don't get spooled. So it is better to go lighter and have a full spool than to go heavy most of the time.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are the apex of sportfishing inshore. There are just no other fish that compare to the tarpon when it comes to intestinal fortitude. The Silver King will literally fight you to the death and very few other fish have that sort of fighting spirit.
Your best bet for catching tarpon with lures is the paddle tail from 4 to 8 inches depending upon the size of the tarpon and the baits that they are feeding upon.
I hope that you like this minimalist tackle box basics that I described in this article.
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